One of the major issues that hits you in the face as soon as you decide to start affiliate marketing is this: the lack of helpful information on effective strategies to get your affiliate marketing efforts to pay off. Of course, beginner guides tell you that you can start by registering a domain name and putting together a sales page. Then all you have to do is register with some service for pay-per-click ads and money will start flowing in, they say.

Sadly, this is a "pipe-dream!"

But it is possible to promote without spending a fortune on advertising. There are numerous ways to generate free traffic to your domain name that are quite effective...

1. Forums

With their popularity rising every day, forums offer you a great opportunity to promote your affiliate link. Visit forums associated with your product and give helpful suggestions or useful information. Do not forget to include your sig file at the bottom of the post. This is how interested customers will find you.

My guarantee: if you have contributed something useful, you will see an immediate rise in traffic via your link.

2. Blogs

Search engines simply love blogs. So you really can't dream of earning 'super' money without setting up a blog. There are a number of free blog services available. Sign up with one of them and follow their easy instructions. You'll be ready to go in less time than it takes to bake a cake!

Target your blog tightly around the specific niche you are promoting and contribute regularly. The incoming traffic will blow you away! This is one of the top ways to earn affiliate income from your website.

Another great trick: Visit related blogs and post your comments. This will bring links back to your own blog. Of course, spamming is a big NO!

3. Set up a good squeeze page

Your 'pre-sell' page or landing page is like the appetizer before the main course: just good enough to whet your reader's appetite for more. Just provide your visitors enough to make them leave their email address with you.

Squeeze pages help you build your most important affiliate tool - your lead list. This list is the pulse of your online business because it contains the names of all those people who might be interested in the product you offer.

A little tip: Utilize technology to your advantage. Place a short video or audio on your squeeze page. This is the easiest way to punch up customer responsiveness.

4. Write a free report

The web is all about offering quality content for FREE!

Write a free 5-8 page report and advertise it using blogs, forums and social bookmarking sites. Include your affiliate link in the report. If your report is genuine, many people will check back and discover your product.

Paid ads can break your marketing budget even before you start. So stay away from paid advertising.

A new affiliate marketing campaign must always begin with the lowest possible investment on your part. If your product is brand new in the marketplace, diving straight into a Pay Per Click campaign will lose you money. Before making the decision to pay for advertising, exhaust all free methods. Once the existing channels start paying up, you can try PPC advertising.

This easy blueprint will help you generate massive income from your website.

To see a great example of a video squeeze page (mentioned above), and to get more insight on driving traffic to your domain, visit TheSecretAffiliateFormula.Com. For a limited time, you can also sign up for a free training course worth $67.