What is Affiliate Marketing And How Does It  Really Work

If you have been looking for a way to make money online, you have probably heard about affiliate marketing but have not completely understood just what it is how it operates, and how people make money off of it.

Let me start by stating just what is affiliate marketing

Definition of Affiliate Marketing

An official definition: Affiliate marketing is a performance-based way of selling a product or service. The business/person that owns the right to the product pays a per-sale affiliate commission to the affiliates that sell the product independently.

The more the affiliates sell, the more they get paid and the more income for the product owner. This is how everyone is happy.

How Does Affiliate Marketing Work

There are four basic steps to affiliate marketing.

Step 1: Choose an Interest. This can be anything, any interest, passion, or even something you have no experience with.

Step 2: Build a Website. Your website is your foundation, and we have the most sophisticated and feature-rich website and hosting platform here at Wealthy Affiliate.

Step 3: Attract Visitors. You are going to be learning all about how to get traffic and visitors to your website. The first focus is FREE traffic, and there is A LOT of it out there.

Step 4: Earn Revenue. Once you have people on your site and traffic, you can earn revenue. There are over 50 ways to monetize traffic online and over 550 MILLION products/services you can promote as an affiliate.

There are MANY different ways that you can earn money online and many different ways in which you can build an entire business.

•  Internet Research and Surveys
• Set up an Online Course
• Write an E-Book
•  Create a Money-Making Blog
•  Type for Cash
•  Become a Freelance Proofreader
• English Tutor
• Become a Copywriter
• Create How-To Videos
• You can also sell things online

Affiliate Marketing

But I think  The most lucrative is Affiliate Marketing. There are now over 4 BILLION people online, and these people are going to search engines, social media, or visiting websites for help all the time.

These people are looking for information, solutions to problems, and to buy stuff, this is where affiliate marketing comes in by offering them information about what they are looking for. You will be “helping” these people, recommending products/services they can benefit from, and you earn affiliate commissions.

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There are over 550 MILLION products/services that you can promote as an affiliate marketer. The opportunity is incredible, and it is only growing!

Below is a diagram outlining the process of making money through affiliate marketing.

Choosing A Niche

This is the corner of the market you will be catering to. When choosing a niche that fits you, it is best to choose something that is of interest, a passion, or a hobby, but it could also be something that you would like to learn about. You don’t need to BE an expert, and you BECOME an expert.

Almost anything you can think of is a niche, your niche should be based on things you are interested in. You can earn money online from absolutely every single niche because there are billions of people out there searching for information, for solutions, and spending billions of dollars on products/services every day.

Build A Website

In affiliate marketing, I think it is essential to have a website. This is where you will be writing content to attract customers to the product you will be advertising, but first, you will need to have a domain

Your own .com, .org, or .net domain carries some real incentives.

When you purchase a domain, you own it. Nobody else can take it from you, you will own your domain. You are also in full control of every aspect of your domain. A domain can be purchased for $13.50 per year.

On certain affiliate training platforms like Wealthy Affiliate, you are allowed to use a siterubix.com website for free for a little while. This Platform will also build your website in 30 seconds with just a click.

The Importance Of Owning a Domain

Your own .com, .org, or .net domain carries some real incentives. These are as follows:

• An Asset You Own. When you purchase a domain, you own it. Nobody else can take it from you. You will own your very own domain. You are also in full control of every aspect of your domain.
• Domains Increase in Value. As you build out your website and your domain, it will increase in value, just like any real estate asset.
• They Rank Better. Having your domain will lead to better rankings in Google, Bing & Yahoo which own 99% of all searches online. These are just three of the main reasons and for the price of owning your domain, it is well worth it.

Your Website

When you create a website, all the content including images and text is stored on a server.

The server displays your website whenever visitors type the URL into their browser.

Some website building platforms like Wealthy Affiliate offer free web hosting, while others require you to purchase your own hosting plan before you publish your site.

What’s in a name? The name of your business expresses who you are and grabs people’s attention.

To come up with the perfect name, start by using 3-5 words to describe your brand and your values. Remember to keep the name easy to spell and pronounce.

There are sites that will assist you in finding the right name for your business (business name generator).

Assuming you have chosen your niche it is now time to add contents and images to your website,

In adding Contents you need to know your audience ( know who you want to attract to your site)

The most important messages go at the top of the page. Then, gradually drill down to the more specific, supporting information. End with tangential details.

Make your sentences short and straightforward, write as if you are talking to a friend

After you have added some contents and getting visitors you can start adding affiliates links to your contents

What is affiliate Links?

An affiliate link is your OWN unique link that identifies you as the referring affiliate when someone clicks your link and goes to the product (MERCHANT) website.

The affiliate link is what tells the company (via the affiliate program) that you are the affiliate that referred the person to your site.

This affiliate link will go all the way through the order process, so if someone buys something you automatically get credit for the sale and earn a commission.

Here is the basic process:

Step 1: Some comes to your website

Step 2: They click your affiliate link

Step 3: They buy something from the merchant

Step 4: You get the affiliate commission ($$$)

Where to Find Your Affiliate Link?

All affiliate programs and networks are different in terms of where you actually get the affiliate link. Most will have a section at the end of their web page where you can apply for an there is also Affiliate Networks like ShareASale.com and CJ.com  affiliate link.

The Pros Of Affiliate Marketing.

Little or no start-up cost.

Easy to Set Up

Little or no Experience needed.

Passive Income

Flexibility (you can work from anywhere set your own time)

No face to face selling

You do not  need to create a product

The cons of affiliate marketing

Success will not happen overnight it takes time and patience to build your audience

It is hard work, but the rewards can be great.

The Wealthy Affiliate Platform is a very good platform for anyone who would like to become an affiliate marker. I think it one of the best, the training is excellent and the very active community is very helpful,   and you can join for free.

Thank you for your time, have you been trying to make extra money online, what has been your experience? Let me know,  and I would appreciate any comments and questions; please remember to share this post.

NOTE:  This post includes affiliate links, which, if clicked on and a product purchased, I get a small commission (with no increase in cost to you)