Current state of Affiliate Marketing

[stender]

Hi All,
I've not been on here for a while and not done much with the web, but now looking to set up some business to run along side my full time job. I've thought about putting up a few niche WP sites but
What's the current state of affiliate marketing and is it worth doing?

1. Am I better off setting up a .com and targeting Amazon com and US rather than UK? On the basis US is a larger market.

2. When I used to have affiliate sites I used to 301 redirect in order to aid in ranking. Never worked well but is it still necessary? I assume I will need to use ads for traffic so does it matter that my links are direct to amazon etc?

Affiliate isnt my ideal but beggars cant be choosers. My creativity is lacking so coming up with alternative business ideas isnt working, which is frustrating when I can create sites for free and have money to invest.

 

[diablo]

Amazon have just halved affiliate commissions.

Plus are cutting out affiliates with their Smile programme.

 

[diablo]

Meh. I think Smile is cool but it’s not marketed heavily enough to make an impact on affiliates imo

You're joking. Amazon have been pushing it all the time to customers.

 

[Grant]

2nd time they've slashed it in recent years...people will start looking elsewhere before long.

I have a few Amazon sites, but have done much better with super-niche affiliate programs that convert, have a high CPA, and in a specific industry. There's a few out there if you dig around.

 

[diablo]

No I only ever see it when I go to amazon first time. It asks me if I want to go to smile instead.

Be interesting to hear how you get on then. Keep us posted.

 

[dazc]

You're joking. Amazon have been pushing it all the time to customers.

They've been pushing Smile for years and I've not noticed any impact.

 

[diablo]

One small thing we could do, particularly given the current economic climate, is share associate links on this thread and buy through them. Might put a few extra pounds in pockets.

 

[Paullas]

I am currently building a Gift site using a drop ship model for the next 12 months to see if this is something worth doing long term. 12 months should give me a good idea if it is worth going down that route. With Amazon and affiliates companies slashing commission, losing revenue/sale to last basket and all that i think the product affiliate model is going down hill. unless you have massive traffic.

I have a few affiliate websites up and running and make a few pound a month, nothing spectacular to write home about.

I dont want to list my gift site here but if you PM me i will show you

Paul

 

[boxfish]

One small thing we could do, particularly given the current economic climate, is share associate links on this thread and buy through them. Might put a few extra pounds in pockets.

Can't remember 100% if it was this forum or not but posting Amazon Aff links possibly strips out the referral ID and replaces it with the forum owner's.

With Amazon and affiliates companies slashing commission, losing revenue/sale to last basket and all that i think the product affiliate model is going down hill.

I think the way Amazon are repeatedly cutting affiliate rates while also creating their own ranges of well-selling products shows they don't really want or need either affiliates or Marketplace sellers.

 

[alfredomasini]

The success of affiliate marketing depends on various factors, including the quality of your content, understanding your audience, and effective promotion https://urlscan.io/result/656bad0d-a06d-45f5-990b-159960fc926d/. While it may not be your ideal choice, with the right approach and commitment, affiliate marketing can still be a viable and profitable business model.

 

[alfredomasini]

ooh. sorry. I'm back from the future to ensure - this thread is still alive.