ShareASale Affiliate Marketing: The Ultimate Guide for WordPress Sites
Are you looking to monetize your WordPress website and earn passive income? Affiliate marketing is one of the most popular methods – and ShareASale is a top platform that connects affiliates with merchants. In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll cover everything you need to know to start making money with the ShareASale affiliate program on your WordPress site.
Affiliate Marketing 101: How It Works
First, let‘s cover the basics of how affiliate marketing works. Essentially, you (the affiliate) promote a merchant‘s products or services on your website. When a visitor clicks your unique affiliate link and makes a purchase, you earn a commission.
Affiliate commissions are typically a percentage of the sale price, but can also be a flat fee per action, such as filling out a form or signing up for a free trial. The merchant handles the transaction, shipping, and customer service – you simply provide the referral.
The keys to success with affiliate marketing are:
- Choosing relevant products that appeal to your target audience
- Producing high-quality content that naturally promotes the products
- Driving qualified traffic to your affiliate links
- Optimizing your links and content to maximize conversions
When done right, affiliate marketing can provide a substantial stream of income without needing to create your own products or deal with order fulfillment. It‘s a win-win – you get rewarded for sending business to the merchant.
ShareASale Review: A Top Affiliate Network
Now that you understand how affiliate marketing works, let‘s take a closer look at one of the most popular and reputable networks – ShareASale.
ShareASale was founded in 2000 and acquired by global affiliate marketing giant Awin in 2017. With over two decades in business, ShareASale has built a solid track record and earned the trust of both affiliates and merchants.
Some key ShareASale stats:
- 16,550+ affiliate programs across all verticals
- 1.2+ million registered affiliates
- $1 billion+ in annual merchant sales
- 4,465 merchant accounts
- 80+ employees
ShareASale offers affiliate programs in nearly every niche, from fashion and beauty to home and garden to B2B services. They partner with many well-known brands like Reebok, FreshBooks, Vistaprint, and Sally Beauty.
The company has won several industry awards over the years, including the Affiliate Summit Pinnacle Awards for "Affiliate Marketing Advocate" and "Exceptional Merchant". They are known for their reliability, robust tracking, and attentive support.
Why Use ShareASale As An Affiliate
There are hundreds of affiliate networks and programs out there, so why choose ShareASale? Here are some of the top reasons:
- Wide variety of merchants and products to promote
- Reliable tracking and prompt monthly payments
- Low $50 minimum payment threshold
- Robust reporting tools to analyze performance
- Custom affiliate link builder
- No cost to sign up as an affiliate
- Helpful educational resources and guides
- Responsive affiliate support team
Whether you‘re a seasoned affiliate marketer or just getting started, ShareASale provides the tools and support you need to succeed. Their wide range of merchants means you can find relevant products for almost any niche.
Getting Started With ShareASale
Ready to start earning with ShareASale? Follow these simple steps:
Sign Up For A Free Affiliate Account
1. Go to ShareASale.com and click "Affiliate Sign Up" in the top menu.
2. Enter your email, country, and choose a username and password.
3. Provide information about your website, including the URL, description, and topics. You must have an active website to be approved.
4. Enter your contact information and choose a payment method (check, direct deposit, or Payoneer).
5. Agree to the terms and conditions and click "Complete Signup".
Your application will be reviewed within 1-3 business days. You should receive an approval email with instructions for logging into your affiliate dashboard.
Find Relevant Merchants To Promote
1. Log into your ShareASale affiliate dashboard
2. Click on "Merchants" in the top menu bar to browse all programs
3. Use the search box and filters to find merchants that fit your niche
4. Click on a merchant and apply to their program individually
5. Some merchants auto-approve, while others manually review applications
Look for merchants that offer products your audience would be interested in and competitive commission rates. Make sure to read each merchant‘s terms and rules carefully.
Add Affiliate Links To Your WordPress Site
1. Log into your ShareASale dashboard and click "Links" under a merchant
2. Select a text link, banner ad, or product link to promote
3. Copy the link code or download the creative
4. Log into your WordPress dashboard
5. Paste text links in your content or use a plugin to add banners to your sidebar
6. Cloak raw links with a plugin like Pretty Links or ThirstyAffiliates
Make sure to disclose your affiliate relationship and abide by each merchant‘s rules for promotion. Also avoid cramming your content with too many links – use them authentically and sparingly for the best results.
Getting Paid By ShareASale
Once you‘ve got your account set up and start generating sales, you‘ll eagerly await your first ShareASale paycheck. Here‘s how payments work:
ShareASale pays affiliates on a net-60 basis. This means that you‘ll receive a payment for sales generated this month around the 20th of the month two months from now. For example, earnings from January 1-31 will be paid out around March 20th.
ShareASale sends payments automatically based on the method you chose when signing up – either mailed check, direct bank deposit (U.S. only), or Payoneer (international). There is a low $50 minimum account balance required to receive a payment.
You can see a summary of your earnings, as well as a detailed breakdown by merchant, on the "Transactions" page in your affiliate dashboard. ShareASale is known for having an accurate and reliable tracking system. If you have any issues or questions about payments, their affiliate support team is very helpful.
Tips To Maximize Your ShareASale Earnings
While anyone can sign up for ShareASale and start sharing affiliate links, it takes some strategy and effort to generate significant earnings. Here are some tips to set yourself up for success:
Optimize Your WordPress Website
To attract merchants and convert clicks into sales, you need a professional, user-friendly website. Some best practices:
– Use a responsive, mobile-friendly WordPress theme
– Optimize your site structure and navigation
– Improve your page load speed and performance
– Implement SEO best practices to rank higher in search engines
– Create an "About" page and clear CTA‘s to build trust
The better your website looks and functions, the more likely you are to get accepted to programs, gain traffic, and convince visitors to click your affiliate links. Invest in a good hosting plan and premium WordPress plugins to take your site to the next level.
Promote Products That Match Your Niche And Audience
Don‘t just apply for affiliate programs at random – be strategic about which products you promote. Look for items that naturally fit with your site‘s topic and appeal to your target readers.
For example, if you blog about fitness and nutrition, your audience would respond well to links for workout equipment, supplements, healthy meal subscriptions, etc. On the flip side, promoting unrelated products like business software or baby clothes would seem out of place and turn your readers off.
Also pay attention to the quality and reputation of merchants before promoting them. Test out products yourself when possible, or at least read reviews. You want to recommend products you truly believe in and build trust with your audience. If you promote low-quality products just to earn a quick commission, you‘ll lose credibility (and compliance with FTC guidelines).
Track And Improve Your Results
Affiliate marketing is all about optimization – finding which merchants, products, and promotional methods work best on your unique site and audience. Use the reporting tools in your ShareASale dashboard to track your clicks, sales, and commissions by merchant and drill down to your top performing links and landing pages.
Also use Google Analytics to see your traffic sources, audience demographics, behavior flow, and other important metrics. This data will give you insights on how to refine your strategy, such as:
- Which types of products get the most clicks and sales
- Which website content drives the most affiliate conversions
- Which traffic sources are most profitable (organic search, social media, email, etc.)
Continuously measure, adjust, and repeat to grow your earnings over time. Don‘t be afraid to test different creative, placement, calls-to-action, and other elements to optimize your campaigns.
Real-Life ShareASale Success Stories
Need some inspiration? Check out these affiliates who have achieved massive success with ShareASale:
- Maria Decarvalho, founder of The Budget Fashionista, has used ShareASale to earn over $400,000 a year in commissions by promoting fashion and style items.
- Ryan Robinson, a blogger and marketing consultant, generates over $35,000 a month in passive affiliate income through ShareASale and other networks. He shares tips on his site ryrob.com.
- David Krug, co-founder of the WordPress framework Thesis, has been a top ShareASale affiliate for over a decade and credits it with helping him launch his business. The Thesis blog features case studies of affiliates earning $5,000+ per month.
These are obviously exceptional results, but they show what‘s possible with affiliate marketing when you put in the time and effort to build a highly engaged niche audience. Even smaller bloggers and entrepreneurs can earn a healthy side income by consistently promoting ShareASale products to their readers.
The Future Of Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing has come a long way since its birth in the mid-1990s, and it shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, U.S. affiliate marketing spend is expected to reach $8.2 billion by 2022, up from $5.4 billion in 2017. 81% of brands and 84% of publishers leverage affiliate marketing.
As e-commerce continues to grow, advertisers are devoting more of their marketing budgets to performance-based affiliate partnerships. At the same time, more bloggers and influencers are discovering affiliate marketing as a way to monetize their content and turn their passion into a business.
ShareASale is poised to remain a leader in the space thanks to its longevity, strong network, and continual innovation. The Awin acquisition opens up opportunities for affiliates to promote global brands and reach new audiences. The future looks bright for entrepreneurial affiliates!
Start Earning With ShareASale Today
I hope this guide has given you a thorough overview of how to leverage the ShareASale affiliate network to monetize your WordPress website. While it takes some effort to get started and optimize your earnings, affiliate marketing is one of the most accessible and scalable online business models. Why not earn money by recommending products you love?
If you have a WordPress site and an audience that trusts your recommendations, you can start applying to ShareASale merchant programs today. Or, use this guide as motivation to launch that blog you‘ve been dreaming about and start your affiliate marketing journey. The only limit is your creativity and drive!
To learn more about ShareASale and affiliate marketing, check out these helpful resources:
- ShareASale‘s Affiliate Getting Started Guide
- ShareASale‘s Affiliate How-to Videos and Webinars
- The official ShareASale Blog for affiliate tips and news
- "Affiliate Marketing Made Simple: A Step-By-Step Guide" by Neil Patel
- "Affiliate Marketing: Learn How to Make $10,000+ Each Month on Autopilot" by Michael Ezeanaka
Best of luck on your ShareASale journey! Here‘s to your success and happiness in 2024 and beyond.
