Interested in finding a simple method to earn money from the visitors on your website? Look no further than affiliate marketing. By engaging in affiliate marketing, you can suggest products or services to your audience and receive a percentage of the profits whenever they make a purchase through your referral links.
Finding good-quality, relevant products that are worth recommending is the challenging aspect of promoting your affiliate links. It is essential to seek something that connects with your audience and offers an appealing commission rate.
You can easily find a suitable affiliate program as these platforms connect you with numerous brands and merchants offering such programs.
1. ShareASale
ShareASale is considered the ultimate choice, being one of the oldest and most widely-used networks with a user base of more than 225,000 affiliate marketers. Together, these affiliated marketers earned a staggering $1 billion on the platform in the previous year.
ShareASale’s database contains more than 16,000 merchants, and new ones are constantly being added. This extensive selection offers a wide range of programs to choose from, including popular brands such as Etsy, BuzzFeed, Wayfaither, Reebok, and Honey, as well as smaller, specialized retailers.
Whether you are operating within any niche, you will easily find a suitable product for your audience among the extensive selection of digital and physical items across 39 consumer categories.
To effectively navigate through your choices, you can utilize the remarkable search and exploration tools provided by ShareASale. One notable feature is the ability to categorize and assess available affiliate programs, with a conveniently displayed summary of essential details on the results page, including commission rates and average earnings per click (EPC).
ShareASale evaluates the profitability of each merchant’s affiliate programs, and you can access the top 100 most successful merchants by clicking on the Power Rank search category. While the specific cookie duration and commission rates differ among merchants, they tend to be quite generous. Commission per sale typically ranges between 5% and 20%.
For most affiliate marketplaces, after discovering something you desire, you can easily apply to join the program with just a few clicks. However, you will have to wait for approval from each merchant separately.
In addition to offering strong reporting options, ShareASale includes real-time analytics that promptly notify you of any new sales or earned commissions. This feature facilitates identifying the top-performing merchant partners, identifying broken links, and more.
2. Awin
Awin, which has more than 16,500 merchants and 225,000 affiliates, is a highly popular affiliate marketing platform. Although Awin is the parent company of ShareASale, the two networks function autonomously.
Awin primarily focuses on the European and global market, offering superior multi-language and multi-currency support along with a wider global reach. On the other hand, ShareASale predominantly serves US-based merchants and affiliate marketers.
One more notable distinction between the two is that Awin requires affiliates to pay a $5 application fee, whereas joining ShareASale is free. Although this aspect may be disappointing, the fee is reimbursed to your account upon approval.
Similar to ShareASale, Awin grants you the opportunity to explore a diverse selection of affiliate programs encompassing both tangible and digital goods across various industries. Notably, prominent brands such as Under Armour, StubHub, Etsy, Gymshark, and AliExpress are featured within these programs.
Merchants typically offer varying commission rates, usually around 5%, with a minimum payout requirement of $20.
3. PartnerStack
PartnerStack is not just a regular affiliate marketing network; it is a comprehensive partnership platform specifically designed for SaaS businesses.
PartnerStack is an excellent starting point for affiliate marketers who want to promote SaaS products such as social media marketing tools, marketing platforms, accounting software, and more.
PartnerStack is unique compared to other affiliate platforms we’ve explored thus far, as it specifically serves businesses of this nature. While it may not possess as wide a range of registered merchants as Awin or ShareASale, it still offers more than 200 programs within the SaaS sector.
You might be familiar with popular names like Omnisend, Keap CRM, Unbounce, and Sprout Social. Feel free to explore the marketplace without any charges or hidden costs, and you can enroll in multiple programs if you desire.
The commissions offered are quite appealing. The commission rates differ among programs, but certain merchants can pay up to 50% commission or $2,000 for each sale you generate.
4. Amazon associates
Amazon Associates is an essential inclusion in any compilation of top affiliate marketing networks due to its wide recognition and vast assortment of products. It grants access to an extensive range of millions of products.
Anyone can become an associate with Amazon Associates and begin earning commission on a wide range of products available on Amazon, which is the world’s largest ecommerce store. This includes products sold by both Amazon and third-party sellers.
After enrolling in the affiliate marketing program, simply access the product page of the item you wish to advertise, acquire your distinctive referral link, and commence its utilization.
When a customer clicks on your referral link, they will be included in your cookie window and you will receive a commission for any item they buy from Amazon within the following 24 hours, regardless of whether it is the same product you initially linked to.
As an illustration, suppose you include a link to a computer desk, and if someone clicks on your link and purchases the desk along with various other accessories, you will not only receive a commission for the desk but also for all the other items that were in their shopping cart.
You would still receive a payout, even if they did not purchase the desk at all but bought something completely unrelated later on within a few hours. This occurrence is more frequent than you may anticipate, considering Amazon’s high level of popularity.
One of the advantages of being an Amazon affiliate is the ability to take advantage of the platform’s strong brand reputation. With Amazon being widely recognized, your audience is more inclined to trust the platform and feel secure providing their payment information. As a result, you can expect improved conversion rates.
Doesn’t it sound good? However, is there a downside? Unfortunately, compared to the other platforms listed, Amazon’s commission rates are not as appealing. The rates differ according to the product category and can go as low as 1%.
For instance, in the Home category, you have the potential to earn a maximum of 7% on purchases, whereas items such as video games and computers will only earn you 1%. Additionally, Amazon occasionally reduces its commission rates.
The program is known for its strict affiliate policies as well. Once you make a few sales, they will assess your Associate account to ensure adherence to their terms and conditions. If anything is amiss, they have the authority to terminate your account.
5. Commission junction (CJ)
CJ, referred to as the second-oldest affiliate program on the internet, is considered alongside Amazon. Distinct from Amazon, CJ functions as a network as opposed to an online store.
To put it differently, CJ facilitates the connection between its affiliates and merchants while effectively handling the majority of those associations. This can be a saving grace for novice affiliate marketers as it removes the necessity of directly engaging with merchants.
Although CJ’s signup process is not complex, you will still have to apply with individual merchants, and the application procedures will differ among them. While some merchants provide immediate approval, others may take a few days, and a few might not respond at all, leaving you uncertain of your application’s status indefinitely.
6. Impact
Being one of the newer affiliate networks included in this list, Impact was established in 2008 by ex-staff of Commission Junction, Savings.com, and Leadpoint. Currently, Impact’s network comprises over 3,500 merchants. Just like Commission Junction, the wide range of merchants available should cater to various industries.
Getting accepted into Impact may prove to be slightly more difficult than joining CJ. However, once admitted, it is generally easier to gain acceptance from the merchants.
If a merchant wishes to collaborate with various affiliate networks, including Impact, they should opt for Impact due to its more flexible reporting and postback options compared to other affiliate programs.
7. FlexOffers
FlexOffers is one of the largest affiliate networks with over 12,000 merchants available in its system, often providing the same affiliate programs as other networks such as CJ.
FlexOffers functions as a “sub-affiliate” platform, operating directly with numerous merchants. This entails that FlexOffers becomes an affiliate of the merchant, enabling bloggers to utilize its affiliate links rather than applying to the merchant individually. Consequently, the commission for each affiliate sign-up is divided between FlexOffers and the user.
FlexOffers can serve as your intermediary if you face difficulties gaining access to a specific affiliate program due to being a newcomer.
Naturally, the drawback is that the earnings are frequently reduced since FlexOffers requires a portion of every transaction. The process of signing up for FlexOffers can be troublesome. Being a sub-affiliate, FlexOffers shares responsibility for conversion quality, giving it the option to be selective about the affiliates it allows into its network.
If you are new to affiliate marketing, FlexOffers is a worthwhile option to consider, but ensure that your website is prepared and well-presented.
8. Sovrn //Commerce
Sovrn //Commerce serves as a means of accomplishing this. Formerly recognized as VigLink, this product enabled such functionality.
Sovrn //Commerce offers the option of choosing between CPC (cost-per-click) or CPA (cost-per-acquisition) merchants. Through a WordPress plugin or Google Tag Manager, affiliate links will be inserted automatically into your blog posts. If you desire a simple method of monetizing through affiliate links, Sovrn //Commerce is the ideal solution.
Instead of utilizing the automated tool, I prefer incorporating Sovrn //Commerce links directly within my content. A better alternative is to apply Sovrn //Commerce on user-generated content, such as a forum hosted on your website. The company also provides vBulletin and phpBB options for this purpose.
