Certified Affiliates
Affiliates come in all shapes and sizes. With so many choices out there, it can be overwhelming deciding which ones to use, if they are worth your time, or if they are even the right solution for you. It is also important to know if you can trust the affiliate because many of them require a Social Security number, and you do not want to throw that around.
Below we have built a list of ASANT Media Certified Affiliates. The certification means that we actually use the affiliates and have successfully made money and received actual payment. While there are probably many other reliable companies, we prefer to recommend those that we actually have experience with.
There are basically two types of affiliates:
- Pay per click (PPC)
- Cost per action (CPA)
Pay per click
Publishers get paid per click. Seems easy enough; however, the downside is that most of the time each click is worth $0.01 – $2.00. To turn these campaigns successful we are looking for high targeted traffic. Usually works well with traffic from search engines.
Certified Pay per click affiliates
Adsense – Backed by Google, so there is no lack of security or stability. While it is a very popular choice, each click brings in very little revenue. With a minimum of a $100 balance before payment can be received, it may take beginners a couple months before they see their first check. What makes Adsense a must use is that the creatives can easily be customized and different campaigns for different sites can be managed.
Best used with: All niches
Chitika – Works seamlessly with Adsense, but on average revenue per click seems even lower than Adsense. What makes Chitika unique, is there PPC search ad unit. Basically these ads can be put anywhere on your site, but they will only show to someone who reached your site through a search engine. This allows for highly targeted ads. Another plus is the low minimum to receive payment ($10).
Best used with: Can be used for all niches, Best for sites with high search traffic, Technology
Cost per action
Publishers get paid for action such as: sales or leads. Leads usually require a person to fill out a form. While different affiliates commission percentages can vary, for the most part, the more work or money the targeted are required to use the better the commission.
Certified Cost per action affiliates
Commission Junction – Probably my favorite of all the affiliate networks. You can usually find most big companies to promote in here, and setting up tracking code is pretty easy. That means you can easily see where your links are converting the best. Minimum payout is $50, and all members are approved instantly.
Best used with: All niches
INO Affiliate Program – By far, this program has to be my favorite. Commissions are extremely high. Almost 50% for some products. Most importantly the program is pushing quality products, which affiliate can use for free. Used on all our finance sites, the conversion rates are extremely high. The affiliate managers work really close with you offering articles, videos, and other ideas to help push products.
Minimum payout is $100, but we have never produced less than that. Even in our first month with the program.
Best used with: Finance,Investing