Affiliate Schemes

An affiliate network is a value-added online media intermediary, providing services including aggregation, distribution of creative materials, and campaign performance tracking/reporting, for affiliate merchants and affiliates. For affiliate merchants, services can include providing tracking technology, reporting tools, payment processing, and access to a large base of affiliates. For affiliates, services can include providing one-click application to new merchants, reporting tools, and payment aggregation. The networks are free to join but can be hard to find. They sometimes call themselves names like "marketing solutions provider", "pay-for-performance network", "cost-per-action advertising network", or even "performance-based online marketing services company". They can provide pay-per-lead (PPL), pay-per-sale (PPS), pay-per-action (PPA) – sometimes called cost per action (CPA) – and pay-per-click (PPC) offers from merchants that you promote on your web site or in your newsletter.Some affiliate networks allow almost anyone to join. Others insist your site must receive a certain number of visitors. Some also let you see a directory of the merchants in the network before you join, whereas others show you their list of offers only after you join.