Affiliate marketing is hard for most people because:
Affiliate marketing campaigns are susceptible to the changing trends and regulations in the digital marketing industry, such as Google algorithm updates. For example, one affiliate marketer on Reddit says that many of their affiliate sites were negatively affected after the Google Panda update back in 2011.
Recent Google algorithm updates in 2023 and 2024 have made it even harder for affiliate websites to rank well on Google. Google is giving preference to high authority websites like Forbes Advisor and experiential forums like Reddit and Quora, pushing many affiliate websites out of search visibility. This has forced many SEO affiliates to either quit or pivot strategies, such as Niche Site Lady transitioning from website traffic to social media and email traffic. Beyond Google algorithm updates, other examples of digital marketing industry changes making affiliate marketing harder are rising PPC advertising costs and artificial intelligence exponentially increasing the amount of internet content.
With the dynamic nature of the digital marketing industry as a contributing factor, many affiliate marketers say that getting good traffic to their affiliate offers is the hardest aspect of the business model.
It doesn’t matter how much traffic you get if you can’t get that traffic to convert on your affiliate offer. Attracting traffic with high purchase intent requires careful consideration by choosing the right products and marketing channels, targeting buyer intent keywords that match the affiliate product, and creating content that establishes credibility and builds trust. Those that just focus on traffic and ignore buyer intent are likely to end up like this Reddit user who had a conversion rate of just 0.2% for his affiliate link.
Affiliate marketers leverage the marketing channels of major technology companies to promote products they don’t own. As such, affiliates must follow the rules and regulations of these external entities to generate income. As an example, affiliates using Facebook Ads to generate traffic must use a bridge page to drive the traffic to their affiliate offer or else Facebook is likely to ban their account.
Each affiliate program also comes with their own set of rules on how affiliate links can be promoted. Amazon Associates, one of the most popular affiliate networks, doesn’t allow you to promote affiliate links through email marketing, one of the most powerful marketing channels for affiliate marketers. Keeping track of these rules can be challenging, causing many to get advertising accounts banned or lose access to affiliate networks and accrued earnings for breaking the rules.
Local lead generation is an alternative online business model that many people find easier than affiliate marketing. Local lead generation entails creating websites that attract customers for local service businesses and renting the website space to real local service businesses that want more business opportunities. These websites target buyer intent keywords in local markets, so it's much less competitive than competing for global traffic like affiliates do. Local lead generation businesses also completely own their website assets, so there aren’t any additional rules to follow outside of standard advertising regulations like affiliates are subject to.
In the following article, we discuss further whether affiliate marketing is easy or hard by breaking down the affiliate marketing aspects that are easy and the affiliate marketing aspects that are hard.
The 2 Sides of Affiliate Marketing
1 - The Easy Parts of Affiliate Marketing
Low startup costs, high availability of affiliate partnerships, social media promotions, and comprehensive affiliate resources make up the easy parts of affiliate marketing. These factors motivate new online marketers to dive into affiliate marketing.
2 - The Hard Parts of Affiliate Marketing
Market saturation, niche and product analysis, website traffic optimization, and high-quality content creation make affiliate marketing hard for beginners and experts. These components cause affiliate marketers to fail or stop midway through their affiliate marketing journey.
What is the Hardest Part of Affiliate Marketing?
Competing with other affiliate marketers is the hardest part of affiliate marketing. Most niches, like software and technology, are too saturated. Even though you’re selling high-ticket products and services, some people will be loyal to established affiliate marketers. Thus, building your affiliate marketing worth is essential to capture more potential customers. You also need to solidify your social media presence to get your audience to trust you.
Is Affiliate Marketing Easy or Hard?
Affiliate marketing is hard because of the tight competition and in-depth market and niche analysis that requires a highly optimized website and creative content. However, maximizing the easy parts of affiliate marketing—low initial cost, diverse affiliate programs and resource base, and social media marketing—gives you a head start and a competitive advantage in this industry.
Is Affiliate Marketing Hard for Beginners?
Affiliate marketing isn’t hard for beginners, given you know the concrete steps in starting with an affiliate program, creating your affiliate website, and posting high-quality content. You should also know the strategies for utilizing social media to advertise your affiliate product. By doing this, you can drive relevant traffic that generates significant affiliate income monthly.
How Do I Start Affiliate Marketing for Beginners?
Starting affiliate marketing as a beginner only requires 6 key steps:
- Choosing a niche. You should pick a niche that is profitable and has high-ticket products. Consider your potential customer and how saleable the goods are.
- Joining an affiliate program or engaging in an affiliate partnership. Pick trustworthy and established brands or businesses that have high-income potential. It is crucial to market only legitimate and compliant products and services.
- Creating engaging affiliate content. You must write relevant, high-quality content to capture your target market. This helps you gain a high volume of affiliate sales. You can do this through digital marketing, like social media marketing or email marketing.
- Monitoring and optimizing your affiliate campaigns. Being a successful affiliate means exerting maximum marketing effort. Track your campaigns for any inconsistencies and optimize as necessary.
- Acquiring your affiliate commission. This step entails collecting your hard-earned affiliate income.
- Growing your affiliate revenue. You can join affiliate marketing courses like Chad Bartlett’s Affiliate Marketing Boss to expand your knowledge and skill set.
What is Affiliate Marketing?
Affiliate marketing is an online business model that utilizes digital marketing to promote other people's or businesses’ products and services. You get a percentage of the sale for every referral you successfully deliver to your affiliate partner. The more orders you can generate, the higher your affiliate commission will be. You can sign up for various affiliate programs on different platforms, such as Amazon Associates, Shopify, ClickBank, and Rakuten Marketing.
How Fast Can I Learn Affiliate Marketing?
You can learn affiliate marketing as fast as a couple of weeks if you commit full-time. While some people can learn affiliate marketing in months, some marketers take years to perfect their affiliate marketing strategies. Trial and errors are also part of the learning process.
How To Start Affiliate Marketing With No Money?
To start affiliate marketing with no money, you can:
- Capitalize on free YouTube or online courses about the affiliate marketing business model.
- Originate content using free AI writing tools like ChatGPT or Jasper.
- Use free website creation software like WordPress or Wix to create blog posts. You can also utilize free social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
- Send your affiliate link to your family and friends. They can help spread the word about your affiliate marketing business.
- Join free affiliate marketing programs. Most beginners start with being an Amazon affiliate since it's free and there’s no minimum referral quota. Make sure to check out the best Amazon affiliate marketing course if you don't know where to start as an Amazon Associate.
What Affiliate Marketing Strategies Do Beginners Usually Use?
The affiliate marketing strategies that beginners usually use are:
- Low-Paying, High-Volume Strategy - This strategy focuses on in-demand products or services that offer a small affiliate commission percentage (between 5% to 20%). Some examples include health supplements, daily necessities, and home improvement tools and items.
- High-Paying, Low-Volume Strategy - This strategy maximizes products or services with a high affiliate sale percentage (between 20% to 50%). These are luxury items like perfume, jewelry, and watches that most people rarely buy.
The affiliate marketing strategies that beginners usually use depend on the niche, the products or services, and the affiliate market they choose. However, the most common yet effective are the low-paying, high-volume method and the high-paying, low-volume method. These affiliate marketing methods focus on either selling low-ticket or high-ticket products, depending on the market demand.
Is It Hard To Make Money as an Affiliate?
It is not hard to make money as an affiliate. However, driving conversions is not easy. It takes considerable experience and marketing effort to achieve 5 to 7 figures in affiliate income monthly. The best ways to jump-start your affiliate marketing journey as a beginner are:
Building an engaging niche site.
Choosing a high-paying, high-demand affiliate product.
Selecting a strategic affiliate partnership.
Creating a blog post that grabs your audience’s interest.
Using a popular social media platform to gain followers.
Posting relevant affiliate content consistently.
Advertising your affiliate link transparently.
Developing a good affiliate offer.
Utilizing an established affiliate network.
How Much Money Do I Need To Invest To Start Affiliate Marketing?
You don’t need to invest money to start affiliate marketing. Many platforms offer free affiliate marketing programs. You just need to register and start promoting products and services. You can also use paid ads like Google Ads and Facebook Ads to boost your online reach.
How Long Does It Take To Start Making Money With Affiliate Marketing?
It takes 1 day to start making money with affiliate marketing. The time it takes to earn depends on the affiliate marketing program, the niche, and the products and services you choose. A successful affiliate marketer puts in significant time and effort. It takes about 12-18 months before you can generate real revenue, and 3-5 years to see sizable profit margins.
Can I Be Successful in Affiliate Marketing?
You can be successful in affiliate marketing if you have the right resources, skills, and mindset. For example, in Amazon affiliate marketing, solid SEO skills are crucial to generating traffic to your affiliate website. This is a form of organic marketing. You can also boost your site traffic by using paid ads like Facebook Ads and Google Ads.
Using an affiliate network is also an excellent way to achieve affiliate marketing success. You can take advantage of these business connections to grow your affiliate revenue by engaging with related affiliate marketing programs. There is also a growing trend with affiliate marketing beginners in where they prefer to buy a done-for-you affiliate marketing business, such as the Easiest System Ever.
Can You Fail in Affiliate Marketing?
Yes, you can fail in affiliate marketing. In fact, 90-95% of people fail in affiliate marketing because they either focus on one niche or are not specific with the niche they chose. Some beginners are also not transparent enough when promoting affiliate links. This leads their potential customer to question their reputability. Affiliate marketing is all about building trust with your audience and providing value through affiliate offers like discounts, vouchers, or freebies.
Is Affiliate Marketing Profitable?
Affiliate marketing is profitable. You can earn 7 figures or more, depending on how well you market your affiliate products and services. Is affiliate marketing hard? Yes, but the profits you make are well worth your time and effort. However, it is important to note that 57.55% of affiliate marketers make $10K and below yearly, according to Influencer Marketing Hub. Only 5-7% can reach an income of $50K-$150K per year.
Affiliate Marketing Related Articles
Why Local Lead Generation is Still Better Than Affiliate Marketing
Local lead generation is still better than affiliate marketing because your customers are ready to buy. It takes the hassle of finding high-value customers. And since it’s on a local level, you have less competition.
Being a successful affiliate marketer is possible, but it consumes valuable time. You also need to consider various laws and regulations. Does affiliate marketing work? Yes, it does. However, attaining a 6-figure affiliate income demands significant effort and resources.
If you want a scalable monthly passive income, the local lead generation business model might be for you. You just need a solid attraction marketing strategy to generate calls from local leads. By forwarding these calls to business owners, you can make up to $30K-$60K monthly.
