An affiliate program directory contains a list of categorized affiliate programs which can be referred by affiliate seekers to find affiliate merchants in the category they are most acquainted with. Mostly affiliate merchants give out their terms and conditions regarding the affiliate program and are listed in categories like real estate, web hosting, apparels, business, entertainment etc.

Benefits of an affiliate program directory
Affiliate program directories can benefit the affiliate seeker as well as the affiliate merchants. They help the affiliate seeker find and compare affiliate programs and act as a means of advertisement for the affiliate merchants helping them get affiliates.

With the affiliate hype increasing the affiliate directories has come up in large numbers. Many affiliate directories provide nothing but links where as others have lots of information regarding affiliate programs, discussion forums, articles etc. But the most important factor is as to how creditable they are in terms of offering and listing good programs and helping the affiliate seeker find the best possible option. Of course there are many directories out there with the sole objective of earning money. So it's better to steer clear of them.

Best online affiliate directories
Some of the best affiliate directories online are associateprograms.com, refer-it.com, 2-tier.com, clickslink.com, cj.com etc. You can also make use of Google web directory and yahoo web directories.

Affiliate directories are a great source of information and referring the right directory could very well help you in securing a great affiliate program with ease.

Best affiliate programs
There are hundreds of best affiliate programs available over the net with each boasting a good commission rate, life long commissions, incentives etc. But is there anything like a best affiliate program? Amazon.com offers great commission ranging from over 7% to 15% on some cases. But amazon.com at the same time has hundreds of thousands of affiliates! So not matter if the commission is high an affiliate has to struggle with thousands more in order to squeeze in some returns. So one thing is clear; it's not commissions or company name that makes an affiliate program good.

Coming to the facts, no affiliate program is all that good by itself. It is good only to the extent you are good! So let us find out as to what are the things that go into making the best affiliate programs.

Things that make the 'best affiliate programs'

Your interest in the product/service of the affiliate merchant
The first and most important aspect is your interest in the actual product/service the affiliate merchant deals with. Only when you have interest and information about the product/service will you be able to promote it effectively.

Quality of products/services the merchant deals with
The second most important factor is the quality of products/services. You got to make sure that your affiliate merchant has products/services that are likely to sell. Low quality products don't stand a chance and will only waste your time with low returns.

Commission Scheme of the affiliate program
Commission schemes are important but are definitely not the only things in an affiliate program. A good commission scheme is the one which promises life time commissions, has a moderate commission rate and allows commission tiers.

Affiliate service network or a high quality tracking software used
Frauds are common if not frequent in many affiliate programs as the odds are against you. The only way to safeguard against getting cheated is to go for affiliate programs that use a reliable affiliate network service or good tracking software.

Website of the affiliate merchant
The website of the affiliate merchant should be designed to sell. It should be scannable and must not contain banner ads, pop ups etc that distract the customers from buying the final product/service that you are promoting.

Already existing affiliates of the affiliate merchant
It's always better to check out the already existing affiliates of the affiliate merchant. A small company having thousands of affiliates is generally not recommended.

So always look for these details while selecting an affiliate program. Although no affiliate program can guarantee you returns, taking these precautions will at-least ensure that you are on the right track.