If you want to make serious money as an affiliate, then Commission Junction is one site which you simply have to join. In fact, Commission Junction is more than just an affiliate network, it also incorporates Cost Per Action programs which pay you even before an actual sale is made. To get started, the first step you need to take is to enter some country and language details. This should not take too much working out in most cases, although someone who lives part of the year in different countries might have to think about the currency issue.

The second page that you have to fill in is far more daunting, and can be a serious problem for many. The first two parts of the page are the standard Service Agreement and Privacy Policy. Both of these have to be read, and then agreed to. You also have to declare that you are over 18 years of age. Don't lie here, because you will be found out. If you are not yet 18, you will need to get someone else to operate an account for you.

After this come the completely superfluous and irritating questions about your website. Many green newbies don't even have websites, and even those that do may have websites which are totally unrelated to the programs they decide to promote. Surely you find a program you wish to promote, and then build a website to promote it? Still, rules are rules and we must abide by Commission Junction's. The good news is that it doesn't seem to matter what your website is, so if you don't have one, just create a free Blogger blog to give yourself something to enter in their field.

You then need to enter your contact information. Very comprehensive details are needed, with virtually every field being required. Put your own name into the field which says “Organization”, if you are a one man business with no company name. Even though there are fields for tax identification, and USA Social Security number, and these fields are identified as being required, don't worry about them if you live outside the USA. The system is set up to let through any form with a non USA residence, if the tax information has not been filled in.

If your bank is located in the USA, UK, or Canada, you have an advantage in that you can choose to have your earnings sent directly to your bank account. This not only saves the time it takes to bank checks, it also eliminates the risk of checks being lost in the postal system. If you don't have a bank in those countries, Commission Junction will only pay out in checks. The final part of the sign up is a CAPTCHA, although a rather primitive one. Once these details have been submitted, you are then free to apply to join affiliate and CPA programs within Commission Junction. Commission Junction probably has an unrivalled choice of programs for you to promote on your websites, through banner advertising, test links and also through email marketing.

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