There are literally thousands of affiliate schemes offered on the Internet. So how do you know if you're handing over you heard-earned money to just another fly-by-night Scammer? If you're interested in buying into an affiliate scheme, run it through this five-point check to see if you're still so keen.
For four years I've subscribed to literally hundreds of different schemes that promise to make me wealthy overnight or provide a sustainable income so I can leave me job. I do earn a reasonable living both online and offline so trying these schemes isn't going to bankrupt me but there is an awful lot of rubbish out there and I believe I can now help you make a more balanced buying decision.
Every time you are tempted to subscribe to one of these schemes after being wooed by their claims of online riches, just simply follow my advice and see if you still feel the same afterwards. It's as simple as that, no catches. So here's a basic check-list of considerations before you spend your heard-earned money and increase your disappointment.
1. Go Rank
When you arrive at the pitch-page which is designed to tempt you into buying the scheme, check the Google Page Rank of their main website home page. You can do that by installing the Google toolbar or there are a number of websites that allow you to enter the website address to check the page rank. If home page of the seller has a page rank of less than 3, it suggest it's not a particularly popular website. If it has a zero page rank, avoid it like the plague. The best schemes are the ones that have been around a for a while and offer a decent product and good support so they generally have a page rank of 3+.
2. Who Are They?
Check who is actually selling the product by checking the domain details at the WHOIS directory, the official database of domain name ownership. Just Google WHOIS and the directory comes up in the first position. You can enter the domain name of the website offering you Internet riches to find out who owns it and when it was registered. If it is newly registered or the contact information doesn't correspond with the website selling you the scheme, it's time to walk away.
3. Show Me Support
The seller of 'the best money-making scheme on the Internet' might well have a decent product but if you don't know how to use it or encounter problems, which you will, how good is their support? Before you purchase any product, email the seller and ask them a vague support question like, 'will your program work with Vista?'. If you don't hear back within 24 hours (possibly more at weekends) then obviously their support isn't too hot and suggests you could be in for weeks of frustration if you buy their program.
4. Ask yourself why?
How many of the Authors of these schemes claim to have earned millions? If somebody claims they've become a millionaire through their scheme, why on earth are they going to the trouble of hocking it around the Internet at $40 - $50 a go? If you had several million in the bank, would you still go to the trouble of pushing products online for a relatively small amounts of money? I can think of better ways to spend my time if were seriously wealthy. Some of these scheme will offer you a decent living but on their own are very unlikely to make you a millionaire, whatever the Author claims.
5. Picture Imperfect
To 'substantiate' their claims of earning thousands of dollars every day, Authors will publish images of their various bank accounts on their pitch-page showing massive daily deposits they've earned through their scheme. If you see a picture of their Pay-Pal account with big deposits on a daily basis then it must be genuine and you too could be earning that soon right? Wrong. One of the best kept secrets amongst the Authors of these slick pitch-pages is that there is a little known piece of software available which re-creates a copy of a Pay-Pal, or Click-Bank account with whatever information the Author chooses included. It all looks the same but it's just a clever bit of software that replicates payment pages but the user can 'edit' the amounts deposited to look like the owner of the account is raking it in.
So there you go. Does that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity still seem so great? The final, and possibly most important piece of advice I'll give you is arguably the oldest and wisest.
Caveat emptor - let the Buyer beware
