Making money online - affiliate and publisher programs I've used

Being in the internet website/advertising business for years now, I often hear people ask "what is the best advertising network to use to monetize my site"? There is no one answer. Different sites do well with different networks and you have to pick your own based on what you need.This article is not a long list of all the affiliate networks out there, it is a list of affiliate networks that I have used and can give reviews on. I've been doing this for several years and have used quite a few.

1. Google Adsense(http://www.google.com/adsense) - This has been my primary network through the years. Adsense pays on time, every time. I have not had any trouble with adsense and they've been very reliable in terms of payment. The pay per click rates vary and for some sites its very good, for others, it can get as low as a penny per click. Adsense is generally open to everyone and its one I can recommend to publishers if they want a steady flow of income. Ad placement and ad-type selection is very important and you should monitor your stats(earnings, CTR, PPC) carefully and make adjustments when necessary in order to maximize profits.

2. Valueclick Media - Valueclick is probably the best take-all sites banner/skyscraper network I've found. Its easier than other more restrictive networks to get in and has good eCPMs for payout rates. My own experience is they give somewhere between 40-60 cents CPM for their skyscraper ads, which is a fair price, considering the nature of my site. They've lately become a little more restrictive on who they let into their network, but the revenue you earn with them is pretty good. If you looking for a run-of-the-mill banner network, you'll want to look at valueclick.

3. Casale Media - If your looking for a backup to valueclick or another network to split the banner views with valueclick, then casale is an excellent choice. Their eCPM rates are lower than valueclick's currently but they do give on-time payout and earnings are generally acceptable with Casale Media. I use it as a 2nd-tier banner network after valueclick and my primary skyscraper network for one of my smaller sites. If you can't get into valueclick, give Casale a shot also.

4. WidgetBucks - This is a new program that opened up just a few months ago and gives decent payouts. They are more restrictive on what is allowed and what is not allowed and seem to be trigger happy about suspending publishers. They also keep changing their terms to be less and less favorable with publishers. That being said, they have paid out to me on time twice now and I have no major complaints. They offer as much as 50c per click on their widget banners but only pay for US and Canadian traffic. If your site draws mainly visitors from the United States or Canada, they may be your highest paying network.

5. Integri - Integri is a new network that is solely geared towards gamers. Their Ecpms are 3-4 times as high as other networks but they have very few campaigns and very low fill rates. You will need a default such as valueclick or casale if you use this network as a good 70% of your traffic will go to a default campaign. Integri works best with US traffic and they pay a high price for it. If you run a gaming site and get a decent amount of traffic, try this out.

6. Commission junction(cj.com) - Its been forever since I've really used them and I've really never liked their structure. Their tracker makes customized links nearly impossible and they never converted well for me. I logged into my account a few months ago and found it was more confusing than it had ever been. Commission junction might be a network that is good for large publishers who are focused on sales commissions but I don't plan to use it anytime soon.

7. Fineclicks.com - This used to be my main network back in the Elder days when I focused on leads and conversions more than eCPMS and impressions. Fineclicks has been going somewhat downhill since the original owner sold off to shareasale.com . There are still many good campaigns but it doesn't seem to get updated as often as it once did. Conversions have fallen for me since then but there are still some good campaigns. I still get a sale every once in a while with this network, but I hardly use it anymore.

8. Mochiads.com - If you have flash games, you have to check this out. This displays in-game ads and offer a very nice CPM for game developers. Many developers of hot games make a living solely off Mochi-Ads.

9. Shareasale.com - This is a large CPA network with a lot of merchants and products to sell. If your focused on selling products and converting on commissions, this is a great network to join. I've sold a decent amount of stuff with sharesale a few years ago and they have many great offers. For CPA sites, this is a must to check out.

10. Tribalfusion.com - The is the premium network for banners. Their eCPM is extremely high but they have high standards for sites and only allow certain sites into the network. Right now they are not accepting entertainment sites and they require at least 2,000 unique visitors a day for you to stay in their network. If you have a large site in a Niche Category, this may be the way to go.

There are many more networks out there, but these are ten that I have had personal experience with. Right now I use a mix of integri, valueclick, casalemedia, adsense, widgetbucks, and a few others. I've been trying to get into tribalfusion with no luck. Which network will work best for you depends on the nature of your site. Be sure to look at each companys payout policy and referral structure before you join and good luck in making money!