Starting a business as an Internet marketer can be rather intimidating. Aside from the rather vexing technical questions that manifest for just about everyone at some point along the way, there is the question of where, exactly, does one start? It's easy enough to say that the longest journeys begin with a single step but figuring out which first step to take can be a very perplexing affair.

Affiliate marketing is one of the most profitable and least expensive types of marketing businesses in which one can work. It also provides a framework from which one can begin to understand the other aspects of marketing which are universal to any business. Understanding how to make an affiliate marketing business successful involves understanding how to select a market, how to advertise, how to enhance one's search engine visibility and how to increase one's conversion rates. Each of these lessons will apply to any affiliate marketing business as much as they will apply to a business which sells its own products.