Trying to make money on the internet can be an exciting task, but too often, affiliate marketers make some major mistakes when they are first starting out that can affect their ability to pull in that coveted internet income.

If you can learn to avoid these common mistakes beginners make, you’ll find your affiliate efforts will be much more profitable.

Mistake #1: Trying To Do Too Much At Once

New affiliates can be so motivated to start making money on the internet, they’ll jump from one tactic to the next, trying anything they can to get massive amounts of new traffic to their website.

But while they’re trying every new traffic tactic under the sun, they are neglecting the fundamentals of pre-selling and offering valuable content to their users.

Not only that, but never taking the time to focus on one type of traffic source means that nothing they do will ever be extremely effective.

It is best to focus on the fundamentals of making your site a valuable resource, and mastering one avenue of traffic generation, before focusing your efforts on something else.

Mistake #2: Selling Too Hard

In their desire to make money, many new affiliates try and push the products they are offering on their site far harder than they should be.

The affiliate begins making a sales pitch to his site visitor rather than offer anything of value. Because of this, fewer people will tend to buy through the affiliate’s website.

Good pre-selling techniques involve offering a fair and balanced review of products and services, and sharing with the site visitor why the affiliate feels one product or service is worth buying over the others.

But more importantly than that, it’s about convincing the site visitor that the affiliate knows what he’s talking about, and that the site visitor should listen to the affiliate. This is far more important that "pitching" whatever products you have chosen to promote.

Mistake #3: Not Tracking Sales

Lots of affiliates just throw up websites and don’t bother to find out where their sales are coming from.

But if you take the time to figure out what advertising is making you money, and what keyword terms are bringing you the most traffic, and what affiliate programs convert the best - you are then better able to optimize your website to make you the most money possible.

When you ignore these factors, not only do you miss out on potential sales, but you could also be wasting valuable time and money on efforts that won’t bear fruit.

Mistake #4: Promoting Products That Have Nothing To Do With Your Site

Some new affiliates will try and cater to every possible type of consumer on the internet by offering any product they think would appeal to people.

What most affiliates don’t realize is that a website geared towards a specialized niche is far more effective than a website that tries to be everything to everybody.

For instance, a website geared entirely towards Golf is far more effective that a website geared towards Golf, Cooking, Tattoos, and Sausage Making.

Keep your website tightly focused, and don’t stray from your market by offering new affiliate programs that have nothing to do with your website.

Mistake #5: Promoting Too Many Products

Some affiliate are so desperate for money, they’ll sign up for as many affiliate programs as possible in an attempt to find something that will make them some cash.

However, by signing up for a lot of programs, they are actually doing the opposite.

If a website overwhelms its visitors with too many choices, they just won’t buy anything. Affiliate sites that focus on one to three programs at the most are the ones that are effective in getting people to buy.

Narrow your focus and sell only the products you feel offer the most value to your site visitor, and you’ll find your conversions will increase dramatically.

The longer you work at being an affiliate marketer, the more you’ll realize what mistakes to avoid. Don’t be afraid to try new things - even if they may not work - but always realize when it’s time to cut your losses and move on.