Now that you’ve purchased a domain name, found a great web hosting company and have your website online, did you know that you could actually earn your monthly web hosting fees (and then some) back? You can!
What are affiliate programs?
If you’ve ever seen the author of your favorite blog recommend a book and then provide you with an Amazon.com link, you’ve likely already been exposed to affiliate marketing. An affiliate program is a type of word-of-mouth online advertising in which a business rewards affiliates (or those recommending products) for each sale or visitor they receive. So, if you clicked on the Amazon.com link your favorite blogger wrote about and bought the recommended book, that blogger earned a little money from the sale.
The rewards of being a web hosting affiliate
By advertising your web hosting company and helping to generate a new sales lead, you will be rewarded. Some web hosting companies give out the following:
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Money. You’ll get a check at the end of every billing cycle for each sale that was made through one of your affiliate links.
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Extra space or bandwidth. Some companies will agree to upgrade the size of your current web hosting plan for each sale.
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Free web hosting plan. Want to get a second domain online? Many companies will give free web hosting plans to those who make successful sales.
Each web hosting company offers a different type of affiliate program, so be sure to read the fine print and understand what the specific rewards from your host will be.
How to get started as a web hosting affiliate
It takes just a few simple steps to get started as a web hosting affiliate.
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Check your web hosting company’s website. A great number of hosts already have an affiliate program running, which means you only need to check with your web hosting company’s website to learn the details and sign up.
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Ask your web hosting company. Just because your web hosting company doesn’t advertise an affiliate program on their website doesn’t mean they don’t have one already up and running or that they wouldn’t be willing to work with you. If you can’t find any information about an affiliate program on your host’s website, write and ask if they have a program and if not, if they’d be willing to start one.
Once you’ve signed up as an affiliate you’ll be given a line of code that you can use to advertise your host. The code will include a special member number that is associated only with you, so anytime your link is clicked, your web hosting company will know that the link originated from you.
How to get the word out
Once you’ve joined an affiliate program it’s time to get to work. In order to make sales you’ll need to talk up your web hosting company and you can do that in a variety of ways.
Write a blog post: If you have an active blog with a high number of daily readers who trust your advice, write a blog post bragging about your current web host and telling them how they can sign up.
Use advertising: Many affiliate programs hand out banners and badges that you can easily implement into your current web page design that will earn you money for each click or sale. Such graphics can be added to the sidebar of your web pages, the header, footer or between posts.
Social networking: You can plug your web hosting company with your affiliate link on any of the social networking sites you use.
Forums: If you’re active with online forums, add a link in your signature to your favorite web hosting company and talk about them when others are looking for hosting recommendations.
Becoming an affiliate for your web hosting company is an excellent way to earn money and help others find the best web hosting. Are you ready to get started?