The world is moving towards a digital future, where more and more people will need to learn how to make money online to support themselves. Apollo Technical estimates that 22% of the American workforce (or 36.2 million people) will work remotely by 2025.
Why not get ahead of the game by checking out affiliate marketing?
One of the best ways to make money online is affiliate marketing. While many affiliate programs are available today, some are more beginner-friendly than others. The good news is that even if you are a beginner and don’t know anything about affiliate marketing, we’ve found the top 15 affiliate programs that will be the easiest for you to use.
This article will give beginners everything you need to start with affiliate marketing. We’ll dive into what affiliate marketing is, how affiliate programs work, and the 15 best affiliate programs to get you started making money online.
What is Affiliate Marketing?
Affiliate marketing is performance-based marketing in which a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought by the affiliate’s marketing efforts. It is a form of online advertising similar to pay-per-click (PPC) and search engine marketing (SEM) and has the potential to drive traffic to your website at no cost to you.
What Are Affiliate Programs?
Affiliate programs are marketing programs in which a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought by the affiliate’s marketing efforts. Affiliates typically earn a commission for each sale they generate.
Affiliate programs can be an excellent way for businesses to expand their reach and grow their customer base. They provide companies with a single point of access to a large and diverse group of affiliates, which can help businesses find the right affiliates for their products or services.
Affiliate networks also offer tracking and reporting tools that make it easy to monitor affiliate activity and assess the performance of individual affiliates.
Affiliate programs can be an excellent way for affiliates to make money by promoting products or services they believe in. Affiliates typically receive a commission for each sale they generate, and some affiliate programs also offer bonuses for hitting certain sales milestones.
How Do Affiliate Programs Work?
Affiliate programs work by paying commissions to affiliates who generate sales, leads, or clicks on behalf of your business.
First, you must build a website and populate it with information readers find useful, such as product reviews. Then you can add affiliate links to your website so that if your reader decides to purchase the product on your website, they can click your affiliate link.
When an affiliate generates a sale, lead, or click, they are tracked through an affiliate network, and you get paid by the affiliate program in the form of a commission based on your performance.
What Are the Top 15 Affiliate Programs for Beginners?
There are many affiliate programs available, but here are our top 15 picks for beginners.
Amazon Associates
Amazon Associates is one of the first online affiliate marketing programs and is still one of the most popular. The program allows you to earn commission on products sold through Amazon and other products purchased within 24 hours of clicking on your affiliate link.
The Amazon Associates affiliate program is an excellent way for beginners to start online marketing. It’s been around since 1996 and is one of the world’s oldest and most well-known affiliate programs.
When you become an Amazon affiliate, you earn referral fees from any sales generated by your links. And since thousands of businesses are learning how to sell on Amazon each year, the growth potential is virtually unlimited.
Commission Rate: Between 1% and 20%
ClickBank
ClickBank is a digital product marketplace that allows affiliate marketers to promote and sell products. Clickbank’s affiliate program is one of the most popular and thriving worldwide.
It’s open to all marketers and offers various products and companies to partner with. This makes it an excellent choice for anyone looking to start affiliate marketing. With billions in commissions earned by affiliates, Clickbank is a perfect option for anyone looking to make money online.
Commission Rate: Affiliates can earn up to 75% commission on sales; the average sale pays out $35.
CJ (Commission Junction) Affiliate Program
The CJ affiliate program offers a wide range of affiliate marketing opportunities, including pay-per-lead, pay-per-sale, and pay-per-click programs.
CJ Affiliate is an affiliate marketing network specializing in big brand names and smaller product and service suppliers. They represent companies such as Zappos, Walgreens, Verizon, Under Armour, Staples, Sonos, Sears, and Samsung.
In addition to the wide range of brands and products available through CJ Affiliate, you also get all the tools successful affiliate marketers need to be successful — from excellent support to simple affiliate link creation. The metrics offered by CJ Affiliate are great for understanding how profitable an affiliate program is. This makes it easy to see whether or not a program is worth investing in.
Commission Rate: Varies, but you get a net 30 commission.
ShareASale Affiliate Program
ShareASale is an affiliate marketing network that provides affiliates with access to over three thousand merchant affiliate programs.
ShareASale is a great way for affiliates to find quality products to promote. The network has various affiliate programs, from small businesses to huge brand names. The interface may look basic, but it’s functional and easy to use.
The best part is that ShareASale pays affiliates well, with some programs paying $300 – $350 per sale. So if you’re looking for high-quality affiliate programs, ShareASale is definitely worth considering.
Commission Rate: Varies, but affiliates usually earn up to 20% commission on sales.
eBay Partner Network
The platform allows affiliate marketers to promote and sell products on eBay. Affiliates can earn up to 50% commission on sales.
The eBay Partner Network‘s affiliate program is one of the highest-paying affiliate programs on the internet. The program allows affiliates to promote eBay’s products with little fuss, and growth is assured with opportunities like eBay dropshipping. As an eBay affiliate, you’ll be working directly with eBay and their products and will be able to help sellers grow their businesses.
Commission Rate: Varies between 50% and 70%
Rakuten Advertising:
Rakuten Advertising is an affiliate marketing network with over eleven thousand affiliate programs.
Rakuten Advertising is a great way for affiliate marketers to find quality products and services to promote. The affiliate programs offered by Rakuten are some of the most popular and successful in the world. And with over eleven thousand affiliate programs available, there’s sure to be something for everyone.
Commission Rate: Varies, but you get a net 30 commission.
GiddyUp
GiddyUp is an affiliate marketing network that provides affiliates with access to over five hundred merchant affiliate programs.
GiddyUp’s affiliate program is a great way for beginners to get started in digital marketing. You can partner with over 150 DTC (direct to consumer) brands across various verticals, including travel, electronics, health and wellness. This gives you access to exclusive eCommerce businesses that you may not have access to otherwise.
The company also provides a creative library to assist with your digital marketing campaigns, robust tracking, and real-time data. This allows you to monitor your performance monthly and identify improvement opportunities. In turn, this can help you earn more commission in the future.
Commission Rate: Varies based on referrals
Etsy Affiliate Program
The Etsy Affiliate Program allows affiliate marketers to promote and sell products on Etsy.
Etsy’s affiliate program is a way for people to make money by referring businesses to the Etsy platform. You can do this by linking to products you find on the platform and/or reviewing them. In addition, you can also earn a commission on sales that are generated through your referrals.
Basically, you sign up for the program and then receive a special referral link. When someone clicks on that link and makes a purchase, you earn a commission on that sale. If you’re already active on the Etsy platform, it’s a great way to monetize your traffic and earn some extra money.
Commission Rate: 4% per sale
Nord VPN
Nord VPN is a VPN service that allows affiliate marketers to promote and sell their services. NordVPN’s affiliate program is a great opportunity for bloggers and social media influencers to make money by promoting one of the best VPN services out there. By joining the program, you can earn a commission on every sale that you generate.
NordVPN is also willing to provide you with marketing materials to help you promote their service, including banners, logos, and even custom landing pages. They also offer a generous commission rate of 30% to 40%, which is among the highest in the industry. If you’re looking for a way to make money while promoting a great product, NordVPN’s affiliate program is perfect.
Commission Rate: 30% to 40%
Shopify
Shopify is an eCommerce platform that allows affiliate marketers to promote and sell products. Shopify’s affiliate program is a great opportunity for bloggers and website owners to make extra money. With Shopify, you can earn commissions on sales that you generate for the company.
There are a few different ways to participate in the Shopify affiliate program, including banners, text links, and product reviews. You can also find various helpful resources on the Shopify website to help you get started.
Commission Rate: Affiliates can earn up to 200% commission on sales, with that figure made up of 100% commission on the first two payments made by a new customer.
Impact
Impact is an affiliate marketing network that provides affiliates with access to over two thousand merchant affiliate programs. Impact’s affiliate program is one of the few that connects individuals with top brands like Airbnb, Uber, Adidas, and more. It’s known for its automation tools to help streamline your campaigns and generate more sales.
You can join and manage partnerships with these companies for free—the brands span various categories, including beauty, travel, retail, fitness, and others.
After signing up with Impact, you get access to a marketplace where you find top brands and contact their affiliate managers directly. Impact generally pays by CPA (cost-per-action), which means you’ll get a commission when your audience buys something through your affiliate link.
Commission Rate: Affiliates can earn up to 20% commission on sales.
Awin
Awin is an affiliate marketing network that provides affiliates with access to over five thousand merchant affiliate programs. Awin is a top affiliate marketing program that beginners can join using any of their social media profiles. After you join, you will undergo a compliance check to ensure your details are accurate. You must also make a $5 deposit to join the program, which Awin will reimburse once you reach your first payment threshold.
Awin offers access to over 21,200 brands, including leading brands and household names. You can visit the company’s advertiser directory and search for any program you want to join or contact someone from the brand to discuss a collaboration.
Commission Rate: Affiliates can earn up to 20% commission on sales.
Fiverr
Fiverr is a freelancing platform that allows affiliate marketers to promote and sell their services. Fiverr is one of the most popular freelancing websites in the world and is a favorite of affiliate marketers everywhere.
Fiverr’s affiliate program is a great way to make money by promoting the company’s services. You can earn up to $150 per referral, depending on the category. The program is open to anyone, so it’s a great way to make some extra cash.
Commission Rate: Affiliates can earn up to 50% commission on sales.
Avangate
Avangate’s affiliate program is a great opportunity for web admins and bloggers to earn commissions by promoting software and digital courses. Avangate offers a wide selection of software and digital courses, making it easy for affiliates to find products to promote.
Avangate also offers deep linking tools, geo-targeted shopping carts, and the ability to use free software trials as a promotion.
Commission Rate: Avangate offers up to 50% commission rates, making it a lucrative opportunity for affiliates.
Semrush
Semrush is an all-in-one marketing toolkit that provides affiliate marketers with everything they need to succeed. Semrush also has a wide selection of products and services, making it easy for affiliates to find something to promote.
In addition, Semrush offers a variety of helpful resources, including an affiliate blog, webinars, and more.
The Semrush affiliate program is an excellent opportunity for marketers to make some extra cash. The program rewards affiliates with $10 for every referral that signs up for a free trial and $200 for any referral that chooses a paid account. This can add up to a nice income stream for an affiliate marketer with the right audience.
Commission Rate: Affiliates can earn up to $200 per sale.
Wrap-Up
There are many affiliate programs available, but these are our top 15 picks for beginners.
The top 15 affiliate programs are diverse and offer a variety of products and services to promote. This makes it easy for beginners to find a program that suits their interests and needs.
Additionally, these programs are reputable and have been proven to be successful. So, if you’re looking for a great way to make money online, consider joining one of the top 15 affiliate programs.
