If you could design the perfect affiliate program...

[webwoman]

...what would it be like?

If you had a hot product and were going to design an affiliate program, what would it include?

I know many of you have a lot of affiliate marketing experience. What features should a great affiliate program have and what things should someone avoid?

I am considering launching an affiliate program in a couple of months and I would like to do it right the first time.

Thanking you in advance for your input...

[bhartzer]

The definition of "perfect" depends on who you ask.

A perfect affiliate program for the merchant would be one that is easy to maintain and one that is set up so that all the affiliate links count as backlinks to your main website.

If you ask the affiliate, you would probably hear things like "great stats in real-time" and a lot of banners/ads/text ads to choose from. You might also hear things like "content that the affiliate can use on their site".

[eCommn]

In addition to real time stats, I believe affilates want to make sure you are credible and a trusted merchant, so pay your affiliates on time! Also, make sure your site operates in optimum performance with 0 downtime if possible. No funny clitches or shopping cart down. Assign a dedicated operations manager to your site to ensure 24X7 performance.