What is affiliate marketing?
Affiliate marketing is the process of promoting a third-party service or product and earning a commission after every sale.
The key to affiliate marketing is trust. We’ve all seen sites that are nothing but sponsored links and advertisements or business blogs with posts that are simply marketing copy for merchants.
To make affiliate marketing work as a beginner, you need to find the right partner and ensure the content you’re creating will capture user interest and compel them to click on merchant links.
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What is Shareasale?
Shareasale is a popular affiliate marketing program with two decades of experience in sales and advertising. The company is reputable and well-reviewed, and affiliate sign-up is free. Affiliates have access to more than 4,800 merchants across multiple markets and niche industries, making it easy to find the right fit for your website.
Why choose Shareasale?
Reviews of Shareasale online are generally favorable. While there is a learning curve that comes with the placement and context of affiliate marketing leads, Shareasale is considered to be a reliable source of online affiliate income.
How does Shareasale work?
Shareasale has more than 4,800 merchants offering different products and services. To use it, you choose any of these merchants and try to direct sales to their websites. You get a commission for sales resulting from your referral.
Applying for an Affiliate Account
To get started with Shareasale, visit their website and click the Affiliate Sign Up link to start the sign-up process.
You’ll be directed to the signup page shown below. Once you create a username and password that you’ll remember and enter your country of residence, then click Move on to Step 2.
On the next page, you’ll be asked for details about your website including its URL and primary language. It’s worth noting that to use Shareasale, you need an active website — make sure your site is up and running before you apply. When you're done, click Move On To Step 3.
You'll be asked to confirm your email address. Once you provide that information, click Move on to Step 4.
On this page, you'll be asked to fill in contact information where you want ShareASale to send your payments. When the form is complete, click Move on to Step 5.
Once you click Complete Sign Up, you just have to sit back and wait. Your application will typically be reviewed and approved in 2-3 days.
Getting Started With Shareasale
Once your application is approved, it's time to start adding affiliate links. Shareasale offers a robust search tool that lets you filter merchants by category, keywords, sales commission structure, or length of time with Shareasale. You can also look at the top 100 merchants on the site to see if any match your website niche. Then, when you click on a merchant, you’ll see both their commission structure and payment amounts.
There are three merchant marketing models to earn money with Shareasale:
- Pay Per Lead — You get paid every time a visitor follows your affiliate link to a merchant’s lead capture form and fully completes it.
- Pay Per Sale — You earn a commission when visitors follow your direct link to a product or webpage and then make a purchase.
- Pay Per Click — You earn a commission when people click ads on your website.
After selecting a merchant, you’ll be able to access their referral links and banners through your Shareasale account. To use a link, copy it and then head to the WordPress post or content you want to use. Next, highlight the text you’ll use for the link, click the Insert/Edit Link button in WordPress (it looks like two connected links of a chain), and paste the Shareasale affiliate URL.
Shareasale pays commissions monthly, and you can log into your account at any time to check your earnings in real-time. The Shareasale minimum threshold to cash out is $50.
Optimizing Your WordPress Website for Shareasale
While you can put Shareasale links into any WordPress post or insert affiliate banners anywhere on your website, you won’t earn any money if users don’t click through.
Four steps can help boost the impact of your WordPress site and increase your affiliate earnings:
- Choose a high-quality hosting service that’s reliable, fast, and regularly updates your WordPress site to the newest version.
- Pick a simple domain name that clearly communicates what your page is about. For example, if you write a fitness blog, make sure to include common terms related to that market niche in your WordPress domain name.
- Select a WordPress theme that’s easy to navigate and matches the tone and style of your posts.
- Find and promote products that appeal to your visitors. If you’re running a popular fitness blog, make sure you’re linking to merchants that provide things like healthy eating options, fitness equipment, or training services.
Making the Most of Shareasale
Shareasale is a reputable, reliable affiliate marketing program that offers substantial earning potential.
Turning this potential into profit starts with a plan. To make the most of Shareasale, get your WordPress website up and running — be sure to pick a great domain name, create quality content and capture a steady stream of visitors. Then, sign up for Shareasale and select affiliate marketing links that align with visitor interests.
Finally, insert these links as naturally as possible in your posts. While the occasional banner or direct product review can help drive conversion, you’re best served by naturally integrating Shareasale links into your posts. If your visitors feel like they’re nothing more than a sale, they won’t stay for long.
Earn more from your website with Shareasale. Find your niche, open your affiliate account and connect visitors with value-added content.