How to Create an Affiliate Marketing Website
Starting an affiliate marketing business is like running your own partner agency. It’s a great entry point for freelancers looking to create valuable content – to monetize creativity. Read this guide to learn how to create an affiliate marketing website. Start earning commissions by advertising another business, product, or service.
Affiliate marketing requires an existing site to generate traffic and promote affiliate links. Luckily, online hosting companies and website builders have made it increasingly accessible to create successful affiliate websites without prior experience.
Your affiliate marketing site will function as a page for your affiliate marketing works – a place to realize profitable niches into content ideas and gain affiliate revenue from your sales referrals.
Creating your first affiliate marketing website is just the beginning, but it’s perhaps the most important step you’ll make to build a successful affiliate portfolio.
What Is an Affiliate Website?
An affiliate website is a site that promotes a business, encouraging online users to purchase its products or services. Affiliate marketers join an affiliate network to create content in a relevant niche, offering information on topics that align with the partnered business and its products.
Once affiliates start producing content, they add affiliate links to their text that directs users to purchase the product. In turn, affiliates earn a commission from achieving affiliate sales.
Creating an affiliate website with pre-set tools is a simple yet highly useful process. Affiliate websites add authority to promotional content and help the affiliate marketer track user engagement metrics, giving a good estimate of traffic performance and affiliate referrals.
For affiliate marketing websites to function properly, they need a defined niche to theme the site layout and content, a web hosting service subscription, website management plugins, an SEO strategy, and a partnered affiliate marketing program. We’ll discuss all these steps in more detail below.
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How to Create a Website for Affiliate Marketing
1. Pick a Niche for Your Affiliate Site
While browsing through search engines, you might think that a niche can be anything – like content about travel, gaming, food, finance, beauty, and hobbies. However, these subjects are closer defined as market industries and not niches.
Affiliate marketing niche – a group in a market industry with shared interests, goals, and needs. Affiliates offer solutions (products) for the group’s needs by creating content surrounding interests that align with their goals.
Many profitable niches in affiliate marketing share similar base features. They’re distinct enough to differentiate from other competitors in the market, require directed and attention-focused marketing, and are result-oriented.
You can use a market industry to create your affiliate website identity – define a theme and the overall style a user might be looking for. Your content, however, needs to be specific to subjects you’re passionate about and know quite well within the niche.
Picking a distinct niche with enough reach to attract interested customers is the prime target of an affiliate. Let’s list off a few examples of profitable affiliate marketing niches for inspiration:
- Website building and management
- Print-on-demand dropshipping
- Photography and image processing
- Psychological development and well-being
- Finance, credit, and investing
- Nutrition, fitness, and culinary arts
2. Join the Right Affiliate Program
Once you’ve dedicated the time to research a niche – preferably one you already share a community with – the next step is to find an affiliate program that matches your needs.
Whether affiliate networks are successful and profitable depends on your level of expertise and aims once you join. Multiple affiliate programs have different volumes of engagement and payment types:
- High or low commission – whether the program offers high percentile commissions or a smaller cut of the value of the final sale.
- High or low traffic volume – whether the product has mass appeal or is only relevant to a smaller group of buyers.
Beginner affiliates have a better chance of success when prioritizing high-volume and low-commission programs or low-volume and high-commission programs. Building affiliate websites around these selections will limit the risk of losing to competitors or failing to reach your target profit.
Start your research into possible affiliate programs by utilizing free services online. We’ll provide you with two possible angles of search.
Use your preferred search engine:
A simple Google search is the best way to start looking for affiliate programs. Use search keywords related to your niche and look for larger businesses that offer an affiliate partnership.
Pay attention to the descriptions of the products on offer, how profitable the business currently is, and its commission rates. Then, look for an application form or contacts to sign up to be an affiliate.
Continue your research by browsing other affiliate websites that have a similar niche. Look for possible affiliate links on their home page content, blogs, and videos. Your competitors will give insights into how the specific affiliate market currently operates.
Browse through affiliate directories:
Third-party websites offer live lists of affiliate programs and networks in multiple categories to streamline your search. Find affiliate programs by checking in on websites like Affiliate Program Database, High Paying Affiliate Programs, and other sites with compiled and updated lists.
End your search and skip to the good part – immediately apply to become a Printify affiliate. Find more information on our dedicated affiliate help page.
Choose the Printify referral link and hone your affiliate skills with an average monthly profit of $1,000. Make money online with content about print fashion, personalized products, and online retail dropshipping. Sign up and enjoy our welcoming benefits:
- Fast sign-up – fill out a form in just two minutes and become an affiliate in two business days.
- Annual contract – receive a 5% commission from each sale your referrals make, paid monthly.
- Direct customization – request custom promo codes for your audience with no limit on how many referrals you can take.
- Dedicated support – receive a 90-day website cookie life and support from our team on all things Printify.
3. Come Up With a Domain Name
A domain name is your website address – the text and link that brings users to your site. It’s the face of your affiliate business – the authority and transparency you present to a user. Usually, you’d want to create a domain similar to your business name.
Customers are more likely to follow up with an affiliate link if the website domain is relevant to the subject and presents itself with clear intent in mind. In other words, make sure it doesn’t look auto-generated or misleading.
Some web hosts offer domain registration, but you’ll still have to find a domain registrar and check for address availability. After finalizing your choice in any one of the many domain platforms, make a purchase and remember to track your renewal period.
Find a domain with online tools like Google Domains, Hostinger, GoDaddy, and other reliable registrars.
4. Find a Web Host
There are two web hosting services to choose from – CMS (content management systems) or website builders.
Each option has different functionalities that offer customization tools relevant to your skill set and available budget.
| CMS | Website Builder | |
|---|---|---|
| Functions | Open source software with third-party template plugins and management add-ons; access to any design features and layouts available. | Centralized platform with proprietary tools offered through a subscription system; all functions are available on the same website. |
| Advantages | Full design freedom - create your own layout or choose one of the thousands of unique templates. Change hosts without limitations. | Straightforward to use and quick setup. The host ensures all security and website maintenance with readily available support. |
| Disadvantages | Takes longer to learn and requires some skill in back-end designing. Less intuitive and more maintenance-heavy. | Limited customization and possible compatibility issues. Your domain might belong to the platform and not you directly. |
| Cost | Free installation, integral plugins, and add-ons totaling between $10-40/monthly. | Fixed subscription prices are managed by the hosting platform, ranging from $15-40/monthly. |
| Examples | WordPress, Drupal, Joomla | Wix, Squarespace, Shopify |
| Functions | |
|---|---|
| CMS | Open source software with third-party template plugins and management add-ons; access to any design features and layouts available. |
| Website Builder | Centralized platform with proprietary tools offered through a subscription system; all functions are available on the same website. |
| Advantages | |
| CMS | Full design freedom - create your own layout or choose one of the thousands of unique templates. Change hosts without limitations. |
| Website Builder | Straightforward to use and quick setup. The host ensures all security and website maintenance with readily available support. |
| Disadvantages | |
| CMS | Takes longer to learn and requires some skill in back-end designing. Less intuitive and more maintenance-heavy. |
| Website Builder | Limited customization and possible compatibility issues. Your domain might belong to the platform and not you directly. |
| Cost | |
| CMS | Free installation, integral plugins, and add-ons totaling between $10-40/monthly. |
| Website Builder | Fixed subscription prices are managed by the hosting platform, ranging from $15-40/monthly. |
| Examples | |
| CMS | WordPress, Drupal, Joomla |
| Website Builder | Wix, Squarespace, Shopify |
Suppose you have limited web design experience and want to start creating affiliate content. In that case, Shopify, Wix, Squarespace, and other website builders are great risk-free options with all the relevant tools you’ll need.
5. Customize Your Site and Install Relevant Plugins
Whether you choose a CMS or website builder, your site will require support plugins that enable all the functionalities online users expect from a modern website.
Customization includes choosing a theme and layout, structuring web pages, and enabling site maintenance plugins – the crucial building blocks of your first affiliate website.
Start by marking a checklist of all the relevant types of plugins you should install for your new website. Preferably, look for master plugins that offer a bundle of the following services:
- Page layout and search feature builders
- Website security and spam filters
- SEO and Google Analytics tracking tools
- Loading speed and image optimization
- Google sitemap file and customer forms
Note that you should only install essential plugins. Too many add-ons can make your website load slowly and turn away potential customers.
6. Create Niche-Specific Content
Your content has to be unique and targeted to customers who already need the advertised products. However, it’s not enough to promote the product and ask the customer for their money – you need to add value.
Affiliates earn commissions by offering users information relevant to their niche and enhancing how the audience perceives the product. If there are three words to describe what affiliate content should be like, they are original, impactful, and meaningful.
How you decide to create that content is entirely up to you. Let’s briefly look at a list of excellent content types for a successful affiliate marketing website:
- Blog post – relate personal experiences surrounding target audience interests.
- How-to guides – make it easier for customers to fulfill their needs.
- Video tutorials – present the right steps needed for a clear result.
- Product reviews – test a product yourself in a real-life situation.
- Comparison – create a pros and cons summary of different brands and products.
- Entertainment – make your content re-watchable and fun, and share in the positivity of a niche.
7. Use Search Engine Optimization
Google ranks websites based on crucial features that determine whether your site brings the right information to the correct users, also known as search intent. Search engine metrics are often secretive but always include:
- Titles, descriptions, and metadata
- Keywords and relevant images
- Internal links and backlinks
- Website readability and load speeds
- Physical location and language
- Traffic activity and time spent on-site
SEO acts as a gateway to gain more site clicks and referrals by keeping track of how search engines operate, ultimately providing more visibility to your site.
Apart from using relevant SEO plugins, try out platforms like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Google Keyword Planner, which offer excellent services to optimize your page rankings.
8. Use Email and Social Media Marketing
Don’t forget the most crucial marketing strategy – an email and social media presence. Keep customers informed through smaller snippets of data – provide clear communication channels through dedicated affiliate social media accounts.
Use email marketing and social media platforms to promote your already existing content. Build an email subscription button for a newsletter and outline weekly or monthly highlights that promote your content all in one place. Even a simple Facebook Page can make your affiliate content more trustworthy and easier to digest.
FAQs About Affiliate Marketing Websites
How much does it cost to build an affiliate marketing website?
Website builders or content management systems can cost anywhere from $10 to $40 per month. This includes all necessary plugins and themes, subscriptions, and domain fees.
Do you need to create a website for affiliate marketing?
Creating a website is a surefire way to land an affiliate marketing deal – we highly recommend it. However, affiliates may also operate through podcast networks, video hosting platforms, and other online channels.
An affiliate’s main focus should always be building a tangible internet presence.
Summary
The best way to learn how to make an affiliate marketing website is to jump in and experiment with all the free resources. Find your niche, choose a domain host, build a website with simple templates – and start creating content you know potential customers will enjoy.
Like what we’ve brought to the table so far? Sign up for the Printify Affiliate Program or log in through your existing Printify profile. Create the affiliate site of your dreams and master affiliate marketing strategies for a steady passive income.
Share our affiliate link and the love of eCommerce with print on demand. Contact the Printify Affiliate Manager for any help and information – [email protected].
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Written by
Janis Lazda
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