affiliate program

An affiliate program is an advertising / sales model in which a web publisher markets, via their web site(s), a given product, such as software or books, on behalf of another company. The web publisher is reimbursed a percentage of all sales sold via their affiliate link. Reimbursement rates can vary from 1-2% and upward. One of the largest affiliate programs, Amazon.com, provides affiliates with 5-15% of the proceeds of all goods sold via their affiliate program. Affiliate programs may also be constructed with multiple tiers. A two-tier affiliate program reimburses webmaster for goods sold directly via their web site, plus a percentage of all goods sold by other affiliates who have joined the program via a link on the primary publishers' site. Some affiliate programs may have up to five or six tiers.