Q: How can I tell if my Web site is ready to offer an affiliate program?
A: I’m glad you asked. I see too many people try to launch an affiliate program at the same time they are launching their site, or shortly after the site has launched.
My suggestion would be to have your site out there and generating sales or leads for a good year or so before looking into an affiliate program.
The reason here is to get all of the kinks out and establish a track record for your site. After all, affiliates aren’t willing to be your lab rats and you must determine that your site can successfully perform.
That issue out of the way, a site that successfully transacts can generally work for an affiliate program. That said, if you’ve got something very niche or regional, it can be a big challenge to find a decent number of quality affiliates.