Let's face it, these banner ads enable Amazon.com and their like to use webmasters to strengthen their brand name at zero cost.

They'll slow down your pages and will not benefit your business or your visitors in any way.

If you are an affiliate with Amazon, then only way to effectively make money out of them is by hand-picking a few products that are of direct interest to your visitors.

If your website deals with fast cars, then promote fast car books. If your e-book is all about The Ramones, then promote albums from and books about The Ramones (Gabba Gabba Hey).

Then, promote those products as if they were your own. Nothing short of a rave review or a full-blown sales pitch will do. And place a "Click Here To Order On Amazon.com" link at end.

Your visitors know you and your readers trust you. If you tell them that this product is right for them, then they'll buy it.

One final point.

Amazon's affiliate program, despite its widespread fame, is neither best nor most lucrative one around.

It may be worth your while to look around for websites that promote same products but that have more effective affiliate programs. Programs that pay out more and that use cookies to record your visitors' click-thrus. That way, if your visitors buy product at a later date, you still get commission.

I also suggest you try product/program you are selling or advertising. If people have questions or comments about product you will be prepared to answer. You can also give product/program your personal recommendation.

Join in joint ventures and programs with people you already know and trust. If a trusted associate gives program a personal recommendation, it usually will be a good one, but check it out anyway to see if it is something you would want to be a part of. I have received several invitations from associates for joint ventures and I find that these are ones that work out best and are most successful.

Experiment with similar programs. A lot of same types of programs exist out there and some may work better than others. If you are not sure, try them and find which ones are best for you. You can always leave ones that don't work out.

I hope some of these tips will help you rid yourself of Program-Itis and keep it down to a few of most effective ones. Different people like different programs so you will not always agree with others on which ones are most successful. Choose ones that work for you!