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If you have decided to make money online through affiliate marketing, you would have realized you can’t make any meaningful progress without an affiliate marketing website. But the problem is not about creating a website; it’s knowing how to create a successful affiliate marketing site. And this is where many affiliates struggle. The fact is that creating an affiliate marketing website can be quite challenging even for experienced affiliates, but it can also be hassle-free if you know what to do.
Before setting out to make your affiliate marketing website, there are many questions you need to ask yourself, and you need satisfactory answers as your decisions will affect the success of your affiliate marketing business.
Are you technically-savvy enough to build your affiliate marketing website or you need to outsource it to a freelancer? What platform will support your website? Do you need a multipage or single-page website? What is your budget and how much are you willing to spend on the website?
It’s important to set limits and define your goals from the start to avoid overspending on a project that might not yield any result in the end. The purpose of this article is to outline the steps you need to follow to build an affiliate marketing website that will boost your chances of success.
Getting Started
The first step when you are building an affiliate marketing website is having a reason for building one. You need to know the nitty gritty of affiliate marketing, understand the affiliate marketing business model you are going to use as well as the time it takes to start seeing results. When you have a solid foundation, it’s easier to start building your affiliate marketing website and set yourself up for success.
Next, consider the cost. Most people have limited resources when they are starting out as affiliate marketers, so you want to exploit all your options. That said, it’s almost impossible to build a website, whether an affiliate website or any other kind of website without spending some money.
Even if you are tech-savvy and know how to code, you still need to pay for hosting and buy a domain as well as other support services that will make your website stand out. The only option is to choose a hosting and domain provider that fits your budget, but you also have to remember that you get what you pay for.
Choosing Your Affiliate Marketing Niche
When you plan to make an affiliate marketing website, one of the most important things to consider is your affiliate marketing niche. The niche you choose is one of the greatest success determinants in your affiliate marketing business. It can be quite difficult to choose an affiliate marketing niche, especially if you are inexperienced.
You can choose a niche which covers a specific category of products or broad niches with different product categories. Whatever you do, make sure you choose a niche which is lucrative but not saturated. However, this is easier said than done because affiliates are always attracted to lucrative niches. So you must be able to research and read the pulse of the markets before going for a particular niche.
Additionally, it’s important that you choose a niche which ignites your passion. While it’s better to go for a niche in which you have considerable knowledge, this isn’t an important criterion as you can always learn as you go.
But the most important thing is to choose a niche in which you can comfortably create quality content, provide value with an authoritative voice and promote products convincingly. One essential ingredient you need to succeed as an affiliate is staying power, which means you have to choose a niche in which you can promote consistently even when you are not getting the desired results.
This might not seem important at first, but anybody who has been successful as an affiliate marketer will tell you there are many pitfalls before you finally hit the jackpot. Nothing is guaranteed. Your niche will determine the direction of your affiliate marketing website; it’s the reason for building a website in the first place. All your content creation efforts and marketing strategy will revolve around your niche. So, it’s vital to take your time to choose the niche that best suits you.
Once you are clear about the niche, search for the affiliate programs you want to promote. Thousands of affiliate programs are available. You can either go for affiliate marketplaces like Clickbank or JVZoo or choose individual affiliate programs like the Amazon Associates Affiliate Program or product specific affiliate programs.
Before choosing any program, check out the commission, the refund rate and the level of saturation. Mind you; bigger commissions doesn’t translate into huge profits. A program which pays average commissions but with lower refund rates trumps a high-paying program with higher refund rates.
If buyers are asking for refunds, that means you won’t be getting your commissions, and it’s also an indication of flaws in the product you are promoting. Never promote products that don’t deliver, and always offer full disclosure to your audience upfront so that you can win their trust because you won’t make a dime if people think you are a fraud.
When you are clear about the niche and the affiliate programs you want to promote, then you can progress to the website creation proper.
Creating Your Affiliate Marketing Website
So, you are about to create your affiliate marketing website. Which website platform should you go for? Should you build your website with WordPress or you prefer a drag and drop website builders like Wix, Weebly, or SiteRubix?
Over 70 per cent of the websites and blogs on the internet are built with WordPress, making it the most versatile website creation and content management system in the world. WordPress offers a wide range of enhancements from plugins and add-ins that optimize your website to premium themes that add polish and sophistication to your content, and a global community of developers and users who are always at hand to provide answers whenever you get into trouble or need new information; you can never go wrong with WordPress. The best part is that WordPress is free!
However, you need to buy a domain name and web hosting services.
Choosing A Domain Name
Your domain name is the URL of your website, i.e., the name of your website such as onlineincomenews.com. When you are choosing a domain name, choose a name that is related to your niche and the products you will be promoting. But first, you have to search for its availability.
To do that, go to the domain registrar of choice and type your preferred domain name into the search box. If it’s available, then you are lucky. If not, you can either choose another domain name or go for an extension of the original domain name you wanted in the first place. Remember to choose a domain name that makes it easier for your target audience to find you.
Web Hosting
You also need to buy web hosting services for your website. A website host is a company with servers that serve as rental spaces on the internet. So, in essence, you are renting your internet space so that your audience can see your website.
There are several websites hosting services online, and you can choose anyone based on your budget. However, you need to understand that the choice of your website host has a huge impact on the loading speed of your affiliate marketing website.
Keep that in mind before choosing the cheapest web hosting service as it can make or break the user experience, and ultimately, the success of your affiliate marketing website.
However, most web hosts are relatively cheap, with some of the best going for as low as $4 per month, although it all adds up at the end of the day. You can also choose different hosting plans to cut cost and compare different web hosting services before going for the provider that suits your needs and budget. Check out What Are The Best Hosting Companies.
Install A Content Management System
Once you have bought your domain name and hosting, it’s time to create the website. WordPress is the best website creator and Content Management System so far, and it’s easy to use for even the least tech-inclined person. If it’s too complex for you, you can always outsource it for a few hundred dollars or less.
WordPress is a simple software to use. All you have to do is install it. Your web hosting provider will likely provide a one-click install option for WordPress, making it easy to set up your website within minutes.
Next, you have to install a WordPress theme to create a captivating user interface for the frontend of the site where your audience will interact with your website. You can download thousands of free WordPress themes or buy premium themes to make your website professional and truly exceptional. You can also install WordPress plugins and add-ins to automate and optimize certain functions in your affiliate marketing website.
Start Creating Content
Once you are done setting up and customizing your affiliate marketing website, what’s left is to start creating content. You have to create valuable content relevant to your niche that is engaging, informative and that adds value to the lives of your audience.
If you can create valuable content consistently, and you get your SEO right, your audience will keep coming back for more, and you will earn their trust and position yourself as an authority in your niche. People who trust you will have no problem buying the products that you recommend.
What’s left is to stay consistent and always carry your audience along if you are going to make any changes to your website.
I hope you enjoyed this article on how to make affiliate marketing website. If you have any questions or you just want to leave your own personal experience, leave a comment below. I would love to hear from you!
Before You Go…
If you seriously want to earn money online at home and still not sure about how to start then click the banner below and check out the training platform and the community that got me started. And the best part is you can check out everything for FREE to decide if it is the right for you.
It really is easy to get started at Wealthy Affiliates and you offer some great information. Thank You!
Hi John, thank you for stopping by and taking the time to comment.
I am happy you found the information helpful.
Wish you much success!
Moni,
There are a lot of steps before you get to a successful website for affiliate marketing. Unless you have done this before, having a helping hand will be needed to make your journey easier.
Having a training program that gives you help with niche ideas, domain names, hosting and training on how to write and promote your blogs is helpful. I have used Wealthy Affiliate for all of the above and if you host more than one website, the yearly cost is about the same as hosting cost, the rest is icing on the cake.
John
Hi John, thank you for stopping by and taking the time to comment.
John, I agree with you Wealthy Affiliate Platform provides everything, (Education, Websites, and Expert Help!), needed for anyone to build and run a successful affiliate marketing business.
This is the reason why Wealthy Affiliate is our #1 Recommended Training Platform and the best part for me is people can start with FREE Starter Membership and then when the time is right for them they can take advantage of the Premium features.
This was a splendid article. Even though I have already made my site and got it up and running, there were tips in here I forgot. When it comes to content, consistency matters. On my own site, I often forget that. You are very right to go at a regular pace.
I do have a question though. What’s the number one piece of advice for content creation that you can give an affiliate marketer? Without good quality content, you’ve just lost the backbone of your site. I look forward to reading your answer.
Thank you so much and I hope you make it a great day!
Hi Alex, thank you for stopping by and taking the time to comment.
Alex, you answered your own question! The best advice I can give is to write good quality content. Content that helps your readers solve a problem or provides them with information to improve their lives in some way.
Of course, the other big one to go with this is consistency. Set up a schedule in advance when you will be adding new content and stick to that schedule. Your readers must know when you will be adding new content so they can return to your site. The best advice I can give you for this is to pace yourself as it’s a marathon and not a sprint. I would suggest a minimum of 2 posts per week!
Good luck and if you have any more questions please don’t hesitate to ask or send me a PM.
Great post.
Keep sharing with us.
Hi Sunaina, thank you for stopping by and taking the time to comment.
I am happy to hear you found the article helpful.
Wish you much success!