There are basically four different online business opportunities you can take advantage of as an affiliate marketer. This would not include starting your own affiliate program which is another way people make money with affiliate marketing.

If you don't want to start your own affiliate program you can still develop an online business as an affiliate for online merchants. Here are four different ways you can do that.

1. Join 2 tier affiliate programs. In these programs you earn money on your personal sales. You also earn money on the sales of people you personally recruit.

This can be a good way to increase your income without doing more work yourself. The downside to this is many affiliates join programs and never make any sales.

However if you are willing to invest some time, and help people, you can build a sales team of your own. This allows you to join multiple 2-tier programs and quickly make income from your affiliates sales.

2. Get paid to sell products. Physical products are a good way to make money selling something online. Digital information products continue to do brisk sales too.

As a matter of fact Amazon.com reports that digital books are now outselling hardcopy books. There is no shortage of ways to make money selling products as an affiliate marketer.

3. Try CPA offers. You can join a cost per action affiliate network and have access to hundreds of offers to promote.

You make money whenever your website visitor completes a specific action. For example you see simple little lead forms where the only thing that is required is a name and email address.

Companies use these to build their own mailing list. Your job simply is to get as many people to fill out the short forms as possible. You make money every time one is completed.

Cost per action offers are currently earning people anywhere from a few dollars a month to some super affiliates earning seven-figure incomes per year.

4. Pay per click is easy. Google Adsense is the top dog in ppc affiliate marketing. You make money whenever someone clicks on an ad that you have on your web page.

You do not have to sell anything to make money. You can earn anywhere from a few pennies per click to several dollars per click.

The more webpages you have with ads on them the more potential income you can earn. You see Google Adsense ads on blogs a lot today!

This is how affiliate marketing can earn you money in four different online business opportunities. Most Internet marketers combine all of these to maximize their Internet income.