Take an in-depth look at real-life examples of the BEST affiliate marketing websites. Find inspiration and see how marketers succeeded in …
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55+ Real Life Examples Of Successful Affiliate Marketing Websites 2021
- By Allan Borch
- Updated May 1, 2020
There’s a growing number of affiliate websites online. Some are just more obvious and less thought out than the others. Quick example:
Affiliate marketing is a highly competitive industry. There are 57.44% of affiliate marketers in the U.S. alone (1). Unfortunately, some start with income as their only motivator, and that is one of the main reasons sites get abandoned.
Below are the affiliate marketing websites that continuously take the time and effort to offer immense value to their readers. In fact, some of those listed here are not built to look like a typical affiliate site, which helps to attract and retain leads.
Types of Affiliate Sites
Before going over different affiliate website examples, it is important to know that there are different types of websites created for affiliate marketing (2), including the following:
- Blogging sites
- Content sites
- Shopping comparison sites
- Coupon sites
- Review site
Non-Amazon Affiliate Website
According to MediaKix, 81% of brands and 84% of publishers leverage affiliate marketing programs to increase their sales (3). The good news is there are many affiliate programs in different niches available and not just from Amazon. This offers an aspiring marketer like you with several options.
Gear Patrol – Gearpatrol.com
Overview | |
Niche: | Gear and Lifestyle |
Established: | April 2007 |
Mission: | Create a world where everyone is empowered with the right products and knowledge |
Main Challenge: | Keeping the articles organized and easy to find while making sure the site is easy to navigate and has a fast loading speeds |
Gear Patrol was started by Eric Yang and Ben Bowers back in 2007 as a digital lifestyle magazine for men. Despite having limited resources, they still managed to increase their affiliate revenue to 92% each year (4).
Key Statistics
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Nature of Content
- Single product reviews
- Comparison articles
- Buying tips and guides
- How-to articles
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Top Money Generating Page
This specific page gets around 19,000 organic traffic each month. It identifies which chair is best for almost every possible use. It also cleverly combines the brands’ story with the product review.
Top Informational Page
This article talks about Pappy Van Winkle but the shift between storytelling and product review is notably seamless. This speaks a lot about the branding of the website.
How Gear Patrol Makes Money
- Affiliate links: eBay, Best Buy, Walmart, etc.
- Private magazine
- Private shop
- Private retail items
- Brand partnerships through Gear Patrol Studios
Key Takeaways
Tell a story – it is part of their branding to touch on a readers’ emotions. The site does well in telling a brand’s story, which may be the reason why it gets decent revenue from affiliate links.
Develop a brand – Gear Patrol managed to have multiple streams of income as they built their brand. From just a small and simple digital magazine, they ventured into offering creative collateral for their clients too.
Fatherly – Fatherly.com
Overview | |
| Niche: | Parenting |
| Established: | March 2001 |
| Mission: | Empower men to raise great kids and lead more fulfilling adult lives. |
| Main Challenge: | Give sound advice and practices that are applicable to the current times and varying situations |
Fatherly has been around since 2001 but it officially launched in April 2015. Back then, it did not have enough audience even after a year (5). In fact, according to Rothman, Fatherly’s CEO and co-founder, 100 venture capitalists did not like his idea. They thought the parenting market is not for men (6).
Fast forward to 2020, let us take a look at how Fatherly is doing:
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Nature of Content
Fatherly publishes lists and how-to articles mainly about parenting. It covers different stages of fatherhood, even tackling the trying & expecting part of it. The site became a lifestyle blog for dads and men in general as it features content on health & science, love & money, news, etc.
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Top Money Generating Page
The page that is most visited and contributes largely to Fatherly’s income is a listicle on gift ideas for 1-year olds. The style is straightforward and simply states what a specific toy does and how it contributes to children’s development.
Top Informational Page
The most popular informational content published by Fatherly is just a simple list article on riddles, no marketing, and affiliate links involved. However, it builds rapport and it shows how well the site knows its audience.
In fact, the top 5 keywords for Fatherly revolves around jokes and the one that makes them rank #1 on Google SERP is riddles for kids (7).
How Fatherly Makes Money
- Affiliate commissions
- Direct partnerships
- Display advertisements
- Published book
- Monetized YouTube account
Key Takeaways
Believe in your niche – Fatherly emerged in a time when men were not considered as part of the parenting process. Even after countless rejections, it continued to build its identity and modern dads are benefiting from it.
Engage audience – apart from the website, Fatherly established a presence in social media platforms. This increased audiences’ trust and drives more traffic to the site, something successful affiliate marketing websites must have. It boosts revenue too!
Be creative with content – Fatherly has been doing a great job with its topics, providing the audience with the right balance between informative and trivia content while sticking within its niche. This allows Fatherly to get as many organic keywords and traffic.
NerdWallet – Nerdwallet.com
Overview | |
| Niche: | Finance |
| Established: | February 2009 |
| Mission: | Provide clarity for all of life’s financial decisions |
| Main Challenge: | Stay on top of on the current offers and deals from various financial institutions |
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Nature of Content
NerdWallet compiles important pieces of information one would look for when shopping and comparing financial products.- Review articles
- Comparison articles
- Buying tips and guide
- How-to articles
- Built-in tools
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Top Money Generating Page
This page features a calculator that suggests possible lenders you can refer to based on the figures you provided. Readers can see the transparency of this site because, when everything is placed at a minimum, the recommended lenders disappear. It is also worth mentioning that the title of this page is simple yet catchy.Top Informational Page
This page talks about tax brackets and rates in detail. Towards the end of the article, there’s a list of recommended software that could help make tax filing a lot easier too.How NerdWallet Makes Money
NerdWallet is purely reader-supported and it makes money mainly through affiliate links. Having grown this large, it managed to partner with a lot of consumer finance brands such as Allstate, American Express, etc. You can find their full list here (15).Key Takeaways
Offer tools – In most of their pages, NerdWallet incorporates useful tools that could help readers see results for themselves and make sound decisions. It also makes the experience a lot more personal. Give honest recommendations – The integrity of this site is very evident as it provides truthful feedback with the help of the tools available.The Points Guy – Thepointsguy.com
Overview | |
| Niche: | Travel and Finance |
| Established: | November 2015 |
| Mission: | Help readers maximize their travel experience |
| Main Challenge: | Keeping track of the points and miles offered by various airlines, travel, and consumer finance companies |
The Points Guy was started by Brian Kelly and ran it by himself during the time. Back then, the website was focused on airline travel loyalty programs but slowly became a travel and consumer finance website.
After years of hard work, TPG managed to generate at least $50 million in profit last year (9).
Key Statistics
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Nature of Content
- News articles
- Review articles
- Comparison articles
- How-to articles
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Top Money Generating Page
This page alone contributes around 45,000 in organic traffic for The Points Guy. It laid out its own valuations on the amount of dollars saved up in terms of points which is great for adding transparency for the readers. Plus, it explained how to earn points and rewards.
Top Informational Page
This content demonstrates how The Points Guy is on top of current deals and promotions.
How The Points Guy Makes Money
- Affiliate commissions: American Express, Capital One, Airbnb, Emirates, etc.
- Direct partnerships and advertisements
- Private shop
Key Takeaways
Offer exclusive deals – in an interview with Brian Kelly himself, he mentioned that he and his team negotiate exclusives and demand for higher commissions with credit card providers (10). This is a great way to differentiate from the competition.
Scale the niche – TPG managed to tap on the different sectors that offer points, rewards, and miles which allowed it to become an all-in-one travel website.
Fit Small Business – Fitsmallbusiness.com
Overview | |
| Niche: | Business |
| Established: | June 2013 |
| Mission: | Provide clear, comprehensive, and actionable content to help small business owners to succeed |
| Main Challenge: | Stay up-to-date with how current businesses run and operate |
Fit Small Business was started by David Waring and Marc Prosser in 2013 when they discovered the absence of articles that focused on small business owners. They felt that there was no content that went into detail regarding important information entrepreneurs need.
Key Statistics
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Nature of Content
- Review articles
- Comparison articles
- Tips and guides
- How-to articles
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Top Money Generating Page
This page brings around 6,000 in monthly organic traffic. This article clearly explained how each software differs in both pricing and features. All of the free software listed were also of high quality.
At the bottom of the page, there’s an affiliate link of a highly recommended software, resulting in a natural transition.
Top Informational Page
This article discussed what net working capital is. The affiliate links to the partner lenders were blended well into the article. There were no aggressive promotions plus it offered a free eBook on getting a loan.
How Fit Small Business Makes Money
Fit Small Business makes money from commissions through affiliate links. It is partnered with 99Designs, Agile CRM, and GoDaddy.com to name a few. It is also evident that it is one of the affiliate websites that make money on genuine product reviews rather than display ads.
Key Takeaways
Review free versions – despite running mainly on affiliate commissions, they took the time to review free software and programs which most starting owners would prefer to use.
Give valuable starter materials – Fit Small Business offers free ebooks, which is one way for them to acquire their readers’ email addresses and leverage on email marketing from there.
Tom’s Hardware – Tomshardware.com
Overview | |
| Niche: | Technology |
| Established: | April 1996 |
| Mission: | Provide comprehensive resources for tech enthusiast of all skill levels |
| Main Challenge: | Staying on top of current advances in technology and maintaining tradition and reputation of unrivaled thorough reviews |
Tom’s Hardware was started by Dr. Thomas Pabst in 1996 and was one of the first few sites that brought technology journalism to the internet.
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Nature of Content
Tom’s Hardware publishes news, reviews, and how-to articles on different parts, software, and accessories. They also have content on consumer technology such as laptops and computers.
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Top Money Generating Page
It lists down some of the best graphic cards and how each one stacked up based on GPU performance. Gaming benchmarks are used to rank each card. However, it was noticeable how only selected items are linked to affiliate buttons.
Top Informational Page
This article discussed how to get the latest version of Windows without paying a dime or how to get it for a discounted price.
How Tom’s Hardware Makes Money
- Affiliate commissions
- Display advertisements
- Direct partnerships
Key Takeaways
Use keywords – most of the articles published by Tom’s Hardware are evidently high in keywords, even in the title. They include words that readers would impulsively click on but read right through to the end.
The Spruce – The Spruce
Overview | |
| Niche: | Home and Lifestyle |
| Established: | February 2011 |
| Mission: | Offer practical, real-life tips and inspiration |
| Main Challenge: | Adapting to the continuously changing trends and styles |
The Spruce is one of About.com or Dotdash’s brands. It was initially launched as a home website but today, it includes Pets, Eats, and Crafts as part of the site.
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Nature of Content
- List articles
- Review articles
- Buying tips and guides
- How-to articles
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Top Money Generating Page
This page went through 11 of the best laundry sets for 2020 and generated around 37,000 monthly organic traffic.
Top Informational Page
This article enumerated different party games to enjoy with friends and family without affiliate links.
How The Spruce Makes Money
- Display advertisements
- Affiliate Commissions: Home Depot, Best Buy, Lowe, etc.
- Direct partnerships
Key Takeaways
Branch out – The Spruce is a brand under Dotdash. Instead of making a general site, Dotdash made several sites that focused on different niches and just made sure they were the best in that specific category.
Best Reviews – Bestreviews.com
Best Reviews was founded in February 2003 with the goal of giving the best picks in different consumer products across different categories. Each item has been research extensively before a review is written and pulished. This page gets an average of 100,000 monthly organic traffic.
Like most affiliate websites, Best Reviews’ income comes from affiliate commissions and direct partnerships wherein syndications and licensing are offered. The site does not accept advertisements.
Making Sense of Cents – Makingsenseofcents.com
Making Sense of Cents was founded in July 2013 by Michelle Schroeder-Gardner. It started as a lifestyle blog where she shared her financial journey. She mainly publishes guides and how-to articles on ways to make extra money, saving, and travel to name a few.
This website gets around 100,000 monthly visitors and makes money through affiliate marketing, display ads, and by offering personal blogging courses.
Territory Supply – Territorysupply.com
Territory Supply was founded in September 2015 by Dustin Christensen. This site mainly publishes review articles on the best places, rentals, and activities. It gets around 29,000 monthly visitors and makes money through affiliate commissions from various travel providers.
Outside Pursuits – Outsidepursuits.com
Outside Pursuits was founded in July 2013. This site offers reviews and guides on different outdoor activities. The writers on this site contribute based on their experiences and passion to give realistic advice and information to their readers.
The site gets around 240,000 organic monthly traffic and generates income from various travel providers and commission from affiliates.
Dating Advice – Datingadvice.com
Dating Advice was started in June 2002 and has become one of the leading online resources on dating. The niche website posts review articles on different dating sites and holds Q&A sessions, live forums, and research studies.
Dating Advice makes money through affiliate commissions and direct partnerships. It also indicated that compensation affects where certain articles and recommendations appear.
PriceGrabber – Pricegrabber.com
PriceGrabber has been around since May 1999. This site is mainly a shopping deal finder where different discounted consumer products are posted. It gets around 30,000 monthly organic traffic and makes money through affiliate commissions and direct partnerships.
Money Saving Expert – Moneysavingexpert.com
Money Saving Expert was started by Martin Lewis in July 2002. It publishes lists, guides, reviews, and comparison articles on finance and budgeting. It also comes with deal finders. The site earns from direct partnerships and commissions from top affiliate sites.
Non-Amazon Niche Sites
Best VPN – Bestvpn.org
Overview | |
| Niche: | VPN |
| Established: | January 2007 |
| Mission: | Share which VPNs actually work and which VPNs do not make the cut |
| Main Challenge: | Providing unbiased reviews and keeping articles up-to-date with most recent updates and new VPN providers |
Best VPN was started by Alex Grant back in 2007 after realizing VPNs are hard to understand.
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Nature of Content
Best VPN mainly has review articles identifying which VPNs are best for different uses but also has few articles on internet security.
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Top Money Generating Page
This page generates around 50,000 monthly organic traffic for Best VPN. Across the article and even on the title itself, it uses important keywords that make users click on the site. There are top recommendations listed, with each one linked to the providers’ page.
Top Informational Page
This page talks about IP addresses, the difference between IP4 and IP6, and how it’s possible for a tool to identify someone’s specific IP address.
How Best VPN Makes Money
Best VPN thrives mainly on affiliate commissions, which is stated in the banner. The site does not run any display ads. However, it is unclear whether this site accepts direct partnerships.
Key Takeaways
Have passion – this site is most likely self-run by the founder and thrives in affiliate commissions. While this is not always easy, with the level of depth each review has on the VPN, it is evident that Alex Grant just really wants to help out readers who have the same frustration as he does.
Safe Wise – Safewise.com
Overview | |
| Niche: | Personal Security |
| Established: | November 2001 |
| Mission: | Help readers figure out the right protection for their “wheres” and “whos” |
| Main Challenge: | Recommending products that would be beneficial to the majority and are applicable to different situations |
Safe Wise was launched in 2001 with a focus on home security products. After a few years, it expanded to personal security products.
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Nature of Content
Safe Wise mainly publishes reviews and comparison articles on multiple personal security products. It also has guides and how-to articles to further help readers.
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Top Money Generating Page
This page contributes around 100,000 organic monthly traffic to Safe Wise and it has around 14,000 organic keywords for a 2,000-word article.
Top Informational Page
This page discussed what Carbon Monoxide Detectors do and how it works. While it did recommend specific products, there were no aggressive promotions and affiliate buttons.
How Safe Wise Makes Money
Safe Wise makes money through affiliate commissions from some of the products it recommends.
Key Takeaways
Give honest reviews – despite only making revenue through affiliate links, Safe Wise gives truthful feedback on products their partners offer and dishes out on those that do not meet standards.
Slumber Yard – Myslumberyard.com
Overview | |
| Niche: | Mattresses |
| Established: | August 2018 |
| Mission: | Help consumers select the right bed |
| Main Challenge: | Be able to clearly differentiate seemingly similar products |
Key Statistics
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Nature of Content
- Review articles
- Comparison articles
- Buying tips and guide
- Deals
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Top Money Generating Page
This page generates around 38,000 organic monthly visitors for Slumber Yard. This article provides a thorough review of mattresses and incorporates the brand’s deal on a purchase.
Top Informational Page
In this article, Slumber Yard thoroughly explained the difference between a duvet and a comforter. Based on this page’s statistics, it is evident how dense the keywords are.
How Slumber Yard Makes Money
- Direct partnerships
- Affiliate commissions: Yogabed, Tuft & Needle, Winkbeds, etc.
Key Takeaways
Make articles easy to understand – Product review articles are oftentimes too technical for the average consumer to comprehend but Slumber Yard’s writing style is the key to its successful affiliate marketing. This is because the articles are written on a consumers’ perspective which makes them easily understandable.
Dog Food Advisor – Dogfoodadvisor.com
Overview | |
| Niche: | Dog food |
| Established: | October 2008 |
| Mission: | Help consumers make informed decisions when buying dog food |
| Main Challenge: | Keeping track of recalls and staying on top of the latest releases |
Mike Sagman launched Dog Food Advisor in 2008 after losing his dog over poor nutrition from food manufactured by well-trusted brands.
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Nature of Content
- Review articles
- Comparison articles
- Recall logs
- Buying guide
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Top Money Generating Page
This page reviews different dry foods on the market and the specific ingredients used in each one.
Top Informational Page
This page is a dedicated log for the recalled dog foods.
How Dog Food Advisor Makes Money
Dog Food Advisor explicitly denies paid advertisements and sponsorships from brands and manufacturers. Instead, it receives affiliate commissions from private distributors such as Chewy.
Key Takeaways
Maintain integrity – Dog Food Advisor reviews products separately from the manufacturer.
The Sweet Setup – Thesweetsetup.com
Overview | |
| Niche: | Mobile applications for Apple |
| Established: | October 2013 |
| Mission: | Help consumers make the most out of their time and attention |
| Main Challenge: | Keep track on each app’s updates and stay on top of new releases |
The Sweet Setup was launched in 2013 by Shawn Blanc who has been writing about apps and gadgets for Apple users since 2007.
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Nature of Content
- Review articles
- Comparison articles
- Buying tips and guide
- How-to articles
- Inspirational articles
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Top Money Generating Page
This page discussed in detail how Fantastical works and how it differs from its top competitors.
Top Informational Page
This page clearly demonstrates how The Sweet Setup covers the essential apps, even the simplest one.
How The Sweet Setup Makes Money
- Affiliate commission from app developers and private brands
- Private training products and video courses
- Display advertisements
- Private sponsorships
Key Takeaways
Make content relatable – The Sweet Setup does well in telling stories that are commonly experienced by most of its readers, and they blend it perfectly to their recommendations.
Offer private courses – From their reviewed apps, they have dedicated courses on how to improve their readers’ life and experience.
Survival Life – Survivallife.com
Overview | |
| Niche: | Survival DIY |
| Established: | August 2010 |
| Mission: | Provide an array of resource for survival gear, skills, and tips |
| Main Challenge: | Standing out in a competitive market |
Survival Life started in August 2010 with the vision of becoming the ultimate one-stop destination for those who are interested in survival and preparation.
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Nature of Content
- List articles
- How-to articles
- Tips and guides
- Review articles
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Top Money Generating Page
This page lists down survival gear. It does not lead to external websites they are affiliated with, however, but upsells by redirecting readers to the store where products are promoted and sold.
Top Informational Page
This page is an example of Survival Life’s list article. There are no affiliate links but redirects to other helpful blogs.
How Survival Life Makes Money
- Private store
- Display advertisements
- Paid sponsorships
- Sale commissions from private brands such as Strongür
- Private affiliate program
Key Takeaways
Have a dedicated store – what makes this website unique is how it has a clear separation between information articles and product links.
Ecommerce CEO – Ecommerceceo.com
Overview | |
| Niche: | Ecommerce startups |
| Established: | February 2011 |
| Mission: | Give sound business advice to first-time entrepreneurs about different online businesses |
| Main Challenge: | Provide information without submitting to the hype |
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Nature of Content
- List articles
- How-to articles
- Review articles
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Top Money Generating Page
This page generates around 7,000 organic monthly visitors. It went into detail with readily available e-commerce platforms and weighed in on which ones have the best offers for certain uses. However, some recommended platforms do not have redirect links.
Top Informational Page
This page clearly demonstrates the Ecommerce CEO’s knowledge of its niche. It backs each claim with the appropriate data. It is commendable that the creators took the time to offer the site for free when many would charge a lot for the research.
How Ecommerce CEO Makes Money
- Display advertisements
- Affiliate commissions
- Private courses
- Paid consultations
Key Takeaways
Brand Positioning – while being an affiliate website, eCommerce CEO does well in making readers feel that they are the expert in the startup field.
Website Setup – Websitesetup.org
Overview | |
| Niche: | Website development |
| Established: | – |
| Mission: | Help beginners create their own websites, blogs, and online stores using the right tools and platforms |
| Main Challenge: | Provide tools and platforms that are based on modern practices |
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Nature of Content
- Long-form tutorial articles
- Tips and guides
- Comparison articles
- Review articles
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Top Money Generating Page
This page demonstrates how beginner-friendly the site’s content is. This specific page generates around 484,000 organic monthly traffic, making it one of the top affiliate websites where traffic-wise.
Top Informational Page
This list article gives readers an idea of which font to use along with trivia information on each.
How Website Setup Makes Money
- Affiliate commissions from BigCommerce, Bluehost, WordPress, etc.
Key Takeaways
Keep it simple – what it lacks in design and illustrations, it makes up with a seemingly unmatched level of guidance.
The Poor Traveler – Thepoortraveler.net
The Poor Traveler was started by Yosh Dimen and Vins Carlos in May 2011. They publish lists, guides, and how-to articles on budget travel and applications. They get around 260,000 monthly organic traffic and make money through display advertisements, affiliate links, and direct partnerships.
Minimalist Baker – Minimalistbaker.com
Minimalist Baker was launched by Dana Shultz in June 2012. She publishes guides on how to make certain dishes. This site gets around 3 million monthly organic traffic and makes money through display advertisements, affiliate commissions, and through the store where tools and ingredients are promoted.
The Athletic Build – Theathleticbuild.com
The Athletic Build was launched in April 2012 with the goal of becoming a trusted resource in the bodybuilding niche. It publishes lists and guides that generate around 13,000 monthly organic traffic each month. It makes money through display advertisements and affiliate commissions.
The Military Wallet – Themilitarywallet.com
The Military Wallet was started by Ryan Guina in June 2010 and focused on giving financial advice to the military community. It has a variety of content, including guides and comparison articles. The site gets around 125,000 monthly organic traffic and makes money through affiliate commissions, display advertisements, and direct partnerships.
Labrador Training HQ – Labradortraininghq.com
Labrador Training HQ started in October 2013 with the goal of helping people build a healthy relationship with Labradors. It gets around 110,000 monthly organic traffic and generates income through affiliate commissions and display advertisements.
Amazon Affiliate Website
The Wirecutter – Thewirecutter.com
Overview | |
| Niche: | Gear and Gadgets |
| Established: | September 2011 |
| Mission: | Make shopping easy by telling you the best one to get |
| Main Challenge: | To have a very strict and selective criterion on how to identify the best product in each category |
The Wirecutter was started by Brian Lam back in 2011 and, at that time, the site only focused on consumer technology. It consistently offers in-depth and substantial reviews that fueled its massive success and made it one of the top Amazon affiliate sites.
In just 4 years, they were able to bring $150 million in e-commerce transactions (13). The figure was impressive enough to gain the attention of The New York Times who acquired it for at least $30 million dollars a year later (14).
With New York Times behind it, let us take a closer look at how The Wirecutter is doing:
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Nature of Content
From pure consumer technology, The Wirecutter expanded to publishing review articles on almost any category one can think of. At the same time, it also has helpful blogs and guides.
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Top Money Generating Page
This specific page brings in around 72k in monthly organic traffic for the site. It was first published last April 2017 and was recently updated in March 2020. This shows that the recommendations are up-to-date. The amount and level of information are very notable too.
Top Informational Page
On this page, The Wirecutter explains why some of its picks have bad reviews on Amazon. This is actually a great way to clear doubts from readers who do separate research. Plus, it shows that they care about their output and audience.
How The Wire Cutter Makes Money
- Affiliate commissions from Amazon Associates, eBay, BestBuy, etc.
- Licensing and awards
- Syndications and custom collaborations
- Paid advertising
Key Takeaways
Regularly update content – The Wirecutter does a great job of staying on top of their posts, making sure that they are kept current and relevant.
Quality over quantity – Only a few product comparison articles are published to make room for more reviews and guides.
Baby Gear Lab – Babygearlab.com
Overview | |
| Niche: | Baby Products |
| Established: | February 2011 |
| Mission: | Create the best baby product reviews in the world |
| Main Challenge: | Limited streams of income |
The Baby Gear Lab was founded by Dr. Juliet Spurrier way back in 2011. She is a board-certified pediatrician who was inspired to start this website because of her personal experience and journey as an expectant mother.
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Nature of Content
- List articles
- Review articles
- Product recommendation articles
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Top Money Generating Page
Just by reading the title, it is evident how Baby Gear Lab prioritizes quality. Some affiliate marketing sites would have easily listed down the best convertible car seats but this one went the extra mile and added a scenario that parents fear the most but must learn to deal with–car crashes.
Top Informational Page
This page laid out the different must-haves for new parents as they go through their baby’s first year. It does well in demonstrating an industry and niche-level knowledge. There were no affiliate links but there were in-text links that led to an in-depth review of the product.
How Baby Gear Lab Makes Money
The Baby Gear Lab is purely reader-supported which means they only receive commissions when readers buy products using their link.
Key Takeaways
Give valuable information – Baby Gear Lab achieves affiliate marketing success by giving in-depth reviews and providing helpful buying tips in almost all of their articles. There are plenty of actionable guides too. There’s also a section on the site that is dedicated to explaining the testing process.
It is not always about selling – The creators know the proper places where they should put affiliate links, and they make sure that they back their claims with solid facts. To be more specific, they only place product links when they have thoroughly reviewed a product.
Care about quality – Baby Gear Lab buys the products reviewed directly from the retailers and performs the testing themselves.
The Prepared – Theprepared.com
Overview | |
| Niche: | Emergency Preparation |
| Established: | February 2006 |
| Mission: | Help you survive emergencies |
| Main Challenge: | Keeping up-to-date and limited streams of income |
The Prepared is a media company started by John Ramey, Steve Huffman, and Jon Stokes way back in 2006. They started the website because they saw the lack of such information online (8).
What makes this website great is the fact that the founders are preppers themselves. Plus, according to them, more than being a blog, they want their site to be a Wikipedia for survival and preparation.
Key Statistics
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Nature of Content
- Review articles
- How-to articles
- Guide articles
- Blogs
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Top Money Generating Page
This page brings in around 4,000 monthly traffic for The Prepared. The writer really went in detail with the reviews on the different soft body armors. John Ramey wrote the review himself and the information he gave was highly commended in the comments section.
Top Informational Page
This page laid out all the essentials in an emergency kit. It is just a simple blog article but what is notable about this is the fact that there were no spammy Buy Now buttons. Instead, in-text links are placed in a separate paragraph.
How The Prepared Makes Money
- Affiliate commissions
- Private courses
Key Takeaways
Update posts – what makes this site organized is the fact that it does not have too many articles. Instead, it keeps a log on the current topics and updates them once in a while.
Engage the audience – a section of the website allows readers to craft their own first aid and emergency kits. This is a great tactic to keep attracting traffic as the audience can get curious about what others made.
Equipboard – Equipboard.com
Overview | |
| Niche: | Music |
| Established: | February 2013 |
| Mission: | Break down gear, tools, and products used by artists, pros, and influencers |
| Main Challenge: | Keeping musicians’ profiles accurate |
Key Statistics
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Nature of Content
- Review articles
- Gear guides
- Artist profiles
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Top Money Generating Page
This article discussed different guitar strings in-depth.
Top Informational Page
This page shows the list of gear John Mayer used in his career.
How Equipboard Makes Money
- Display advertisements
- Affiliate commissions
Key Takeaways
Provide fun content – in order to keep readers hooked to their site, Equipboard compiles a list of tools that artists use, something music enthusiasts are sure to love and appreciate.
Engadget – Engadget.com
Overview | |
| Niche: | Technology |
| Established: | March 2004 |
| Mission: | Become the go-to for technology news and reviews |
| Main Challenge: | Stay on top of the current events and trends on technology |
Engadget was launched in 2004 as a consumer tech news and reviews site. Today, it is one of the leading global multimedia organizations that feature articles that shaped our future.
Key Statistics
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Nature of Content
- News articles
- Review articles
- Buying tips and guide
- Videos
- List articles
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Top Money Generating Page
It is notable how product promotion is blended with global news seamlessly.
Top Informational Page
This demonstrates how it stays on top of the bigger figures in technology and how fast it can deliver the news.
How Engadget Makes Money
- Display advertisements
- Affiliate commissions
- Direct partnerships
Key Takeaways
Support multiple languages – Engadget built their site using different languages in order to reach a global scale.
Stay relevant – they incorporate product promotions on current global events.
The Adventure Junkies – Theadventurejunkies.com
The Adventure Junkies has been around since October 2014. This site provides lists, how-tos, and review articles that improve their readers’ outdoor experience. The site makes money from affiliate links and through its private shop.
Wing Rep – Wingrep.com
The Wing Rep is a self-run site that was established in March 2001 by John Smith. It publishes reviews and how-to articles on different consumer products focusing on gadgets and electronics in music. Additionally, he also has a blog section dedicated to audio and sewing categories.
The Wing Rep makes money entirely from affiliate commissions.
Choose Wheels – Choosewheels.com
Choose Wheels was founded in September 2010. This site focuses on giving reviews and guides on different personal transportation options. They offer deals and discounts too. This site makes money through affiliate commissions, paid reviews, and display advertisements.
Snap Sort – Snapsort.com
Snapsort was established in November 2009, founded by Christopher Reid, Alex Black, and Mark Feeney. The goal of this site is to help consumers purchase digital cameras quickly and easily. Like many Amazon affiliate websites, it makes money through display advertising, affiliate commissions, and direct partnerships.
Lucie’s List – Lucieslist.com
Lucie’s List was launched in October 2010 by Meg Collins. She started this blog after realizing that there was not enough information about pregnancies and infancies, even postpartum. This site publishes articles that chronicle the complete journey during the first year. It also has review articles that come with buying tips and guides.
This site makes money purely from affiliate commissions.
10 Beasts – 10beasts.com
10Beasts was launched in May 2016 by Edward Eugen and was then self-run. It publishes review articles on various consumer technology products and makes money through affiliate commissions.
Everyday Carry – Everydaycarry.com
Everyday Carry was founded in February 2005. It provides readers with listicles, review articles, and buying guides on different everyday gear and gadgets. This site makes money from affiliate links and direct partnerships.
Consumer Search – Consumersearch.com
Consumer Search has been present since December 1998. It mostly has review articles on different consumer products across categories. On top of that, it publishes news and guides on different topics. This site earns through affiliate commissions and direct partnerships.
This Is Why I’m Broke – Thisiswhyimbroke.com
This Is Why I’m Broke has been around since June 2011 and its goal is to be an online magazine that features cool products. It also has list articles that compile gifts for certain events and people. This site generates revenue from affiliate commissions only.
Amazon Niche Sites
Runner Click – Runnerclick.com
Overview | |
| Niche: | Running |
| Established: | March 2015 |
| Mission: | Make it possible for readers to get the right gears without wasting money |
| Main Challenge: | Providing recommendations that are widely applicable and having a criterion on how to rate the products |
Key Statistics
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Nature of Content
- Review articles
- Exclusive deals and discounts
- How-to articles
- Tips and guides
- List article
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Top Money Generating Page
This page discusses each shoe in detail, provides separate ratings for the qualities, and offers special deals.
Top Informational Page
This page offers a more thorough review of each of the specifications.
How Runner Click Makes Money
- Affiliate commissions
- Direct partnerships
- Display advertisements
- Sponsorship
Key Takeaways
Cover all niche’s aspects – what makes Runner Click’s website great is the fact that it has useful built-in tools that are relevant to running. These include Race Finder, Deal Finder, and an Injury Finder.
Swim University – Swimuniversity.com
Overview | |
| Niche: | Swimming Pool & Hot Tub |
| Established: | March 2007 |
| Mission: | Help keep the swimming pool & hot tub clean |
| Main Challenge: | Consistent production of content |
Key Statistics
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- How-to articles
- List articles
- Review articles
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Top Money Generating Page
This page discusses the different solutions for cloudy water.
Top Informational Page
The content on this page makes pool calculation a lot easier to comprehend and less intimidating for beginners.
How Swim University Makes Money
- Affiliate commissions
- Private courses and handbook
Key Takeaways
Offer free glimpses – Swim University has paid courses but gives readers a preview on a few sections for free.
PC Part Picker – Pcpartpicker.com
Overview | |
| Niche: | PC Parts |
| Established: | |
| Mission: | |
| Main Challenge: | |
Key Statistics
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Nature of Content
- Guide articles
- Product comparisons
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Top Money Generating Page
This page makes it easy for readers to find which retailers carry their chosen parts.
Top Informational Page
Learn how to build the best performing mid-level gaming PC. Given the content, it’s no surprise that the page generates around 30,000 in organic monthly traffic.
How PC Part Picker Makes Money
The PC Part Picker makes money solely through affiliate commissions.
Key Takeaways
Engage readers – There’s a dedicated page wherein readers are allowed to showcase and share their custom builds.
Epic Gardening – epicgardening.com
Overview | |
| Niche: | Gardening |
| Established: | March 2013 |
| Mission: | Make gardening easy and share the secrets of a green thumb |
| Main Challenge: | Giving advice on crops that only grow in certain areas |
Epic Gardening was started by Kevin Espiritu as a hobby in March 2013.
Key Statistics
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Nature of Content
- Tips and guides
- Review articles
- List articles
- How-to articles
- Videos
- Podcast episodes
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Top Money Generating Page
This page discussed in detail their top lawn aerators.
Top Informational Page
This is a list article on the different DIY raised beds that are easy to build. This page had display advertisements rather than affiliate links.
How Epic Gardening Makes Money
- Affiliate commissions
- Display advertisements
- Private shop
Key Takeaways
Have passion – The founder of Epic Gardening was very much into plants. This helped him produced quality articles naturally which contributed to how large the site has grown in just a short amount of time.
Roger Skateboards – Rogerskateboards.com
Overview | |
| Niche: | Riding boards |
| Established: | July 2008 |
| Mission: | |
| Main Challenge: | |
Key Statistics
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- Review articles
- Buying guides
- How-to articles
- List articles
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Top Money Generating Page
This page gets around 4,000 monthly organic traffic.
Top Informational Page
The content here guides readers on how to build a DIY deck.
How Roger Skateboards Makes Money
Roger Skateboards earns through affiliate commissions.
Key Takeaways
Simple layouts work – Comparing other riding board sites, Roger Skateboards has the most basic looking website. However, in terms of stats, this website is very competitive.
Shaver Guru – Shaverguru.com
Shaver Guru was launched in January 2015. It mainly publishes list and review articles on different shavers. This site earns mostly on affiliate commissions. However, it is not clear whether direct partnerships are accepted.
Car Seat Answers – Carseatanswers.com
Car Seat Answers was started in July 2013 and are self-run until today. The site mainly has to buy guides, comparisons, and review articles on different car seats. It earns from affiliate commissions but does not provide information on whether it accepts direct partnerships and sponsorships.
Gift Idea Geek – Giftideageek.com
Gift Idea Geek was launched in June 2018 by Andrew and the website has an endless scroll dynamic on seemingly unique gifts. It is similar to This Is Why I’m Broke, except that there are short product reviews and descriptions for each item. The readers are not automatically redirected to the affiliate website’s page.
Another thing is that this page has a blog section for featured posts. It is highly likely that the featured items were paid for by the advertiser prior to posting.
Thank Your Skin – Thankyourskin.com
Thank Your Skin was started by Hannah Do in September 2014 and publishes reviews, DIY articles, lists, and how-to guides on skin products and related concerns. This site earns solely from affiliate commissions.
The Flooring Girl – Theflooringgirl.com
The Flooring Girl was founded in October 2011 by Debbie Gartner. This site provides how-tos, guide, and review articles on home and floor improvements. Its source of income is advertisements, affiliate commissions, and private consultations.
Nootriment – Nootriment.com
Nootriment was founded in July 2013 by Sharifa Darani. Her success in affiliate marketing is due to the buying guides and review articles focused on the body and health concerns that she publishes. This site earns money through display advertisements and affiliate commissions.
Headphones Addict – Headphonesaddict.com
Headphones Addict was established in May 2000. Founded by a group of music lovers and headphone fans, namely Matija, Justin, and James. The site is a treasure trove of buying guides and review articles on different headphones. This site makes money through affiliate commissions.
Podcast Insights – Podcastinsights.com
Podcast Insights was launched in January 2016 with the aim to help readers start podcasting and become successful with it. The site contains buying guides and reviews articles and earns through affiliate commissions and display advertisements.
Best Roof Box – Bestroofbox.com
Best Roof Box was launched in August of 2019. This affiliate marketing website offers buyer guides, product reviews, and comparison articles that help consumers find the best roof boxes. It generates revenue through affiliate commissions, display advertisements, and sponsorships.
Conclusion
This sums up the list of the top affiliate sites on the web today. If there is one common factor among them it is the quality that marketers invest in their work.
Looking over each of the websites, it is almost hard to differentiate which ones are new and self-run by successful affiliate marketers. If you’re an aspiring affiliate, these are the best affiliate websites you should emulate to become successful in this industry.
Frequently Asked Questions
An affiliate website is a website that promotes the products and services of different companies.
Affiliate websites look differently from each other but one thing they have in common is that most of them have product links that lead to another site’s order page.
References
- 1. http://affstat.com/
- 2. https://www.iaffiliatemanagement.com/blog/10-types-of-affiliate-partners
- 3. https://mediakix.com/blog/affiliate-marketing-statistics/#gs.C7arTnw
- 4. https://skimlinks.com/resources/case-studies/gear-patrol-how-lifestyle-magazine-gear-patrol-leads-an-image-based-commerce-related-content-strategy/
- 5. https://www.businessinsider.com/how-fatherly-turned-a-tiny-website-into-a-budding-ad-business-2017-6
- 6. https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertreiss/2019/05/03/great-entrepreneurs-michael-rothman-ceo-fatherly/#7c2280026ac5
- 7. https://app.neilpatel.com/en/traffic_analyzer/keywords?domain=fatherly.com&lang=en&locId=2840
- 8. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/09/tim-chen-started-500-million-company-nerdwallet-with-800.html
- 9. https://www.businessinsider.com/the-points-guy-founder-brian-kelly-profile-2020-3
- 10. https://digiday.com/media/points-guy-built-100-person-media-company-off-affiliate-fees/
- 11. https://www.datanyze.com/market-share/affiliate-networks--69/United%20States
- 12. https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/help/node/topic/GRXPHT8U84RAYDXZ
- 13. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-04-01/how-a-small-tech-site-found-a-new-way-for-publishers-to-get-paid
- 14. https://www.vox.com/2016/10/24/13381002/new-york-times-wirecutter-purchase-30-million-briam-lam-consumer-guide
- 15. https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/our-partners/
