Besides having an actual website the biggest key to affiliate marketing is having customers. The only way to get customers is to get traffic. And traffic does not automatically appear because you have a website. Here are some tips to get going.
My personal favorite is article marketing. I feel it is the best free way to get others to come to your site. To start just open up your notepad and start writing about your website or any of the topics you cover on your website. Then upload it to any article directory and attach a link back to your homepage.
Posting in forums or is another great free way for traffic. Make sure you are adding something of value and not just spamming the forum. Search for forums related to your site and become a member. Post often when you can add value to the topic. Most will allow you to have a link to your home page.
Similar to forums, blogs offer great value. Again find blogs that relate to your site and post quality reply’s for the readers. If people enjoy your posts they will want to read more and check out your site.
PPC or pay per click is an awesome way for immediate results. This is a paid method so you will need some money but it sends super targeted traffic to your site instantly. Be careful as you can lose money quickly. I recommend a product by Matt Benwell, Google Secret Loophole if your interested in PPC.
Try and find other webmasters in your niche that may be willing to share a link with you. This means that you will put a link to your page on your site and they will do the same for you. This is a great way to share readers and traffic.
Another paid method is to purchase links to your site. If you have a budget it is a good way to get a high ranking, high traffic site, to connect to yours. Make sure you find a site in your niche and research a little bit.
There are a number of ways free and paid to drive traffic to your site. The key to success is to have targeted traffic constantly flowing in so make sure you focus on these tips. You can have the greatest web design or product but with out customers or visitors it means nothing.