The 12 Best Affiliate Programs for Bloggers In 2023

Nowadays, bloggers have various options to generate revenue from their platforms. They can receive payments for sponsored posts, display advertisements, sell products or provide consultation services. However, one of the most effortless methods to earn money is by utilizing the best affiliate programs available for bloggers.

To discover the best affiliate program you can use for your blog, continue reading.

What Are Affiliate Programs?

Affiliate marketing programs provide a referral system in which a blogger or publisher can earn a commission by promoting a business’s products.

To begin with affiliate marketing, you need to follow these steps:

1. Sign up for an affiliate program.
2. Search for a product to promote.
3. Promote the product on your blog or platform.
4. Receive a percentage of the profit for each sale that comes through your referral link.

The sales that you refer are tracked through affiliate links. Although each affiliate program has its own method of tracking, they all provide a way to track your successful referrals.

There are three key players involved in an affiliate program:

1. Advertiser: This is also known as the seller or merchant, and their primary objective is to increase sales while promoting their product.
2. Publisher: Also referred to as the affiliate marketer, their primary goal is to earn income by promoting and selling the advertiser’s products.
3. Consumer: This is the customer who is interested in purchasing the product.

The 12 Best Affiliate Programs For Your Blog

1. Amazon Associates

Niche: eCommerce

Amazon is a dominant force in the world of eCommerce and its popularity shows no signs of slowing down. Therefore, if you mention products that could potentially be sold on Amazon, it’s a good idea to sign up for Amazon Associates to start earning small commissions on the products people purchase after clicking your Amazon affiliate links.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

1. Easy registration process
2. Access to nearly unlimited products for promotion
3. Payments via direct bank deposit, Amazon gift card, or check

Cons:

1. Low commission structure that makes it difficult to earn significant payouts without driving a high volume of traffic
2. Affiliates only have 24 hours to earn a commission after someone clicks on their affiliate link.

2. Bluehost

Niche: Web Hosting

Bluehost, along with its sister companies FastDomain, iPage, and HostGator, is one of the largest web hosting companies in the world, hosting over 2 million domains collectively. It is considered to have one of the best web hosting plans for bloggers who want to earn passive income through affiliate marketing, especially if their niche covers topics related to WordPress or writing. In fact, Bluehost’s affiliate program is one of the highest-paying in the web hosting industry, having paid out $5 million in commissions in the last year alone.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

1. Joining the program is free of cost.
2. A customized dashboard tracks referrals effectively.
3. The signup process is quick and simple.
4. The program offers unlimited earning potential.
5. The program has dedicated customer support.

Cons:

1. Applicants must apply and be approved to join the affiliate program.
2. Payments are processed between 45 and 60 days after each sale is completed

Bluehost is not the only web hosting provider that offers excellent affiliate programs; Dreamhost, Namecheap, and HostGator are other options worth considering.

3. HostGator

Niche: Web Hosting

HostGator is a web hosting company with a long history dating back to 2002, and they have since grown to host more than 8 million websites on their servers. Their extensive experience in the field makes them a trusted choice for website owners, and their affiliate program offers generous commissions.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

1. No fees to join
2. Offers high commission rates to its affiliates Allows for custom coupon codes to be created for customers
3. Has a high conversion rate

Cons:

1. Payments can take a long time to process
2. Approval for the program may take a few days and may require a “reasonable amount of traffic” to be accepted.

4. ConvertKit

Niche: Email Marketing

If you’re a blogger, creative, small business owner, or podcaster looking for a user-friendly email marketing tool, ConvertKit may be worth checking out. This subscription-based service offers automation capabilities specifically developed for bloggers and creatives, making it easy to capture leads and sell products. I’ve compared ConvertKit to AWeber and Mailchimp in a detailed article, so you can see how it stacks up against the competition.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

1. No minimum payout threshold required.
2. Monthly recurring commission rate of 30% is significantly high.
3. The personalized dashboard provides an overview of all earnings and related details.

Cons:

1. Commission payments are subject to a 30-day delay before they are credited to your account.

5. Etsy

Niche: eCommerce

It’s likely that you’re already familiar with Etsy, the go-to online marketplace for craft enthusiasts, artisans, creators, and vintage lovers alike. Boasting over 2 million active sellers since 2012 and countless products listed, Etsy has established itself as a premier platform for buying and selling handmade and unique items.

What you may not know is that Etsy also has an affiliate program, which can provide bloggers in certain niches with an opportunity to earn additional income.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

1. Wide selection of banners, ads, and a curated page to choose from
2. All sales made within the 30-day cookie period are credited to the affiliate, not just the initial sale
3. International referrals are accepted

Cons:

1. Approval is not guaranteed and based on various criteria, such as site quality, content, brand identity, and alignment with Etsy’s values
2. A refundable $5 sign-up fee is required, but only after receiving the first payment from the program
3. Etsy sellers can’t earn affiliate income on their own or similar products
4. The commission rate is relatively low compared to other affiliate programs

6. SEMRush

Niche: SEO Tools

SEMrush is a well-known provider of SEO tools that are valuable to online businesses and marketers in terms of keyword research, tracking, and optimization. SEMrush’s tools are highly recommended for improving website rankings by enabling more effective keyword research. For bloggers looking to generate a recurring income, SEMrush’s affiliate program via BeRush is an excellent option.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

1. BeRush provides various promotional materials in seven languages for affiliates to use.
2. Monthly BeRush Contest allows for a chance to win up to $100 for creating the best content.
3. Commission payments are made up to twice a month, allowing for quicker payouts.

Cons:

1. Affiliates must have a balance of $50 or more in their account to receive payments.
2. No commission payments are made for referring existing or returning SEMrush users.

7. SiteGround

Niche: Web Hosting

SiteGround is a renowned web hosting provider, and just like Bluehost and Hostgator, it is recommended by WordPress, making it a preferred choice for WordPress users. If you have been using SiteGround as your blog’s hosting service, you may want to consider signing up for their affiliate program.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

1. Free to join
2. High conversion rate
3. High commission rate with no caps on how much you can earn
4. Shorter withholding period (30 days)
5. Weekly pay and no minimum payout

Cons:

1. No incentive to sell more expensive plans
2. SiteGround’s plans are more expensive than some other alternatives (like Bluehost)

8. HubSpot

Niche: Marketing

With a strong presence in the marketing, sales, and customer service software industries, HubSpot has grown from a limited suite of tactical tools for marketers in 2005 to a publicly-traded company generating over $500 million in annual revenue in recent years. Their intuitive and useful marketing and sales tools make them a popular choice for small business owners globally. Also, their top-notch affiliate program rightfully earns them a spot on our list of the best affiliate programs.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

1. Free sign-up
2. Custom dashboard for easy referral tracking
3. Quick application process
4. Unlimited earning potential
5. Dedicated customer support

Cons:

1. Approval required to join the program
2. Delay in payouts

9. Spocket

Niche: Dropshipping

Spocket is an online dropshipping marketplace designed to provide entrepreneurs with access to reliable US and EU-based suppliers. Retailers can quickly launch and scale their online stores using Spocket’s platform and connect with their customer support team around the clock. With their affordable monthly and annual subscription plans and a free trial period, Spocket is an ideal tool for dropshippers.

One of the biggest advantages of joining Spocket’s affiliate program is the recurring 20% commission on all generated revenue, which can go up to 30% after a certain number of conversions. This means that partners can earn up to $1,080 for a single customer over their lifetime. You can find more information about this program on their website.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

1. No fees or charges for joining the affiliate program and promoting Spocket
2. Fast commission payouts without any long waiting periods
3. The longer you promote Spocket, the higher your potential earnings due to the recurring commission structure

Cons:

1. To achieve good conversion rates, your content should be closely tied to dropshipping, which can be a competitive field.

10. Shopify

Niche: E-commerce Platform

Shopify is a popular Canadian eCommerce company that provides both online stores and retail point-of-sale systems. They are considered one of the best eCommerce website builders currently available. Shopify’s complete eCommerce platform allows entrepreneurs to start, grow, and manage their businesses, making it an ideal choice for those who want to venture into drop-shipping.

Pros and Cons

Pros

1. The affiliate program is hosted on their own platform and employs their own tracking software.
2. There are no fees to join the program.
3. Referrals are given support to increase their likelihood of transitioning from a trial to a paid plan, leading to higher earnings for affiliates.
4. A dedicated partner dashboard provides a space for affiliates to manage their details and track their campaigns.

Cons

1. Referrals will only be credited to the affiliate if the visitor signs up for a 14-day free trial within 30 days

11. AWeber

Niche: Email Marketing

AWeber, much like ConvertKit, is a widely used email marketing program for small businesses, bloggers, and entrepreneurs. This email marketing company has been operating for more than two decades and has amassed over 100,000 customers.

If you’re searching for the perfect email marketing tool for your blog, check out my in-depth comparison of ConvertKit, AWeber, and Mailchimp, where I go into detail about each program and reveal my top pick.

AWeber’s affiliate program offers continual referral payments, making it a great choice for bloggers seeking passive income.

Pros and Cons

Pros

1. No cost to sign up
2. Potential for continuous passive income
3. Extended duration of cookies for tracking referrals
4. Opportunity for bloggers to earn money without much effort

Cons

1. Low individual commission rates may not be sufficient for some affiliates
2. A minimum threshold must be reached before affiliates can receive their earnings

12. Kinsta

Niche: WordPress Hosting

If you’re a WordPress blogger, Kinsta is the ideal cloud-based hosting provider for you. It’s the same platform powering this very blog. With Google Cloud and LXD orchestrated Linux containers running in data centers across the globe, Kinsta is one of the top names in managed hosting for bloggers. They’re renowned for their super-fast hosting, SSL support via Let’s Encrypt for added security, optimized backups, and effortless migration, among other features.

Pros and Cons

Pros

1. Customized multilingual affiliate dashboard with real-time tracking
2. 60-day conversion window
3. Easy creation of unique affiliate links that can be pointed anywhere on Kinsta’s website with just one click
4. Quick access to promotional materials and banners
5. Stress-free payouts through PayPal or wire transfer

Cons

1. Affiliates cannot participate in incentivized programs or post links to Kinsta on coupon sites
2. Only Kinsta-approved advertising materials can be used to promote the company

Wrap Up

Affiliate marketing programs are a great way to earn passive income for anyone, regardless of their audience size. With low start-up costs and the ability to use multiple platforms, influencers and content creators with a large following can easily recommend affiliate products on social media.

However, owning a website is still the best platform for affiliate marketing. With a website, you have full control and it only requires initial hard work with low maintenance in the future.