Why did you start your website? To pursue an interest, or to sell a certain product or line of products? Maybe to explain the mission or services of a non-profit. Have you made it very clear in everything you do who you are targeting? Do you know you are successful, because your target market acknowledges that you are focused on them? If so, you have the basis of a great affiliate marketing site. Merchants want and need visibility on the sites where their targets visit repeatedly and participate in an environment in which they feel comfortable.

For example, if you are a site devoted to saving a range in the Rocky Mountains, you are the perfect publishing or affiliate site for the dude ranch in the area, a local horse rental corral, and motels. If you have a sizeable group of interested parties and donors, you may also be attractive to merchants who sell riding gear, and sports outfitters. It all involves having a well-defined profile of site visitors and a large number of visitors. If people are passionate about a subject, such as conservation and the outdoors, theyll not only want to stay up-to-date, but theyll spend a good percentage of their disposable income on this interest. If you have them coming back to your site for news and information and camaraderie Its likely that theyll have a new pair of boots on their mind when theyre on your site, and because theyre in a good frame of mind, theyre more likely to buy.