Hi Sean,
Welcome again to 5 Star.
Speaking of TradeDoubler, have you heard the news???
AOL to buy Sweden's TradeDoubler for $900 million
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/stor...175EC50722E%7D
TradeDoubler is supposed to be one of the top UK networks. Every network has different approval criteria. Then with most networks after the network approves you, each individual merchant you apply to can review your site and accept or deny.
So it's always a good idea to have your own domain and a site built before applying. I know that can be a catch 22 because some affiliates feel they need to join to get content from the merchant in order to create the site.
This is a bad strategy because a site filled with affiliate links and banners will not usually be successful. You need some of your own unique content, so ideally build a site or blog and get some content up relevant to the merchants you will apply to.
Some merchants even need to see you have some decent traffic and a highly relevant focus before they will approve you. Then again some are on auto-pilot and will accept anyone.
I'm not sure what TradeDoubler's criteria is. The app may tell you something if they are asking for # of pageviews, then they may be a little strict about who they accept.
Their Q&A says:
Q. - Who can become an affiliate?
A. - Anyone who has a website.