Affiliate marketing, as you might probably know already, is a multi-billion dollar industry and it's by far the best way to monetize your website or blog --- unless you have your own products and services to sell.
If you have a content rich website then there are hundreds of thousands of affiliate programs and affiliate networks available on the web that can make you a fortune. In fact, the secret to six-figure blogging is
affiliate marketing.

The reason is pretty simple... if you are monetizing your website with the right affiliate program then it can make a lot of money with little effort (of course you need a content rich website with a handsome amount of targeted traffic).
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It's just that it takes some time to figure out what's converting and what's not.
So first things first.
Affiliate Programs & Affiliate Networks: What's What, And What's Not?
Affiliate programs are also called associate programs and it's a deal between an advertiser and a publisher. For instance, if I've a created a software and is promoting and selling it via my blog then I can also generate additional income by inviting my blog readers to promote it in exchange for a commission.
So let's say, if you referred a buyer for my newly created software product then I offer you a 50% commission (or 50% of the additional income that I have generated because of you). So if you refer more people to me then you make more income.
That's why affiliate marketing is also known as performance marketing.
And it's a win-win, right?
Now if I have the resources then I can run an affiliate program by myself --- within my own blog or website --- and then it called an
in-house affiliate program. But if I don't have the resources or don't want to manage it myself then I can sign up as an advertiser on an
affiliate network.