Affiliate marketing is one of the fastest growing and highly paying sources of online income. It is a professional career that is minting blog-millionaires. With more products and companies approving affiliate marketing as part of their growth strategy, bloggers have an even better opportunity to make money.

Like all other careers and businesses, there are platforms that are more rewarding than others. Affiliate programs are also different based on the brand you choose to associate with. This is also reflected in earnings from these programs. Here is a look at best affiliate marketing platforms (2018) in terms of ease of use and potential to earn remarkable income.

ShareSale

This platform ranks among the largest and most profitable affiliate marketing program available over the internet. It has gathered more than 4,000 merchants with over 1,000 of these merchants offering their products exclusively on this platform. ShareSale provides volumes of data regarding their offers and promotions. Some of the information provided includes percentage of commission provided, average sale amount, the reversal rates applied and earning per click, among others. The figures published are important when determining the success of your campaign.

The large partner network is one of the advantages of working with ShareSale. This is boosted by the fact that 1,000 of merchants on ShareSale do not promote their products on any other program. This gives you an incredible chance to make money with little competition. The platform has tools that enable you to compare the offers made. You evaluate these offers based on clear metrics provided on-site. Their payment cycle is certain and quick. If your account has hit $50 by 20th of the month, the money is paid. Though the platform is gradually improving its reporting tools, the report feels clunky and old.

CJ Affiliate

CJ affiliate ranks top among the most prolific affiliate programs to-date. It has attracted and captured the attention of almost all major retailers. The name CJ was derived from the earlier brand of Commission Junction. It is a one-stop-shop for anyone intending to make foray into the affiliate marketing business. The existence of multiple sizes ads on the program allows you to showcase more products on your blog.

CJ affiliate program offers a detailed tool that enables you to compare products on offer and segment them into different offers. It is also easy and straightforward to find your preferred tracking code for the products you wish to promote. The platform gives you’re the liberty to run as many ads as possible within a short time on your blog.

The beauty of working with CJ affiliate lies in its large partnerships and their creativity in terms of ad sizes. Their commissions are also paid in a reliably timely manner each month. The reporting tools are very impressive and rewarding to people who intend to spend time optimizing their sales. Beginners have a steep learning curve but once you get the groove you are ready for a cruising performance. The large number of merchants presents a challenge to the customer support team which minimizes their ability to support your endeavors.

Rakuten Linkshare

The program is smaller compared to others in the market but it stands out as a trailblazer. One of their winning properties is the ability to automatically rotate banners on your website. This makes it easy for you to optimize the offer on your site. You do not have to select the banners manually. You can easily customize a campaign because you have a deeper access to the pages of their merchants.

Linkshare is characterized by the ad rotation which makes a significant difference during marketing and optimization of ads. The program also allows you to choose the page your customers will be landing on the partner’s website. This is an advantageous approach since you can promote different affiliate offers.
You only have to contend with the small number of merchants on the platform which is slightly over 1000. It is also impossible to determine when commissions will be paid. Their policy is that payments are only released once they are collected from merchants.

Amazon Affiliate

This is a giant affiliate marketing program by far. Amazon captures products from over 1.5 million sellers. The technology built onto the site is easy and convenient to use. Even with limited technical ability, you can crack Amazon affiliate program as a beginner. It is also provides a leeway for experienced marketers to create mind boggling campaigns.

The only challenge you will deal with at the beginning is their commission structure. Smaller affiliates are allocated a commission of 4% with the high traffic marketers getting as high as 9%. Considering that Amazon markets physical goods, it is very difficult to refer customers for a recurring income. The platform provides a detailed guide for beginners.

Amazon is considered one of the best platforms for beginner affiliate marketers. It is easy to use because it does not require advanced technical knowledge. Since Amazon has millions of products on offer, their ads are incredibly flexible which gives your links a wider appeal. One challenge you have to deal with is their long payment cycle which lasts up to 60 days.

Impact Radius

This is an affiliate marketing platform that is interrupting the other programs in a significant way. It is empowering the agencies and affiliates by offering the best technology for tracking and optimizing partnerships. The unique element is in the ability to gain insight into the performance of your campaign by capturing a lot of data. It can be considered as a partner to affiliate marketing programs. In fact, its growing reputation has enabled it to get funding in millions to expand its operations.

How To Build your online business:

You will also need a program for building your website to promote the affiliates you decide to work with, I use this one for my website as there is tons of videos, training and 24/7 live chat help from thousands of members plus the owners.

Only business of this kind to still be in business after 12+ years, shows they are here for the long run and to help people get out of the everyday 9 to 5 work hours. Take a look here. Free to join or Premium $47.00 per month and $359.00 per year ($.83 per day). Everything you need with absolutely no Up-Sells.

Verdict

There is no law that prohibits the use of several affiliate programs on a single site. In fact, experts suggest that you do this to maximize your income. You only need to be prepared for the amount of work that comes with it. This also gives you a chance to compare the features and offers for each program to know which program offer better value for money. Even the partners use different affiliates to market their products. Make all effort to maximize your earnings without violating affiliate marketing rules.

I hope this helped in your effort to start your new business and if you have any questions leave in the comment section. Please let me know your thoughts.

Wayne