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What are affiliate links?
Affiliate links are exclusive URLs that are used to track traffic sent from your website to that of the advertiser.
Each affiliate has their own URLs, which contain specific identifiers such as a random series of numbers and letters, your username, or other means of identification.
When a website visitor clicks on your affiliate links, a record is sent to the affiliate program to track your metrics such as clicks, sales, and affiliate commissions.
Generally, you'll only get a commission if the visitor makes a purchase, but you can also get paid for prospects.
In addition to your personalized ID in the URL, an affiliate marketing program also uses cookies to track activity.
When a reader clicks on your affiliate links, a small file called a “cookie” is placed on their computer.
This cookie then records the user's actions and credits your affiliate account with the sale if a product is purchased within a cookie duration window (typically 30-90 days).
How to get affiliate links.
Before you can learn how to promote affiliate links, you first need to sign up for an affiliate program.
1. Join an affiliate network and affiliate programs.
There are numerous affiliate programs available to publishers and website owners.
Do your research and see which programs match your digital marketing goals, content topics, and interests.
Some of the major programs include
When looking for the best affiliate programs, review available merchants, commission rates, and application rules.
Some affiliate programs require candidates to meet specific restrictions to be admitted as an affiliate. If you are just starting out, I recommend joining Shareasale.
2. Log in to your affiliate dashboard and find the links.
Once you've been approved, sign in to your affiliate program to find your affiliate links.
Through this dashboard, you can select which text links or advertiser banners you want to promote on your website.
Once you've selected the text link, your exclusive affiliate links will be automatically generated for you to promote with embedded HTML or just the link itself.
3. Copy and paste the HTML code or direct link into your content.
After you have found the corresponding advertiser and selected an affiliate link type, you will need to copy the HTML code or the direct link.
Then paste this code and/or link into the content of your blog or website.
You can also use a WordPress plugin like ThirstyAffiliates to hide your affiliate links and make them look nicer on your site.
For example, something like www.sales-hacking.com/aff/webflow seems better than a random string of numbers and letters.
ClickMeter is another great tool for link tracking. It helps you monitor, track, and optimize all of your affiliate links in one place.
They also have a affiliate program popular that offers a 90% commission rate when you promote their link tracking tool.
4. Track the success of your affiliate links in the dashboard.
Now that your affiliate links are active, return to your dashboard to track their success.
Each platform is slightly different, but you'll be able to see the number of clicks, sales, and commissions using this tool.
Now let's move on to the best ways to use your affiliate links to make money online this year.
11 easy ways to promote affiliate links
After Google AdSense and Its alternatives, a report found that publishers said affiliate links generated more revenue for their website than other forms of marketing.
This is due to the possibility of promoting affiliate links through various tactics, platforms, campaigns, and content forms.
To succeed as an affiliate blogger, start by promoting your affiliate links in these 11 main locations.
1. Affiliate website reviews.
Just as you've been looking for affiliate marketing programs to join, you need to deeply understand the businesses you're promoting and the tools or products they offer.
Take advantage of this opportunity (and include your affiliate links) to write honest reviews about the products you promote on your affiliate site.
You should first focus on researching keywords and including titles that best match the intent of a searcher looking for the product you are promoting.
In these reviews, provide in-depth information about everything a potential customer would need to know, such as:
- How to set up or buy the product.
- The main advantages and disadvantages of using the product.
- Examples of others who have been successful with the product
- Tips for succeeding with the product that your audience can use.
If you're using these reviews to generate clicks on your affiliate links, it's important to be objective, fair, and transparent in your content.
The other assessment sites are also one of best places to promote your own website, so make sure you know how they work inside out.
2. In-depth product tutorials.
In addition to writing reviews on the products themselves, you can also promote affiliate links by creating detailed product tutorials.
This type of content is similar to that of reviews, but it's a deep dive into content that focuses on “how to do it.”
For example, if you join the Amazon Associates Affiliate Program, select products you have experience with and write content:
- How to use the product
- How to order the product.
- The pros and cons of the product.
- Where to find the product.
- Practical product advice.
It's relatively easy to get affiliate sales from the Amazon affiliate program because Amazon already owns the brand name when it comes to product reviews.
That makes creating affiliate revenue and running an e-commerce business as an Amazon affiliate something to consider — for beginners and more experienced people alike.
3. Affiliate banners.
Besides text links in your blog content, affiliate programs also provide links in the form of affiliate banners.
You can place these clickable banners in multiple places on your website, for example:
- The sidebar of your blog.
- The header and footer of your website.
- Incorporated into blog content.
- In electronic marketing messages.
To use affiliate banners, first check whether your respective affiliate program offers this possibility.
Then, copy and paste the provided HTML code to the desired location on your website.
For example, here are a few banners that you can copy and paste onto your site using the Constant Contact affiliate program :
If you have trouble doing this, feel free to ask the affiliate program manager for help.
Keep in mind that “banner blindness” makes banner ads less effective, so use contextual text links as often as possible.
4. Automated emails.
As an affiliate marketer and blogger, building a loyal group of readers is critical to long-term success.
Email marketing is an advantageous tactic for attracting visitors to your website, distributing your content, and managing relationships with readers.
Once readers have signed up for your blog, encourage them to join your mailing list and send them a series of automated welcome emails.
In this email, use affiliate links by sharing relevant articles.
However, do not abuse your links.
For example, if your seven-part welcome email series is about launching a WordPress site, don't automatically clutter the first email with a bunch of affiliate links.
First, build trust with your readers by telling your unique story, and then ultimately provide the information that will be most useful to them.
Affiliate earnings are secondary to helping your readers.
5. Resource or tool pages.
To generate ongoing, passive income from your affiliate links, you need to position yourself as an authority or opinion leader on particular topics.
As part of your affiliate marketing strategy, create a Resources page on your website that highlights the top tools and products that you recommend.
On this page, list and discuss the products you use and recommend on a regular basis - and that's not faked.
You should genuinely use the products on your resource page and like them in a way that you know that your readers will benefit from using them.
6. Digital products.
As you grow your website and your audience, you can also start creating and providing exclusive digital products such as e-books and online courses to your audience.
Naturally, these digital products offer perfect opportunities to integrate your affiliate links.
Be sure to include these links organically in your content.
Your digital products should not look like sales material, but rather like moments when readers can learn more about a particular subject.
For example, if you have an online course on creating a blog, section 1 might include an affiliate link to sign up with Bluehost as your web hosting provider.
It's a natural place to put your affiliate link inside your course.
7. YouTube affiliate links.
You know that videos are a powerful marketing tool, especially for affiliate marketers. In fact, Animoto found that 93% of small businesses said they had gained a new customer as a result of a video posted on social media.
As an affiliate marketer, you have the opportunity to create video content on a wide variety of topics and include your affiliate links in the process.
There are 2 main ways to incorporate affiliate links into your video content.
First, the easiest way to use YouTube affiliate links is to include them in your video description.
If you use this tactic, be sure to verbally and visually recall the description in your video.
Most YouTubers use phrases like “Click on the links in the description below” to direct viewers to the right place.
The second tactic is to use YouTube annotations.
These are transparent boxes that appear at pre-selected times and locations in a YouTube video, often with a call to action.
Each box has a hyperlink, providing an ideal location for your affiliate links.
For the best results, use the 2 YouTube affiliate link tactics to your advantage.
8. Promote affiliate links on Facebook.
Another place to distribute your affiliate links is Facebook, through your personal profile or an online business page.
Make sure you're not spamming your followers' Facebook feeds with affiliate link posts.
Your goal is to convince someone to click on your affiliate links and make a purchase.
To do this, post entertaining, educational, and intriguing content that includes affiliate links.
9. Instagram affiliate links.
Just like promoting affiliate links on Facebook, you can also generate affiliate traffic from your Instagram posts. However, Instagram has one major exception: Instagram posts are not clickable.
Instead, you need to get fans to your bio to click on a link.
A workaround for this issue is to include links in Instagram stickers.
These are items that you can place in your stories and that users can click to be directed to a destination of your choice.
If selling on Instagram is a priority, make it a point to build a loyal audience first. These loyal followers will be more likely to click on your affiliate links, whether in the bio or Instagram Stories, and engage with your content.
10. Pinterest affiliate links.
Since Pinterest is a visual social media platform, you have several options for attracting traffic to your affiliate links, especially those that promote physical products.
For best results, create pins and charts around a particular product.
You can also include a pin with your affiliate link in a table that focuses on a larger topic.
For example, if you're an affiliate marketer for a nutrition company, create a Pinterest board with healthy eating tips, ideas, and recipes.
In this table, be sure to include one or 2 pins that use your affiliate links.
Test the 2 tactics and see which one delivers the best results by consulting your affiliate dashboard as well as Pinterest Analytics.
11. Twitter affiliate links.
Using affiliate links on Twitter involves a certain pun.
Since you only have 280 characters to convince someone to click on your affiliate link, you need to be creative.
Experiment with different writing styles and see which method gets the most clicks on affiliate links.
You can also combine your text and social media links with an image or video to create more engaging content for your target audience.
However, most affiliate marketers use Twitter to drive traffic to their website and blog content.
From there, they use other tactics that we looked at to get users to click on embedded affiliate links.
How to disclose your affiliate links
As an affiliate marketer, you are required to disclose your participation in affiliate programs.
Most content creators include a short paragraph explaining the relationship between the content and the affiliate program advertiser at the start of their content and on a dedicated page on their website.
An example of a disclaimer for an affiliate link at the top of a blog post might be the following:
“As a blogger, my content may include affiliate links from advertisers. I can earn money from actions that readers take on these links, such as clicking, buying, or subscribing. However, these are the tools that I fully recommend and that have helped my blog immensely.”
On your affiliate disclosure page, be sure to indicate the affiliate programs in which you participate and the details of this partnership, for optimal transparency.
Check out these examples to inspire you.
Additionally, affiliated advertisers have the power to remove you from their programs if you do not disclose your participation appropriately online.
Tips for succeeding with your affiliate links.
The affiliate marketing landscape is constantly changing and bloggers need to keep up with trends to maximize their blog monetization. In 2019, use these 5 tips for continued affiliate marketing success.
1. Hide your affiliate links.
Affiliate links can be long, depending on the identifiers used by a program.
Instead, use a tool for hiding affiliate links such as the plugin ThirstyAffiliates WordPress to automatically shorten your links.
By using the plugin's WordPress dashboard, you can manage your links, add them to relevant content, and use advanced features such as geographic targeting.
Not only does an affiliate link hiding tool make it easy to track and manage your links, but it also presents your links in a professional, brand-compliant manner.
2. Promote multiple affiliate products.
As an affiliate marketer, there's no limit to the number of products and advertisers you can promote.
If you keep a travel blog, you can promote everything from airline affiliate programs to luggage companies, travel gear, hotels, and more.
And, if you decide to diversify your content, be sure to group it into categories.
For example, if you have a fashion blog, you can join affiliate programs for makeup, clothing, and accessories.
Create multiple forms of content for each category and place them in specific sections of your site.
So your content is easily found and you have multiple sources of income at the same time.
3. But don't overdo it with too many products.
Following our previous example, it would be absurd to create content promoting a web host on a fashion website.
If you are free to sign up for as many affiliate programs as you want and meet the requirements, overdoing it can cause confusion for readers and organizational problems for you.
If you want to participate in affiliate programs for different industries, try creating individualized websites for each topic rather than writing content for all sectors on a single website.
4. Diversify the placement of your affiliate links.
Today, we went over various places to promote your affiliate links. It's in your best interest to diversify where you use your links to maximize revenue.
Promote your affiliate links in:
- Blog content and reviews.
- Product tutorials.
- YouTube videos.
- Banner ads.
- Articles in social networks.
- Email marketing messages.
- Digital products (for example, e-books, online courses)
Your possibilities are endless. Why limit yourself?
5. Put your audience first.
At the end of the day, it all comes down to your audience. Never create content to promote a link if your audience doesn't react to it.
First, you need to fully understand the needs, wants, and challenges of your audience.
Then, publish content that provides the best possible solution.
Your goal is to provide your audience with the best possible content (which can also generate sales through affiliate links).
But if your audience doesn't know, like, and trust you, there's no chance of generating a sale.
6. Engage your audience and get more leads.
Your audience is critical. You need to arouse their interest, attention, and trust if you want them to become customers.
Even if you're not selling your own product, the key to your success is having an engaging audience.
To do this, you can offer quality and valuable content. Ensure that the content you create is unique and relevant to your affiliate marketing industry. That way, when people search for related keywords in Google, they'll find you.
The conversation you have with potential customers is also important, because once someone has found you on Google, social media, and other platforms, the next step is to get them more involved.
7. Check and refine often.
Just as content marketers need to keep up to date with what's going on in their industry, you need to do the same with your affiliate links and promotions.
You can use an affiliate link management tool to help.
This way, you can see how your products are performing, how much money is being earned, and which products are the best performing. You can then use this information to improve what you do and to better promote your other products.
Affiliate marketing is like any other type of marketing effort. You need to track your data and see where you can find ways to improve it.
But, the difference is that with affiliate links, you need to keep an eye on things because if there are no conversions, then it doesn't really matter if you get more affiliate links.
By analyzing your data, you can look at things like how many clicks were made on each link, which products have the best conversion rate, and so on. That way you can make sure that people come back.
The important thing is to ensure that when creating your reports, you only focus on the data that is relevant to your affiliate marketing business and what you need to improve.
8. Stay on top of trends.
It is essential to be aware of what is happening in your sector.
You need to know who the influencers are and always be one step ahead of them. That way, you can get more traffic through your affiliate links while ensuring that your audience respects you for being an expert.
There are plenty of tools available online to help you stay in control.
A good tip is to research your competitors and see what products they are promoting and if it is something worth advertising.
9. Use affiliate managers
In many cases, the programs you join (including Clickbank and various CPA affiliate programs) may offer you the opportunity to work with an affiliate manager.
This person can give you tips for improving your conversion rates, help you set up your landing page, and even give you high commissions and better payouts when you reach a certain number of affiliate sales.
There are all sorts of benefits to using an affiliate manager in your marketing campaigns.
10. Consider attributing affiliate links
Whether you're dropshipping on eBay, giving SEO tips to search engines, or selling items on various affiliate networks, make sure affiliate links are attributed to your account.
Link attribution is important because it stops someone from trying to claim the credits on their own and helps you keep track of all the clicks and what you earn.
There's no point in investing in SEO methods or paid traffic if, as a retailer, you can't follow the link with a sale.
Knowing where conversions are coming from is critical because it lets you know if your marketing efforts are effective or not.
11. Use templates whenever possible
Whether you are a young business or a well-established business, using templates will save you time and will also offer you a low-cost solution.
There are numerous online sites where you can buy attractive banners that already contain an affiliate link.
So, all you need to do is add your business contact information and put it online on your website or on social networks.
Summary.
Now that you know everything about how affiliate links work, where to promote them, and how to fully disclose your participation in affiliate programs, it's time to put your newfound knowledge into practice.
First of all, look for high-paying affiliate programs, grab these links, put them in the best places for your audience, and start make money with your blog starting today.
We hope that these affiliate link tips will help you earn more with each click.
