Affiliate Marketing my Business Part 3 - Affiliate Networks

In the third part of the affiliate marketing series, I'm taking on the topic of "affiliate networks" today.

After we got to know affiliate marketing in the first two articles and have chosen an affiliate niche , the question now arises where to find suitable partner programs.

There are several ways and this article shows the possibilities and the respective advantages and disadvantages.

What are the best affiliates marketing networks ?

Affiliate networks are third-party providers who see themselves as intermediaries between the merchant , i.e. the company that wants to offer an affiliate program, and the publisher , i.e. the blog and website operator.

Normally, as a blog or website operator, you would have to coordinate directly with a company that offers an affiliate program.

However, running an affiliate program involves a relatively large amount of effort for a company. Advertising media must be kept up to date, commission payments and cancellations must be made, publishers must be looked after, statistics must be recorded, the partner program must be made known, etc.

This may still work for large companies, but the effort would be far too high for medium-sized and small companies. And that's why affiliate networks exist.

They have created all the necessary tracking and billing structures once, so you don't have to reinvent the wheel as a company.

Such affiliate networks (also called partner program networks) offer hundreds of affiliate programs under one roof. This brings advantages and disadvantages.

Working with affiliate networks or individual companies?

Of course, there is also the alternative of working directly with a company. Amazon, for example, runs its own affiliate program.

In the following I would like to list a few advantages for these 2 variants. In the end, everyone has to choose for themselves which variant they prefer.

Benefits of affiliate networks:

affiliate networks:

• Affiliate networks have a wide variety of affiliate programs. You will find at least one, often even several, partner programs on a wide variety of topics.

• With an affiliate network, you only register once and can then choose from hundreds of programs. You don't have to re-register every time.

• Affiliate networks usually offer detailed evaluations that work the same for all affiliate programs in the same network. So you have a good comparability of the programs of a network.

• Within a partner network, there are usually standardized links, banner sizes, etc. 

• Commissions are paid out according to a regular schedule. In addition, you can get over the payout limit faster with a network because the commissions of all affiliate programs are added together.

• With the affiliate network you have a central contact person. 

Advantages of working directly with a company:

• A major advantage of working directly with a company is that there is no commission for the affiliate network. This usually means more revenue for the affiliate.

• In most cases, you can also agree on better conditions if you work closely with a company.

• Individual agreements are also easier to implement in direct cooperation. So special actions are conceivable.

Both variants have advantages and disadvantages. And so it is hardly surprising that many affiliates are registered with affiliate networks and also enter into affiliate partnerships directly with some companies.

Selection Criteria for Networks

In the following I would like to list selection criteria that should be considered when deciding on one or more affiliate networks.

Of course you can also sign up for several affiliate networks, but then one of the great advantages is lost. Therefore, beginners in affiliate marketing should first decide on an affiliate network. You can then use more later.

• Recommendations

As with many other things in life, a trustworthy recommendation is worth a lot. If you know people who have had very good experiences with an affiliate network, then this is an important argument.

• Exclusive programs

Some companies are only represented in one affiliate network. So if you have a clear idea of ​​which affiliate program you want to use, then you should definitely check whether it is an exclusive affiliate program and which affiliate network offers it.

• Topic selection

The large affiliate networks have a wide range of topics to choose from. Nevertheless, there are focal points. There are also specialized affiliate networks that only accept partner programs from one industry.

• Compensation

The affiliate networks don't take much here. 30% commission for the network is actually normal. However, there may be deviations in the conditions of a partner program. If you have certain ideas about a partner program that is not exclusive, then you should compare the conditions in the various networks.

• Reliability

There are no clear statements here either. However, it is safer that a large network remains in place and sticks to agreements. Very small networks could be more likely to disappear from the scene.

• Activation period

Some networks (almost) exclusively run partner programs that include an immediate activation. Other networks, on the other hand, first check the registration with an affiliate program, which can take several days.

• Payout Times

A monthly payout is actually standard. However, some affiliate networks have already switched to more frequent payments (e.g. 3 x per month). You don't have to wait that long for your money.

• Payment methods

The standard payment methods are available for German networks. But especially with international networks, you should take a close look at how you get your money. Often there is only PayPal, which also charges fees.

• This

is of course difficult to check in advance. One should perhaps send an e-mail to the networks in question and ask a few questions in it. And then you can see quite well what the service is like. However, the service quality usually only becomes apparent when you have a problem.

• Tools

Some affiliate networks offer additional online tools that can be built into your own website. For example an affiliate banner rotator or something similar.

• Statistics

The statistics (and the backend as a whole) are also very different in the affiliate networks. But I will go into more detail about this in the detailed analyzes of the individual affiliate networks

• Miscellaneous

Of course there are other factors that can play a role in the decision for or against an affiliate network. A while ago, an affiliate network had introduced very controversial terms and conditions, which have since been reversed.

Everyone has to decide for themselves which of these factors they value more than others.

Overview affiliate networks

Here I would like to introduce a few affiliate networks with which I have already had experience.

In later articles I will also analyze the individual affiliate programs in more detail. Here are just a few bullet points about the various networks.

Zanox

One of the largest German affiliate networks with many well-known companies and products.

Over 600 affiliate programs, good backend and detailed statistics.

There are also international branches.

Belboon

More than 1,500 affiliate programs, various additional tools such as banner rotator or gambling generator. 

A very good network from Germany with some interesting exclusive partner programs. 

SuperClix

SuperClix has many exclusive affiliate programs that are also great for bloggers.

Small companies and the self-employed can also start affiliate programs here.

All affiliate programs have instant activation, so you don't have to wait.

Erotic programs are also offered.

AdCell

Also a somewhat smaller affiliate network, which now offers many interesting partner programs.

There are also some lifetime programs and many adult programs.

TradeDoubler

Quite an “old” network, originally from Sweden.

TradeDoubler offers some very well known brands and is represented in many countries.

However, the backend is not really well done.

Affilinet

Large affiliate network with many well-known providers.

Signing up for programs is very easy, good selection of ads and the statistics are well done.

More than 1,000 programs. Good and creative support for the top affiliates.

Example of individual programs

Of course, there are also a large number of partner programs that are not managed by one of the networks. Large companies in particular sometimes take matters into their own hands. Amazon is an example of this.

Amazon

The Amazon affiliate program is certainly a classic. It's very easy to use.

Unfortunately, the remuneration has been reduced or capped again and again in the past.

Overall, however, the Amazon affiliate program is definitely worthwhile, since the selection of products goes far beyond books and many great tools are offered for affiliates.

German and international affiliate networks

In addition to the affiliate networks mentioned, there are of course also many international networks. Of course, the USA is particularly well represented.

In a follow-up article I will also address the question of which international partner programs there are and what a German publisher should pay attention to.

special networks

In addition to the affiliate networks mentioned, there are of course a few more.

Especially the small networks that focus on a specific industry can be very interesting. Because if you are active in this industry with your web project, you will often find affiliate programs that do not even exist in the large affiliate networks.

I will definitely write another article about small special networks later.

Conclusion

There is a wide range of affiliate networks. You can also apply directly to many programs.

For starters, however, you should start with 1-2 networks and familiarize yourself with the functions and technology . Because it's often the details that make the difference.

Many affiliate networks offer special functions that should be looked at and tested extensively.

If you are then very familiar with the network, you can look at a new one and test it.

The next installment in the affiliate marketing series addresses the question “Is my topic profitable?”. Are there enough visitors and if not, how much do I need? Are there suitable affiliate programs? What about cancellation rates? And much more.