The world has changed in the last few years. Whether out of fear or necessity, the pandemic had people turn to online shopping more than ever. This has created huge opportunities for people to earn money from home through affiliate marketing. But I feel that there are many people who have no idea where to begin. This is why I am writing this step by step affiliate marketing for beginners guide.
Where to Begin
What is something you are interested in that you love to tell people about? What can you talk about for hours and not get sick of it? What do you have a passion for?
The first thing you are going to do is choose a “niche”. A niche can be an activity, job, or a situation that is specific to your interests and abilities. You don’t even have to be super knowledgeable or trained in your niche, you just should be passionate about it and willing to learn more, and share what you know or are learning with people who are reading about or watching your content!
Some niche examples could be dog grooming, knife sharpening, wood carving, makeup application, sewing, cleaning…. the list is endless, but I just wanted to give you some ideas of what a niche could be!
Whatever you choose, I think its best that its something that excites you, and it will be easier to create content consistently (say that 5x fast!) and make you a trusted source that people will turn to on the internet!
What’s Next?
Once you have your niche figured out, the next step is to build a website. Your website is your base. You will build everything on this base, so you will want to choose wisely when choosing a hosting platform for your website.
If you are brand new to the “make money online” world, the thought of building a website can be very overwhelming! And once you start researching, there are so many places that promise free websites. Go Daddy, Wix, Weebly, etc. all offer a free website builder.
You have to do some research to see what you get for free, and when you have to start paying. Many website hosts offer their services at different prices, so even if setting up the website is free, you may be limited on what you can do with that website unless you pay a fee.
When I started, I was looking for a free website, but I also needed training!! I was certainly not knowledgeable in technology, and really didn’t know how to build a website, or what the best strategies were for making money….and that is what I wanted to do. I wanted to make money online!!
After much searching, I decided to go with a company that had a great website and hosting platform, amazing step by step training and support, and a community of people that were willing to help any time I had questions! Feel free to click the link and check it out, and leave a comment below if you want to learn more!
Time for FREE Traffic
You have chosen your passion, you have built a website, now you need to get people to your website!
I have friends who are in the Pay Per Click world, who put ads out on social media, and pay for ads to generate traffic to their business or website. But there is a better way when you are starting out and most likely don’t have a budget for paid ads!
Content is king on your website. Now is the time to start writing guides, reviews, and blog posts about your chosen niche. You don’t have to be an expert writer, you don’t have to be eloquent and poetic….just write as if you are talking to a friend!! In my experience that is the most readable content and people are more likely to read all the way to the end of your blog or review!
I will give one caution with regard to writing as if you are talking to a friend….if you tend to talk with colorful language, it is best to skip the “colorful” words…LOL! Also a good idea to skip slang, use good grammar, and DON’T SKIP THE SPELL CHECK!
Those seem like small things, but when someone is reading your content and is constantly coming across misspelled words, or bad grammar, it feels sloppy and they are likely to exit and find another website that has taken the time to make sure it is readable for all audiences.
Once you have some blog posts or reviews written, it is time to look into Search Engine Optimization. You can learn more 
about SEO here, but basically you want to find out what people are searching for online, and find a good title for your article based on that. (Making sure your title is relevant to the article of course). This will make your blog and website more visible on the search engines.
You also should be active on social media, linking your blog to a post each time you write a new blog for your website. But it is a good idea to post something every day, to make sure people are seeing your social media on a regular basis! Its like those ads that constantly are played on TV, doing this creates free brand recognition for you!
People debate which social media platform is the best, but honestly, the one you are likely to use the most and are most comfortable on is the best one for you. If you are unfamiliar or uncomfortable with a platform that everyone raves about, you are not likely to spend a lot of time on there, so it will not be useful to you!. In my opinion, you should stick with what you know.
There is a lot of free traffic out there….this is what you start with!
Show Me the Money!
You have done the work to get content on your website, are consistently writing at least three blog posts or reviews every week, and people are visiting your site. Now is the time to start earning revenue.
There are many, many ways you can monetize traffic online, and MILLIONS of products or services that you can promote as an affiliate!! These are just a few…
You can add Google Adsense to your website. When you join Google Adsense, you will be able to have other peoples ads on your website and earn a small revenue when someone clicks on these ads!
This is good for supplementary income, but it is not a huge amount. What your really want is to earn a steady income of larger amounts, and a great way to do this is becoming an affiliate for the products or services you are promoting on your website!
Promote products you use yourself, that you have researched, or that you have a written a review on. How do you find these products? Do a simple search of “your niche + affiliate program”. For example, you could do a search of “sewing+affiliate program” and see what comes up for companies that have affiliate programs! Amazon is an easy one to be a part of and has millions of products, but sometimes more private companies will have a more profitable affiliate program! They often have a link on their website that will give you details on how to apply to become an affiliate. They will then give you a personal link, and when you add that link to your website in a review, or as an ad, and someone clicks on that link and purchases a product, you will earn a commission!
This will most likely your primary source of income from your niche website. So keep building your website and be consistent in adding to your content!
In Conclusion:
What I have written here is just barely skimming the surface of Affiliate Marketing. Learning everything takes years and time, but you have to start in order to become great!
I have learned SO much in the past 3 years, and I am still learning every single day! I really recommend checking out where I go for my learning, and its free to check it out. No obligations at all!
Sign up for a FREE ACCOUNT and see what I am talking about!
And feel free to comment below or ask me questions!