Hi Colleen,
I disagree with this. "It also depends on not on the products you are promoting but your web pages."
You can have the greatest site in the WORLD but if the product is wrong, the price it wrong or the merchant site can't convert, then you aren't going to make any sales.
It's a delicate balance between a number of factors that all need to fit together like a puzzle.
MERCHANT RESPONSIBILITIES
Right Product - You can have a good site and lots of traffic but it the product is not right people still arent going to buy it.
Right Price - The right product and the pricing is up to the merchant, so affiliates can't do much except be "good pickers".
GOOD Conversions - This too is up to the merchant. If the site can't convert, the merchant copy is crappy, the price is too high, the cart is too complicated or the merchant has big leaks like 800#s and Adsense - it doesnt matter how good you are. IF the merchant's offer or site can't convert visitors to buyers you won't make much money.
Tracking that works right
Honest on-time payment
AFFILIATE RESPONSIBILITIES
Specific targeted BUYING traffic NOT just people interested in a topic because it's fun or they are curious or info seekers. That's the problem with some of the Web2.0 traffic sources. You can get lots of traffic but are they buyers?
Good landing pages, marketing content, presell and/or call to action.
Probably more issues than that, but I'm tired and need to get a 5 Star proposal out to one of the BIGGEST companies in the entire world
so I can't make this too much longer.
But most of the things above need to be in place and fit together.
Wrong product at a wrong price - affiliate does great marketing, get lots of traffic - no money.
Great product at a great price, sucky merchant site that can't convert or has leaks - affiliate does great marketing, gets targeted traffic, works tail off - no money.
Great product, great price, great conversion - affiliate doesnt know how to market - no traffic - no money.
If you are doing something and it's not working you really need to evaluate each of these. Test, tweak until you get hit pay dirt.