Hey there. Are you looking at ways to make money online? Or have you heard about affiliate marketing and wanted to know what the fuss is about?
My name is Paul and affiliate marketing is what I do to make money each and every day whilst working from home. So if this is something that you are interested in and want to know a little more about, then read on…
What is Affiliate Marketing?
In simple terms, Affiliate marketing is the process in which you refer customers to websites where they can purchase products based on your recommendations.
Once these customers make a purchase, you as the affiliate marketer earn a commission. Think of it like you recommending a friend to go and buy a pair of headphones from a particular store.
Your friend goes and buys the headphone and because you sent them there, the owner of the store pays you 5% of the sale amount.
When it is done like this via a physical store, we tend to refer to it as a ‘referral’. When it is done online, it is called affiliate marketing.
The only difference is that with affiliate marketing, instead of talking to friends, you are referring online shoppers via such means as websites, blogs, social media, email lists or other channels.
How Much Can You Make?
Look, there are hundreds, if not thousands of affiliate marketing ‘experts’ out there who will tell you that they can help you make “$1000’s per day with only 10 minutes of work” and so on.
I can tell you straight up, any headline you see like this is total BS.
That is not to say that you cannot make that sort of money, however as with any business (and this is what you are setting up, an online business), the amount of money you can make as an affiliate marketer can vary widely depending on several factors, the main one being how much work you put into it.
Some affiliate marketers make only a few hundred dollars per month, while others can earn thousands or even millions of dollars annually. To be honest, as with any business, the more work you put into it, the more money you can make.
Is it Hard to Do?
Ummmm, yes and no. Building a website is actually really easy, as is adding content. However if If you have no experience with the online world of websites and getting viewers to read them, then there is definitely a bit to learn.
Think about the searches you do online? Let’s use our headphones example above.
Say you wanted to know the best types of noise cancelling headphones for travel. What would you search for?
This is what comes up on the first page of Google:
Now, have you considered what makes these site appear first and the others down the page? If not, it is not hard to learn, but does admittedly take some time to master.
What do You Need?
To start with, you need an idea of what subject you want to build your site on – known as your niche. And the beauty of it is that you can do this on absolutely anything you like!
Cooking, dog grooming, cars, scrapbooking, coaching, soccer, sewing, beer brewing – you name it, you can build an affiliate site around it.
From there, to start with, you will need a website and some training. That is it – start there, and the rest will follow.
How Can You Do This?
If you are totally new to affiliate marketing, then my recommendation is to join the platform that I did that taught me to build my sites. Why?
Because if you wanted to create an affiliate marketing website as a newbie, then you will need:
- A domain (i.e. www.yoursite.com)
- Website creation and editing tools
- Website hosting
- Website Security
- And more…
Most of which are easy to find, but all on different platforms requiring different accounts.
Furthermore, you will need some training to assist you with not only using all of the above as well.
When I started, I joined a platform called Wealthy Affiliate and guess what? All of the above tools, with the training on how to use them, was all located in the one spot – for the one minimal monthly charge – after I tried it out for free of course.
So, what is Wealthy Affiliate?
Look, as with the large number of affiliate marketing ‘experts’ around, there are just as many programs that can teach you how to become an affiliate marketer. Some are quite good, some ok, and other simply scams.
So for me, I am recommending the platform that provided me with all the tools I needed to get my affiliate marketing business started and eventually allowed me to work from home full time (oh, and from Bali and the U.S. as well).
In not so personal terms, Wealthy affiliate is for those that want to learn more about how online business works, set it up and run it. This includes:
- Website creation and publishing tools including access to WordPress editors and themes.
- AI-powered 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.
- Complete training programs to assist with the development of your own affiliate marketing website.
- Online help and chat forums.
- Weekly live training events.
- 24/7 support.
- Keyword access tools.
- SEO assistance
What did I do?
I joined on their free starter membership and if I am being honest, was presented with a very busy program that was more than a little daunting.
So I ignored it all and just clicked on the training. This taught me everything I needed to know and even had me building a website within an hour or so.
And whilst that sentence alone my be scary, the best thing I found about the training was that it is very task based – meaning you learn and do, learn and do!
I did a little each evening (as I was still working full time) until it all started to make sense and as I have mentioned, before long I had a working website.
I will cover a bit more of this below, however at this time, I then got to the point where I was ready to release my work to the world.
Then Invested in a Membership
Let’s be real here.. If you are still reading this (and thanks for doing so), then I am either a semi-decent story teller, or you are still interested making money online and via affiliate marketing.
If this is the case, then here is a little reality check for you. All businesses need an investment in tools to operate. And an online business is no different.
I will include all a link to all of the pricing options below however to cut the story short, I invested into a premium membership and used my free domain to get my website published.
My journey had started.
And this is where you are at.. Obviously I have learned a lot over the years since, both within and outside of Wealthy Affiliate – including how to ‘whip up’ my BBQ site that started making money within a couple of months.
However, none of it would have happened – and you would not be reading this post – without me clicking on the button and creating my starter account.
So, if you want to get started on your own journey, then click on the button below and I will be there to take the journey with you every step of the way.
Case Study – My BBQ Site
Very recently, I decided to build a new affiliate BBQ site after selling another one. And for this one, I decided to keep it very simple indeed and do the following:
- Keep the niche simple and helpful
- Write from the heart and keep it personalized
That’s it, that’s all I did.
The site is about BBQ and more specifically me using a pellet smoker where I write about the cooks that I do and the products and equipment that I use. I write posts myself (limited AI) and reflect on my experiences using the smoker.
All of the photos are original (i.e. no stock photos) and as it is a small niche, I am appealing to a small, yet passionate audience.
And if I am being honest, whilst I am doing the base SEO processes in each post, I am not in a position at the moment to work as regularly on it as I should.
The site has been running for just over three months and is already attracting a small but solid amount of traffic.
Earnings?
In terms of earnings – which let’s face it is why we do this – I am only running it with Amazon affiliate links at the moment and there is no advertising on the page.
Earnings to date: $25.01
Which is not much in the grand scheme of things but again, it proves that the process I am undertaking is working – so all I need to do now is put the work in.
Wealthy Affiliate Run Through
Want to see a bit more first? Here is a step by step guide get started (or you can watch the video above).
You can also see more information (including membership pricing) about Wealthy Affiliate here.
So, once you’ve created your account, the first thing you’ll want to do is click on the first training section to get a run through of the task oriented training processes.
Once you have completed that, you will then start to actually create your online business:
Note: you can also start this at any time by clicking on the “Launch Your Business Now!” at the top of the screen to open up the 5-step business builder.
To begin with, you will be asked to input your earnings goal. Select how much you think you would like to earn and keep it in the back of your mind as you build your business.
Then, as you’re creating a new business, choose “Create a New Website”.
If you have a website, you can select “Use Existing Website” and follow the steps to import it. However, as we are looking at this from the perspective of a new starter, we will continue down the new website option
On the “How Do You Want To Make Money?” screen, select “Choose My Own Niche“:
This is where you choose the subject you want to work in so type in your interests/hobbies to generate additional ideas that you can use:
Now, I know I haven’t really discussed this to this point however the beauty of affiliate marketing is that you can literally do it within any subject you want – the initial training will cover this also. However, if you are confused, reach out via the comments below and we can have a chat.
Again, this could be anything. My websites have been on fishing and camping, travel, BBQ and essential oils. What do you know about? What are you passionate about? What are your hobbies?
The sky really is the limit.
Next is branding – which is the name of your site/business. Think of the big brands you know of (Nike, Coca Cola etc.). This is where you start with your own famous name.
Additionally, the tool will suggest ideas based on your niche, or you can input your own.
Don’t worry, you can change at any time during the initial stages of setup.
After choosing your brand, hit “Finish & Build My Hub” & your website will be created.
And just like that, you are one your way…
So What Now?
Now it is time for you to make the choice I did:
- Keep doing what you are doing and just be happy with your current life… or….
- Take the opportunity (chance) to change things and live a life that you want to – which includes working from home
I mean, without being too forward, you have come this far and you can join for free!
And of course I will be there to answer any questions you have and help you on your way as well.
You really have nothing to lose! So click on the button below and let’s start your journey!