You probably started your blog to make money online from it in the future.
Affiliate marketing is one of the best ways to convert traffic into income when making money from your blog.
However, affiliate marketing is only viable if you can identify high-quality products that your visitors are interested in (and that you can feel proud to recommend).
I’ve compiled a list of the top 12 affiliate networks and platforms to assist you.
These affiliate marketing networks provide you access to tens of thousands of merchants and millions of products when used together.
You’ll find affiliate programs that can connect you to anything that fits, whether you wish to advertise physical things or digital products, major brands, or small brands.
This article will explain what an affiliate network is, how to join one, and which affiliate networks are the best for finding affiliate products.
Let’s get this article started.
What Is Affiliate Network And How Does It Work?
An affiliate network is a platform that connects affiliates who want to earn money online by promoting a company’s product and companies who want their product to be promoted.
Digital publishers can advertise products and services supplied by brands, retailers, and companies through an affiliate network.
Publishers can join an affiliate network to have access to a range of affiliate marketing programs and tools for reporting, training, tracking analytics, and other resources that will help them succeed in the affiliate marketing game.
What Are The Benefits Of Joining An Affiliate Network For Publishers?
By monetizing their blogs through affiliate networks, bloggers, influencers, and publishers can earn passive money.
Benefits of joining an affiliate network include:
- Allows publishers to locate businesses and merchants that are suitable for their website’s target audience.
- Affiliate networks handle the entire payment process on behalf of publishers.
- Affiliates can use analytics and reporting tools to keep track of their progress.
- Affiliates can earn more money by selling more products, resulting in a greater commission rate.
How To Select The Correct Affiliate Network?
There are a lot of things to consider in order to limit the number of platforms you use when picking an affiliate network.
When joining an affiliate network, keep the following in mind:
- Payouts: If you spread your traffic too small, it’ll be difficult to consistently hit each platform’s minimal payout. You probably don’t want to log into 20 different dashboards every day for the sake of convenience. Apart from that, it’s a good idea to discover some fantastic deals to market to your loyal followers.
- Selection of products and services: Affiliate marketing is only viable if you can locate high-quality products and services that your visitors want (and that you can feel proud to recommend). The affiliate network must link influencers to the product or brand their audience is familiar with.
- User Interface: Some affiliate programs are more straightforward to utilize than those offered by others. When choosing an affiliate network, evaluate the amount of technical skill of the bloggers and influencers you’ll be working with.
- The customer base: Investigate the demographics of your subscriber and user base. Publishers can choose the best online tool and analytic platform for their niches to reach their target audience.
- Cookie life span: The cookie duration of an affiliate program influences the amount of credit given to potential buyers. Cookie durations vary greatly depending on the platform. The cookie duration on Amazon, for example, is one day.
- Rate of commission: Publishers can receive differing amounts of affiliate income from different affiliate networks, so it’s important to double-check before joining one. An audit of how affiliate networks manage payments by Bank Deposit, PayPal, and other methods is required.
- Requirements for Approval: Some affiliate networks demand a quantity of traffic (at least 50k views) to be considered authoritative.
- Added Charges: Some affiliate networks may charge customer support, setup, and training separately.
What Are The Best Affiliate Networks And Platforms For Publishers?
Let’s get started with the most popular affiliate networks:
One of the most famous affiliate networks is ShareASale.
Unlike Amazon Associates, which focuses exclusively on Amazon products, ShareASale has partner networks for over 4,500 retailers large and small.
You can sign up and follow all of the merchants or sellers, create links, and track your stats from one place – the ShareASale dashboard.
You must apply to each retailer separately and have each merchant approve you, which is a prevalent method for an affiliate network like this.
In general, ShareASale is an excellent choice for digital and physical products.
On the digital side, for example, there are numerous WordPress theme and plugin retailers, hosting companies, etc.
On the physical side, there are numerous large and small merchants.
Sun Basket, Warby Parker (sunglasses), Wayfair, NFL Shop, Reebok, and thousands of other small and large businesses are just a few examples.
You may undoubtedly find some offers worth promoting, no matter what niche your website or blog is in.
Here’s all you need to know about ShareASale.
- Product kinds and niches: There’s a little bit of everything here, including physical and digital goods.
- The average commission rate varies depending on the merchant you join up with.
- Cookie duration is determined by the merchant with whom you sign up.
- The minimum payout is $50.
The advantages and disadvantages of ShareASale.
Pros:
- Thousands of retailers, including many well-known merchants, provide physical and digital products.
- They’re reliable because they’ve been around for a long time and work with various well-known companies.
- There are a lot of unique retailers. Over 1,000 ShareASale merchants only work with ShareASale.
- There’s a bookmarklet that makes creating personalized affiliate links a breeze.
Cons:
- Though it’s grown a lot better, the dashboard interface is still a little clumsy.
2. Amazon Associates.
Amazon Associates is an excellent alternative to promote tangible things on your website.
You may earn a commission on almost anything sold on Amazon.com if you join Amazon Associates.
What makes this program even more lucrative is that you get paid a commission on every new product that someone you refer buys, even if it isn’t the one you linked to.
For example, if you link to a $5 toothbrush but someone buys a $500 TV, you’ll still get paid (as long as it’s within the cookie length and the product wasn’t already in their cart).
Amazon Associates used to pay you a commission based on how much revenue/sales you generated.
Since 2017, however, Amazon has switched to a flat-rate commission structure, in which you’re paid a certain proportion based on the category in which each product falls.
While some high-volume affiliates were unhappy with the adjustment, it makes Amazon Associates even more appealing to smaller sites because you don’t have to worry about reaching a particular sales volume to receive a greater fee.
Amazon Associates: Everything You Need to Know.
- Anything sold on Amazon’s website falls within this category (including products from third-party vendors).
- The average commission fee ranges from 1% to 10%, depending on the category.
- Cookies have a 24-hour expiration date. However, if users add a product to their carts directly, you’ll get a 90-day cookie, but only for the single product in their carts.
- For an Amazon gift card or direct deposit, the minimum payout is $10.
The advantages and disadvantages of Amazon Associates.
Pros:
- A large number of goods are available.
- Because it’s a universal cookie, you’ll gain credit for everything consumers buy during the cookie’s lifespan.
- Amazon is by far the most well-known name in the world of online shopping.
- The payout threshold is shallow — only $10.
Cons:
- The universal cookie has a 24-hour lifespan.
- Video games, for example, have incredibly minimal commissions (1 percent ).
- You must register for each nation separately.
- Amazon has been known to sometimes reduce commissions.
3. ClickBank.
ClickBank, like Avangate Affiliate Network, is an affiliate network with a lot of digital products, but it also contains material things.
Unlike affiliate networks like ShareASale and Awin, which include a lot of huge, well-known merchants, ClickBank caters to the “smaller” end of the market.
You’ll find several merchants selling eBooks, online courses, and membership sites, for example.
These merchants may not have the name recognition of a national or international brand, but if they meet your niche, they can be excellent deals.
However, there is a drawback: some ClickBank products aren’t exceptionally high-quality.
While ClickBank’s screening process has improved in weeding out rogue merchants, you should still be selective about the merchants you promote.
Here’s everything you need to know about ClickBank.
- ClickBank leans heavily toward digital products; however, there are some material things available (and ClickBank makes it easy to filter between the two).
- The average commission rate varies depending on the merchant you join up with, but it is usually relatively high. There are both percentage and flat-rate commissions available.
- Cookie lifespan varies depending on which merchant you sign up with, but it usually is around 60 days.
- The minimum reward is ten dollars.
The advantages and disadvantages of ClickBank.
Pros:
- There are many special offers here that you won’t discover on other affiliate sites.
- For most sellers, commissions are pretty hefty.
- It’s simple to get paid with a $10 minimum payout.
- Weekly payments are available.
Cons:
- Because of ClickBank’s generous refund policy, you may end yourself losing commissions after the fact.
- You will have to go through some low-quality products or services.
4. CJ Affiliate (Formerly Commission Junction).
CJ Affiliate – formerly known as Commission Junction – is another affiliate network that puts thousands of different merchants together under one roof (a lot like ShareASale).
CJ, like ShareASale, is one of the largest affiliate networks, which means you’ll be able to connect with thousands of merchants, large and small. At the moment, there are 2,696 different merchants.
The following are some of the important physical and digital businesses that use CJ:
- Lowes.
- Overstock.
- Office Depot.
- Priceline.
- GoPro.
- IHG.
- Grammarly.
You’ll also come across a slew of smaller shops.
You’ll apply to these merchants individually from the CJ dashboard, just like ShareASale. You’ll be able to create links and examine statistics after that.
CJ’s affiliate dashboard has a somewhat higher learning curve than ShareASale; however, once you figure out how everything works, I prefer it to ShareASale.
Here’s everything you need to know about CJ.
- CJ, like ShareASale, caters to a wide range of niches and offers both physical and digital products.
- The average commission rate varies depending on the merchant you join up with.
- The expiration date of the cookies is determined by the merchant with whom you are registering.
- For direct deposit, the minimum payout is $50, while for checks, the minimum payout is $100.
The advantages and disadvantages of CJ.
Pros:
- There is a large selection of large and small merchants to pick from.
- A user-friendly backend dashboard for managing your affiliate marketing operations.
- It has a deep link generator that makes link creation easy.
Cons:
- The dashboard can be a little confusing (though I like it overall).
5. JVZoo.
JVZoo bills itself as an all-in-one digital commerce platform.
They sell about 9.5 million items in 22 different categories.
JVZoo has a massive Digital Product Library with over 200 topics and categories to choose from.
JVZoo is a user-friendly affiliate network that gives newbies the tools and solutions they need to establish a successful and profitable online business.
They provide a secure environment for product developers and marketers worldwide to meet and collaborate.
Affiliates can access all of their affiliate tools and training right away.
Potential affiliates can register for free and have immediate access to JVZoo’s Marketplace, where they can find the best products to promote to their audiences.
Affiliates are paid commissions directly from suppliers to a defined PayPal account.
Affiliates benefit from having a single link for all products in a sales funnel.
One-time offers, upsells, downsells, cross-sells, and so on are all examples of this.
Affiliates can attract customers to purchase through their affiliate links by offering unique perks.
They can add a bonus product to the cart that will be delivered along with the purchased item.
JVZoo’s advantages and disadvantages.
Pros:
- There is a large selection of small and large merchants to pick from.
- A user-friendly backend dashboard for managing your affiliate marketing operations.
Cons:
- The dashboard can be a little confusing (though I like it overall).
6. FlexOffers.
FlexOffers is one of the popular affiliate platforms that connect you to over 12,000 different advertisers and retailers.
FlexOffers, in my opinion, has one of the better-looking dashboards, and it adds 50+ new merchants per day, so you can always find new offers.
FlexOffers includes a wide range of deals from small and large companies, including well-known names such as priceline.com, Macy’s, Skechers, Lenovo, and others.
If you want to check what’s available before signing up, you can go through a complete directory of all the retailers.
FlexOffers, like the other main affiliate networks, has been around for a long time, so you can rest assured that they aren’t going anywhere.
FlexOffers also assigns a dedicated account manager to each publication, which is a great touch.
Your account manager can assist you in finding the finest offers to promote and improve your affiliate marketing in general.
Here’s all you need to know about FlexOffers.
- Product categories and niches: With over 12,000 merchants, you’ll be able to find physical and digital products in any niche.
- The average commission rate varies depending on the merchant you join up with.
- The expiration date of the cookies is determined by the merchant with whom you are registering.
- Within the United States, the minimum payout is $50; outside of the United States, the minimum payout is $100.
FlexOffers has both advantages and disadvantages.
Pros:
- There’s a lot to choose from, with over 12,000 retailers to choose from.
- The backend dashboard is well-designed.
- You’ll be assigned a personal affiliate manager.
Cons:
- If you live outside of the United States, the only way to pay is through PayPal (unless the payment exceeds $5,000, in which case a wire transfer is an option).
7. Ebay Partner Network (EPN).
eBay Partner Network is eBay’s affiliate network, as the name implies.
It allows you to earn money by advertising eBay listings.
Yes, everything advertised on eBay, which will certainly offer you access to an extensive range.
The only downside is that many eBay products are only available for a limited time due to the auction model (although you can also find many permanent listings).
One of the world’s largest online markets, eBay, is well-known.
At any given time, it contains 1.4 billion listings.
Surprisingly, new products account for 80% of all sales.
The eBay Partner Program encourages people to refer potential buyers to the marketplace.
eBay’s partners direct their customers to the eBay worldwide marketplace to shop.
After being recommended to the site, a portion of those people are likely to purchase something.
After then, the referral partner receives credit for the sale.
Because eBay runs its affiliate network, it can give partners the tools, reports, and resources they require to thrive.
The eBay Partner Network is similar to Amazon’s program.
It pays varied rates for different types of products, and the percentages are all relatively modest, especially when compared to some of the more specialized affiliate programs and affiliate networks.
You must, however, weigh the reduced rates against the possibility of a more significant volume of sales.
For people that drive a lot of traffic to eBay, eBay also has a Premier Program.
This is an invitation-only club for partners that deliver a significant amount of business to eBay.
It provides benefits such as unique content to help them boost their revenues, early access to new tools, and other perks.
The eBay Partner Network: Everything You Need to Know
- Mostly physical things, yet you may earn money for anything on eBay. Therefore, you’ll also discover digital products.
- Average commission rate: The actual commission rate varies by product category, but you can expect to earn between 50% and 70% of eBay’s revenue. Note that you are earning a portion of eBay’s commission, not the overall purchase price of the product.
- Cookie duration: 24 hours, but even if the auction takes up to 10 days to end, you can still receive a commission (as long as the person placed a bid within the first 24 hours).
- The minimum reward is ten dollars.
The benefits and drawbacks of the eBay Partner Network.
Pros:
- Because you can sell anything on eBay, there is a wide variety of products to choose from.
- It is possible to sell used things which is unique.
- Only $10 is paid out.
Cons:
- The cookie has a 24-hour lifespan.
8. Walmart Affiliates.
Although Walmart’s affiliate program is officially part of Rakuten Marketing, I’ve separated it apart since I believe it provides an excellent contrast to Amazon Associates.
Amazon Associates is the most well-known affiliate program if you’re selling actual goods.
And there’s a good reason behind it. Amazon controls about half of the united states e-commerce sector.
Walmart, in comparison, has only 3.7 percent of the online shopping sector (eBay, which you’ll see next, is second with 6.6 percent).
When Amazon Associates changed its compensation structure to a category-based approach, the Walmart affiliate program became more appealing because it offered larger commissions in some categories than Amazon.
For example, Walmart will pay you a 4% commission on toys, while Amazon will pay you 3%.
Furthermore, Walmart’s monitoring cookie lasts three days, whereas Amazon’s is only suitable for one (24 hours).
Finally, if you sell any physical goods, this is something you should test.
Whether you’re already using Amazon and Walmart provides better commissions in your niche, see if switching to Walmart’s affiliate program boosts your earnings (in either direction).
Walmart Affiliates: Everything You Need to Know.
- Any goods offered on Walmart’s website fall into this category (including some third-party vendors).
- The average commission rate varies between 1% and 18%. The majority of the categories are either 4% or 1%.
- Cookies have a three-day expiration date.
The benefits and drawbacks of Walmart Affiliates.
Pros:
- A large number of goods are available.
- In some categories, commissions are higher than Amazon’s.
- A well-known and dependable brand.
- A cookie is more extended than Amazon’s.
Cons:
- The minimum payout is $50, which is more than Amazon’s.
- Despite having a more extensive product assortment than almost any other store, it still falls short of Amazon.
9. Avangate Affiliate Network.
Publishers may connect with digital sellers like Malwarebytes and other software vendors through the #1 rated Avangate Affiliate Network.
Avangate Affiliate Network is a digital-only affiliate network that focuses on software and digital items rather than material things.
For example, you will have access to popular software providers such as:
- Bitdefender
- Kaspersky
- My Ass Is Hiding (the VPN)
- Awario
Avangate Affiliate Network gives you access to over 22,000 pieces of software in total, so if your site advertises a lot of digital products, you’ll want to join.
Publishers who specialize in SAAS and digital marketing will love Avangate.
They offer a longer cookie duration and a coupon scheme that helps promote sales, but the dashboard has limited capabilities.
Most merchants charge a commission of around 25%, but some can go as high as 50%.
Avangate affiliate network pays commissions 20 days after the end of the month in which they are due.
Avangate Affiliate Network: Everything You Need to Know.
- Avangate Affiliate Network focuses on digital goods and software products as a niche. You may look over the entire merchant marketplace without having to register.
- Average commission rate: varies depending on the merchant. However, Avangate offers up to an 85% commission rate, and Avangate Affiliate Network’s digital products often have a more effective commission rate than physical products found on other affiliate networks.
- The expiration date of the cookies is determined by the merchant with whom you sign up. Avangate Affiliate Network allows businesses to choose between 30 and 180 days for their cookies, so you’re guaranteed at least 30 days.
- $100 is the minimum payout.
The advantages and disadvantages of the Avangate Affiliate Network.
Pros:
- You have the option to receive payment using PayPal.
- There are numerous distinct software products from which to choose.
- The majority of retailers provide fairly substantial commissions. It’s pretty uncommon to see commissions of 50% or more.
Cons:
- The minimum payout is $100, which is more than most other affiliate networks.
10. Digistore24.
Digistore24 is primarily a digital product marketplace, but physical products are beginning to appear (and are steadily increasing).
Signing up is likewise 100% free, takes only a few minutes, and then you’re accepted!
Digistore24 appeals to me since they accept “everyone.”
You could live in Nigeria and still be accepted by Digistore24.
They take PayPal as well.
In my opinion, Digistore is a highly safe and reputable affiliate marketing network, and I’ve been using them for over 8 months with no issues.
At the time of writing, Digistore24 has 535 goods! There’s a lot more on Clickbank.
This is a huge distinction and one of the few drawbacks I can identify.
Digistore24 has only been around for a few years, compared to Clickbank, which has been there for more than two decades.
Then there’s the cookie duration, which is vital to understand!
As affiliate marketers, we rely on tracking cookies to make money.
The cookie life of Digistore24 is 180 days (or 6 months).
Clickbank’s cookie life is only 60 days. Here, Digistore24 comes out on top.
Both use what’s known as the last cookie to get the sale.
This means you get the sale if someone clicks on another affiliate marketer’s link and then clicks on yours “right before buying.”
Digistore24 is likewise available in every country, whereas Clickbank is more country-specific.
In addition, if you refer customers to Digistore24’s marketplace, you will be compensated.
Clickbank does not compensate you for referring customers.
For me, this is the deciding factor.
You must have 5 or more sales utilizing distinct credit card numbers to obtain your first payout from Clickbank.
Additionally, you must make sales using two different payment methods.
The minimum payment is $100.
The default payment option is a check, which takes 3 to 5 business days to process, but you can switch to Paypal in the settings.
You can get paid weekly with Digistore24, but it depends on how much money you make.
To be paid on the 7th of the month, you must earn at least 58 dollars.
They’re a lot easier to use than our pals at Clickbank therefore they earn my vote.
11. Warrior Plus.
You will be provided a link to your affiliate page as part of the program.
After that, you’ll be in charge of advertising the WarriorPlus team’s products and services.
The commission you get is determined by the number of sales you make.
You simply create an account, select a product to promote, and submit a request to approve it.
You must have an excellent sales history to be accepted.
If you’re new and don’t have one yet, you’ll need to persuade the product’s provider to authorize you.
It’s best if you tell him exactly what you’re going to do and how you plan on promoting his goods.
However, many people are turned down.
When promoting WarriorPlus products and services, there are a few things to consider.
First and foremost, ensure that the connections you are employing are of high quality.
This will help to boost your website’s trustworthiness and raise the likelihood of your traffic turning into sales.
Second, make sure your affiliate links are carefully positioned to find your target market.
Finally, always be forthright and honest with your visitors about the nature of your WarriorPlus relationship.
This will assist you, and your visitors create trust and credibility.
The same goes for any other affiliate marketplace.
The majority of the items are marketing-related and informational.
You’ll notice top-selling products as soon as you log in, so these are hot right now.
If you go to affiliate/offers, you can start looking for products to advertise, but you won’t be able to do so right immediately; you’ll need to get vendor approval first.
You will promote and earn money once you have been approved.
You’ll have to wait 30 days to get your money (vendor refund policy)
WarriorPlus will deposit your commissions into your PayPal account.
Rakuten Advertising (formerly LinkShare) is a well-known affiliate network with many well-known merchants.
Among the notable merchants are:
- Walmart.
- Best Buy is a retail chain that sells a variety of
- Macy’s.
- Papa John’s is a chain of pizza restaurants.
They also have a few smaller merchants, albeit their network isn’t as extensive as ShareASale, CJ, or Awin (about 1,000 merchants).
So you might be better off with one of the other affiliate networks if you want access to a wide range of merchants.
On the other hand, Rakuten is an excellent way to acquire big guns.
They also have some excellent features like rotating ads without using an external solution (like a WordPress advertising management plugin).
One of the more well-known affiliate networks is Rakuten Marketing.
They are continuously looking for affiliate marketing publishers who have many dedicated social media followers or regular website visits.
As a publisher, you may work with hundreds of top and growing businesses across a wide range of industries to give your visitors a more tailored and organized advertising experience, complete with connections to things they’ll be interested in.
They offer instructional resources and training to aid in the development and improvement of your affiliate marketing campaign, as well as the acceleration of your commissions.
Platinum-status publications get early access to new technology and consultations.
On Rakuten’s website, publishers can quickly sign up as affiliates.
They established a two-step affiliate marketing process:
- Become a member of the Rakuten Marketing Affiliate Program.
- Join the affiliate programs of certain sponsors by filling out an application.
To be accepted into the program, you must meet particular criteria set forth by each advertiser.
The material on your website must also be related to the advertiser’s products and adhere to brand rules.
Rakuten Marketing: Everything You Need to Know.
- With over 1,000 merchants, you should be able to find offers in almost any niche.
- The average commission rate varies depending on the merchant you join up with.
- The duration of the cookie is determined by the merchant you sign up with.
- $50 is the minimum reward.
Rakuten Marketing’s advantages and disadvantages.
Pros:
- Gives you access to popular retailers such as Walmart and Best Buy.
- A well-known brand (Rakuten is a billion-dollar company).
- Simple ad rotation is one of the nice features.
Cons:
- In my perspective, the backend dashboard is a little outdated.
- There is not as much choice here as with other affiliate networks.
Conclusion.
Affiliate networks are the simplest and most effective way to monetize your website and generate legitimate passive income.
When it comes to affiliate networks, it’s critical to conduct a thorough analysis to select the best platform.
Publishers should prioritize easy-to-use interfaces, payment options, customer service, and specialized items for their target consumers when considering affiliate networks.
Aside from that, have fun on the voyage and look for some hot deals to share with your followers.
