Now that many people’s finances are getting even tighter due to the recession, the idea of making money online is getting even more attractive, and one of the first things many people hear about is something called “affiliate marketing.” While there is a enough information out there to overwhelm most people at first, the basic concept is fairly simple.

Market research is the first step in the process.

First, you must research markets you are interested in. This is your most important starting point, and you can do this by finding out what your potential customers are looking for. This is the essence of “keyword research” – finding the actual words or phrases people type into search engines to find answers to their problems, and you can be sure that if you do not do your research, you will regret it later.

By finding and using keywords that consumers are actively…