Thursday 29 August 2013

How to Spot a Fake Affiliate Network

More and more of us are turning to alternative methods of earning money to boost our income. The internet makes this easy for us but it also makes it easy for scammers to take advantage of those looking to earn a little extra by working from home.

Affiliate marketing has exploded in recent years with many people making a living from it. Unfortunately it doesn’t come without its horror stories and with little knowledge about the world of affiliate marketing, some people are finding themselves at the heart of a scam. It’s important to know what to look out for when considering joining an affiliate network; here are a few tips on how to spot a fake one.

You Don’t Need to Pay to Join an Affiliate Network

Don’t be convinced that you should be paying to join a network. Reputable affiliate networks are free to join and there are a lot of them. It’s simply not necessary to pay to join a network and as soon as a company starts asking for money, you should be questioning its legitimacy, especially if it’s not a well-known name.

No or Poorly Designed Website

ANY reputable company will have a professional looking website full of high quality content. If you find yourself on a site that doesn’t look too great and has errors in the spelling, grammar and information that it provides, forget about it. Good companies have good websites that are full of the information you need to be able to confidently choose it as your preferred network. Trust your instincts; if something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.

Hard to find or Suspicious Contact Details

Good companies that look after their affiliates will have excellent support services in place. If you find that a network doesn’t offer up any contact details or makes it hard to find them, you should begin questioning why that is. If the network is fake, they are unlikely to have any real details so that you can get in touch with them. And if they do provide contact details, look at whether they are traceable or not. A real company won’t be using a Gmail email address, just as a fake company won’t be using something that can be easily traced.

Promises That Are Just Too Good to Be True

Companies promising you an easy get rich quick scheme are not to be trusted. Affiliate marketing takes a lot of effort and it can take time to see results. Not only are these companies making false claims, if they need to be making them in the first place to attract customers then their services probably aren’t very good anyway.

Finding a good, legitimate affiliate network that works for you takes time and research. Don’t just sign up with the first company that catches your eye. Read reviews, visit forums and ask other affiliate marketers about their experiences. It all comes down to how much knowledge you have and using your own instincts.

No comments:

Post a Comment