Isn’t the thought of earning money while you sleep the most exciting thing? You might think that this is some sort of scam, which there is no dearth of online.
However, affiliate marketing is no scam, it is a tried and tested method of businesses promoting themselves and rewarding those to help in this promotion.
Forrester has predicted that affiliate marketing spending in the US will grow to $6.8 billion by 2020, increasing 10.1% from 2015.
Related: How to start blogging & make money from it
Affiliate marketers are constantly taking measures to generate traffic to ensure more clicks and therefore better commissions.
According to the results of a 2016 survey published by Statista, almost 70% of affiliate marketers use search engine optimization (SEO) to generate traffic, followed by social media platforms, blogging, email marketing, videos, images, guest posting, and word of mouth.
However, to be able to gain the maximum benefits of affiliate marketing, you need to partner with the right affiliate network. Here are my 10 best picks of affiliate networks in the US and India that you can choose from.
In this article...
Best Affiliate Networks in USA
Let’s take a look at the best affiliate networks there is.
1. Rakuten Linkshare
Claiming to be the largest pay-for-performance affiliate marketing network on the Internet Rakuten Linkshare is not just #1 on my list for the US but has been voted as the #1 affiliate marketing network for seven consecutive years by industry participants.
Just like other affiliate networks, Rakuten Linkshare pays out on a CPA basis, and the publisher gets a commission on each action the user takes, which could be a sale, subscription, or a lead.
It lets you become a publisher and earn directly from their site. Their publisher registration form is available on their website.
2. Amazon Associates
Amazon is one name that needs no introduction. Their affiliate networking program, Amazon Associates, was launched in 1996.
The program helps website owners, bloggers, web developers, and Amazon sellers make money by advertising the millions of new and used products available on Amazon’s website. You can join this program free of cost.
The functionalities and linking tools are simple enough for even beginners to excel in. The program allows you to earn up to 12% in referral fees each time a customer clicks the link created by associates or website owner and blogger, and buy products from Amazon.com.
The best thing about this program is that it allows you to earn from all qualifying purchases, not just the products you advertise.
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3. Clickbank
If you want to advertise digital products like eBooks, software and membership sites in different categories, Clickbank is the best affiliate marketing network for you, offering tons of products to promote.
Clickbank was founded in 1998 and is today the undisputed leader of affiliate networks. This affiliate network has a great reputation in terms of timely payments, which has earned this network its loyal fan following.
To join, there is no need for you to have a website or a track record. The network gives you the freedom to promote any merchant’s products the way you want to. Clickbank is one of the affiliate networks that support recurring payment products.
4. CJ Affiliate
CJ, or Commission Junction, is a great affiliate network that offers affiliate programs for a wide range of popular and well-established organizations.
It is a popular choice for the world’s most successful retailers.
With over 3,000 merchants on board, this platform allows you to choose from millions of products, including health and beauty products, accessories, electronics, and online services like web hosting and much more to advertise and earn.
If you are a beginner and don’t know which program to join, the company provides a useful tool to help you find a suitable program.
What sets CJ’s ad configuration apart is its impressive reporting capabilities to allow performance optimization for advertisers.
5. ShareASale
Hosting around 4,000 merchants, ShareASale has been in business as an affiliate marketing network for around 18 years now. The program is highly easy to use, which makes it a good choice of beginners, both seller and affiliate marketers.
Clients can compare the offers and choose the one that promises them a good income.
Extremely useful features like Average Commission, Average Sales Amount, Reversal Rates and Earning per Click only add to the desirability of this platform.
What’s more?
Being associated with the system will ensure payment on the 20th of every month, unlike other platforms, where you have to wait for 50-60 days to receive payment.
Best Affiliate Networks in India
Here are the best affiliate networks in India.
6. Komli
Komli started operations in 2006, offering an affiliate network that allows you to earn the highest commissions, while providing access to the best clients via best-in-class technology.
Through its online shopping festival, KISS, launched in 2014, Komli gives its leading advertisers the chance to offer exclusive discounts, enabling them to boost their revenues, for the benefit of both affiliates and publishers alike.
The network boasts the highest commission in the industry by means of timely and transparent payments.
7. IbiboAds
Indian affiliate marketing has many players. However, only a few of them are as good as IbiboAds, operated by the largest online travel company in the country, Ibibo Group.
Unlike most global ad networks that do not accept sites with major Indian traffic, IbiboAds, being an Indian ad network, accepts Indian traffic.
The platform offers a large number of CPA, CPS, and mobile offers for you to choose from.
The biggest advantage of being associated with IbiboAds is the fact that the network offers in-house ads, paid on a cost per lead or CPL basis when they do not have any ads to fill.
8. vCommission
vCommission is a popular Indian affiliate network due its COA, CPC, CPI and CPS networks. It is a 100% subsidiary of Adways VC India Pvt Ltd, which is a JV with the Tokyo Stock Exchange listed company, Adways Inc (Japan), the #1 affiliate marketing company in Asia.
This top Indian affiliate network has over 17,000 networks. The reputation of this network can be well established by the fact that it has worked with famous brands like eBay, Airtel, Flipkart, Amazon, Domino’s, Asian Paints, and many others.
9. iCubesWire
iCubesWire is a digital marketing company in India, that provides the best ROI-driven solutions for affiliate marketing, SEO, PPC, mobile marketing, and more.
The platform offers a network of more than 15,000 publishers, belonging to various industries. They are known for working with industry giants like Flipkart, McDonald’s, Amazon, Myntra, etc.
Other than being its affiliate marketing network, iCubesWire offers innovative mobile solutions and mobile marketing services like SMS marketing, app installation campaign for iOS and Android, and more.
10. DGM India
One of the fastest-growing affiliate networks in India, DGM is a reputed digital media platform that opens you up to a good number of affiliate offers from top advertisers. It has been in the industry for more than 12 years now.
The company has incorporated the latest ad-serving technologies and advanced web analytics to optimize advertisements to bring superb quality and results.
With so many choices for earning some extra income, check out affiliate marketing networks to find one that suits you the best.
Related: How to start blogging & make money from it
How to choose a good Affiliate network
Choosing a good affiliate network is a process that requires research and careful consideration. There are a few key factors to look for when choosing an affiliate network.
The first factor to consider is the reputation of the affiliate network. Make sure to read reviews from other affiliates and ask around to get a sense of what others think of the network. It’s also important to look at the company’s history and see if there have been any complaints or issues in the past.
Another important factor to consider is the commission structure. Some affiliate networks only pay out commissions on sales, while others also offer bonuses or other incentives. Make sure to compare the different structures and decide which one is right for you.
Finally, make sure to consider the support that the affiliate network offers. This includes things like customer service, training resources, and payment processing. The better the support, the easier it will be to get started and be successful with the network.
Beware of Bad Affiliate Networks
There are many affiliate networks out there, and not all of them are created equal. Some are far better than others, and some are just downright bad.
Here are a few things to watch out for when choosing an affiliate network.
1. Make sure the network is reputable.
There are a lot of fly-by-night affiliate networks that pop up and then disappear just as quickly.
These networks are often run by people who are looking to make a quick buck, and they don’t care about the quality of their products or the satisfaction of their customers.
Stick with networks that have been around for a while and have a good reputation.
2. Avoid networks that require you to pay to join.
While there are some legitimate networks that charge a small fee to join, you should be wary of any network that requires a significant investment just to become an affiliate.
These networks are often run by people who are more interested in making money off of you than they are in helping you sell products.
3. Be careful of networks that offer unrealistic commission rates.
If a network is offering you a commission rate that seems too good to be true, it probably is.
These networks are often run by people who are looking to take advantage of affiliates who are desperate to make money.
4. Watch out for networks that have a lot of complaints.
If you see a lot of people complaining about a particular affiliate network, there’s probably a good reason for it. These networks are often run by people who don’t care about their affiliates or their customers.
5. Make sure the network is transparent.
A good affiliate network will be upfront about how they operate and what they expect from its affiliates. If a network is being secretive or evasive about its policies, it’s probably best to avoid them.
6. Avoid networks that are difficult to use.
Some affiliate networks have complicated systems that can be difficult to navigate. This can make it difficult to get started, and it can also make it hard to keep track of your sales and commissions.
Stick with networks that are easy to use and that provide good customer support.
7. Be careful of networks that only offer low-quality products.
There are a lot of affiliate networks out there that only offer products that are of poor quality. These products are often overpriced and don’t live up to the claims made by the network.
Stick with networks that offer high-quality products that you can be proud to promote.
8. Avoid networks with a lot of ads.
Affiliate networks are a great way to make money, but you shouldn’t have to deal with tons of ads. If a network is dominated by ads, it’s probably not worth your time.
Overall, it’s important to be careful when choosing an affiliate network. There are a lot of bad ones out there, and it’s not worth your time or energy to join one that isn’t going to be a good fit for you.
Also, check out blogging, if you are interested to earn online income.
Aall the best!
