There are endless opportunities when it comes to making an extra income online but there are only a few worth spending time on, affiliate marketing being one of them. There are hundreds of thousands of businesses online that will pay you to send customers their way via an affiliate program that they operate. Your web development and marketing experience will ultimately determine how much you can take advantage of affiliate marketing methods to earn an extra income, but it’s certainly one of the very few methods that work when it comes to earning money online. Here are a few other reasons why you should consider it.
You Can Build an Affiliate Site in Any Niche
Whether you have an interest in movies or TV series there’s nothing stopping you from becoming an affiliate of Amazon’s that will allow you to sell their products from your own site. If that isn’t your cup of tea and you’re more into sports or casinos, you could set up an affiliation with Netbet – your options are endless when it comes to the number of niches to choose from.
Don’t hesitate to start with something you already passionate about. It is the best niche to explore, since you love the products you promote. It is also a good idea to start with a product category that you use frequently, since you can then share your experience with each product you use and produce high quality content that visitors love to read.
Building an Affiliate Site Can Be Achieved with Little Experience
Even if you have little to no experience when it comes to building websites, there are thousands of resources online to help you on your way. You can go down the route of using a website builder such as Wix or you could even take advantage of some of the many tools web hosting providers offer when you rent a shared hosting package.
My advice is to use a Content Management System or CMS on a shared hosting account. WordPress, in particular, is great for new site owners who want to get coding and customization out of the way. The CMS platform is easy to install on any shared hosting account; most hosting companies offer one-click install for WordPress. You can then add posts to the site without having to code or worry about other technical details.
WordPress is also great because there are plugins that will help you succeed in this line of business. For example, you can use a plugin to automatically recommend products from multiple affiliate programs. You can also install a plugin to manage banners, optimize the site for search engines, and automatically pull new products from the affiliate programs you use.
Of course, WordPress is not the only way to quickly set up a website for affiliate purposes. Have a look at the many tips & tricks online when it comes to setting up your first affiliate site.
Earning Potential is Endless
The great benefit of turning to affiliate marketing to earn an income is that earnings are practically limitless. There’s nothing stopping you from earning thousands every month from one affiliate and even if you did get to that level, some affiliates will start paying you even more once you’ve proved your worth.
The only thing you need to succeed in affiliate marketing is persistence. You can’t expect your new site to gather millions of visitors and earn thousands in commission right away. It takes time and patience before you can reach that level. It also takes some strategies.
Some affiliate marketers use ads to attract visitors. You have to spend money to earn money, and advertisements, when targeted properly, can be very effective. Others rely on social media to attract visitors. You can also focus on your content and optimize them for search engines.
You Can Set Up Multiple Websites
Once you’ve established your first affiliate site and you’ve started earning an income, you could always look towards setting up another depending on the time you have available. Many affiliate marketers out there have hundreds of established websites and that gives them more chance of a higher earning potential.
You can choose to set up a chain of affiliate-focused websites from the start. This will boost your income potential greatly. There are online retailers and affiliate programs that offer access to a wide range of products. Instead of trying to fit all of them into one site, it is much more effective to set up a site for a specific category of products.
Amazon is a good example of an affiliate program that allows you to earn from a wide range of products. You can have a movie review site that promotes Amazon’s DVD packages and digital services. You can have a tech blog to take advantage of the many deals on gadgets Amazon currently has. You can even set up a blog about everyday products and generate affiliate revenue from the vast catalogue of items available.
You Don’t Need a Big Investment
When it comes to affiliate marketing, there’s no denying that a big investment greatly helps. However, even if you have access to under $100, there’s nothing stopping you from starting your own site. Setting up a website and taking it to success are always about finding balance between investing money and effort. When you only have a limited amount of money to invest, you can more than make up for it by investing more time and energy into developing the site.
Let’s not forget that you can now set up a site for free. Free services like WordPress.com may not be as flexible as a self-hosted site, but they are great if you want to test the waters and dip into the world of affiliate marketing.
Granted, it’s going to take you a lot of time and effort to set up your first affiliate site and it will take even more effort when it comes to marketing. However, once you have gained experience in setting up your first site and you’ve started to earn an income, there’s nothing stopping you from turning your attentions to another affiliate site in another niche to start earning even more.
