If you’re a beginner wanting to learn how to make money from affiliate marketing, the RIGHT way…
Then this is THE place to be!
In this article, I’m gonna walk you through the 4 essential steps from a newbie perspective for not only building an affiliate marketing business from scratch…
But also generating a full-time income that grows exponentially month-after-month.
Sound awesome to you?
But first things first.
Table of Contents
What The Heck is Affiliate Marketing When It’s at Home?
Put simply, the process of affiliate marketing is when YOU (as an “affiliate”) join an affiliate program (i.e. Amazon Associates) and choose products to promote to your audience of hungry buyers.Β
From each product sale you generate, you’ll earn a percentage called a “commission”.
Commission percentages can vary from affiliate program-to-program and even product-to-product sometimes.
So from an economics standpoint, it’s important to choose your program(s) and product(s) wisely to make building an online Biz worth your time and effort.
If you wanna know the best figures to aim for when it comes to product $ and commission % – Ian Pribyl lays it out brilliantly in his cheap and cheerful ‘From Nothing‘ Kindle.
However, please do bear one thing in mind:
It’s gonna take a lot of hard work if you want a 4, 5 or even 6-figure income rolling in as an affiliate marketer.
YEP, you better believe it – there are some affiliates making 6 figures yearly, and even monthly in some cases!
The most successful online Biz owners may have a wealth of experience under their belts…
But like you, they started out with little to no knowledge on internet and affiliate marketing.
They simply learned what to do, knuckled down, and put the timeΒ and also some money (yes, there are costs) into building an empire.
In addition, they made sacrifices – none of this sofa, snack bowl and Netflix stuff lol.
Don’t get me wrong, you can take occasional breaks to balance out your life, but it’s all about priorities at the end of the day…
Work like a donkey, first.
Chill out time, second.
That’s the secret formula to success.
If they can do it – YOU sure as hell can!
How The Affiliate Marketing Cycle Works
Now all that’s out the way, here’s a quick diagram of the 4-step affiliate marketing process.
Source: WealthyAffiliate.com.
Step #1: The process begins with the potential customer conducting a search on Google, Bing, or Yahoo OR even via social media.
#2: They see your relevant blog site article or review in the search results and click to read it.
#3: If your content’s insightful, they’ll buy your recommended product/service (via your affiliate link).
#4: You pocket a cool commission off of that sale.
Now, what if 100s of peeps visit your site and a fraction of them buy products on a daily basis.
Can you imagine your earning potential each month…
Especially when the more content you publish, the more hits your site will receive overtime?
It’s a digital world of unlimited opportunity.
That’s affiliate marketing, baby!
But before you start your new adventure in the land of affiliate marketing.
It’s important to write down your financial and non-financial goals on paper.
Scratch that, create and laminate your own goal cards – just a few will do, as not to overwhelm yourself.
Be specific with your goals, set realistic deadlines, and even sign the cards to hold yourself accountable.
Review your goals daily.
Because it will put your mind into gear – giving you that drive to achieve them.
Check out my article on creating an affiliate marketing business plan for more help.
Now, let’s look at the main criteria for building a successful affiliate Biz in greater depth, shall we?…
4 Steps To Making Money Online as an Affiliate
#1 PASSION – What Inspires You?
- What hobby or interest do you have during your spare time?
- What are you insanely passionate about?
- Is there something you love doing, that you’d love to share with others?
Pick just one thing.
When it comes to affiliate marketing, you must start with a passion for 2 very simple reasons.
- It will be your direction online.
- You need something FUN.
If you’re working on something that you don’t enjoy, how successful do you reckon you’ll be, huh? Not very.
Choose the wrong interest, and it will feel like working a 2nd mundane “JOB” lol.
Your passion is your starting point, and will be the “niche market” you’ll be focusing on, going forward on the web.
I’ve found that the most successful affiliates are also the most passionate ones.
So it’s important that you get this step right from the very beginning.
But What if You Don’t Have a Hobby or Passion?
Well, that’s OK too.
Because you can also choose your niche based on an education qualification, past/present job experience or even a personal problem you’ve encountered for a while.
But again, make sure it’s a niche topic that you’ll enjoy helping others with.
For more in-depth guidance on choosing your niche based on the said criteria above…
I highly recommend you grab a copy of ‘From Nothing’ – It’s an awesome book published by Ian Pribyl π
How to “Niche Down” & Why It’s Crucial
OK, so when you’ve figured out your niche, it’s vital that it’s the right one to roll with from the get-go.
This is where many newbies go wrong (even myself many moons ago).
Because if your niche is too broad, you’ll have difficulty in building yourself an authoritative blog…
Google won’t be able to make much sense of your blog’s topic and it just won’t get the rankings and traffic you want from the search engine to be profitable.
So you really must “niche down”.
As an example; if you’re a golfing enthusiast…
Instead of choosing golf (= too broad), choose golf equipment instead.Β
Or narrow it a little further to golf shoes or golf clubs, etc.
Example #2; what if you’re into cosplay?…
You could go with adult’s fancy dress.
Or narrow it down more to just women’s costumes orΒ men’s plus size costumes, etc.
But don’t go too narrow with your niche either.
Because it will mean lack of content to write and fewer opportunities to make good money as an affiliate.
These examples are just off the top of my head, but you get the idea right?
#2 WEBSITE – Lay Your Foundation
In today’s fast-growing internet marketing world, blogging is the best and most popular way to publish content, recommend products and services, and above all, build your own brand.
If you do a Google search right now for a specific topic in your niche, you’ll see a lot of blog posts in the search results.
Those blogs provide visitors with lots of useful content, and content that converts into income.
People LOVE blogs.
Google LOVES blogs.
Blogs rule.
Period.
Writing articles and becoming an authority in your niche, not only builds you a following of readers who perceive you as an expert on the topic and trust you.
But is an awesome way to earn a full-time income from that “trust” and those “relationships”.
In my opinion and experience – owning a website (aka blog) is the most lucrative way to generate commissions as an affiliate. (You’ll see why in step #3).
How to go About Starting Your Very Own Blog
First up, you’ll need to buy a ‘.com’, ‘.net’ or ‘.org’ domain name – these suffixes are trusted more by your audience and Google.
This is the web address for folks to find and visit your website.
Go with a short and memorable domain name that reflects your niche or could even be branded around your own name.
You can purchase a cheap domain from:
- NameCheap
- GoDaddy
- And Hover, to name a few domain registrars.
Secondly, you’ll need shared web hosting for your website to make it accessible online.
Just like a domain name, web hosting is very affordable and can be bought from the likes of:
- Hostgator
- Bluehost
- And Hostinger, to name some hosting services.
And then you connect your domain and hosting together, and install WordPress (which takes MINUTES!) inside of your chosen web host provider.
But if all that sounds too technical, then easily build your WordPress website here – it takes no time at all.
#3 ATTRACT VISITORS – Targeted Buyers
This is every affiliate marketer’s favourite aspect (besides money) – and that’s website visitors (aka traffic).
Your goal here is a simple one, and that’s to drive TONS of traffic to your blog daily.
To create a successful business online, you need “potential customers” visiting your site.
Without people, you have no business. That also applies to the real offline world.
It’s an easy formula:
Traffic = Sales = Profit.
For an abundance of free traffic, you must learn current content, keyword research, and SEO strategies for search engine rankings and organic visitors from Google, Yahoo, and Bing.
Using these internet marketing concepts for scaling out your site and generating website visitors is gonna lead to an incredible online business as an affiliate.
Some affiliates are literally generating 1,000s – 10’000s of visitors per day to their blogs.
Insane, right?
The harder you work at attracting customers, the chances are you’re gonna become a highly successful digital entrepreneur.
You’ll be a traffic magnet…
An unstoppable machine…Β
Just like ‘The Terminator’ – but without the killing part.
#4 EARN REVENUE – KACHING!
Now, this is the most exciting bit you’ve been waiting for, and I don’t blame you!
When you have a flow of traffic (audience of people) to your website, you can join free affiliate programs such as Amazon and MANY others.
And then make money from the promotion of MILLIONS of products and services available to you in your niche market.
You’ll earn certain percentages of commissions, depending on the programs you sign up for and the types of products/services you promote for sales.
The awesome thing you’ll love about affiliate marketing is the hassle-free approach…
No inventory, shipping or dealing with awkward customers, etc.
You simply promote stuff on your WordPress blog, attract the traffic for sales, and let the marketplaces/affiliate programs handle the rest.
Wrapping it up on This Affiliate Marketing/Make Money Online Stuff…
When it comes to making money with affiliate marketing, there are a number of different ways it can be done.
But blogging about your hobby or passion and generating free traffic from the search engines is definitely the best way to build a profitable web-based business, in my opinion.
Unfortunately, this “online money making thing” isn’t gonna be an overnight success.
It will require a combination of education, hard work, time commitment, and making the necessary sacrifices.
If you can do all of those things, then BIG success is gonna be on the cards for you.
So let’s quickly recap on the aspects you’ll need for creating a full-time biz….
GOALS – Before starting out on your quest to make money as an affiliate, it’s critical that you set your financial and non-financial goals.
They also act as a reminder when seas may feel a little rough in life and online.
Look at your list each day and stay focused on what you want to accomplish from your biz.
NICHE – Your passion will enable you to build an extensive business.
Find something fun and exciting in life, and roll with it. The more passionate you are, the more success you’ll experience.
Remember, the most passionate affiliates build the biggest businesses and earn the most commissions.
Become one of the successful webpreneurs.
WEBSITE – What’s gonna separate you from amateur affiliates who throw crap against the wall and hoping something sticks…
Is by starting your own blog, creating a brand brand, being an expert in a niche, and delivering VALUE to your visitors.
VISITORS – Learn to implement the current and most effective marketing strategies on the web for attracting free organic website visitors on a MASSIVE scale from the 3 top search engines.
Work your socks off, and Google + Yahoo + Bing will reward you with traffic and customers.
REVENUE – When your traffic is flowing nicely, you can monetize your blog by promoting products and services from various affiliate programs.
You’ll earn commission percentages from the sales, and those commissions will stack up to form a full-time monthly income that continues to grow.
And there you have it – How to successfully make money on the internet as an affiliate marketer and turn your life around during the process.
==> Start Your Affiliate Marketing Business For $0!
Here’s to your long-term success…
Your Friend, Neil π
Do you have any questions or thoughts on building a digital business as an affiliate? We’d love to hear your comments below…
Thank you for educating me on ‘Affiliated Marketing Business Plan’ I want to go back to work. Because of a physical disability I cannot, and I’m homeless, penniless and caring for my spouse who is dying from cirrhosis of the liver, CHF, kidney disease & is diabetic, so I need to work from my PC.
I feel The Affiliate marketing Business Plan was created just for me. I know I would enjoy building a computer /Home-based business.
Thank you.
Sharon
You’re very welcome, Sharon!
I’m SO sorry to hear of everything you and your partner are going through, ESPECIALLY during a crisis time like this. π
If there’s ABSOLUTELY anything I can do for you (including building your site and setting it up to make life easier), please feel free to ask – I’ll offer you my services at no cost.
Neil
Neil,
I know this is not “my feed”, but, I was scrolling through and saw your response to Sharon…
I just wanted to express how much “your heart” touches me. Thank you so much for your interest and compassion in people… that was an amazing post. Thank you again.
Haha, you’re welcome to comment on any feed here you want, Robin.
But, AWWW, I’m extremely appreciative of your comment. π
It saddens me to hear of people’s distress, so if I can help make their lives better in any way (for the sake of actually wanting to HELP), then I will.
Cheers, it’s a pleasure, Robin.
Thank you for your awesome tips and tricks. But I am a beginner for the affiliate marketing sector. Recently I have opened a website for affiliates. Please, could you tell me how can I start affiliate marketing at the primary stage?
You’re welcome!
Having looked at some of your website reviews, you simply need to start applying to some relevant affiliate programs for the products you wanna promote.
There are various networks you could start with, like Amazon, ShareASale, and CJ (Commission Junction). If you’re loooking for stand alone programs, then simply do your research in Google – typing in your niche or product name followed by “affiliate program” and then apply to a few programs that appeal to you.
Hello Neil,
This is how you divide the whole affiliate process into just 4 steps, In my opinion, the first thing that brought to make more from affiliate marketing is a marketing niche.
Another thing is persuading customers by providing facts and figures about your desired product.
Thanks for sharing the awesome Tips.
-Faisal
Hi, Faisal!
The process of affiliate marketing really is very simple when you break it down. Choosing a niche (your direction) is of the UTMOST importance and should be the FIRST thing you do before jumping into the game.
I totally agree that in-depth “reviews” form an integral part of your affiliate marketing business. After all, those are your “selling” pages that are gonna produce the most traffic and bring you an income.
You’re very welcome!
Hi Neil
Thought I’d reach out and say hi and it’s nice to see a fellow Brit in the internet marketing space – I’m just working through loads of your content, some useful tips, and posts!
I’ve been blogging for a while, and I’m getting better at keyword research and producing content that gives value to the reader but struggling to make any decent money, to be honest.
I think it’s because the money keywords are the most competitive, of course. Any tips for finding those low competition money keywords that don’t require loads of promotion or backlinks to rank?
Tough question, right? Thought I’d ask anyway!
Cheers
Hey, Phil!
It’s always great to hear from a local! π
I’ve checked out your site, and great effort by the way!
However, before we get into the keywords part, there are some aspects that need to be addressed on your blog if you are to get any rankings.
First of all, your posts need to contain at least 1,000 – 1,500 words of valuable content. You need to go more in-depth on your cat topics.
Secondly, you must be consistent with your efforts to get your blog off the ground quicker. Aim to spend at least 20 hours per week on your online Biz – publishing at least 3 blog posts.
Thirdly, I think you’ve monetised your site too soon, and in fact, even over-monetised it with Amazon links in text as well as images. Ideally, you want to focus on getting at least 50 – 100 organic visitors daily before adding affiliate links and banners, etc.
In addition, the Google Adsense ads create a poor user-experience which can mean folks are gonna bounce off your site. Do what I did and remove them – especially when you can earn MUCH more in the long run from promoting niche-related affiliate products instead.
As for the keywords, rankings, and SEO part, etc:
Yes, blogging is competitive. But with that said, if you consistently work hard enough, you can easily land a number of your reviews on page 1 of Google and other search engines.
If I can accomplish page 1 rankings in one of the most competitive niches in the internet marketing industry, then you sure as hell can within the cat niche. It’s just a matter of effort, time, and patience until you start seeing results. And then it’s a case of scaling your Biz from there.
I highly recommend that you use Long Tail Pro here to find topical keywords as well as review (“buying”) keywords that you can easily rank for.
I also noticed that you’ve published some “best of” posts on your blog, which is great. But also mix things up by writing reviews on singular cat products.
The thing about building out a successful blog is that there are numerous variables involved for rankings. If you’re consistently writing high-quality articles (especially reviews) around the right keywords and your SEO is on point, you will get rankings and traffic that can lead to a great income.
If you want more in-depth help on everything I’ve just discussed, join Free Internet Marketing Project (FIMP) and also get a copy of its Kindle companion ‘From Nothing’ because you’ll learn some solid information and shown the necessary steps to making your blog profitable.
Let me know how you get on.
Cheers, Neil.
Hey Neil
Thanks for taking the time to write a detailed and helpful reply like that.
I took your advice on board –
I took out the Amazon recommended links from the sidebar, and I now show less ads.
I didn’t remove all the ads because they are my main earner, about Β£150 per month, while Amazon only earns me Β£100, so I thought if you knew that maybe you’d say keep em in?
I also boosted the number of articles I’m writing and the length, with 1k words a minimum, which I was pretty much doing anyway. Maybe you saw a page that was shorter, but they are rare.
I started adding affiliate products from other affiliate programs too, just need to start doing single product reviews as you said, it’s on my to-do list.
My current traffic is about 250 organic hits a day and 200 social, so it’s not terrible. I just don’t have the earnings to back it up, so it’s a monetize and content type of problem for sure.
I had Long Tail pro but it was awful, it’s a long story, but it just wouldn’t work properly on my PC. I use Ubersuggest now.
I’ve signed up for FIMP – just need to work through the content, thanks for the tip to do that- hopefully will have an even better update in the future!
No worries Phil, I’m more than happy to lend a hand. π
If the ads are making you some nice cash, then fair play to you.
I’m happy to hear that you’re making some positive changes and excellent progress wit your site. So kudos to you!
I guess LTP isn’t gonna be everyone’s cuppa, but Ubersuggest is a great option. Ian Pribyl (the guy behind FIMP) will show you other awesome ways of finding keywords for free too.
You’re definitely on the right track with your biz, so keep at it.
Neil
Hi Neil,
Can you tell me How Can I earn money from Affiliate Marketing through Pinterest?
Thanks in advance.
Hey, Ahmad! π
The best way I’ve found is to pin images linking back to your blog product reviews along with some relevant hashtags.
Additionally, you’ll want to follow others and re-pin their images because it’s also about social engagement. The more you engage, the likely they are gonna do the same for you.
Pinterest is all about being creative with your images too, which can help drive a lot of traffic.
But like any social network, you have to put a lot of work into Pinterest if you want blog visitors and the chance of any sales.
If you need more help on the topic, I recommend researching Google and YouTube for “How To’s”.
I am in real estate & I’d love some guidance on what you’d recommend for me.
Hey, Kristie!
I think it really depends on your preferences and budget.
Blogging is an extremely powerful and cost-effective way of growing your brand and reaching out to more potential home buyers within your area.
Also, with blogging, you have the option of creating a successful affiliate marketing-based business around recommending products to those needing help with buying houses or those who are interested in doing real estate themselves.
However, if you already have a blog and need help with getting your content out there to more folks on Google, etc, then check out these 3 articles:
1: How to do SEO for WordPress in 8 steps
2: How to do keyword research for rankings
3: How to create high-quality blog content
But if you wanna start and learn how to build a new online Biz from scratch around affiliate marketing and/or generating more targeted traffic to your current real estate website, then see my recommended training platform here.
The other option is to use this tool for building a sales funnel for effectively building an email list, selling your own products/services or even affiliate marketing ones.
However, sales funnel creation will take a little time to get to grips with and you’ll also need the funds for sending paid traffic to it via Facebook, PPC, and solo Ads, etc.
I hope this has given you some insights. π
Let me know if you need further help.
Neil
For me, affiliate marketing is one of the better ways to make money online, without any investment. It can be a good way to have an additional income.
That’s awesome, Marian! π
I couldn’t agree with you more! In fact, affiliate marketing is THE best way to earn an income for any newbie or anyone who doesn’t know how to create their own products to sell.
If you work hard at your online business, you can become financially free and live life just the way you want to without all the pressures of a “JOB” and being flat out broke each month.
I’m new to this whole making money online and not sure where I should start.
I don’t know anything about websites or where to go to sell things.
Is there something you would recommend?
Thanks for your time.
Alex
To be honest, all newbies start off with very little to no knowledge of making money on the web. I was once in your shoes if it makes you feel any better lol.
If you want step-by-step training, tools, and 24/7 support for building a successful business using a website, I recommend that you start here for free.
You’re welcome, Alex!
If you need any further help with getting started, feel free to give me a shout anytime.
Neil π
Hey Neil, I love your content and the way you presented it through your images, it literally made me happy π
Surely, if you want to be successful in affiliate marketing, you need hard work and patience because it’s not going to be a smooth ride. It will be challenging and you’ll face hard times especially during the times you don’t earn income yet.
So if you’re the type of person who’s not willing to wait for at least a year and put lots of effort into your website, then online business definitely is not for you.
People tend to overcomplicate the process of running a business online and they don’t realize that these 4 steps you made are the only ones that you need to succeed.
Hi. Dominic!
AWESOME, man! Hearing that also makes me happy. π
Yep, I totally agree with you. There are some newbies who approach affiliate marketing with the wrong attitudes (expecting quick and easy results from minimal effort). It’s certainly a challenge during your first 3 months of blogging especially, but success will happen.
I know exactly where you’re coming from because some folks are too busy looking into multiple “shiny objects” and various strategies, that they become lost in the woods.
Nice steps to affiliate marketing. I love that you started with passion and goals. I think a lot of people just want to step in with whatever will make them a lot of money and really when you think about it that is just going to burn out quickly. I was listening to a podcast today that talked about how when you are not doing well in your business it may be because you do not have the passion or excitement for what you do!
Thanks for the recommendations on your site. I am going to check out some of the other ones! I am always looking for some good training, and your reviews are thorough!
Thanks, Marlena! π
They are the basic essential steps you need for building a successful online business as an affiliate. It’s highly important that your “goals” are set and you find something you’re “passionate” about before attempting to start any business. Without a clear direction, you’re gonna give up. That applies to all of us. We all love money and that’s the end result we are looking for, but to only use “money” as a motivator isn’t gonna get us very far. We need something to strive for and to figure out exactly what we want the money for. When you have goals set, that’s when the game gets exciting.
The podcast you listened to is so true! When you have that fire inside, you’ll continue to work on your biz day-in-day-out, and it will pull you closer to your aspirations in life. You’ll feel on top of the world when your work pays off.
Cheers!
Neil
Hi Neil,
I love this introduction to affiliate marketing. I love that you push for people to choose a passion or niche that they are interested in to start their website because I too believe this is most important.
I would like to know how you personally drive traffic to your websites?
Thanks
Amy
Hey, Amy!
COOL, I’m glad you find my article awesome! Without a passion and direction, the newbie isn’t gonna get very far with creating a successful affiliate marketing business.
I also follow the same 4 steps for driving traffic to my online biz. I implement the training here. Simples. π
Neil
I have been using Wealthy Affiliate myself for a couple of months and I could not have made a better choice. Initially, I was kinda skeptical, having encountered many online marketing products that promised heaven in a few weeks and of course ended up disappointing me. There’s really a lot of scams out there and WA is like a clean oasis in the middle of the desert.
What I like the most about this platform is how easily you can interact with other online marketers (some of them in the industry for years) and receive instant help for any issues you might have. Of course, to build a successful online business you need to put the effort in it and can’t expect money to just fall from the sky. Thanks for the 4 steps to earning money with affiliate marketing.
Cheers, Horatius! π
Excellent, my friend! I think when it comes to any affiliate training platform these days, you’re gonna be skeptical because you don’t know what’s to be trusted. If a program looks and feels legit (and especially one that gets a lot of positive feedback), then my advice is to jump in with both feet. If you don’t grab that opportunity, you could be passing up on something amazing that works for affiliate marketing success.
YUP, WA is AMAZEBALLS!!
If only money did fall from the sky, it would be bliss LOL. But to be honest, I enjoy the challenge of working for an income because it gives you a great sense of achievement, rather than just receiving easy “hand-outs” for very little work. Where’s the FUN in that?
It was a pleasure to share the steps with you.
Hi Neil,
I really like how you have broken down the process into four steps. In my opinion, the first step (passion) is so important. I have made the mistake of starting websites with the sole intent of making money with zero passion in the niche I chose. It really did feel like a second job. Needless to say, I abandoned those projects quickly. When you are passionate about your topic, it shows through in the content that you write. Great post, Neil!
Hello, Eartha!
Thanks, I appreciate your positive feedback on my article. Choosing a passion is a crucial step because I see so many affiliates just drifting around online, a lot like they’re lost at sea because they have no compass for navigation lol. Some dabble in various niches, and some also build websites incorporating several niches into a single business. Having no clear direction will lead to failure.
Yeah, if you start an online business simply focusing on “making money” from it, you will find it a dull and tedious process, not to mention the fact that you’ll be providing your visitors will very little value. And like you say, it will feel like working for an employer!
You did yourself a favor by ditching your websites, and I hope you’re now working on your passion.
Your passion certainly brings out your enthusiasm and awesome personality, in my opinion. π
Cheers, Eartha!