Affiliate marketing is the most popular among all the different online business models, and there are many good reasons. But is it a model suitable for individuals? As with any business model, Affiliate Marketing has its strengths and weaknesses.

If you don't understand the model well and take advantage of it, then you may just be wasting your time and may miss a better chance. Of course, many people have mastered this model and have achieved great success. This is definitely one of the areas where knowledge is power, so read on to find out the good, bad and downright ugly side of the operations alliance website.

Start-up costs are almost ridiculous compared to other business types. In some cases, depending on how you operate, your only direct cost will be the purchase of a domain name and hosting agreement. Not only that, you don't have to stock up yet, there is no inventory level to maintain, you don't have to worry about your product being destroyed or becoming obsolete before selling. You never have to deal with customers, and you don't have to worry about the crazy world of credit card refunds or being locked out of your PayPal account.

Newcomers to affiliate marketing often think that this is just a “scheduled and forgotten” transaction, they build a website, post some ads, and then wait for funds to flow into their accounts. The reality is very different.

You can choose to design your own website and create your own content, or you can pay for a professional to do one or both of these tasks. Even a professional at work, you still have no time to be lazy because you need to track the performance of your website and make the necessary adjustments to stay profitable.

Unless you are the smartest marketer in the world, your website is unlikely to become a hot topic right away. You must work patiently, work smartly, build a follower, and succeed step by step. So if you don't make too much money in the first few months of doing business, you shouldn't be too depressed. It takes time, but if you do well, you should end up with rewards.