So, you already started your blog and you want to make some money from it.
The best way to start making money from your blog is through affiliate marketing.
And to get started, all you need is to sign up to an affiliate network, find a product to promote, grab your link, and you are good to go.
It can’t be easier than that. And the network regulates everything on the payment part, so you don’t have to worry about being scammed or waiting a long time to receive your commissions, or if you will receive them correctly or not.
In this post, you are going to discover more about affiliate networks and the best ones available for bloggers right now.
What Is An Affiliate Network?
Affiliate networks are the middlemen who connect bloggers (marketers) with companies who sell products and offer an affiliate program for their products where a commission is given to the blogger for every sale that he or she drives.
You can get access to different affiliate programs from a single dashboard. You get to see different options, compare and have all your products managed from one dashboard.
They do all the heavy lifting for you and the business owner. They track sales, divide commissions, and send them automatically, so you don’t need to wait for business owners to do all that manually.
It is a win-win-win situation for everyone.
Best Affiliate Networks For Bloggers
Now that you know what an affiliate network is, you might think that you could simply just go and join anyone. The thing is that there are many affiliate networks nowadays unlike in the early days, and most of them are different from each other.
In this post, you are going to discover the top affiliate networks and the benefits they provide, so you could decide on picking the one that is perfect for you.
1. ShareASale
ShareASale was founded in 2000, and it has risen in strength over time.
It has different affiliate programs with wide varieties for different niches. It is trusted by many big players in the WordPress industry including companies like WP Engine and OptinMonster.
Many high-quality products are only available on their products.
And you can apply to any of the products available on their network from your dashboard right away.
There are physical products available as well, like Sun Basket, Reebok, NFL Shop, and others.
And the results have been consistent over the years, with little complaints about their services.
The minimum payout is $50, and you can get payments on the 20th of each month once you pass the $50 limit. You get payments via checks, which can be a problem to some, especially international users, but you can also get payments through Payoneer.
And if you are a merchant who offers services, physical goods, SAAS or digital products, then ShareASale might be a great option to consider. You will need to pay $650 upfront to set up things, and then you are good to go.
2. Amazon Associates
Amazon Associates started in 1996 and was created by Amazon. Who doesn’t know Amazon?
It gives you access to products available on Amazon, physical and digital products, giving you a percentage of purchases you drive to any of their products.
You can imagine the large variety of products you have at your disposal to promote. And with Amazon, the biggest in the industry, you are guaranteed high conversion rates because they are the best when it comes to converting people to buyers and getting them to purchase more.
However, you only get a small percentage from the sale, especially physical products. Also, their payment schedule is not the best since you need to wait 60 days after the end of the month to get the commissions you earned.
You can get paid in different ways, including direct deposit, Amazon gift certificates or checks in the mail (processing fee costs $15 if you are not an international user).
So yes, many don’t think it is the best, but since you may be sending people their way anyway, then why not earn a small commission, which adds over time.
3. CJ Affiliate
Formerly Commision Junction, CJ Affiliate was founded in 1998, and they carry a lot of brands in their network.
Used by some big companies like Grammarly, GoPro, Overstock, and others. You can apply to any of the merchants from your dashboard.
It offers a wide variety of products like ShareASale, and it offers real-time monitoring, so you could see analytics and see changes right away.
But your account will be deactivated if you’re not able to drive a sale within 6 months.
The minimum payout is $50 for direct deposit or $100 for a check.
One of the drawbacks is the dashboard may be a little bit complicated, so there is a significant learning curve to understanding it completely. But other than that and your ability to drive a sale in 6 months, you can’t go wrong with this company.
4. Rakuten Marketing
Rakuten Marketing, formerly called Linkshare, was founded in 1996 and partners with big merchants like Walmart, Best Buy, Papa Johns and others using their network.
They have a smaller number of merchants than CJ and ShareASale, with only 1,000 merchants.
The minimum payout is $50, and you get payments once the merchants pay them. Usually, you are paid one month after the month you received your commission. So if you received it in March, you will get your commission in May.
You get paid through Direct Deposit, Check, and PayPal.
Rakuten is a billion-dollar company, and it is a trusted name.
The dashboard may be a little bit outdated, but it has nice features like easy ad rotation.
5. Impact
Impact, formerly called Impact Radius, was founded in 2008 by the people who founded CJ and Lead Point.
Unlike most affiliate networks, they offer a full suite of digital marketing products and a direct platform for advertiser and media partner to communicate.
You get access to different products that help you with fraud detection and verification problems, management of online and offline marketing expenses, and tracking your partner relationships.
It has companies like Adidas, HostGator, NordVPN, and others.
You can get paid through ACH, check (with a $5 processing fee), international bank transfer and PayPal.
It has a smaller number of offers than the ones previously mentioned, but you get access to better reporting and resources.
6. Viglink
Viglink is another affiliate network with a twist, which makes it a great option for many to consider, especially those who are worried about joining every network and don’t want the hassle of being on different platforms.
Viglink helps you convert normal outgoing links on your blog where you link to other products into affiliate links. If someone purchases from that link, you earn a commission, and they get part of it without the need to sign up to every network.
So, if you link to an iPhone product from your site, they send you commission without having to find your affiliate link from Amazon, for example, and so on.
Don’t worry about it being non-SEO friendly since it uses Javascript which makes it compatible with Google.
You can get started with their plugin, so you don’t need to do a lot of work to get started. You get paid by PayPal, which is a huge plus for money.
7. PartnerStack
Founded in 2015, Partner Stack is an affiliate network created specifically for SAAS companies.
It has brands like Evernote, Freshbooks, Asana and others. The great part is that you get a percentage from sales you’re able to drive, and most of them are annually or monthly, so you get constant revenue from products that are commonly used.
It has a snappy modern look which is fast.
You will need to join each product separately, but you can do so from the available marketplace. You can easily switch between products to get links or assets to promote the product.
Payout is with PayPal. Processing is not automatic, but you can withdraw your earnings once you receive money above the minimum of $25.
The drawback is that it is focused only on SAAS products which may not be perfect for every niche.
8. eBay Partner Network
Just like Amazon Associates, Ebay Partner Network is created to promote products on eBay as an affiliate.
The program was created in 2008, although eBay was founded in 1995.
And with the number of listings available on the site, you will never run out of physical products to promote from a company that many people already trust to purchase their products.
You get paid monthly when your balance is above $10, and you can be paid via direct deposit and PayPal (obviously because they acquired it).
The thing is it is created specifically for eBay which only sells physical products, so it may not be perfect for every niche. And you just earn a percentage from eBay’s revenue depending on the category.
One of the cons is that the cookie only lasts 24 hours, which means lost sales if they didn’t purchase the product on the same day.
9. Clickbank
ClickBank was founded in 1998, and anyone who started in affiliate marketing should be familiar with them.
They offer over 6 million affiliate products to promote. Most of the products available are digital products, which means more commissions, unlike physical products on networks like eBay’s.
And due to the huge number of products, you will find a product to promote no matter your niche.
They don’t have many big brands on their network like ShareASale, so you need to be able to vet the product before promoting it, which is something you should do anyway because the quality of the products isn’t guaranteed.
Most merchants offer a good percentage of the sales. Many offer 50-75% of the sales. The minimum payout is only $10, and you can get payments weekly.
You can get payments through different options like check, wire transfer, direct deposit. International users can use Payoneer.
10. Refersion
Refersion is one of the new players in the industry. It is a full-fledged solution that helps business owners with different things related to affiliate marketing.
It helps owners with affiliate recruitment offering signup forms and the ability to manage affiliates. It helps with affiliate segmentation. It offers different conversion triggers. You can pay affiliates automatically if they sent the email of a potential buyer without the need for them to send a specific affiliate link.
You, as an affiliate, can sign up to any of the products on their platform from the marketplace. Usually, most of the money is paid through Paypal or Gift card option.
It is a fairly new company that is growing fast, that is why it is mentioned in this post.
Conclusion
Making money through affiliate marketing is one of the best ways if you are just getting started. And starting with an affiliate network may be a great option for you to get money without the hassle of being at the mercy of business owners.
You will also get access to different products that you can sign up to from your dashboard and manage them right away.
There are many affiliate networks in the market nowadays. Some have been around since the early days, and some are new in the market. In this post, you discovered the top 10 options to consider and their benefits, so you could decide on the one that is perfect for you.
Tell us below which affiliate network you love best and why.
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