A successful affiliate program begins with the right affiliate program software. But with over a dozen popular options on the market, how can you select the tracking software that will generate the maximum boost to your online sales?
Affiliate Software HQ includes a comprehensive, easy-to-use guide to help you choose the best Affiliate Software for you. In combination with an effective affiliate strategy, the right software will make a huge difference to the success of your campaign. If you are new to the world of affiliate programs and are not sure how they work or whether they are a good idea for your business, I recommend you read this this quick introduction to affiliate marketing.
There are quite a few aspects to an affiliate software which can make it easier for you to run a successful program. It is vital that you are aware of these features and their relative importance before you select a tracking software to manage your affiliate program. The following points should be taken into account when making your choice:
- Ease of Use: The affiliate program software should be easy for you to set up and easy for your affiliates to learn how to use. The best way to ensure this is to try the demo version out.
- Documentation: The affiliate program software should come with extensive documentation, i.e. a user manual that tells you how to work every aspect of the software. Video training seminars may be a plus, if prefer to learn that way.
- Installation: Not every tracking software requires installation, but if you do pick one that does, the company should offer a lot of guidance to help you complete the installation successfully. Alternatively you should know how much it will cost you to have it installed by a professional.
- Support: The company should offer support to its customers, via email, chat or phone. It is likely that after purchasing the software, you will have problem at some stage (just like with any other software). Therefore, it is vital that the company’s support reps are accessible and will answer your questions ASAP. Test out the support before you buy – ask them a question and see what happens. Forums are a bonus – they can also be a helpful and fast source of support.
- Compatibility: The affiliate program software must be compatible with your web host/website/shopping cart/etc. This info should be clearly stated in the product description. If you are not sure – that is a great sample question for the support!
- Security: The great thing about an affiliate program is that it is a low-risk marketing method. You pay your “salespeople” on a performance-only basis. That said, there is still a risk that scammers could abuse your affiliate program to enrich themselves at your expense. Therefore, your affiliate program software should provide security features to weed out the crooks.
- Reputation: Whenever buying anything online, it is always important to check the reputation of the vendor. Simply Google “name of company + scam.” If the company is problematic, there should be dozens of complaints posted on forums (one or two is not sufficient – even the best companies have a few unsatisfied customers). Hint: If you find that an affiliate program software is not listed on Affiliate Software HQ, there may be a good reason for that.
- Features: Not every software has the same features, and some are even missing pretty basic features. If there are particular features that you need, make sure the product includes these.
- Hosting: Some affiliate program software are hosted and others require you to host them on your own server. You need to be clear on what option is best for you.
- Warranty: Like any other online purchase, affiliate management software should come with a money-back guarantee and/or a free trial. This protects you from wasting your money on an unsuitable product.
- Price: Obviously, you want good value for your money. You can pay thousands for affiliate program software, but most of the products listed on Affiliate Software HQ are reasonably priced and suitable for a small-to-medium sized business. Prices start at just $5.
If it sounds like making a smart choice will take a lot of time, research and effort, relax! Affiliate Software HQ has done all the hard work for you. We have test-driven the most popular affiliate tracking solutions for you, tried out their support, investigated their reputation, examined their features, and compared their pricing. All you need to do is compare them on our handy Affiliate Program Software Comparison Chart. You can also read the affiliate software reviews for more details about a particular product.