A recent post by Burke Jones is a good reminder of the importance of online affiliate programs to an e-commerce business, not as a sole source of income but as a component of the overall revenue stream.

I'm not certain of the differentiation here between his affiliate sales and straight out sales of products which he says include sales in which he was the affiliate, but it clearly played a role. If you have any questions, you can drop Burke a line here.

Referral Sense offers these suggestions when choosing the right affiliate program for you and promoting it successfully:

• Select a market niche. Join the programs that offer products or services similar to your site's content.

• Test and try a variety of programs before concentrating on a few.

• Look for affiliate programs that pay high commissions with the best conversion rates.

• Find freebies and complimentary offers. Because everyone likes free stuff, free products or services are obviously the best programs to promote.

• While many affiliate programs offer banner ads, many allow you to use text links to promote their product or service. Market research studies show that text links are more effective than banner ads.

• Integrate creativity. Innovation is the formula for promoting affiliate programs.

The site also recommends a list of affiliate programs it claims to be the best based on money making potential and reputation. Other affiliate programs offered by major brand names include Ebay, Amazon, Target, Wal-Mart and Best Buy.