Affiliate marketing is a process where the  merchantwill pay a portion of their sales revenue to an affiliate if the sale is  result of the affiliate'spromotion to the products and services offered bythe  merchant.
 Now days, it's one of the fastest growing  industriesbecause it's cost efficient and quantifiable for both the affiliate  and the merchant.  Other playerscan profit as well, such as the affiliate  networkor the affiliate solutions provider.
 The best benefit for the merchant is the fact  thathe will gain opportunities to advertise his products to a much larger  market, therefore increasing his chances to earn.  The more affiliatesthe  merchant obtains, the more sales he can expect.With the merchant having  affiliates market hisproducts and services, he will save himself time,effort,  and money in looking for markets as well ascustomers.  The affiliate  marketer will benefit from each customer that clinks on the link in hiswebsite  and who actually purchases a product fromthe merchant.
 If you have wanted to join the growing legion  ofaffiliate marketers and have an unlimited potentialfor income, simply follow  these 3 steps to startan effective affiliate marketing program.
 1.  Identify something that interests you or  youfeel very passionate about.  Then, focus on a specific area you know a  lot about, as this willhelp you bring out your best and give your visitors who  are possible buyers a demonstrationof your expert in this field.  This way,  you'llgain their trust and encourage them to buy theproducts that you  endorse.
 2.  Search for merchants and products or  servicesthat are related to your interest  then creat aweb site with top  level domain names and very reliable hosting.  When you choose the  productsfor your web site, you need to consider the commission structure and the  conversion rate.
 There are many different affiliate networks  andaffiliate solution providers where you can obtainthe information on most  profitable products andwhich merchants pay the best.  Take your time -and  be sure you choose the right one.
 3.  Now, you are ready to promote.   You've choseneverything you need and even created your very ownwebsite.   You'll need to be creative, flexible,and willing to embrace new ideas.  By  this stage,you'll be well on your way to making more moneythan you ever imagined  - and enjoying every minute of it.