I see this question quite often.
Especially from people who have never built a website, or written articles.
And, it’s understandable.
This same question crossed my mind too.
Until I understood why having a website may be best when doing affiliate marketing.
More on that in a moment.
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To get back to the point “Do you really need a website for affiliate marketing?”
The hard core answer is “Heck, Yeah!” or Maybe not…
Nah!
I’m sticking to my original answer it’s….
Heck Yeah, you should definitely have a website.
There’s pro’s and con’s too going out there and promoting affiliate links without a website.
I know what you’re thinking…
“Can’t you just start a YouTube channel, throw out a few links in the description, and make money?”
Yes you could but, as I mentioned there are pro’s and con’s to this…
I’ll explain this to you in further detail below.
But, first let’s understand what they really mean, when they say doing affiliate marketing without a website?
What Is Affiliate Marketing Without A Website?
For those people who area completely new what it means to do affiliate marketing without a website…it means this…
…Instead of promoting your affiliate links on a website or a blog , you would promote your affiliate links on other platforms.
So, do you need a website to do affiliate marketing?
Technically, no…but, should you stick with this strategy?
Heck NO!
For instance, YouTube is free, and anyone can start a YouTube channel.
It’s one of many platforms that people use.
Heck, you even have some celebrities using YouTube now to promote their products.
At any rate, the YouTuber makes a video, shares some information within that video to their audience and then he or she might place affiliate links within the YouTube description.
If a customer clicks on the affiliate links, make a purchase, that YouTuber will make money.
And, there’s nothing wrong with that, that’s how affiliate marketing works.
In fact, there’s several ways to earn an income through affiliate marketing without a website but, should you rely on this method?
Does Affiliate Marketing Work Without A Website?
There’s no if ands and buts about it.
Affiliate marketing does work without having a website.
As I mentioned earlier, you have YouTubers that don’t have websites and still make money.
There’s people on social media without a website and they make money too but, is that really sustainable?
Honestly, I haven’t researched the statics of the success rate.
I can only imagine that it doesn’t last for long, because, most people telling you that you can do this without a website ….has a website.
What Should You Do?
Hear me out! You should not take the shortcut.
I see many people complain how building a website will take a lot of their time, and honestly it does.
I really do agree it does take time a lot of time but, as you can see even Google has a blog. Most major companies have a blog.
I don’t follow celebrities but, guess what even Kim Kardashian has a website.
So, that tells me we need a website too.
I can hear your thoughts from here…
True they might pay someone to write those articles, but you can do the same too.
As the saying goes, there are no shortcuts in life. You should consider starting a website.
The bottom line is, in the long run it will benefit you more.
Please keep Reading You'll appreciate this later in your blogging life.
Should You Do Affiliate Marketing Without A Website Long-Term?
I think you figured this answer out by now…
…Gosh NO!
….Please don’t…
When you first start out, sure you could start affiliate marketing without a website.
Reason being, it could help you make money faster so that you can start a website.
Should you depend on that strategy long-term?
Hmm…I don’t think so!
Either way, having no funds is probably the biggest barrier that I see many beginners face, especially moms.
And, I definitely get it!
Keep this in mind, if you start affiliate marketing without a website, make sure you take the funds that you earn and invest in building a website.
Besides, a website doesn’t cost that much up front.
You can get a domain name from NameCheap for $8.00 and hosting isn’t that expensive either. There’s several companies that offer hosting.
What Are The Pro’s of Affiliate Marketing Without A Website?
It’s easier to take the short cut.
And yes, you could make money faster but, keep in mind it’s also not guaranteed.
It would save you a ton of time.
It’s easier to take the short cut.
- It would save you a ton of time.
And yes, you could make money faster but, keep in mind it’s also not guaranteed.
What Are The Cons Of Affiliate Marketing Without A Website?
There are several reasons why you may want to reconsider promoting affiliate links without a website.
Just to a name a few:
- You could lose out many opportunities.
The platform that you’re promoting on could shut your account down because you do not own the platform.
- Many affiliate programs want to see your website before they approve you for their affiliate program.
Some affiliate programs do not allow you to promote their affiliate links directly on social media platforms.
What Are The Pros Of Affiliate Marketing With A Website?
Above all, the reason why I think you should reconsider not having a website while doing affiliate marketing is listed below:
- A website can be a permanent & evergreen money machine.
- A website is your digital asset.
- A website is where your home online is, you can showcase your work to others.
- You own that digital asset & it can be sold for future profits.
I like to call a blog your virtual real estate.
Yes, it’s true just like you can buy a home and turn it for profits. Websites work somewhat similar.
It can produce income for you and your family over and over again, for years to come.
In addition to this, if you ever decide to guest post, become a freelance writer, or get a job working for certain company’s. Those employers usually want you to provide a relevant link to your best work.
What Are The Cons Of Affiliate Marketing With A Website?
Affiliate marketing with a website is hard work.
- It takes a lot of time and effort on the front end of your journey.
- You don’t see the rewards until months later, for some people it takes years, and for others it never worked out.
Building a website isn’t as easy as it looks. And learning affiliate marketing on top of it can be a challenge for some.
Final Thoughts of Affiliate Marketing Without A Website
It’s certainly possible to start affiliate marketing without a website but, the real question you should ponder on is, “Should you do affiliate marketing without a website?”
Either way, let me leave you with this knowledge. Maybe it can help you understand more.
Affiliate marketing has been around for about 20 years.
- So, it’s stable and definitely not going anywhere.
- It’s also one of the most effective initial monetization business models that you can start.
- The entry point has a low barrier.
- And it’s method that has proven to work.
Each year the affiliate marketing industry grows.
I’ve covered some of the statistics, when I’ve written a previous article and in the section that speaks about the pro’s of affiliate marketing, you can see the growth stats.
The bottom line is, according to the Awin report, blogs have provided extremely useful information.
- Bloggers have helped many online shoppers become more informed when making purchases.
If you view the Awin report, page 75, you’ll see an image, where it shows blogger opinions account for 54% while social media accounts for 37%.
What does that mean to you?
Affiliate marketing without a website is possible but not as effective as having your own website.
What do you think?
Is affiliate marketing without a website a wise decision long term? Maybe short term?
But, what about long term?
Well, that's all folks!
Any further thoughts, do you think affiliate marketing without a website is sustainable?
