As mentioned in my previous posts, one of the ways blogging appears to be lucrative is through affiliate marketing. In this post, I’ll share how I’ve tried to make affiliate marketing work for my blog.
If you’re new to the concept, affiliate marketing involves promoting products or services through unique links on your blog. When readers click and make a purchase, you earn a commission. It’s a win-win: you provide value, and brands gain exposure. But success requires strategy, from niche selection to content creation.
Where I Started…Google Of Course
As with most questions I have in life, I did a quick Google search: “how to make money on my blog through affiliate marketing.” I didn’t want to spend hours trawling Google results, so I clicked on the first hit (this guy’s SEO is obviously 👌), a YouTube video titled “How to Make A $150/Day Affiliate Marketing Blog – For BEGINNERS” by Buildapreneur – watch it here:
The video breaks down the process step-by-step, emphasizing niche focus, website setup with tools like Hostinger and WordPress, and content strategies. I found this video useful and easy to follow, with no overwhelming jargon. The main takeaway from this video is that blogging profitability hinges on having a targeted niche.
Selecting a Profitable Niche with Free Tools
One of the video’s key takeaways is niche selection. Don’t blog about everything—Google favors specialised sites. Tools like Ubersuggest or Wordtracker were recommended to assist with this.
Buildapreneur suggests starting by brainstorming interests, then searching broad keywords in Ubersuggest. For example, if you’re into fitness, search “home workout equipment.” Look for terms with good search volumes (at least 1,000 monthly searches) but low competition—often indicated by green SEO difficulty scores in Ubersuggest (under 30 is ideal for beginners).
Wordtracker offers similar insights, showing keyword suggestions and competition levels. Aim for “long-tail” keywords like “best budget yoga mats for beginners” over generic ones like “yoga mats”—they’re easier to rank and attract buyers ready to purchase.
This step ensures a blog targets searches with affiliate potential. Once set, you can expand.
Creating High-Quality Blog Posts with AI Assistance
Content is super important in affiliate marketing blogging. The goal? Create valuable posts that naturally incorporate affiliate links. But writing from scratch can be time-consuming, as I’ve experienced so far in my blogging journey. So, I turned to AI tools for help, as suggested by Buildapreneur.
Don’t get me wrong I don’t particularly like using AI as it feels like I’m cheating, however it’s becoming the norm in many aspects of life, so I may as well utilise it. Buildapreneur did have some good points about its use though; make sure you give the software an outline of what you want to write and once it has generated a post add your own opinion-this provides the human touch and avoids Google’s potential penalties for fully AI-generated text.
I went on to try Anyword to write this post, as recommended by the video, but it doesn’t work on mobile, which is disappointing, as I want to write my blog purely by using my phone. So I looked at other options like Writesonic but this had the same issues. I decided to use Grok, which is an AI platform I have been using in life generally, and although not made specifically for blog writing, it certainly helped.
The video suggests that with AI, you can produce one polished post per day. This seems unlikely for me though, as I have been writing this post for over a week, even with AI assistance, I guess that’s just my perfectionist nature. Hopefully though, I will get quicker with experience.
Optimizing Blog Posts for Readability and SEO
As covered in my previous post SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), blog posts need to be engaging. Avoid dense walls of text—incorporate plenty of white space by breaking paragraphs into 2-3 sentences each, using bullet points, and adding line breaks.
These elements make a blog more scannable, encouraging readers to stay and click affiliate links. Remember, SEO-optimized content ranks higher, driving organic traffic.
Choosing the Right Affiliate Programs for Your Niche
From what I gather there are a lot of affiliate programmes out there and will require your own research to find a programme that suits your brand, but as a starter, popular options include:
• Amazon Associates: Easy entry for physical products. Commissions range from 1-10%, but vast inventory covers most niches.
• Clickbank: Focuses on digital products like e-books and courses, with higher commissions (up to 75%). Great for info-based blogs.
• Niche-Specific Programs: Google “best [niche] affiliate programs” to find tailored ones, like fitness gear networks or software affiliates.
Sign up, get your unique links, and integrate them ethically—e.g., in product reviews or recommendations. I think it’s important to say that you should be telling your reader that your post includes affiliate links to remain authentic.
Is Affiliate Marketing Right for Every Blog?
After watching this video, I reflected on my own blog. It’s not product-review focused, so adding random affiliate links felt forced and desperate. Readers might see through it, harming trust.
Instead, I’ve noticed many YouTube videos and Pinterest posts promoting affiliates via Pinterest. Pins drive traffic to blogs or directly to products, bypassing traditional reviews. This seems more seamless—create visually appealing pins with links, and let the platform’s algorithm do the work.
Alternatively, as clickbait headlines suggest, building a site around specific products (like a “best strollers” review hub) could work better. I’ll explore this in my next post, shifting from broad blogging to creating a targeted affiliate site.
In conclusion, affiliate marketing offers real potential for bloggers, but I think it only really works if your site is product based and tailored to a particular niche. My site is too broad and I want to keep it this way, so affiliate marketing through links isn’t going to work for me.
