Hey, I am a full-time affiliate marketing guy and here are some of my best tips to other affiliate marketers.
Use link redirects for affiliate links
If you paste your affiliate links directly on your website it could be hidden by AdBlock plugins.
If you instead redirect to your affiliate URL form an internal URL you will avoid this problem, at least for now. Hopefully, they won’t also hide those links in future AdBlock updates.
You can add redirects easily with a simple plugin like Redirection for WordPress or simply code it yourself for non-WP sites.
You can simply create a file called link.php with all your redirects like this:
<?php $sponsor = $_GET[‘out’];
if ($sponsor == ‘exampleaffiliateprogram’) {$link = ‘https://exampleaffiliateprogram.com/’;}
if ($sponsor2 == ‘exampleaffiliateprogram2’) {$link = ‘https://exampleaffiliateprogram2.com/’;}
header(“Location: $link”) ; exit(); ?>
Then you can link out like this: https://yoursite.com/link.php?out=exampleaffiliateprogram
Simple.
Do not use target=”_blank”
Again, this is another AdBlock avoidance tip.
If you open affiliate links in a new window AdBlock might close the window just as it opens.
If you instead open the link in the same window then the website will load as it should.
Note though that all AdBlock plugins might not work the same.
Add nofollow to your affiliate links
Affiliate links are advertisements and should not pass link juice. Simply add rel=”nofollow” to these links.
Don’t add too many links on the same page
To my experience, too many external links can make your web page rank worse in the Google search results.
Mention that the web page contains ads
When you add affiliate links to your content becomes sponsored and you should mention that.
This lets your readers know that it contains advertisements and you will stay FTC compliant (within the rules).
The notice should be in a prominent position so readers will notice it.
Read more here.
Research different ways to promote affiliate programs
My favorite is to build websites with, I believe, quality content that can rank in search engines and drive traffic to affiliate offers over time.
Check out my beginner’s guide for how to make money with your own websites and affiliate marketing.
You could also promote affiliate links on Twitter or Instagram (guide), and I am sure there are also more social sites you can use.
If you want to create videos you could utilize YouTube.
Don’t give up too quickly
It took me a long time to make enough with affiliate marketing to make it my full-time job. I would advise you to not give up too quickly and keep trying even though it looks like you fail when you do not make any money.
When you start earning the income could be recurring thanks to the steady stream of search engine traffic or social media reach you have built.
If you need guidance along the way to making that sweet cash you could try out a community like Wealthy Affiliate.
Learn continuously
I listen to lots of podcasts. Maybe an hour or two a day while I go for a walk.
I also like Audible for listening to audiobooks.
I try not to overload when there’s too much new information and rather pause and listen to music and try to remember some of the nuggets I just was given.
This way I can listen to the rest when I have had time to think about or maybe implement what I learned.
Else I would just forget too much.
You should do it your way.
You can see a list of some of the top podcasts I listen to here. I would also suggest taking a look at the other tools and resources I’ve mentioned in that blog post.