If you've ever taken any college courses, you know that the introductory classes are called 101.

Well, even though you can't get a degree certified by an officially sanctioned university, let's think of an affiliate marketing system 101 as an intro course too.

So, I'm going to play instructor/professor for a bit because I've been around the block now. In fact, I've been a full time affiliate for almost 8 years, and a super affiliate for most of those years. It took me about 1 year before I was making a full time income, and a couple before I started to make six figures a year. And another year before I was making multiple six figures per year.

I don't say any of this to brag. I'm just saying that from actual experience, I think I'm in a position to give a newer person some tips, and I've even created my own affiliate marketing system 101 just like a classroom.

But in this article, your education is going to be free. So here goes.

The Affiliate Marketing Basics

First, select your niche/market not based on what you personally love to do. Select one based on money making potential. This is business. Period. I am tired of hearing all of the advice that you should stick to what you love to do. If what you are passionate about also happens to be a great niche where you can make money, fine. Then stick to it.

But over the years, I've often consulted with people whose passion was a low profit potential business online. So make up your mind: is this a labor of love, a hobby, or a business. There's no right or wrong answer.

But if it's not a business first and foremost, then don't complain if you don't make much money.

Second, you must be willing to set up a web site. If you aren't, then forget it. The vast majority of affiliates fail not because it's hard, but because they are lazy. And the most lazy thing they do is avoid setting up their own independent web site that they direct the traffic to.

Newbies would like nothing more than to just directly promote the affiliate link given to them by the company they sign up for. It doesn't work. Period. Sure, you may make a sales here or there somehow -- if you're lucky.

But again, is this a hobby or a business. Take this seriously like a business just like you took your classes seriously in college.

Unfortunately, most people won't take an affiliate marketing system 101 class as seriously as college, though, for one simple reason: cost.

You see, the more you pay for something, the more you tend to value it. If you're spending 400 dollars per credit, you take it seriously.

Most affiliate training programs cost maybe 30 to 50 bucks a month. Which is nothing compared to the thousands students spend every semester at even a state school.

Now, if you are willing to set up a web site and choose your affiliate programs based on profit potential, you need to know how to do keyword research. Keywords are simply the phrases that people type into the search engines when they look for something.

We all know what they are because we've all used the search engines. The fact that you're even here means you've typed something in the search engines and have found this article.

If you can target the right phrases that people type in (higher demand and lower supply) and can get high rankings for those phrases with relevant, helpful content, you can capture a lot of that targeted traffic to your web site.

That's exactly what I do when I write articles just like this.

This article, in fact, is affiliate marketing 101 in action. Many people, just like yourself, will read this article and learn about my web site and simple training system.

Always observe what people do, not just what they say. And when it comes to learning affiliate marketing, that rule is no different.