Even after choosing their most basic shared hosting plan and a WordPress theme, I was able to quickly set up my blog and increase my site speed to 100.
Bluehost sells three types of hosting plans:
- Shared hosting : A basic hosting plan for individual websites or blogs.
- VPS hosting : Virtual private servers for larger websites with powerful features.
- Dedicated hosting : Extreme power and availability thanks to custom-designed servers.
As a bonus, Bluehost offers one of the highest paying commission structures for internet marketers who want to earn extra revenue from their website.
Users who promote Bluehost products and services through personalized links on their website can receive between $65 and $130 per sale generated on their site.
In this Bluehost affiliate program review, we're going to cover:
- How to set up your monetized website using a Bluehost hosting plan.
- What are the pros and cons of being a Bluehost affiliate?
- How do I start an affiliate marketing business by joining the Bluehost affiliate program?
- Ways you can promote your Bluehost affiliate links.
- How to connect to Bluehost and become a web hosting affiliate
What is Bluehost?
Bluehost is a web hosting company that hosts over 2 million websites. It was designed by Matt Heaton in 1996 and officially launched as Bluehost in 2003.
They offer some of best web hostings, including options such as thecheap shared hosting, WordPress hosting, theVPS hosting, dedicated hosting, cloud hosting, WooCommerce hosting, and many other types of hosting and domain services.
How do I set up a Bluehost login and account?
To become a Bluehost affiliate, you need to have a website. And there's no better way than creating a Bluehost site. They really own the market, and it's a win-win for new bloggers.
1. visit Bluehost.com and select shared hosting.
2. Select a Bluehost shared hosting plan that meets your website needs.
3. Register a new domain name or add one you already have with Bluehost.
Or, if you have a domain name with another service, follow the steps to set up your shared hosting Bluehost with this URL.
4. Add your login details Bluehost.
You can also sign in using your Google profile and account data. You will be using this Bluehost ID going forward.
5. Review your Bluehost plan details.
You have the option of including additional features like SiteLock in your plan. If you don't want to pay for these features, be sure to uncheck the corresponding boxes.
6. Enter your payment details and submit.
Once you have completed these steps, you use your Bluehost ID and launch your website using the Bluehost hosting plan of your choice.
Bluehost Affiliate Program Review
To join an affiliate program, simply sign up for the program, place text links or banners on your site, and collect the referral sales you generate. Because Bluehost is one of the most popular and well-known web hosting companies out there, their affiliate program is very effective.
The program is so popular and successful that Bluehost paid out over $5 million in commissions in the past calendar year.
However, like all affiliate programs, the Bluehost affiliate process comes with its share of pros and cons. Here are the main pros and cons of joining the Bluehost affiliate program.
Bluehost: Affiliate Program Benefits
1. Big one-time payments
Bluehost affiliates earn commissions starting at $65 for every qualified hosting plan purchase.
Even better, there's no limit to how much you can win. Bluehost affiliates are authorized to recommend the hosting company to as many new customers as possible. In other words, your options for generating passive income through the Bluehost affiliate program are endless.
Take Pat Flynn to Smart Passive Income, for example. In one of his December 2020 earnings reports, he generated $27,650 from Bluehost affiliate commissions alone.
Additionally, Bluehost uses PayPal to send affiliates their earnings. As you may already know, PayPal transactions are subject to fees. But don't worry, Bluehost has them covered for you. You'll earn the full $65 and won't have to worry about subtracting these fees.
It is essential to note that payments are made between 45 and 60 days after the sale. All sales are processed between the 16th and the last day of the month. For example, if you won a business in January, your winnings will be reviewed and applied between March 16 and 31.
2. Tiered commission structure
Although commissions start at $65, Bluehost offers a tiered commission to reward loyal and successful affiliate members.
As a result, the more sales you make over time, the higher your overall compensation is. The tiered commissions range from $65 to $130 per sale. When you sign up, let your affiliate manager know your ultimate goals, and you may be able to get a boost in your commission.
3. Superior affiliate support team
As with everything in the world of internet advertising and tracking, mistakes can happen, and affiliate platforms are no exception. Luckily, Bluehost's affiliate support team is top-notch.
In fact, as a licensed Bluehost affiliate, you'll have a dedicated support team ready to help you with any issues. I found that she responded quickly to emails and provided 24/7 support to help you succeed.
4. High conversion rates
Generate revenue from programs of affiliate marketing requires time, dedication, and a well-thought-out content strategy. Fortunately, Bluehost enjoys excellent brand awareness, low cost for new customers, and reliable conversion rates. Plus, all new bloggers should choose a web host — it's a necessity, not a luxury to have.
Given the nature of Bluehost's low entry cost and excellent product, you'll benefit from stable conversion rates.
Additionally, Bluehost affiliates are allowed to use affiliate links on any website, blog, email, or other platform to promote them. So the more websites and social media content you have, the more likely your clicks are to lead to conversions.
Remember, these conversion rates only appear once you've developed content that attracts a loyal audience. It won't happen overnight.
5. Low barrier to entry
Some affiliate marketing programs have restrictions on who can participate in them. Often, candidates need to have a minimum number of page views or subscribers before being accepted into a program.
These restrictions are not the case at Bluehost. Anyone with a website is allowed to sign up for the Bluehost affiliate program. The application process is also quick and easy. You don't have to go through a lengthy application process and can be approved right away. I was accepted and an affiliate manager contacted me a few hours after I signed up.
6. Leveraging banner ads
Besides text links, Bluehost affiliates can also include banner ads on their website to lead interested readers to Bluehost products. Thanks to the program's easy-to-use instructions and widgets, you'll have no problem embedding HTML code and adding banners to your website.
7. Frequent discounts and promotions
To help you promote its products, Bluehost regularly sends notifications of discounts and seasonal promotions to its affiliates. These discounts allow you to promote these offers on your website and on your blog content, which is an annual incentive that can lead to increased sales. Create content around seasonal shopping trends like Black Friday, the holidays, or the start of the year, when creating a new website is in every entrepreneur's head.
Bluehost: Disadvantages of the Affiliate Program
Like any affiliate marketing program, the Bluehost program has a few minor drawbacks.
1. Withdrawal limits
If you want to withdraw your earnings from Bluehost right away, that's not possible. Affiliates need to earn $100, or two sales, before they can withdraw their money.
Luckily, this only applies to your first payment as a Bluehost affiliate. After making two sales and exceeding the $100 threshold, you are free to withdraw your payments as you wish. If you blog and generate a sale through their affiliate program, you receive payment within 45 to 60 days.
2. Penalties for user downgrade
If one of your referred Bluehost customers decides to downgrade their hosting plan, your referral commission is deducted from your future earnings as an affiliate.
3. Difficult for people who are inexperienced in SEO
To succeed as an affiliate marketer, you need to master the tactics and strategies ofsearch engine optimization (SEO).
SEO tactics help make your content known to people who are looking for relevant phrases or keywords on search engines like Google. It takes a decent amount of traffic to get enough clicks on your affiliate links to generate sales.
Before signing up for the Bluehost affiliate program, take the time to learn the ins and outs of SEO. Start implementing these tactics in the content of your blog, pages, and other parts of your website.
It's hard to generate traffic (and sales) without a solid SEO strategy. Remember that high-quality, SEO-optimized, and long-lasting content that matches the user's intent is critical.
Once you're confident in your SEO skills, sign up for Bluehost's affiliate program, refer readers to your website, and convert them into customers. Bluehost.
How do I join the Bluehost affiliate program?
Ready to monetize your website by becoming a Bluehost affiliate?
Once you've launched your website with Bluehost hosting using the steps mentioned earlier, follow these steps to sign up for the Bluehost affiliate program. Unlike other popular affiliate programs like CJ (Commission Junction), Bluehost runs its own internal affiliate referral program.
Here are the five steps to joining the Bluehost affiliate program.
1. visit Bluehost.com and scroll down to the footer menu. Click on the affiliate program link.
2. After reading more about the Bluehost affiliate program, click Sign Up.
3. Fill in the required application information so that you can have a Bluehost ID.
4. Enter your PayPal email address.
If you don't have a PayPal account, create one before joining the Bluehost affiliate program. Bluehost uses PayPal Masspay to distribute earnings.
5. Accept Bluehost's affiliate terms and click Submit.
Once you've created your account and submitted a request, you need to wait for Bluehost's approval, but they're quick and have automated much of this process. In the meantime, be sure to complete the tax form found in your Bluehost affiliate login dashboard. You will need to submit this information to receive your winnings.
How to promote Bluehost with affiliate links
Congratulations! You have been approved as a Bluehost affiliate and can use your Bluehost ID to access your affiliate dashboard.
Now it's time to start creating optimized, engaging content that not only promotes Bluehost's web hosting services but also convinces readers to become customers.
There are multiple ways to promote your Bluehost affiliate links online.
1. Create a Bluehost review
The best way to guide readers to your website and convert them into customers is to develop and deliver content that they want to read. In that case, you'll need to post content around topics related to website hosting and Bluehost products — like this one.
As a Bluehost hosting customer, you already have first-hand knowledge of the products. Write content that reviews Bluehost's hosting products and plans. Provide potential customers with information and advice about hosting a website on Bluehost. The more information you offer, the more likely your readers are to convert using your affiliate links.
You can also write reviews that compare Bluehost to other hosting services to expand your affiliate monetization strategy.
2. Writing blog posts about starting a WordPress blog with Bluehost
Did you know that leading websites like USA Today, Fortune, TechCrunch, and TED all use WordPress as their content management system (CMS)? As the first CMS on the market, more than 30% of websites work with WordPress.
And, Bluehost is the hosting service recommended by WordPress.
Thousands and thousands of people are looking online for advice to launch their WordPress blog or website. Take advantage of this opportunity to write optimized content on related topics such as:
- WordPress hosting.
- WordPress themes.
- WordPress plugins.
- Tips on using WordPress.
- Optimization of a WordPress blog.
- The best WordPress plugins to use for a new blog.
3. Send welcome emails to new subscribers
Among the many steps involved in monetizing a blog is email marketing. This marketing tactic helps create a community of loyal followers who are eager to consume the content you've posted.
As part of your email marketing strategy, send each new subscriber a “welcome” email. In this message, include aligned content, starting a blog, or a new website. And, if applicable, mention any discounts or promotions that Bluehost may be offering right now.
4. Bluehost video reviews
For more promotional content, turn your Bluehost reviews into engaging videos. Given that 90% of Internet users Claiming that product videos help them with their decision-making process, these videos are a fantastic way to turn interested readers into paying Bluehost customers.
When posting your videos on your website and other platforms like YouTube, be sure to include affiliate links in the description. You can also verbally and visually encourage viewers to click on the link to get more information about web hosting. You can also create ads that overlay the video using your affiliate links.
5. Develop and publish a resource page
As a marketer, your goal is not only to drive sales, but also to educate potential customers. To do this, add a resource page to your website.
On this page, show the tools, platforms, strategies, and products like Bluehost that you recommend readers use for their website or blog. Besides using your affiliate links in blog content, emails, videos, and the like, a resource page is always included in your site's high-level navigation and can generate passive clicks and affiliate revenue.
6. Other ways to promote Bluehost
While the best way to promote Bluehost is through content that you own and create, some affiliate marketers can make sales through Google AdWords. However, Bluehost does not allow affiliates to bid on branded keywords, trademark terms, or use the Bluehost name in ad text or descriptions.
If you can get creative and design web hosting ads while meeting these conditions, you can be successful in generating new affiliate revenue through PPC. Nonetheless, the cost per click is competitive and it's more profitable to start by focusing on generating organic traffic.
Summary
With a lot of work, time, and a solid marketing strategy, you too can earn additional revenue from your website using the Bluehost affiliate program. It's one of the highest paying affiliate programs in the world and it's at the top of my list of the best high-paying affiliate programs of this year.
It's a win-win. You can start a new blog with Bluehost, and then use your knowledge of the tool to recommend that your readers use it as well. It's not for nothing that so many people choose Bluehost to start their blog.
Launch your website and sign up for the affiliate program of Bluehost starting today. That way, you can earn up to $130 for each sale (and motivate the next generation of bloggers).