If you like basketball as much as I do, you’ve probably heard some NBA players say, ‘Ball don’t lie.’
I paraphrase this quote often when speaking about blogging because I believe that numbers don’t lie. Let’s look at some numbers that unequivocally prove this monetization technique is vital for online businesses:
- Successful US-based affiliate marketing websites will generate $8 billion in 2022.
- More than 80% of brands participate in affiliate programs.
- Over 70% of shoppers in the US visit several affiliate websites before buying a product online.
How are all these stats relevant to the blog you’re running?
My answer is simple. They indicate that affiliate marketing is one of the best ways to monetize your content.
Before we dive deeper into successful affiliate marketing websites, let’s look at what businesses do to make the most of affiliate marketing.
How Does an Affiliate Marketing Website Work?
There is more than one way to make money with a blog. I found that combining several approaches works best for me, so I suggest testing several monetization methods before choosing those that deliver the best results in your niche.
In most cases, you’ll have to rely on some form of affiliate marketing to make your blog profitable.
What does affiliate marketing entail?
This scheme rewards a marketer for promoting a product on their blog or social media channels. Aside from earning a commission from each product sale, marketers are also compensated for product page visits or sign-ups they generate.
What can you learn from the most successful affiliate websites?
Most sites focus on specific types of products that are closely related to the website’s main topic. So, the lesson here is don’t spread yourself too thin by promoting products outside your niche.
Site Authority and Search Engine Rankings
Establishing and maintaining trust is one of the greatest obstacles a novice blogger must overcome. In other words, you must persuade your site’s visitors that the information you provide is accurate and relevant.
Affiliate websites that promote low-quality products struggle to establish authority because they betray their visitors’ trust.
The term site authority or domain authority doesn’t apply only to your relationship with your fan base.
In fact, it’s a measurable metric that shows the website’s relevance within its niche. Affiliate marketing websites utilize backlinks, on-page SEO optimization, and countless other techniques to boost their search engine ratings.
An in-depth look at successful affiliate marketing websites proves that high domain authority ratings translate into more commissions generated through affiliate product promotion.
Content Strategy
One of the best ways to position yourself as an authority within an industry is to produce high-quality content. Aside from building trust, good content also drives sales.
Consequently, all successful affiliate marketing websites have one thing in common, a clearly defined content strategy.
For example, a site like Trusted Reviews sets itself apart by testing all products featured on the website and offering first-hand information about the products it promotes through affiliate programs.
Trusted Reviews and similar sites don’t sell their own digital or physical goods. Instead, they create content that evaluates products made by brands within the niches they’re covering.
I have to point out the scope of content successful affiliate websites offer, as each features thousands of blog posts, podcasts, and video product reviews.
Strength in numbers is the biggest takeaway here, as securing a steady flow of fresh and relevant content is necessary to secure a stable passive income through affiliate marketing.
Affiliate Programs
Balenciaga, Nikon, and Samsung are only a few high-profile brands offering affiliate programs.
However, becoming an affiliate of a well-known brand is easier said than done, which is why most sites promote products from programs that are free and easy to join.
ClickBank, Etsy, GiddyUp, and Amazon Associates feature thousands of products in virtually any category imaginable, but the quality of some products these programs offer is questionable.
This is where the most successful affiliate websites separate themselves from the herd because they don’t promote unreliable goods and often feature honest reviews that outline the product’s shortcomings.
I’d also like to draw your attention to sites that are set up with the sole purpose of selling affiliate products. These sites are filled with ads and focus on promoting a handful of third-rate products.
I am mentioning these sites because they can serve as an excellent example of how not to approach affiliate marketing if you want to build a sustainable blog.
How Much Revenue Do Affiliate Marketing Websites Generate?
I understand why joining an affiliate program can seem scary at first.
After all, no one can guarantee you’ll earn a single cent by promoting products on your blog. However, there’s also no limit on how much you can make.
Commissions fees are percentage based, and you can earn between 5% and 30% for each sale that comes through your website.
Hence, the amount of money you’ll make from affiliate marketing will depend on the price of the product you’re promoting.
Top affiliate websites generate hundreds of millions and, in some cases, billions of dollars annually.
Still, affiliate marketing isn’t their only revenue stream, which makes it difficult to know how much of their income comes from product promotion.
The important thing to note is that these websites have millions of monthly visitors.
So, as a newcomer to the blogging world, you need to focus on improving your site’s traffic to make your affiliate strategy work.
My Top Affiliate Marketing Website Picks
Here are my top affiliate marketing website
1. This is Why I’m Broke
| Monthly visits | 5 million |
| Estimated Annual Revenue | $2 to $5 million |
Do you remember what I said about the strength in numbers? The retail platform doesn’t focus on the quality of content or products. This is Why I’m Broke is the perfect example of how volume translates into revenue.
Instead, it aims to offer something for everyone, including people who, for whatever reason, want to buy a CVS pharmacy receipt costume or the screaming goat statue.
But this is a part of the site’s strategy because people often share random products like the ones I mentioned on social media or as a joke with their friends.
Although this isn’t the most sophisticated approach to affiliate marketing, the numbers show it works.
This is Why I’m Broke proves that Amazon Associates and Etsy affiliate programs can be lucrative.
Pros & Cons of This is Why I’m Broke
[elementor-template id=”19535″]Forrest’s Take
I love the fact that humor and irony are incorporated into the site’s name because it sets the tone for the experience visitors are supposed to have. Still, I think the retailer’s affiliate marketing strategy is dated and difficult to replicate.
2. Trusted Reviews
| Monthly visits | 3 to 4 million |
| Estimated Annual Revenue | $10 million |
Transparency is the part of the Trusted Reviews affiliate strategy I appreciate the most. Each article contains a disclaimer, which informs the reader that Trusted Reviews earns a commission from the products purchased through the links on the site.
However, none of the how-to, comparison or review articles has a salesy tone. I believe this is a big part of why the site is so successful, as its content focuses on the facts and openly outlines the product’s downsides.
Navigating through the website is simple because all content is organized into categories, so finding a camera review or a deal for a product you’re researching doesn’t take long.
Pros & Cons of Trusted Reviews
[elementor-template id=”19541″]Forrest’s Take
Trusted Reviews manages to rank highly in a competitive niche. Its content doesn’t prioritize sales and instead delivers valuable information to readers. The site also helps its fans find the best video game or tech equipment deals.
3. Photofocus
| Monthly visits | 610,000 |
| Estimated annual revenue | $0.5 to $1 million |
Making it big in this niche is growing more difficult by the minute, and yet there are thousands of thriving photography blogs.
Despite this, Photofocus is frequently mentioned as one of the top online destinations for aspiring photographers and videographers.
What does Photofocus do differently than its competitors?
Well, the site’s content is primarily educational, concentrating on advice delivered by professional photographers.
Photofocus isn’t exclusively an affiliate marketing site that earns from software and equipment sales because a portion of its revenue comes from sponsored content.
Also, the site’s community of photo enthusiasts makes it sustainable, ensuring that Photofocus attracts lots of daily traffic.
Pros & Cons of Photofocus
[elementor-template id=”19551″]Forrest’s Take
Despite facing fierce competition, Photofocus manages to remain profitable. I believe that much of its success comes from a diverse approach to monetization.
4. Wirecutter
| Monthly visits | 12 million |
| Estimated annual revenue | More than $20 million |
As one of the largest online product recommendation platforms, Wirecutter attracts a vast audience.
Determining exactly how much Wirecutter makes through affiliate marketing is tricky because its revenue is bundled with all other businesses that operate under The New York Times.
The site’s content features links to Amazon, Home Depot, and Walmart, among others, so it’s safe to assume its revenue doesn’t come from a single affiliate program.
According to several unofficial sources, Wirecutter generates over $20 million in e-commerce sales for The New York Times. In addition, a sizeable portion of the website’s revenue comes from subscriptions.
Pros & Cons of Wirecutter
[elementor-template id=”19557″]Forrest’s Take
I find Wirecutter’s achievements prior to The New York Time acquisition much more inspiring than its current success. The site earned more than $150 million through affiliate marketing from 2011 until 2016 when The New York Times purchased it for $30 million.
5. NerdWallet
| Monthly visits | 10.6 million |
| Estimated annual revenue | $490,000 million |
I learned a lot from NerdWallet’s approach to affiliate marketing when I started blogging.
Analyzing their SEO strategy, content structure, the selection of products they’re promoting, or the use of CTAs has helped me understand what I can do better on my blog.
NerdWallet positioned itself as one of the leading authorities in the personal finance niches in less than a decade. However, its ‘best of articles and guides aren’t the reason the site became so successful.
NerdWallet is one of the best affiliate marketing websites because it enables visitors to calculate credit card interest, student loan, or life insurance rates and helps them find the best financial products.
Pros & Cons of NerdWallet
[elementor-template id=”19566″]Forrest’s Take
Reaching NerdWallet’s level of success may seem impossible to an inexperienced blogger, but you shouldn’t be intimidated by the site’s high traffic volume and click-through rates. Use their affiliate marketing techniques and content strategy as a guideline to help you monetize your blog.
6. Dog Food Advisor
| Monthly visits | 1.7 million |
| Estimated annual revenue | Unspecified |
I know that covering dog food isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
So, why bring up the Dog Food Advisor?
Well, there are two reasons, and neither has anything to do with the fact that I adore dogs.
Firstly, I think the site perfectly shows how focusing on a seemingly marginal niche can help your affiliate marketing efforts.
Concentrating exclusively on canine nutrition has allowed Dog Food Advisor to reduce competition and boost its SEO rankings.
Like me, Mike Sagman, the site’s founder, is a dog enthusiast. He doesn’t have a background in veterinary medicine or nutritionism, so it’s easy to see why establishing trust was a major issue.
Consequently, Dog Food Advisor publishes unbiased reviews and updates lists of dog food recalls frequently in an attempt to strengthen trust.
Pros & Cons of Dog Food Advisor
[elementor-template id=”19571″]Forest’s Take
Identifying a slightly marginalized but booming market, like the dog food market, makes earning well from affiliate marketing commissions easier.
7. SkillScouter
| Monthly visits | 207,000 |
| Estimated annual revenue | Under $100,000 |
The eLearning market value will exceed $350 billion by 2025. As a result, blogs like SkillScouter are becoming sustainable because they can profit from affiliate programs offered by platforms like SkillShare or LinkedIn Learning.
Besides reviews of online learning platforms, the site also features reviews of individual courses and helps visitors with their job search.
You can enjoy all content for free or use the site to get better deals on an online course hosted by one of the platforms SkillScouter promotes.
Pros & Cons of SkillScouter
[elementor-template id=”19580″]Forrest’s Take
The demand for online education will continue to increase, guaranteeing SkillScouter’s long-term sustainability.
8. SafeWise
| Monthly visits | 1.1 million |
| Estimated annual revenue | 18 million |
Extensive reports on the safest cities in the United States brought SafeWise nationwide fame. In addition, the site covers various newsworthy topics like home burglary statistics or the most recent pandemic updates.
However, SafeWise generates most of its income by reviewing home security and internet safety products.
The site fuels its affiliate marketing revenue by using stats as the backbone of its backlinking strategy. Also, SafeWise’s content underlines the product’s advantages to encourage the reader to take action.
Pros & Cons of SafeWise
[elementor-template id=”19590″]Forrest’s Take
I’m impressed by SafeWise’s affiliate marketing strategy. The site’s reliance on statistics attracts traffic and strengthens its authority.
9. Money Saving Expert
| Monthly visits | 8.8 million |
| Estimated annual revenue | $11.8 million |
I like how Money Saving Expert uses the website’s header to build trust right out of the gate. As soon as you land on its home page, you’ll notice that the header features the names of the site’s founder and its editor-in-chief.
I find this extremely important, considering the site’s goal is to help people make informed financial decisions. Moreover, Money Saving Expert doesn’t feature sponsored content or ads, which also helps build authority.
Hence, most of its revenue comes from product referrals, promo codes, and helping visitors find discounts for select goods.
Pros & Cons of Money Saving Expert
[elementor-template id=”19597″]Forrest’s Take
Money Saving, Expert’s affiliate marketing strategy, is multifaceted and doesn’t focus solely on content quality or interlinking. I believe this is an excellent lesson for bloggers that concentrate too much on a single aspect of their marketing approach.
10. PC Part Picker
| Monthly visits | 3.3 million |
| Estimated annual revenue | $5 million |
Anyone who’s attempted to build a custom rig knows how difficult this can be, which is why I think PC Part Picker is one of the most useful affiliate websites I’ve ever used. Its purpose is to help visitors find components for a custom PC configuration they want to build.
Besides letting you search for parts, the site offers thousands of completed builds, enabling you to find a PC with specifications that meet your criteria. PC Part Picker also has a price tracker that lets you monitor daily CPU, storage, or video card price trends.
Pros & Cons of PC Part Picker
[elementor-template id=”19605″]Forrest’s Take
PC Part Picker provides a solution to a problem many PC users have by helping them find components for their new computer. Finding ways to incorporate this affiliate marketing strategy will significantly increase your revenue.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ordering products and testing them will help you build trust while avoiding promoting low-quality goods that can hurt your reputation.
What is the Average Affiliate Cookie Duration?
An affiliate cookie will remain in the visitor’s web browser for one to three months after they click on an affiliate link on your site. However, you won’t get a referral if a visitor clicks on another affiliate link for the same product on a different website before completing a purchase.
How Much Does it Cost to Join an Affiliate Program?
Affiliate programs are usually free, so you don’t have to spend money to start promoting products on your blog.
Final Thoughts
Everyone has a different path to success.
That’s why I don’t think copying what the most successful affiliate marketing websites are doing will deliver the results you’re hoping to achieve.
Reading and analyzing the articles published on NerdWallet and Wirecutter might help you understand their content strategy or learn how to use CTAs effectively.
Moreover, it will reassure you that affiliate marketing works if you find the right way to incorporate it into your online business model.