I shouldn't have to write articles. I can get all good content I want from my affiliate programs."

That's usually true, but more often than not your visitors are after unique content. Writing your own articles can often be most powerful marketing weapon you use.

Believe it or not, your visitors actually want to read what you have to say at your site, not what other people have to say. They are looking for independent content that perhaps supports or refutes something they read on another site.

Besides, they may have already read all articles written by other people you feature at your site elsewhere on internet.

While it is perfectly reasonable and beneficial to feature "other peoples articles" at your site, you should also feature your own.

Here are 4 reasons why you should write some of your own articles:

1. It is unique content that distinguishes you from about 90% of all other affiliates. That's percentage of affiliates not writing articles!

This is one of most common concerns I hear from people interested in starting a business on Internet. It's obvious that you need to sell either a product or a service in order to make money.

That's where affiliate programs come in. Many beginners start online by joining affiliate programs; you sell another company's product or service for a commission. Affiliate programs are available in practically every market you can think of. If you want to see what I mean, visit http://www.associate-it.com/ to view an extensive list of affiliate programs.

Affiliate programs are a convenient way for people to get a 'jump-start' online without time, effort, and money necessary to create a product of their own. However, they're not a 'perfect' solution. Here's a list of positives and negatives to building an affiliate business...

Negatives to affiliate programs:

- You have to share profits. You earn a commission, which typically ranges from a measly 5% to a generous 50%. The rest of money goes into company's pockets.

- You pay all marketing costs. The company is providing you with a product or service to sell; it's your job to actually make sales. This is no easy task, unless you're a natural-born marketer! You can choose to use only free methods of advertising... but these methods aren't necessarily most effective. Marketing can get expensive -- and you pay for your own marketing, regardless of whether or not it results in any sales.

- You can get 'sidelined'. Building an affiliate business is hard work; if you intend to eventually market a product of your own, you may find that affiliate program is taking up too much of your time.