How to Create an Affiliate Website Using WordPress
Many online merchants and digital marketers have discovered the power of affiliate marketing, which is when someone earns a commission for recommending products or services that they believe will benefit their audience.
The best thing about affiliate marketing is that you only need a tiny bit of expertise to get started. Once you have set up your account with an affiliate network such as commission-free-vita.com, you can start marketing any products or services you choose, without having to worry about the technical specifications of how to create a website.
Why Affiliate Marketing?
With the Covid-19 pandemic restricting travel and the world shifting to a digital sphere, many industries have been hit hard, including hotels and restaurants. However, certain industries have seen a boom in demand, such as affiliate marketing. Even during the pandemic, people are still searching for products and services online, which means there is still a demand for affiliate marketing.
Hotels and restaurants saw a huge drop in revenue during the first quarter of 2020, falling 85% and 66% respectively. In comparison, affiliate marketing rose by 144%, according to the NPD group. So it would appear that during these unprecedented times, people are still wanting to spend money on travel and eating out, which is where most hotels and restaurants traditionally operate.
Why WordPress?
Although many aspects of digital marketing and website development can be performed on various platforms, there is something unique about WordPress that makes it the perfect choice for creating an affiliate website. Here are just a few of the reasons why.
Secure Website Platform
WordPress is considered to be one of the most secure content management systems out there, due to its emphasis on user security and privacy. The platform offers a wide range of safeguards to protect your content, including content locking, user permissions, and more.
Due to its popularity and effectiveness, WordPress is commonly used as a starting point for any type of website project. If you have never developed a website before, then using WordPress to develop the website is the perfect way to go, as it will save you a lot of time and effort.
SEOfriendly
If your ultimate goal is to drive traffic to your site, then you need to consider using a platform that is both efficient at capturing keywords and has the ability to rank well in search engine results. WordPress satisfies both of these criteria, which makes it a great fit for any type of SEO project.
As an SEO-friendly platform, WordPress has a large number of characters available for use, including in the site’s name and throughout the content. This allows you to pack as many keywords as possible into as little space as possible, which in turn drives increased traffic to your site.
User-friendly
If your ultimate goal is to simply use the site to showcase your work and attract potential customers, then you should opt for a content-light theme, as the more a theme’s functionality you use, the more complex it can become. In the default theme, WordPress offers a large number of shortcodes and widgets that can be easily utilized to build out the site.
In addition to being simple to use, WordPress is also incredibly flexible, meaning you can add on, change, and remove pages and features at will. This makes it the perfect content management system for use cases where you are looking to change things around frequently and aren’t afraid to try something new.
Step 1: Set Up Your WordPress Account
Before you start building your website, you will need to have a WordPress account. Sign up for a free account on WordPress.com, or if you have already have a WordPress account, then log in and visit the settings page.
On the WordPress settings page, you will need to click the button that says “Get Activated” to continue to the next step.
Step 2: Download and Install WordPress
Once you have signed up for a free account on WordPress.com, you can download and install WordPress on your computer. When you click the “Get Activated” button during setup, WordPress will download and install the software on your computer. During this process, you will be asked to enter a code that was sent to your email address during the signup process.
After the download and installation process is complete, you will see a confirmation screen that your WordPress installation is now active. You can now log in to your WordPress account and begin creating content.
Step 3: Choose a Theme
The next step is to choose a theme for your website. It is important to choose a theme that is mobile-friendly and will look good on any type of device. When selecting a theme for your website, remember that you will be using WordPress’s built-in functions to create the site. Therefore, you must ensure that the theme you choose is compatible with WordPress’s built-in functions.
When choosing a theme, it is important to keep your audience in mind. If you are writing for a tech audience, you may want to opt for a “tech” theme. If you are writing for a general audience, then you can opt for a “general” theme. Just keep in mind that the more functionality you use from the theme, the more complex it can become, so think about what you will use the site for before making a choice.
Step 4: Customize Your Site’s Appearance
Once you have chosen a theme for your website, you can begin customizing its appearance. On the theme’s settings page, you can change the theme’s appearance via CSS. With WordPress, you do not need to know HTML to change the look of a site. Simply find the area of the website you wish to change (for example, the color of a section’s text) and make the necessary modifications using the theme’s built-in functions. Remember, you are creating a site with WordPress’s default functionality, so all you need to do is load up the WordPress theme you selected and begin building.
Step 5: Establish Your Online Brand
If you are new to affiliate marketing, the best course of action may be to establish an online brand. Simply put, an online brand is your personal brand that you build and maintain online. It is also the brand of your website and social media accounts. When establishing this brand, you want to think about conveying a clear message to your audience. What will your brand say about you?
You can use a tool like Wordmark to establish your brand’s name and discover what words and phrases are most associated with you. Once you have established your brand, you can use this platform to gain more visibility online and increase your affiliate sales.
In the end, nothing speaks more loudly than a satisfied customer. So if you are looking to build a brand for yourself or your business, then consider using WordPress as it provides a safe and effective way to establish your online presence. In addition, WordPress is the perfect content management system for use in affiliate marketing as it is both secure and user-friendly.