Start an affiliate program

The main reason for choosing to join an affiliate network as an advertiser would be the simplicity of it all. Most networks have more or less intuitive interfaces, making the task of setting it all up an easy one.

The prices vary greatly, as do the services they offer. Some promise to promote your affiliate program, others do not. Try not to pay to much for their promotional efforts unless you know them to be of high quality. Many of them only submit your affiliate program to a few affiliate program directories which is a 20 minute job if you know where to submit them to.

Another important aspect is the affiliate code generated. Will it point to your website directly or will it point to the affiliate network? If you get the links to point to your site directly you gain in link popularity, if the links point to the affiliate network, they gain it all.

Prices, as mentioned, vary widely. Be sure to see what they charge for setting it up, and remember to look out for fixed costs. If you pay only a percentage on your affiliates sales, you know you will make money. If there are many fixed costs, you might end up loosing money.

For a good list of affiliate networks go here.