Affiliate Marketing Overview – How To Get Started in 2024

Hey there sea changers, today we are going to take an introductory journey into the world of earning money online with my affiliate marketing overview. My name is Paul and I have been making money in the affiliate marketing game for the past decade and have created this site to assist those of you looking to do the same.

So, if you have just undertaken, or are contemplating a sea change – or simply looking for a way to earn an income online – then affiliate marketing may just be for you.

It is a simple process, but one that requires constant and consistent work if you are going to succeed and is definitely not a get-rich-quick gimmick. It can however, be q good way to earn a little cash as well. So grab yourself a drink and a notepad and let's see how it all works…

In simple terms, Affiliate marketing is the process in which you, as a marketer, refer customers to websites where they can purchase products based on your recommendations. This works as follows:

1. Find a product you like: This is the beauty of it all! You can sell anything you like simply by telling others about it because you think it's great! We know this in affiliate marketing as your niche.
2. Join an Affiliate Program: You partner with a company or a person who has these products to sell. This could be anything from cookies to fishing rods to dog grooming shears to software – anything!
3. Get Your Unique Link: The company gives you a special link that tracks who clicked on it and made a purchase because of your recommendation. It's like having a personalized code that shows you're the one who brought in the customer.
4. Earn a Commission: When someone clicks on your link and buys the product, you earn a commission. This means you get a percentage of the sale price just for referring the new customer.
5. Repeat: You can continue to share your link and earn commissions for as many sales as you can generate.

All you need to do is attract people to your content and give them access to your links. Sounds simple hey? And in general terms it actually is.

You Are Reading This Because of Wealthy Affiliate

That's right! Wealthy Affiliate provided me with all of the tools and training I needed to get this post in front of my audience - a.k.a YOU!

You too can start your very own online business here that can make you money from anywhere in the world!!  

See How I Built My Affiliate Site Here

What's the Advantage?

Don't get me wrong, as simple as it is, you need to work at it to make it succeed – just as you would with any business. However the advantages here are simple:

• No Need to Create a Product: You don't have to go through the trouble of creating a product. You just promote something you believe in.
• Flexible: You can work from anywhere, choose the products you want to promote, and decide how much effort you want to put in.
• Earn Extra Money: It's a way to earn money on the side – which is what I do. Or, if you work at it, it can even become a main source of income.

In essence, affiliate marketing is like being a bridge between a product and potential customers. If your recommendation leads to a sale, you get rewarded for it. It's a win-win for both you and the company whose products you're promoting.

What are the Issues?

Ok, so if you have been doing any research into the whole affiliate marketing thing in recent times, you may have read that search engines – and in particular Google – have been adjusting all of their algorithms which has severly impacted the rankings of many affiliate marketing sites.

This has actually led to many affiliate marketers getting out of the game altogether in favor of online stores and the like. Whilst this is a set back for many, I personally believe that if you are starting out and work with a subject that is specific that you know about, then you can still definitely be successful here.

When I started out, I was amazed at the simplicity in what affiliate marketing was. I then found out that when it comes to getting started, this simplicity transfers over to the steps you need to take to kick it all off as well.

And before we begin here, it probably goes without saying that a computer or smartphone will be your your primary tool for accessing the internet. It's the device you'll use to manage all aspects of your affiliate marketing journey—from creating your website, to signing up for affiliate programs and sharing your affiliate links and tracking your success.

So here is an outline of what you need to do:

1. Research and Planning

This sounds complicated, but in straight forward terms, this is where you just make sure that you are selling the latest and greatest products for your chosen niche. Steps here include:

• Market Research: As with anything, the products you sell are determined by what is currently popular. Hence you will need to conduct research on market trends and customer needs.
• Competitor Analysis: Analyze what competitors are doing by visiting their websites, checking their social media presence, and understanding their marketing strategies.

2. Content Creation

Content is the term given to anything you use to tell others about the products you like and know about. Your focus here is on sales by solving the problems of your readers via recommendations and advice on the products you have chosen.

In most cases, this is undertaken via the creation of a website (much like the one you are reading this posts on) where you'll publish content and place your affiliate links. Good content for affiliate marketing includes:

1. Product Reviews: These are where you will write detailed reviews of the products or services you have chosen. Here you will highlight features, benefits, and personal experiences as an outline of how they can be of value to your readers. These posts can directly link to the product using affiliate links.
2. Comparison Posts: These posts work the same as review posts however they compare two or more products or services, offering a side-by-side analysis to help readers make informed decisions. Affiliate links to each product can be included.
3. How-to Guides and Tutorials: Instructional content that explains how to achieve a specific task or solve a problem, incorporating affiliate products as the recommended tools or solutions.
4. Listicles: Articles formatted as lists (e.g., “Top 10…,” “5 Best…”) are highly engaging and can easily incorporate affiliate links to products or services related to the topic.

The key here is that all content is written from your own point of view and highlights how the reader can gain advantage from the products you are writing about.

Furthermore, when creating affiliate content, it's crucial to maintain transparency with your audience by disclosing affiliate partnerships and focusing on providing genuine, valuable content that aligns with their interests and needs. This approach not only builds trust but also enhances the effectiveness of your affiliate marketing efforts.

3. Content Distribution

Ok, this is where things can start to wander away from the simplicity into the more technical – and definitely where a lot of your work as an affiliate marketer comes from. The reasons for it however do make sense in that once you have created your content, you need to put in in places that people will actually be able to find it and read it.

And as the main source of your traffic will be via the online searches that you potential readers will undertake, you will need to incorporate Search Engine Optimization (SEO) practices into your online business.

Search Engine Optimization

The goal of SEO is to get your site to show up higher in the list of results when people search for topics related to your site. In simple terms, it's about making your website as helpful, authentic and and easy to read so that search engines such as Google and Bing pick it over others when someone searches for information, products, or services related to what you offer.

This means more visitors to your site (known as traffic) leading to a greater chance of them clicking on your affiliate links.

This is probably too simplistic in its explanation – especially in light of Google's current behavior we discussed above – however in my experience, if you have a website that is helpful, authentic and easy to read, then you are most of the way there to start with.

Other options

Search engines however are not the only method you can use to attract readers to your site. Other options here include:

• Email Marketing: As the name suggests, email marketing involves sending emails directly to your readers to promote your products or to provide extra information and assistance. The advantage here is that your emails can be highly personalized, allowing for targeted messaging based on the recipient's interests, behavior, or past interactions as well.
• Social Media : Along with a website, you can create social media accounts and post content based on your posts and products. A video of you using the product for example can be a great addition to any review post.

4. Tracking and Analytics

And finally, as an affiliate marketer, you will need to monitor your website and other content distribution strategies to see what is working and where improvements can be made. This can include:

• Performance Tracking: Use affiliate dashboards and analytics tools to track the performance of your affiliate links.
• Website Analytics: Monitor your website's traffic and performance using Google Analytics etc.

For me, whilst again, it can be a little complicated, this last step was key in finding success as an affiliate marketer.

Look, yes and no. As above, in its basic premise, you simply create a website (or social media channel), then write about the content that you want to write about. You add affiliate links that readers click on to buy the products you have written about which earns you a commission.

However, as with any business, the devil in is the detail. This starts with effective research to ensure that you are able to find the right affiliate partners whose products or services align with your audience's interests.

From here, you will need to work at your business (after all, it is a business) consistently including:

• Building a significant and engaged audience
• Consistent effort in content creation
• Search engine optimization
• Social media engagement.

Additionally, as you work on the above, you will also need to develop your marketing skills via the analysis of performance data and adjusting your output accordingly.

You might by now have forgotten all about the top of this post and now be dwelling on the previous chapter. And whilst in my experience it is all true, it is also a gradual learning process as well.

When I started, I knew nothing of the above, and to be honest, I nearly gave up a few times due to all of the things I mentioned. However, as I did a bit more, and a bit more, I leaned a bit more and a bit more.

Then I made my first sale (which took 3 months) and saw that the process worked. Now I have made over $100,000 via affiliate marketing and even sold a site for $17000 in one hit as well.

You Are Reading This Because of Wealthy Affiliate

That's right! Wealthy Affiliate provided me with all of the tools and training I needed to get this post in front of my audience - a.k.a YOU!

You too can start your very own online business here that can make you money from anywhere in the world!!  

See How I Built My Affiliate Site Here

Ok, so that was quite a short introduction to the world of affiliate marketing and as mentioned, there is obviously a lot more to it in regards to setup, ongoing management and growth to make an income. However if you have an understanding of the above, and what you are trying to do, then it all becomes a lot easier… trust me!

Do you want to start your own affiliate marketing business?

If you are ready to go now and are looking for a comprehensive training platform that can give you step by step training, 24/7 support, tools to develop and host your very own website and access to some of the best affiliate marketing minds on the planet, then click on the following link to read more about Wealthy Affiliate. You can even get started for free.

Until next time

Have fun

Paul

Note: If you make a purchase from this page, there is a very good chance that I make a commission from it – these commissions do not increase your sale price. This may include sales made via Wealthy Affiliate.

Introducing Wealthy Affiliate, My #1 Recommendation for Setting Up Your Own Online Business

When I started, I knew I wanted to work online, but had absolutely no idea where to begin! You see I had watched friends of mine run a sales party to sell essential oils and someone asked if they could just sell them online?

Then, as I sat on the bus heading into my office job, I started to wonder if I could do just that, sell essential oils online.

Anything to stop having to catch this bus to and from work every day right!

The trouble was, as I mentioned above, I had no idea how to even start.

So of course I started to look around online and found all these courses! They all promised me riches then took my money but left me with no riches!

Then I stumbled across the program that didn’t promise me riches, but told me it could help me get started even with no experience!

So I did that, joined Wealthy Affiliate that was it, and the rest as they say, is history!

But it doesn’t come without work!

That is the key here! I began on their starter membership and did the training! I then joined as a member and did some more training!

Each night after work, I would do a little more, then a little more.

And to cut a long story short, after 10 months I realized I didn’t really like writing about essential oils, so I sold the site for about $2000. But I had learned so much that I started another – about fishing and camping!

Then, after 18 months (by which time it had earned me close to $10k), I was offered $17k for the site, so I sold it too.

Now, through my travel blog, I’ve been able to fund my passion for travel and explore different places around the world.

In the past few months, I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to some amazing destinations, including Bali, Los Angeles, Dallas, Vancouver and Las Vegas.

The success of my travel blog has allowed me to fully fund my travels and explore new destinations with my family.

Try the Wealthy Affiliate as a Starter Member and Build your First Hub!

As you start your journey, Wealthy Affiliate is there for you with the most comprehensive training package I have ever seen – And as I have mentioned, I have used a few in my professional career trust me.

To get you started, Wealthy Affiliate has recently introduced the Hub.

The Hub

The hub is an AI based niche and website creation tool that will get you up and running with the foundation of your OWN business in just a few minutes. This includes:

• Your website – hosted and inclusive of a WordPress editor
• Your brand
• Your ‘done-for-you’ research
• Your blueprint
• A task list that is going to help you drive the creation and growth of your business moving forward.

The hub makes the website creation process simple which allows you to get started on the training with a solid base and understanding of the processes.

All you need to do is choose your subject – which is known as your ‘niche’ – and follow the steps on the screen.

Oh, and as you run through the training below you may realize that what you created above is not exactly what you want. That’s ok, you can just create a new hub!

Access All the Tools You Need to Start Your Online Business Here

Wealthy Affiliate Training

Then as you continue your journey, the Wealthy Affiliate Hub is there for you with the most comprehensive training package I have ever seen – And I have used a few in my professional career trust me.

Above we discussed the use of the Hub to set up a website. Once you have done this, you will be able to access the “Step-by-Step Core Training”.

This is available to all members including starter members and will give you everything you need to know to continue to create your online business.

Member Training

There are also Live weekly classes taught by REAL industry experts on a range of topics like artificial intelligence (AI), SEO, YouTube, WordPress, PPC marketing and more.

Great, What Else Does Wealthy Affiliate Have To Help You?

So, let’s keep this short, Wealthy Affiliate is a one-stop-shop platform that provides:

• The Hub – this is the starting point and uses AI processes to assist you in determining your niche and creating your brand.
• Complete training programs to assist with the development of your own affiliate marketing website in your own niche.
• Website creation and publishing tools including access to WordPress editors and themes.
• AI Content article design and content creation
• Domain name purchasing (you get a free domain when you upgrade to the Premium membership).
• Website hosting, security and backup.
• Online help and chat forums.
• Weekly live training events.
• 24/7 support.
• Keyword access tools.
• SEO assistance.

The platform has been active for over 15 years with the original developers and owners, Kyle and Carson, still extremely active in its day to day operations – especially as they rollout their AI capabilities.

You Can Try it Yourself For Free

Now of course I can tell you all about how Wealthy Affiliate works (because it does) until I am blue in the face. But every other program out there – including the shams and scams – will tell you the same thing!

So how about you just try it for free yourself. The Wealthy Affiliate Starter membership is free to join and gives you access to everything you need to get started – all without the need to spend a cent!

With the starter membership, you get:

• 1 Limited Business Hub
• 1,500 AI Word Credits
• Try the AI Author Platform (BETA)
• 1 Practice Website
• Jaaxy Starter
• Limited Help & Support
• Core Niche Training (8 Classes)

And of course I will be there to help you every step of the way as well!

Look, in the interest of transparency, whilst Wealthy Affiliate does offer a free starter membership, this is designed to give you a look around, have a practice and see if it is worthwhile for you – which is a really great option.

However, as with all new businesses, you will need to make some investment so if you are serious about making money online , you will need to upgrade to a premium membership as this will give you access to all the tools you need in the one spot to succeed!

Afterall, every business needs tools to grow!

Access All the Tools You Need to Start Your Online Business Here

So How Much Does This Really Cost?

Wealthy Affiliate does not use upsells once you join – but as I mentioned in the video, to succeed here you will need to invest in a membership. There are a couple of options that provide access to all the tools, training and assistance that you could need – and a free domain as well.

Wealthy Affiliate offers a trio of membership tiers, as detailed on their pricing page.

You can opt for the Starter membership at no cost, the Premium membership for $49 per month or the Premium Plus+ membership for $99 per month. That’s the full extent of it – and you can absolutely build your website without having to spend another cent.

You won’t encounter any unexpected additional charges or covert fees and as a Premium member, you’re equipped with all the essentials to initiate, develop and expand a thriving online enterprise.

Those who opt for the Premium membership are provided with

• Hosting for their websites
• A complimentary domain name
• Access to hundreds of hours of current expert tutorials
• Various marketing and research tools
• Personal guidance from seasoned professionals in the field
• And much much more

And for those of you who want to make a serious investment into your future, there are some yearly options as well below to give you peace of mind that you have a whole year ahead of you to get stuff done!

Access All the Tools You Need to Start Your Online Business Here

And Don’t Forget the Personal Coaching

Once you join, not only do you get plenty of assistance from me, but you also have access to expert coaching, support and mentorship from real industry experts.

I mean, you can have access to all of the top-tier affiliate marketing training in the world, but inevitably, questions arise, particularly during the initial stages.

With an exceptionally dynamic and engaged community that boasts over 2.7 million members, Wealthy Affiliate offers an environment where you, as a member, can fully immerse and leverage this network.

You’re never alone; you have the collective wisdom of an entire community at your fingertips, ready to assist at any moment.

Plus, there’s always-on, rapid-response website support to handle any technical queries you may encounter.

Wealthy Affiliate Works: Real Results From Real People

As I have mentioned a number of times, Wealthy Affiliate has helped me make real money online though its training and tools.

I have made money each month as well as a sale for $17,000.

But again, those promoting other programs will tell you the same thing!

So let’s get away from me and see what others are saying:

To start with, Wealthy Affiliate has a 4.9 out of 5 Star TrustPilot rating, which is a remarkable accomplishment in any industry, let alone the online business industry.

And here are some of those reviews:

And this is what people are saying within Wealthy Affiliate as well:

So, Let’s Make a Decision!

Let’s be frank, you have read this far so why not go all in, click on the button below to get started on the way to your very online business.

Access All the Tools You Need to Start Your Online Business Here

And once you are in and have had a play around with the hub, look for the little envelope on the top right and there will be a message from me. It is of course automated so respond to let me know you are there and we can start this journey together.

(oh, and the profile is mine so you can find me that way as well)

See you there

Paul