Affiliate Programs: Earning Money with your website

Many moms have started their own web site or blog but aren’t quite sure how to translate the topic that they are writing about into money. If you are one of these moms that I’m talking about, then this article is just for you! Though there are really many ways that you can earn an income from your own web site, I am going to highlight some affiliate programs.

Affiliate Programs

Affiliate programs are programs that pay your either a percentage per sale or a flat rate per action (call, email sign up, enrollment). Affiliate rates can range anywhere from 1% – 50% which is $1 for every $100 spent to $50 for every $100 spent to give you a better idea of the earning potential. Affiliate programs do not cost anything to join and are offered covering a huge range of products and services which allows you to still be on topic, genuine and only promote things that you believe that your readers will be interested in while still earning an income. Once your readers being shopping through the links you provide you can expect at least a 30 day wait for your pay-sometimes longer.

Different programs have different pay structures, but generally speaking, there will either be a 30-60 day wait or a minimum account balance requirement before payout ranging from $25 to $100. If you join some affiliate programs that have products or services that appeal to your readers and you include their links in you writing and your web site you will want to get into the routine of checking the affiliate programs regularly so that your readers do not miss out on promotions and deals that they would like. With that same token, you want to be aware of your promotion of the affiliate links to avoid shoving deals and links down your readers’ throat all in the name of a payday. If you over do it or begin writing to just promote the affiliate links you will turn off your fan base and lose your readers.

Finding the right affiliate program

There are really so many affiliate programs out there but I suggest going with some that have been around for a while or that you have been able to check out with the Better Business Bureau. Below are some programs that we have worked with before with good results and still work with.

Escalate Affiliate Program
They do not have the huge number of advertisers that you will find on some other programs but they do have some great deals that you readers may like and they are very good about keeping their affiliates aware of upcoming promotions which is a huge time saver. They pay via Paypal (you may also be able to be paid via check but we’ve always gone with Paypal) and are fast to answer questions regarding payments or programs. This is one of my favorites.

Click here to learn more about this affiliate program

Linkshare
This one has been around forever in the online world. Their catalog of advertisers to sign up with is huge and can get a little overwhelming at first but once you poke around for a while you will find advertisers in your niche. They have special promotions from time to time where the advertiser will reach out to you and offer a higher percentage for a limited time or other bonus perk which is nice. You can deal directly with the advertiser’s representatives if you would like. If you are signed up with a program for a while and don’t generate any sales or don’t put any of their links to use the advertiser may remove you from their particular program. Some of their advertisers have virtual storefronts that you can set up in their system which is a pretty neat way to get all of your favorite items from them into one spot for your readers. Their minimum affiliate payout is $25 and you can opt to have your earnings paid via check or bank transfer. The communication turn around can be a few days.

Have a website? Learn how to make money with LinkShare.

…but there’s more

There are more programs and we will try to review them in the future, but in the mean time, look at products you buy, stores you frequent and services you use. Many of them now have affiliate programs that you can join and some even allow you to use your own affiliate links to make purchases-win/win. Of course, not all of the affiliate programs do so be sure to read their individual terms and conditions. To find out if the company offers an affiliate program, look in their site map, their bottom links or send them an email.