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So you've just joined a new affiliate program. You've researched it backwards and forwards to make sure it's a good deal. You've gotten all your necessary information and you've been provided with the template for your affiliate's web site. You're ready to go, right? Well, not necessarily.

"What do you mean?" you ask. "Have I joined the wrong program?
Have I fallen for a scam?"

No, of course not. You're a smart, intuitive business person,
and I'm sure you've found a great deal. It's just that prefab web site I'm a little worried about.

Now I'm not saying that affiliate web sites are all bad. Some are fine, even excellent, and they're especially helpful for someone who has no web savvy. You can set up the affiliate site with little or no hassle in a matter of minutes and you're ready to go. Where the problem lies is in the total lack of individuality of these sites. If you go with the provided web site template, you're going to look just like everyone else in the program. Why will someone choose you over 100 other people with exactly the same claims and information, packaged in exactly the same way? If you really want to make sales and bring in more affiliates, (isn't that the whole point of the program?) you need to stand out.

So go that extra mile and make sure that your sales are head and shoulders above the other affiliates in your program. Set up your own unique web site.

"Wait, I don't know anything about web sites. I'll have to hire someone to do it. Isn't that expensive?"

Not at all. In the last few years, competition among web designers has become fierce, and hence driven prices down. You can get a pretty good job done for very little money if you just comparison shop a bit. You might even find a web design student who needs portfolio material and is willing to set up your site for free.

Setting up your own site frees you to do exactly as you see fit.
Emphasize a different angle of the program, use better graphics,
and use a different title to trigger different keyword searches.
Make sure your site is attractive, clean and professional looking. Of course you should link back to your affiliate program, (otherwise how will you get paid?) but if you are a member of more than one program, you should consider having a banner ad which links to your other sites, and vice-versa. This way you can really increase your business from all sides.

The key to getting ahead in the affiliate world is to stand out from the crowd. With that in mind, using a pre-packaged web site just doesn't make sense. Take the time and money to create a unique site. When your sales start to improve, you'll be glad you did.