Affiliate Programs Archives

How to Build an Affiliate Website

Ok there are basically two schools of thought on how to build yourself an affiliate website; the micro site and the mega site. I know “mega” sounds pretty awesome and no doubt it is, but it’s also a lot more difficult. Even within these genres there are tons of different things you can do to make your sites successful so I guess I’ll start at the bottom. As I go through and give examples I’ll be using the industry standard “widgets” as the product I’m flogging.

The Micro Niche Affiliate Site – Basically here you are going to hone in on a low competition buying keyword. Maybe “buy red widgets” or “blue widgets for sale” or whatever. You want a word that doesn’t have much competition but still will get a little, well targeted search traffic. Ideally here you will snap up the .com domain name matching your keyword but if need be you can buy the .org or .net. Now on your site write some content about how great it is to have your widget, and how you used to have one that you loved and you bought a new one and it was even better. Just put people in the mood to buy.

On these sites you’re looking to get 20-50 visitors per day or so, which you say “hey, that kind of traffic won’t sell a hill of beans!” and you’re right, which is why you need 50-100 of these sites going after traffic. 20 visits (minimum) times 50 sites is 1,000 visits per day and will make you some consistent sales.

Mega Affiliate Sites – Your second option is to make one big site about a lot of different types of widgets, hoping someday to rank for the ultimate “widget” keyword. When you set up a site like this you’ll start with a domain like widgetstips(.)com or something very general. Next, set up a bunch of pages about every different type of widget you can think of. Then you’ll want to work to get your site ranked for various terms like on your ‘blue widgets’ page get it to rank for “best blue widgets”, “blue widgets for sale”, “cheap blue widgets”, etc… all the time you’ll be building your page authority for “blue widgets” on that page and “widgets” on your site in general.

Anyway, these are the two basic types of affiliate sites. I’d suggest with starting with some micro niche sites first since they are easier, and when you start making some good money and feel confident, then go after some bigger fish in the mega niches.

Ethics of Affiliate Selling

For a lot of people the “make money online world” can be a rough place morally. A lot of people will do pretty much anything to make a buck, others aren’t willing to compromise even a little, and thus most of the time they end up not making any money. I don’t know if it’s better to be morally or financially bankrupt, but I’d rather find myself a happy balance and be profitable and moral(ish).

When we talk about ethics in regards to affiliates there is a clear dilemma. A person is selling a product which they have a direct interest in selling. So you think to yourself this is exactly what stores in the mall do but the two cases aren’t quite the same in most cases. Generally when we make affiliate sales online we are representing ourselves as a person giving an honest opinion, but rarely will you see someone who talks about how crappy a product is selling many of them. You can see the conflict here, which gives us three real choices:

You can write about only those products and services which you use and like (or love).
You can write about anything that you know there is a market for that you can make money from.
You can promote pay per click affiliate programs for profit.

I do all 3 myself and see nothing wrong with it. I’m not a snake-oil salesman. I would never promote something or sell someone anything I knew could harm them. I’m not going to tell someone that a product will do something it never will. But what I will do sometimes is hawk niche products that aren’t the HIGHEST quality, or even buy myself, simply because I know there is a market for them. In my mind buyer beware on the internet, really.

There are other people, I call them bloggers (haha) who actually have a self interest in only promoting products in the first category. These people trade off their reputation as honest people. I love tech, and I would trust Leo Laporte’s opinion on laptops because he won’t screw me… it’s in his interest not to because then I would never listen to his radio show and sign up to his email lists all the time. If you are looking to buy something this is the type of guy you want to find, but it takes a lot of work to build this kind of trust where you can do this. I personally don’t have the time or energy to do this!

Anyway there is no right or wrong answer on where to draw the line, but it is a personal decision that people should be aware of when they get into the business of affiliate marketing.

The Art of Building Amazon Sites Post Panda

Thousands of people supplement their monthly incomes through the use of Amazon affiliate sites – or at least they used to. Recently, Google introduced a major overhaul to their search algorithms known as Panda, and a lot of Amazon affiliate sites that could be politely referred to as “thin,” “spammy,” or “junky” quickly saw their search rankings plummet down to the depths where no practical Google user would ever find them.

For the uninitiated, an Amazon affiliate site is a website or blog that directly or indirectly promotes products sold on Amazon dot com, the ubiquitous online retailer. Clicking certain links at these sites redirects you to a product page at Amazon, and when you make a purchase, Amazon pays the affiliate site owner a portion of the proceeds in exchange for the redirect. With commission rates as high as 15% and the ability to promote whatever products you’d like, including the very expensive ones, it’s easy to see how a well-implemented Amazon affiliate site could turn a tidy profit.

The trick, of course, is to build an Amazon affiliate site that passes muster in the eyes of Google Panda, and achieves the search engine results ranking it deserves. This is how you can still earn big money with Amazon.

Build Your Site Around the Niche, Not the Products

Google Panda is all about attempting to ensure that the pages ranked most highly for a given search keyword are relevant and provide the best user experience possible. As such, most of the sites that experienced severe downranking at the hands of Panda were ones that offered a list of promoted products, along with maybe a brief description of each, some keyword-rich promotional text (“This is such a wonderful product!” without any details) and maybe a few pictures. In other words, the exact same content you could find by visiting Amazon directly and simply visiting the product page. Credit to Google for sending these two-bit sites where they belong: out of the public eye.

Your job is to make your site stand out. You can accomplish this by building a site based around an entire niche, or a specific product category, instead of just the products themselves.

Let’s say you want to promote security cameras. Instead of making a thin site like the one described above that simply lists and promotes the cameras, build your site around the niche of home security, and particularly the ways that technology can be used to improve it. This is something that will provide actual value to your traffic. A few examples of content ideas that could be applied to other niches as well:

Stories of break-ins and robberies that could have been prevented with a wireless security camera.
Comparisons of the top-rated security cameras.
Software programs that integrate well with security equipment.
How to set up home security equipment.
Common misconceptions held by those purchasing home security cameras for the first time.

Once your readers see how valuable home security cameras are, they’ll be far more likely to click your affiliate links and actually make a purchase.

Know the Products You’re Promoting

Although you may be tempted to select products to promote simply based on their value or apparent immediate popularity, the post-Panda online environment dictates that it’s better to promote products that you’re actually comfortable discussing through knowledge and experience. Your readers will be able to tell whether you’re an expert regarding the products you’re discussing, and they’ll be more likely to stick around at your site if you are.

If you really want to promote a certain niche that you may not be totally familiar with, there are some good ways of conducting research:

Visit forums devoted to discussing the products and learn from experts who use them every day.
Watch Youtube video reviews of the products to see how they work in action.
Download the manuals for the products to get additional details that might not be included in their general online product descriptions.
Take advantage of return policies and trial periods. You may be able to try the products in your own home and return them for a full refund, so long as you don’t damage them. Any fees you incur in the form of return shipping will be worth the content you’re able to generate by actually using the products.

Allow for Interactive Discussion

Speaking of forums, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t set one up on your own Amazon affiliate site. Google Panda loves the idea of increased website functionality and interactivity, making a forum for your users an excellent Panda-baiting feature.

It’s important that forums are moderated and kept on topic, so don’t expect to simply create the forum, let it run itself and return to your normal daily operations. Jump in frequently to participate in discussions and answer your visitors’ questions.

Post Video Reviews of Products

Placing some multimedia content on your Amazon affiliate site can truly make it stand apart from the competition. If you have access to the products you’re promoting, record a video of yourself using them while you discuss what you like about it, how you like to use the product, your favorite features, etc. Doing so paints you as an expert with hands-on experience, and builds a higher level of trust between you and your reader.

It’s also possible to review the promoted products using video even if you don’t actually own them. Although “talking head” videos are maligned by some, the fact is that they prove that you’re a real person and not some faceless marketer hiding behind a potentially dubious site.

Think from the Consumer’s Perspective

When creating your Amazon affiliate site, it’s important to occasionally stop and think: If I were a customer researching these products, would this site provide me real, valuable assistance? If the answer is “not really, but I think I have good advertising strategies,” then your site will need a lot more work before it’ll pass the Panda test. Think about the things that you want to see when you’re researching a potential purchase for yourself, and implement them into your Amazon affiliate site.

Can You Make Big Money on Amazon?

In a word, yes. It’s absolutely, 100% possible to make an extremely comfortable living promoting products through the Amazon Associates program.

Plenty of people dismiss the Amazon affiliate program because of its low commission percentages and short cookie times. But the truth is, Amazon’s program has several things going for it that no other provider on the market can compete with. It is these advantages that make the program so appealing to affiliates around the world.

For example, you can’t beat Amazon’s brand recognition or reputation for superior customer service – both of which are known to convert visitors more effectively than most other affiliate programs.

Think about it – who would you trust more to offer a good product for your hard earned dollars… A seemingly fly-by-night affiliate website with a few pages of content and a bunch of banner ads, or Amazon – the web’s largest retailer, whose A-to-Z customer satisfaction policy guarantees every transaction? When it comes to reputation and trust factors, you just can’t beat Amazon.

Amazon also has another major advantage over most affiliate programs, and that’s the number and breadth of product lines, which can increase the dollar value of your visitor substantially. Although Amazon’s cookie length is short (you only have 24 hours to convert a visitor into a buyer), most customers who click through your link will wind up buying more than just the product you’re promoting.

As an example, say you run a site that promotes scrapbooking products. If your site visitors click through your affiliate link to purchase scrapbooking die cut machines, they might also add scrapbooking stickers, die cut cartridges and decorative papers to their orders to save on shipping costs, which could easily double or triple the amount of the sale. With absolutely no work on your part, you’ve increased your commission substantially.

Now, there’s no arguing with the fact that Amazon’s affiliate percentages are substantially lower than most other affiliate providers. You’re going to start at a 4.00% commission rate, and you’ll have to sell over 3,131 products to reach the highest payout level – which is still only 8.50% for most product categories. Compared with affiliate products that pay out 50-75% per sale, this can be quite a shock to new affiliates when they first join Amazon’s program.

However, there are two factors that make these low commission rates a non-issue. The first is the tendency of visitors to purchase more than just the item they were referred to, which effectively increases your commission rate, as described above. And the second is a choice that you, the affiliate marketer, can make to only promote products over a certain dollar value.

So again, say you’re promoting scrapbooking machines, as in our earlier example. Instead of promoting entry-level machines, which might retail for $50-$100, why not go after the higher end models, which can sell for $500+ or more? For the same amount of work, you’ll earn more money, which will more than compensate for the lower payout rates.

But don’t take my word for it. Look at example like Chris Guthrie, who earned a substantial monthly payout promoting netbooks on his website before selling the site in a five-figure deal.

Let’s not forget about the hundreds of people making thousands of dollars online every month because of 123 Profit.

Top Amazon affiliates take advantage of Amazon’s unique perception as being the lowest cost provider of goods, online and offline. They count on their affiliate site visitors to remember Amazon’s free shipping policies, helpful reviews and extensive buying resources – all of which help them translate these visitors into more sales and more income.

To get signed up with the Amazon affiliate program, simply navigate to https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/ and complete the application. Please note that, at this point, affiliates in some states – including Rhode Island, North Carolina, Illinois and, most recently, California – aren’t currently eligible to participate in the program, after these states passed laws that require internet affiliates to collect local sales taxes.

However, if you are eligible for the program, signing up is a breeze and integrating Amazon affiliate ads into your current website is easy to do. So start taking advantage of the unique benefits of partnering with the web’s largest retailer and enjoy what the Amazon affiliate program can do for your bottom line.

Best Web Hosting Affiliate Program

If you are looking for the best web hosting affiliate program then you need to look no further than BlueHost! They are an extremely popular web host among internet marketers and regular site owners alike, and their affiliate program is a great way to make money online. They are widely considered to have one of the best web hosting affiliate programs — if not the best — and it is completely free to join.

The reason they are so popular as a web host is because their prices are very low, you can host unlimited websites on one account, they have great support, very little down time, cpanel, and they offer pretty much everything you need from a hosting company. All of this together makes them the best web host according to many internet marketers, bloggers, and webmasters. I’ve had several different hosts over the years and by far my favorite is BlueHost. I recommend them to everyone.

Rarely are there any problems with Blue Host, but all web hosts have issues every once in a while, and when it does happen their support team are very quick to resolve it. I’ve used the live chat feature any time I have had an issue and they have resolved it in a matter of minutes without any hassles. That is the sign of a great webhost and it helps their affiliate program to be an even better way to make money online.

Now, the reason they have one of the best affiliate programs among web hosts is because they offer great commissions for sales and an excellent service. Their payout is one of the highest in the industry. You earn between $50 to $125 per sale. Plus, since it is such a cheap web host and a very popular host, sales are relatively easy to get. They also provide you with all of the tools you need to convert your traffic into sales thus making it even easier for you to make money with their affiliate program.

If you are looking for the best web hosting affiliate program to earn the maximum amount of money then you should definitely check out BlueHost. And if you are trying to find the best web host to actually use for your websites then once again Blue Host is highly recommended.

What is an Affiliate Program?

Affiliate programs are a very popular way to make money online, and sometimes offline, but many people don’t really understand what they are. So, in this post, I am going to give you a quick overview to help you answer the question… “What is an affiliate program?”

Basically an affiliate program is a company (such as Amazon.com) that offers you the opportunity to promote their products or services (usually for free) and earn commissions from every sale you make. For example: The website at clickbank.com has thousands of different ebooks, membership sites, programs, software, and just about anything else you can think of that you can promote to make money on the internet.

Once you find something that interests you to promote, you will use the link they give you to send traffic to them. You can do that through email marketing, PPC, paid advertising, putting the link/banner on your blog, social media, etc… And when someone clicks on the link it will take them to a page where they can purchase the product/service from that particular business. Every person that buys from your link will be credited to you and you will earn money from the sale. Typically it will be about 50% commissions but sometimes it is higher or lower.

It’s really a very simple system for the most part. You usually don’t have to handle any of the product creation, inventory, shipping, tracking, refunds, support, or much of anything else. All you basically have to do is advertise your unique affiliate links and get paid from any sales you make.

The barrier to entry for most affiliate programs is very low. They are almost always free and easy to join. As long as you have a computer, internet connection, and a desire to make money online, you can build a solid monthly income from your own internet home business through affiliate marketing. It does take plenty of time and effort to learn how to market the right way and build up your earnings, but anyone can do it if you truly want to.

Pay Per Click Affiliate Programs

Below you will find the top recommended Pay Per Click (PPC) Affiliate Programs as voted by our readers and partners over the years. They aren’t necessarily ranked in a certain order because they are all high quality, and each has their own particular upsides as well as downsides.

Okay, let’s get started…

Best Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Affiliate Programs

Commission Junction

One of the most well-known and respected affiliate networks on the internet. They are among the largest affiliate network sites in North America and also operate worldwide. Inside this site you can find affiliate programs of all types for just about any niche or industry you can think of. CJ pretty much has it all. We would certainly recommend them as the one of the first places to start on your path to finding the best ppc affiliate programs, or really any type of associate program.

Bidvertiser

This is actually one of my favorite internet marketing solutions when I am looking to get some quick paid traffic to a website. I’ve also used them on several of my sites to earn money from their pay per click affiliate program. They are very good about displaying the highest bidders to maximize revenue from the ads. I’ve also noticed their ads are very well targeted to the content of my blogs, which is a huge plus for them.

Market Health

These guys allow you to market some of the worlds leading health supplements and beauty products. They offer a very high paying affiliate program and top of the line tracking software so you can fine tune your efforts to maximize earnings. Their websites convert very well and commissions are far better than average. Plus they treat their affiliates quite well with excellent support.

Shareasale

An affiliate network with hundreds of affiliate programs that you can join and earn money from. You can make money with pay-per-click (PPC), pay-per-lead (PPL), and pay-per-sale (PPS) programs. ShareASale is recruiting both affiliates and merchants, and will pay for each affiliate you refer and a percentage of that affiliate’s future earnings plus bonuses for each merchant you refer! They offer real time reporting and pay on time. Merchants love this site and so do affiliates.

Adsterra

A leading digital advertising company that offers performance based solutions worldwide. This is a great network if your site/blog gets a lot of traffic. You can become an Adsterra publisher if you have at least 50,000 visitors per month. They are one of the really good pay-per-click online advertising networks and they have an awesome ppc affiliate program to go along with their quality service. You earn 5% of the revenue generated by the publishers you refer, forever!

Adbuff

This is claimed by many bloggers as one of their top affiliate programs and the number one monetization solution for their site. It’s also famed as a great AdSense alternative and many people say they earn more money from Adbuff than they did with the Google Ad Network.

They continually strive to only bring in the best partners to give you the highest revenue share possible and they share an incredible 90% of advertiser revenue directly with their publishers, so their payouts are often times the highest you will get from any advertising network. This is definitely a top paying PPC affiliate program that is very popular and comes highly recommended.

VigLink

This is an awesome automated marketing program that will turn your regular links into affiliate links so you can get paid for content that you would normally not be earning money from. This is done by their system identifying products/services mentioned within the content that they then automatically transform the terms into money making links. When you refer someone to VigLink, you will get 35% commission for the first year.

Propeller Ads

This is one of the fastest growing ad networks out there. They have a multi-channel format that allows you to maximize your income by monetizing your traffic in several ways. These advertising solutions include; display, desktop, video, mobile, in-app, and more. Our readers think this is among the best choices of all pay per click platforms.

Nutracash

An advertising network that specializes in pay per lead and pay per sale programs. If you have a website and you want to make money with it, then this is a program you should join. By referring others to nutracash you can also earn additional money. You will earn a percent of all the money the people you refer ending up making from their account, which can accumulate quite rapidly. You will also earn for every affiliate you sign up into this program. This is very good because you know that the people you sign up are very likely to make money, and in-turn you also make money.

Revenue Hits

This is a very professional pay-per-click network which offers competitive payouts through an excellent affiliate program. They also provide a great way to help businesses grow on the internet through their ads program. They help your site gain maximum profit from minimal effort. With revenuehits, you can build an attractive income stream and enhance your site content while maintaining brand identity. Their PPC affiliate program offers offers a 10% referral fee for an entire year.

Alright, that’s it. If you are searching for the best pay per click affiliate programs on the internet then you are sure to be satisfied with one of the above!

You now know the best PPC affiliate networks, but do you really know how to make money online with affiliate marketing? If not, we highly recommend; The Super Affiliate System by John Crestani as the best course for this.

Using Affiliate Programs to Make Money Online

Affiliate marketing is one of the best ways to earn money on the internet and probably the fastest and cheapest way for someone to start their own online business. Here is a quick video explaining what affiliate programs are and how they work…

Watch the video below to learn the answers to what is an affiliate program and how do you make money with them?

If you have any questions or comments about affiliate marketing in general or specific programs then please leave a comment below, or check out some of our other pages on affiliate income…

Thanks!