When you’re starting out an online business, one of the best things you can do is affiliate marketing. Simply put, you’ll be talking about and promoting other people’s products and services and earning a commission on every sale you make. Sounds powerful, doesn’t it? And it can be if you know how to choose the top affiliate programs.
So, instead of spending months creating and developing your own product only to find out there are hundreds of products similar to yours already on the market, and that you’re hardly making any sale, it is far better to find good pay per click affiliate programs and the high paying affiliate programs.
One of the problems of most people who are now starting their online business is that they only know Amazon. And despite Amazon has one of the best affiliate programs, it’s not the only one. Far from it.
With hundreds and hundreds of different affiliate programs to choose from, how can you tell which ones are better? Just check out our list with the best 25 affiliate programs and networks that will help you monetize your website in 2017:
#1: Amazon Associates:
Yes, Amazon had to be a part of this top affiliate programs list. When you’re looking to promote any niche that has a physical good, Amazon is your best bet. We’re talking about the biggest online retailer. Plus, people not only love shopping on Amazon, as Amazon does a great job converting people.
In terms of commissions, you might think they are somewhat lower – they tend to variate between 1 and 10%. However, they aren’t, especially when you have a lot of different products to choose from and you can make a lot of money from residual sales.
So, if you’re just starting out your online business and want to start monetizing it immediately, Amazon Associates is definitely one of the best affiliate programs you can choose. Just write a few posts mentioning the products you decided to promote and add your link there. The more sooner than later, you’ll start making some sales.
In case you already looked at Amazon before as well as their affiliate commissions, you might want to check them out again. There have been some huge changes there and you want to make sure you know how much you will make per specific product you sell.
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#2: Clickbank:
Clickbank is one of the oldest affiliate marketing websites. With a huge range of products available and covering hundreds of different niches, you’ll end up finding everything you want to promote here.
Clickbank is one of the most popular affiliate marketing networks and one of the main advantages is that it includes free affiliate programs. When you want to use Clickbank to promote some of their products, you don’t need to pay any fee whatsoever.
And in terms of commissions, Clickbank is a synonym of high paying affiliate programs with commissions varying between 50% and 75%.
While up until a few years ago Clickbank was an affiliate network only for digital products, this has been changing. The fact is that you can already find different physical products as well. However, there are still limited because Clickbank doesn’t allow any seller to have them.
One of the things that can help you choose the best products to promote when you sign up for Clickbank is their “gravity score.” Simply put, this reflects the people who have been making money by promoting a product.
Recently, Clickbank added a new program – the “Joint Venture Program”, which helps you to connect with other vendors and getting to an agreement on a business deal.
#3: Skimlinks:
Skimlinks is a somewhat different affiliate marketing website. They have different merchants there and you can basically promote each one you want without any need for further approval.
Once you sign up with this top affiliate program, you will have a code to place in the footer of your website. Then, you just need to create your content as you usually do and placing the links directly to each product that you want to promote. In case you have a WordPress website, they also have their own plugin that can help you.
The Skimlinks affiliate marketing program includes a dashboard where you have access to plenty of different statistics.
One of the best things about Skimlinks is the fact that you can either promote digital products, physical products, or both. It’s entirely up to you.
Skimlinks is usually one of the affiliate marketing websites that is chosen by people who were banned from another affiliate networks. Since you only need to sign up and there’s no need to get the approval from the merchants, you won’t waste any time. However, one disadvantage is that, because of this, your commissions tend to be slightly smaller.
#4: VigLink:
VigLink and Skimlinks are two very similar affiliate marketing websites. With around 50,000 merchants, VigLink seems to be a very active platform.
One of the best things about this top affiliate program is that you just need to write your content as you usually do. VigLink will then scan what you wrote and if it is able to find the name of a product that they have on their network, it will add a dynamic link automatically. When one of your readers click on the link and makes a purchase, you’ll get your affiliate commission.
But the advantage goes even beyond. Once the reader clicks on the link, VigLink runs all their merchants that they have for this specific product and they will direct your reader to the best one. Meaning, to the one that pays a higher commission. So, ven though a couple of months product A could be a better choice, if product B is now in its place, this is the one that VigLink is going to direct your visitors to. And you don’t have to do anything.
VigLink allows you to promote both digital as well as physical products and it’s one way that you have to promote some products that you couldn’t any other way.
One of the biggest disadvantages of this top affiliate program is the fact that you need to be approved by the merchants, and this can take a lot of time.
#5: eBay Partner Network:
The eBay Partner Network is one of the best affiliate programs out there and it already has a long history. Even though you may only think about eBay as an auction website, the truth is that some marketers are actually making some money with their affiliate program.
One of the main advantages, when you decide to sign up for the eBay Partner Network, is that everyone knows eBay and you know they know how to convert their visitors. And this seems like Amazon, all over again.
eBay is one of the high paying affiliate programs these days. Since it is an auction website, your affiliate commissions will be paid per fee they charge for the auction.
One of the greatest advantages, when you use the eBay Partner Network, is that you have endless products to promote, some digital and others physical. However, there are also a couple of disadvantages. The product that you’re promoting may not always be available and some readers just don’t like auction-based websites, no matter if it is eBay.
One of the best things you can do if you want to use this affiliate marketing program is to see their EPCs for each category because they tend to vary. So, make sure that you focus more on the areas where you can make a higher commission.
#6: ShareASale:
With more than 4,000 offers, ShareASale is one of the biggest networks where you can find some top affiliate programs. Out of these offers, more than 1,000 are affiliate programs that are exclusive to ShareASale, which means that if you want to promote them, you need to get inside ShareASale.
ShareASale allows you to promote either digital and physical products. Although, it seems they are more meant for physical than for digital.
Despite ShareASale already has a long history, it seems that they stopped in time when you look at their dashboard. It is just confusing and you may have a hard time contacting other merchants or even the support.
At ShareASale, you will find products that you can start promoting immediately. However, for most, you will need to get the merchants approval before you start. Just like in any other affiliate network, some merchants are quicker to reply than others. However, taking into account that you have pretty great brands and products listed here, this is one top affiliate program that you should consider joining.
#7: FlexOffers:
FlexOffers is just another great affiliate marketing website where you can find over 20 million products to promote, either digital as well as physical.
One of the main things that make FlexOffers stand out among other networks is the fact that you can find products to promote in pretty much every niche you want, even on those more uncommon. Despite this fact, they also host many big brands, which makes them one of the most complete affiliate networks.
FlexOffers has been improving a lot in the more recent years. While some years back some users used to complain about their UI and UX, they have put these problems behind their back with their redesign. Another program that tey have is a referral program for publishers. So, when you’re a merchant at FlexOffers trying to get someone to promote your products, you can refer other people like you and make a percentage of their commissions.
One of the main problems with affiliate networks is that they might reach an imbalance when there are a lot more affiliates than products to promote. So, by doing this kind of thing, FlexOffers is making sure they remain as one of the top affiliate programs on the market.
FlexOffers has two main problems that they still need to address: the application process takes more time than expected as well as you might have some difficulty finding the offers they have. However, we also need to understand that with so many different products, it’s a bit complicated to have everything in place.
#8: CJ Affiliate:
CJ Affiliate, or Commission Junction as some of you might still remember, is one of the most popular and oldest affiliate marketing programs. This is probably the place where you’re going to find the most exclusive brands. So, it’s not by chance that publishers are very careful about who they approve to promote their products.
One of the best things about this high paying affiliate program is, without any question, their reporting and the tools they allow you to use.
CJ has a huge variety of digital products. Despite they also have some physical products, there’s no doubt about what they want to focus their business on. And the variety is simply huge. From software to info-products, you can find pretty much everything here. So, if you’re thinking about using Amazon for physical products, you can use CJ for digital products. This way, you’ll have the best of both worlds.
Seen as a very respected affiliate network, CJ is one of the best options you have to find some of the best affiliate programs, where you can earn a great commission per sale.
#9: Affiliate Window:
When you’re looking for affiliate marketing programs that are based in Europe, you need to consider the Affiliate Window.
Affiliate Window has its place in Europe just like ShareASale and CJ have in the United States. Despite most of their merchants are from Europe, you can still find many different US publishers as well.
Affiliate Window is not very big. However, with about 1,500 merchants, it’s more than enough for you to find the best products to promote. If your online business relates to services, telcos, travel, retail shopping, or finance, you can be sure that you’ll find great pay per click affiliate programs here.
One of the main advantages, when you’re using Affiliate Window, is their low payout threshold. Most affiliate networks tend to have a minimum payment standard at about $100. However, Affiliate Window’s threshold payout is only $20 and they pay you twice a month.
Other features that you’re going to find when you’re using this platform are the cross-platform tracking and the real-time discount code feed.
One main disadvantage that is often mentioned by their users is their poor dashboard. However, if you’re able to find good products to promote and if you make a few sales, you can easily overcome this obstacle.
#10: Avangate:
Avangate was founded in 1996 and is one old affiliate network that still has a lot to give to both publishers and affiliates.
With over 22,000 products available, this is one of the huge affiliate networks. Since their main goal is to go for global range, you can be sure that you’ll be able to find everything you want.
Avangate isn’t only represented by the number of publishers and affiliates. It’s also represented by the numerous tools they offer. From custom e-commerce to localized shopping cards, from automated listings to flexible discount opportunities, from deep linking to comprehensive reporting, they just cover it all. And well.
One of the main advantages, when you’re using Avangate, is the fact that they keep posting helpful articles on their website, which only enhances their already amazing knowledge base.
It’s really easy to set up Avangate and start selling, even if you have never done this before.
In what concerns with the payments and commissions, you’ll get monthly payments through Avangate Mastercard, Paypal, check, or wire transfer. You’ll only be able to get your money as soon as you get to the $100.
#11: Walmart:
Now you’re wondering what Walmart is doing here. You probably didn’t even know they had an affiliate program. The fact is that they do. However, you shouldn’t just take any product from Walmart and promote it. Instead, our advice is for you to concentrate all your promoting efforts in the category that is able to provide you more affiliate commissions: toys.
The fact is that Walmart is famous for having low prices. And the only way they succeed doing this is by reducing their margin profit. So, it would be unbearable for them to offer high commissions to their affiliates. However, and we must stress this out, the toys nice is an exception. You’ll get a 4% commission, the highest commission they are willing to pay to their affiliates, and one of the highest for the niche across multiple affiliate networks.
So, if your online business is related to toys in particular, or to babies and children in general, you’ll want to make sure that you add the Walmart free affiliate program to your website. Please note that despite you promote Walmart, you can also promote other products from different networks. As you can imagine, Amazon has a far huge toys selection when compared to Walmart. So, why not using the two?
One of the things, why we’re telling you this, is because not everyone might be willing to buy from Walmart. So, even if your visitors don’t like Walmart for any particular reason, they also have Amazon, for example. And in the end, you’ll get your commission on your sale.
#12: Target:
You might have no idea but many marketers and affiliates are looking for alternatives to Amazon Associates Program. They don’t want to keep relying on just one affiliate marketing website. So, they just keep looking for online stores who are able to provide a huge number of products in the more different categories, and they end up finding Target.
Despite the fact they do have numerous products, you might have some problems if you’re trying to promote products in more obscured niches.
One of the problems you may have when you’re promoting Target products is that it really depends on your niche. If you like to write about the latest technology products, you might not be able to find them at Target.
Just like if you decide to use Walmart you need to pick a good niche or category, the same goes for Target. At the moment, for example, health and beauty have terrible commissions. On the contrary, you may have amazing products paying high commissions on other niches such as general outdoor goods, general home goods, and apparel.
One of the main disadvantages that you have, when you’re using the Target free affiliate program, is that many people like to search online but they will then go to the shop in person when it’s time to buy. And this will make you lose your affiliate commission.
#13: Peerfly:
With only about 2,000 products, we can’t say that Peerfly is a big free affiliate program. However, they are still big enough for you to make some good affiliate commissions.
Peerfly is a pay per click affiliate program only and this is one of the main reasons why don’t don’t have so many products for you to promote in order to monetize your website.
However, there’s one main advantage when you join the Peerfly affiliate program: they guarantee that they will match or even exceed any other affiliate marketing network payouts. So, what does this mean for you? Simply put, at Peerfly, you’ll find the highest pay per click affiliate programs on the market.
One of the main advantages, when you choose to use Peerfly, is the fact that they have different advanced payment options, which are generally paid by the week, depending on your commissions. However, in order for you to take full advantage of this, you need to have an affiliate manager. You can get your affiliate commissions directly in your Paypal account.
If by any chance, you let your account inactive for some time, you’ll need to reinstate it or it will continue suspended. The good news is that this is a pretty simple process.
#13: The Six Figure Mentors:
Taking a look at more specific affiliate programs that are held in-house, you want to make sure that you get the best out of the products that you promote. And The Six Figure Mentors is one of the best examples.
The Six Figure Mentors is, by far, one of the highest paying affiliate programs you’ll ever see. This is a mentorship and training platform that is perfect for people who are beginning their entrepreneurship. They will prepare you for every single aspect related to the subject from teaching you about leadership mindset to provide you with all the skills you need to have a successful online business.
The Six Figure Mentors include a modular training program that is taught by the best business leaders. One of their main goals is to make sure you’re prepared to deal with all aspects of having an online business. They will also tell you how you can avoid some of the financial errors and other mistakes most people usually do when they’re starting this new venture, just like you are now.
Plus, they have their own community which can be pretty handy when you’re just starting.
Talking about numbers, you can actually get up to $8,000 commissions per sale. Since their service includes recurring customers, you’ll be having a regular and high income monthly.
#14: Shopify:
Who doesn’t know Shopify? This is, by far, one of the most well-known e-commerce business solutions to online stores. They have all the tools you need to have a beautiful online store ready to sell you products. From web hosting to website builders, from shopping carts to store management, from SEO to analytics, and more. They have pretty much everything covered and this is why you’re seeing more and more people using their amazing platform.
So, you have the chance to make some good affiliate commissions promoting Shopify.
In terms of commissions, you can make up to $2,400 per customer. And this is a lot. Just like any of the programs you sign up to promote, Shopify also has different promotion materials to make your job easier. From templates for promotion to banners, you can be sure they will convert.
One of the best things about the Shopify affiliate program, besides the commissions, is their dashboard. It’s very intuitive and you’ll be able to see how your campaign is going just at a glance.
#15: Plus500 Affiliate Program:
Plus500 is a financial market (CFD) trading platform that also has their own affiliate program in-house.
As you probably already know, the financial market is a huge opportunity for you to make money promoting other people’s products and services. Most people are willing to pay to learn and to access the best tools. So, selling to them the best trading platform should be difficult at all.
When you’re promoting Plus500, you will get $800 per every qualified trader you send them. They refer to a qualified trader as someone who you referred to them and the person has made a deposit of any amount. And you have several different options to get your affiliate commission. You can get $250 one off payment and then 18% on revenue share, or you can choose to have a revenue share plan of up to 30% of monthly gross revenue for 1 year, in case you prefer to have ongoing cash flows.
The choice will depend on your personal preference. And one thing is for sure: no matter which one you choose, the Plus500 is definitely one of the highest paying affiliate programs you can use.
#16: Berush Affiliate Program:
Although the name Berush Affiliate Program can seem a stranger to you, you probably already heard about SEMRush. And yes, the Berush Affiliate Program is actually their affiliate program.
In you’ve been digging about online businesses, you probably already crossed with them especially if you were looking into SEO and on different ways to have traffic to your own website. SEMRush is actually a marketing toolkit that every digital marketing professional needs to have and use. We are not sure if they are the world’s leading competitive research service for online marketing as they say they are. However, what we do know, is that their service is good.
One of the things that most people tend to forget is that you should only promote products and services that you believe have quality. These will make sure that the person who bought from your affiliate link will trust you and will continue to buy the products and services you recommend. And SEMRush is one of these examples.
You will get 40% recurring commissions on the initial sales as well as on all subscription renewals. You’ll be able to get paid twice a month and their cookie lasts for 10 years.
#17: WorkoutWarehouse:
One of the best times to promote fitness products or services is around spring. Although many people already make regular workouts and exercises, most people don’t. However, when summer is just around the corner, they start looking at the mirror and see that they could lose some pounds. After all, summers clothes are tighter and you just want to dress to impress on the beach or when you’re going on vacation.
So, one of the best in-house affiliate programs you have at your disposal is the WorkoutWarehouse affiliate program. The WorkoutWarehouse is a fitness equipment retailer who has almost 4,000 employees and is present in 11 different locations. So, we’re not talking about a simple store that sells fitness equipment in their neighborhood. The WorkoutWarehouse is a big company and they are willing to pay you a great affiliate commission. You can get 8% at minimum commission but you can actually increase it up to 11%.
WorkoutWarehouse is a fitness equipment retailer with a surprisingly generous commission rate, especially considering how expensive equipment is. Commission starts at 8% and goes all the way up to 11%.
The only reason why they can have this amazing high paying affiliate program is because they are the ones manufacturing the fitness machines and they will ship directly to their customers.
#18: AWeber Affiliate:
How many times have you heard that email marketing is crucial for any online business? Everyone says it and everyone is right. Email marketing can have a huge impact on the profitability and overall success of your online business. So, since you’re starting your online business now, you probably already looked at some email marketing companies like Aweber. Aweber is one of the oldest players in the industry and it is currently used by more than 100,000 email marketers.
With Aweber, you can easily send automated messages to your leads once they joined your list, send scheduled emails promoting any affiliate product you want, have numerous different lists, and they also have much different form templates that you can use on your website. And one of the best things is that they have some great statistics and reports that cover everything you need to know to see if your email marketing campaign is working or not.
As you can see, Aweber is a pretty complete solution when you’re talking about an email marketing company. And the best thing is that they will pay you 30% recurring commissions as long as the person your referred stays their customer.
#19: ElegantThemes Affiliate Program:
Many people are using WordPress to build their websites. It’s not only an easy to use platform, as there are multiple companies that provide you with different themes to make sure you get the look you want on your website. One of these companies, one of the most reputable on the market, is ElegantThemes. They have absolutely amazing themes that will allow you to do anything you want, without writing a single line of code. When you sign up as a member, you will be able to use 87 high-quality themes.
Besides buying and using their WordPress themes, you can also join the ElegantThemes Affiliate Program. ElegantThemes will pay you a 50% commission from every sale you make, which is particularly good.
#20: InfusionSoft Referral Program:
InfusionSoft is a very respected company that has a powerful software. This is that kind of software that you can promote to everyone who has a website. So, you have a pretty big audience who might be interested in it.
When you buy the InfusionSoft software, you’ll be able to automate a lot of the processes while managing your website. The software allows you to automate lead generation, your e-commerce store, and a lot more. Knowing all the data will help you improve your conversion rates and, ultimately, your business will make more money at the end of each year.
Although InfusionSoft has competitors, it is the best tool you can have and you want to seriously monetize your website.
The InfusionSoft Referral Program is a great affiliate program that offers you an amazing affiliate commission. When you’re promoting InfusionSoft, you’ll be able to make at least $500 per each referral sale.
#21: ErgoBaby:
When you’re going to be a parent, you start to realize what means to have a baby. You’re already feeling the unconditional love and feeling the need to have everything your baby might need. You want him to always be comfortable. So, one of the best shops you can visit is ErgoBaby. From nursing pillows to baby carriers, from infant inserts to sleep solutions that will help your baby sleep well, they have it all. Their products are not only high-quality as they are comfortable and made to last. All ErgoBaby are carefully thought thinking about how your baby is fragile and how you just need to take him everywhere with you.
If you’re in the babies and children, or parenting niche, this is the right store to promote. By joining the ErgoBaby Affiliate Program, you will be able to make 10% for each sale you deliver. Although 10% may not seem much, it truly is one of the best you can find in this kind of products. And besides, you know every parent will buy something from ErgoBaby. We are always moving from one place to the other and when you have a baby who is totally dependent on you, you just need him to be near you, all the time. And since all their products are ergonomic, you won’t hurt your back, even if you are holding your baby the entire day.
You can expect to get paid on a monthly basis, with the amount you made in the previous month.
#22: 365 Luxury Car Hire Partner:
365 Luxury Car Hire is a website that tends to focus more on European countries. Their goal is to rent only luxury cars. They have the most amazing cars at your disposal and you can be sure that many people around Europe are looking for this kind of service.
When your main audience includes high networth people, this is the right affiliate program for you to use.
The 365 Luxury Car Hire Partners Program offers you a wide variety of both text links and banners to make sure half of the job is already done for you. As soon as one of your visitors click on one of those links or banners, they will enter on the 365 Luxury Car Hire website and you’ll get your commission as soon as they rent the car.
Despite the fact that the sign-up process for the 365 Luxury Car Hire Partner Program is free, you will get a 50€ bonus just for signing up. After that, you’ll be able to make 100æ for each sale you are able to deliver.
You can withdraw your affiliate commissions on a monthly basis and you only have a 100€ minimum balance required for the payout.
You can control every sale that you make as well as the number of clicks through their affiliate software. So, you’ll always be on top of how well this affiliate program is converting.
#23: Boatbookings Charter Yacht Affiliate Program:
The Boatbookings Charter Yacht Affiliate Program comes in line with the affiliate program we just mentioned before. When you’re targeting a wealthy audience, nothing better that offering them a charter yacht.
You know how rich people love their privacy and nothing better than spending a week or two on a yacht to relax and also be away from any possible cameras around them. Besides, this is the perfect place to bring their family or friends as well. It’s just a matter of choosing the right yacht for the people you’re planning to take with you onboard.
The more related your audience is with sailing, travel, or marine, the better. Boatbookings Charter Yacht is a booking company or a broker, and they will get between 10 to 20% of the net charter value.
When you join the Boatbookings Charter Yacht Affiliate Program, you will get 20% of their revenue. Simply put, you’ll receive 4% of any sales you make. But they don’t stop here. In case you manage to have a repeated customer, you’ll get an additional 10% from Boatbookings Charter Yacht.
One of the problems of this affiliate program is that you need to have a minimum charter value of $3,000 before you can get any commission.
#24: 3D Cart Affiliate Program:
As you probably know, many people who are looking to have an online business opt for using a shopping cart. They usually want to sell different products and a shopping card is a perfect way to do it. And when you’re looking to promote a shopping cart to your audience, one of the best options you have is the 3D Cart. They offer you a shopping cart that allows you to sell socially, on mobile, or basically anywhere you want. When you’re using the 3D Cart, you can easily sell on Amazon, eBay, Facebook, and other amazing marketplaces. It offers you many different payment options including cash, credit cards, split payments, checks, money orders, among others. With an easy to use interface, you’ll have no problems integrating their cart with your printer, register drawer, or any standard barcode scanner.
One of the things that many people worry about when they are implementing their own shopping cart is the security. And the 3D Cart has you completely covered since it uses the kind of security most large financial institutions use. So, your data and your customer’s data will always be safe and secured.
When you join the 3D Cart Affiliate Program, you’ll be able to earn some great commissions. You can either get the recurring payments over the referrals lifetime as well as up to 5x revenue every time one of your referrals signs up with them.
#25: Social Pilot Affiliate Program:
You know the importance of social media and of social media marketing. You know many businesses struggle to get a good presence on the different platforms. And this is why they need Social Pilot.
With Social Pilot, you will be able to schedule and share all your tweets, posts, and updates without worrying that you reached any limits. You know social media marketing can take a lot of time. So, with Social Pilot, you can simply upload a CSV or text file with all your posts at once, and schedule them according to your preferences. This is a true time-saver.
Plus, you can even include other people from your team on the same account. This will allow you to be the one responsible for the uploads, for example, while some other team member takes care of the scheduling.
One of the main advantages of Social Pilot is the fact that they allow you to track everything you’re doing. This way, you’ll get a good insight into what’s working and what’s not, and where it is working better. This allows you to keep improving and reaching more and more people, increasing your overall sales.
When you join the Social Pilot Affiliate Program, you’ll get a $10 bonus just for signing up. Despite you are subjected to their pre-approval, you’ll be able to earn a 30% commission on each new subscription you get. Plus, you’ll also get a commission for every renewal.
The minimum balance for payout is pretty low – $25 and you’ll be able to get it once a month, by Paypal.