Affiliate networks list
One way to find good ideas for niche websites is by joining small affiliate networks or CPA networks and hunting for niches which don’t have many competitors. [List updated 2013.]
Affiliate networks – often called CPA networks – are free to join.
They can be hard to find. They sometimes call themselves names like “marketing solutions provider”, “pay-for-performance network”, “cost-per-action advertising network”, or even “performance-based online marketing services company”.
Affiliate networks provide pay-per-lead (PPL), pay-per-sale (PPS), pay-per-action (PPA) – sometimes called cost per action (CPA) – and pay-per-click (PPC) or cost per click (CPC) offers from merchants that you promote on your website or in your newsletter.
Some affiliate networks allow almost anyone to join. Others insist your site must receive a certain number of visitors.
Some let you see a directory of the merchants in the network before you join. Others show you their list of offers only after you join.
Some of the very small “affiliate networks” mainly just bundle up other affiliate networks’ offers.
FEATURED AFFILIATE NETWORK ShareaSale A large network offering thousands of products – pay-per-sale, pay-per-lead, and pay-per-click programs. More than 2,500 merchants. It has a strong pro-affiliate attitude and despises parasites. Has lots of datafeeds. Founded 2000. Highly recommended. |
The big 4 affiliate networks
Commission Junction
Probably the most popular affiliate network, Commission Junction also has its share of critics. Finding and joining an appropriate affiliate program is easy. CJ also makes things easy for affiliates by consolidating all payouts into one payment, as do all the main affiliate networks. It displays EPC (which to CJ rather oddly means “earnings per 100 clicks”, not earnings per click). CJ is owned by ValueClick, which merged with Be Free. Founded 1998.
LinkShare
Rakuten LinkShare has more than 700 merchants in its affiliate network. Choose from categories such as books, music, flowers, fashion, computers, etc. You’ll find some big name companies here, including J.C. Penney, 1-800-Flowers.com, American Express and Avon Products. LinkShare is owned by Rakuten, which also owns the controversial OneCause toolbar. Founded 1996.
ClickBank
Offers a huge array – more than 50,000 – downloadable products, mainly ebooks. Because it is cheap and easy for merchants to join, the quality of the products provided varies enormously, from very good to downright awful. It’s a popular place to search for overlooked niches. It has more than 100,000 active affiliates. Founded 1998.
Google Affiliate Network
Closing down!
NEXT: Popular Affiliate Networks