Are you searching for a simple method to earn money from the traffic on your website? Look no further than affiliate marketing.
Through the practice of affiliate marketing, you have the opportunity to suggest products or services to your audience and receive a percentage of the sales made from your recommended links.
Finding good-quality, relevant products that are worth recommending is the difficult part, while promoting your affiliate links is simple. It is ideal to search for something that resonates with your audience and offers a high commission rate.
I have made a list of the top affiliate marketing networks and platforms available to simplify the process.
With these platforms, it is possible for you to connect with numerous brands and merchants that provide affiliate programs, making it effortless for you to find a suitable option.
Are you ready? Let’s begin by thinking step by step on how to rephrase the following text while ensuring we maintain the same meaning.
What To Look For In A Good Affiliate Marketing Program
Ease Of Use
When embarking on affiliate marketing, it is advisable to simplify the process for oneself.
Signing up for affiliate programs that not only make sense but also possess great management and design are essential steps to consider when thinking systematically.
The process of creating affiliate links or uploading a banner can turn into a complete nightmare.
When it comes to affiliate networks, they strive to simplify your life in the field of affiliate marketing, thus avoiding such difficulties.
If you are not generating passive income, then neither are they or their clients, as well.
There are an equal number of in-house affiliate programs that can be compared to the Sistine Chapel in affiliate marketing.
However, it is important to emphasize that the deciding factor in your choice of an affiliate program should be its ease-of-use.
Point Of Contact
Occasionally, things will not go according to plan.
If you think step by step, you may realize that the links will become inactive or you may question why the previous month’s sales report appears to be inverted.
When you reach that specific moment, you will require assistance from a committed affiliate manager.
Affiliate networks have a slight advantage in this aspect as you can depend on their support staff alongside the affiliate manager for any queries regarding the program you are involved in.
Just like face-to-face managers, affiliate managers vary in their skills and abilities, some being highly competent while others being extremely ineffective.
Before you enroll in any affiliate program, make sure you assess the type of support you will receive, such as having a dedicated affiliate manager.
Commission & Payments
Discover not just the amount you will earn through a specific affiliate program, but also the precise timing of your payment.
The majority of affiliate programs have a Net 30 payment schedule, although there are a few that offer Net 60 or Net 90 payment schedules.
In simple terms, this means that the majority of affiliates receive their payment 30 days after making a sale, while there are some affiliates who have to wait for 90 days to get paid.
If you have bills to pay, waiting for your affiliate income can be a lengthy period of time.
Our List
ShareASale
ShareASale is my top choice overall. It is one of the most established networks and has a user base of over 225,000 affiliate marketers. Together, these affiliates earned more than $1 billion on the platform in the previous year.
ShareASale’s database lists over 16,000 merchants, and new ones are added on a weekly basis, ensuring a wide range of programs to select from. The merchants on this platform encompass both renowned brands such as Etsy, BuzzFeed, Wayfair, Reebok, and Honey, as well as smaller, specialized retailers.
With a wide variety of products available, including both digital and physical items, there are 39 consumer categories to choose from. This ensures that regardless of your specific niche, finding a suitable product for your audience will be effortless.
You can utilize ShareASale’s search and discovery tools to effectively navigate through your options. By filtering available affiliate programs by category, you can easily view essential details like commission rates and average earnings per click (EPC) on the results page.
Awin
Awin, which has over 16,500 merchants and 225,000 affiliates, is also a highly popular affiliate marketing platform.
The two networks, ShareASale and Awin, operate independently, with Awin being the actual parent company.
Awin differs from ShareASale mainly in terms of its target audience. Awin focuses on the European and global market, offering a wider global reach along with enhanced support for multiple languages and currencies. In contrast, ShareASale primarily serves merchants and affiliate marketers based in the United States.
There is another significant distinction between Awin and ShareASale, which involves the charges for affiliates. While Awin requires a $5 application fee, joining ShareASale is free. Although this might be disappointing, the positive side is that the fee is reimbursed to your account upon approval.
PartnerStack
PartnerStack is not only an affiliate marketing network but also a comprehensive partnership platform specifically designed for SaaS businesses.
If you are an affiliate marketer searching for SaaS products such as social media marketing tools, marketing platforms, accounting software, and more, PartnerStack is an excellent platform to begin your search.
In contrast to other affiliate platforms we have examined, PartnerStack focuses solely on these specific businesses. Although they do not have as many registered merchants as Awin or ShareASale, there are still more than 200 programs available on the network, all of which belong to the SaaS sector.
Omnisend, Keap CRM, Unbounce, and Sprout Social are among the well-known options available. The marketplace is free to access and you can join multiple programs without any sign-up costs or hidden fees.
CJ Affiliate
I have been using CJ Affiliate, previously called Commission Junction, one of the oldest affiliate networks, since around 2002.
CJ Affiliate differs from Amazon in terms of specialization as they focus on both prominent brand names and smaller product and service suppliers.
At the moment of writing, the aforementioned companies they work with include Zappos, Walgreens, Verizon, Under Armour, Trip Advisor, Staples, Sonos, Disney Shops, Sears, and Samsung, which are all massive in size.
There are approximately 2,473 additional affiliate marketing programs.
Not only do you have access to a wide variety of brands and products, but you also receive all the necessary tools for successful affiliate marketing, including exceptional support and easy creation of affiliate links.
ClickBank
ClickBank, which has been online since 1998, is another affiliate network belonging to the “grandparent” category.
Started by friends sitting around a garage, this business has become a real rags-to-riches story, now generating US$3 billion in annual sales.
The guys at ClickBank took a different approach compared to other affiliate programs when it came to shipping goods and making profits. Instead, they shifted their focus solely on selling digital products.
Instant delivery, minimal overheads, and direct collaboration with creators were all benefits they enjoyed. While social media was not anticipated, their range of products has proven to be highly compatible with such platforms.
In the ClickBank Marketplace, you can locate all of their products, but currently they also offer a few physical products.
Impact
Despite claiming otherwise, Impact is essentially another large affiliate marketing network, although it is not as old as ClickBank and ShareASale.
Age is merely a numerical value, therefore, Impact’s relative youth should not discourage you from registering. The fact that its founders established Commission Junction indicates their proficiency in the field.
Similar to other well-known networks, Impact also hosts numerous popular brands such as Adidas, Airbnb, and HSBC. Currently, there are a total of 2,517 brands utilizing the platform to expand their reach to new audiences, and the network continues to attract new advertisers.
As one would expect from a (comparatively) new player in the affiliate marketing industry, Impact stands out with its impressive user interface, surpassing the average affiliate networks’ design.
However, this is not only regarding aesthetics but also includes certain intelligent, user-friendly characteristics.
