Though there is no direct link between affiliate marketing and SEO, an understanding of the subject clarifies some doubts which are bound to arise while discussing search engines. Affiliate marketing is a term used when product and service providers seek marketing assistance from others for mutual benefit. The term affiliate marketing has acquired a bad name due to fraudsters and scammers who promise wealth and money to people without doing anything. Due to this the entire affiliate domain has suffered. We have to understand that there are no free lunches and we must have a genuine product or service which can be sold to clients.

The affiliates come together using search engine techniques. Each affiliate is an independent marketer who sells products and services. Usually a landing page or sales page is used to describe the service or product. It is important that the landing page is properly optimized for search engines. In addition traditional marketing techniques are also used for selling.

An affiliate gets a commission on every sale. This process is fully automated and once a client makes a payment, the affiliate gets his share. This payment may be scheduled daily, weekly or monthly as convenient to both parties.

Affiliate marketing needs powerful search engine optimization. In other words an affiliate must understand optimization techniques well if they want to be successful. This is the reason why we must understand what affiliate marketing means and how SEO fits into the overall scheme of things.

Affiliate marketing is also promoted by some dedicated sites which provide all the tools necessary for deploying    affiliate site. These sites usually charge a commission for handling affiliates and providing facilities.  Article submission sites are also used as part of SEO by affiliates.

An understanding of SEO is therefore essential for affiliate marketers.