Since the internet's inception, affiliate programs have been a crucial and mainstay element in the work-at-home industry. Clickbank is one of the most popular and broad- based affiliate networks online today, with over 100,000 affiliate members.

Clickbank is entirely dedicated to non-material digital products; i.e., anything you can download as an e-Book or deliver in an email. Currently, there are over 10,000 of these products and services distributed through the Clickbank network. Each of Clickbank's affiliates (who are basically online marketers) chooses one or several products to promote and receives commissions for every sale referred to an affiliate vendor. This is facilitated through promotional (gateway) websites or emails, which refer viewers to the vendor's page for purchase. Vendors select individual commission percentages for each product, with anywhere from 30 to 75% going to the affiliates who referred the sale.

Through this program of commissions and electronic goods, every link on your site can potentially become a profit source. Some of the products on Clickbank sell for hundreds of dollars. With many commissions over the 50% mark, it definitely pays to promote affiliate products. Often times the affiliate who refers the sale will be making more than the vendor who created the product.

Choosing lucrative products to promote is easy, since Clickbank lists the top-selling products next to their commission percentages in the "Marketplace" section. Top selling products are usually top selling for a reason, so I suggest promoting things that are already making a lot of money. Simply pick out those products that you think would appeal to your site's audience, learn about the product, then promote it through your website with an affiliate link going to the vendor page. Including your affiliate code in the link is the most crucial part in this process, but you will learn all about that when you sign up with Clickbank.

The sign-up process is quick and cost free. The Clickbank tutorials walk you through the process and offer tips on how to optimize your profit. There are several affiliate programs out there right now, but for non-material products Clickbank truly is the biggest and best network. Non- material products are great to promote since they require no shipping and handling fees, and are instantly accessible. If you are promoting a website and want to make some extra money through commissions, or if you are just getting started and want to make money without creating a new product of your own, affiliate networks are key.