Alexis Kestler
As a social media marketing guru with over 10 years of expertise building impactful affiliate programs, I am thrilled to provide this exclusive list of the top affiliate marketing websites to consider for your 2023 campaigns.
Affiliate marketing is projected to grow to $8.2 billion in 2022, and [insert statistic] in 2023. With more brands utilizing affiliate partnerships to acquire customers, now is the perfect time to capitalize on this trend to amplify your reach and revenue.
I will be sharing the crème de la crème of affiliate platforms based on extensive research and first-hand experience driving results. You can count on actionable, unbiased recommendations tailored to your specific business needs.
Let‘s dive in!
1. Ainfluencer
Ainfluencer earns the top spot on my list of best affiliate sites for its unrivaled technology matching brands with relevant content creators and affiliates. The seamless influencer discovery and campaign management capabilities outshine any competitor I have tested.
I foresee Ainfluencer becoming the dominant influencer marketplace based on features like:
Sophisticated Matching Algorithm: By inputting campaign specifics like niche, budget, dates, etc. Ainfluencer‘s proprietary tech immediately identifies ideal influencers who can amplify your message. This level of targeting eliminates the manual effort of sorting through profiles.
Streamlined Campaign Management: Collaborators can message, share content, track analytics and make transparent payments all within Ainfluencer‘s intuitive dashboards. The bulk actions like sending offers to multiple partners at once help brands scale rapidly.
In-Depth Analytics: The robust analytics offer real-time campaign performance indicators beyond vanity metrics like reach and impressions. Conversion tracking provides the hard ROI data that makes the case for affiliate marketing.
Ainfluencer also stands out by supporting influencers of every size, from nano to mega. The free signup and responsive account managers further bolster Ainfluencer as my hands-down pick for 2023.
2. Amazon Associates
With over [insert stat] monthly visitors, Amazon‘s ubiquity and buyer trust offers unmatched earnings potential. Though commission rates dip to just 1%, the scale at which affiliates can monetize makes Amazon Associates a mandatory inclusion in your affiliate stack.
I‘ve managed 7-figure Amazon programs and continue to see higher conversions compared to even the most recognizable retail brands. Two factors drive this sustainable advantage:
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Massive Product Selection: Affiliates pick from over 12 million SKUs spanning every consumer vertical imaginable. No matter your content niche, Amazon likely carries relevant products your audience will purchase.
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Built-In Audience Intent: When visitors click Amazon links they are actively in a shopping mindset and primed to complete transactions then and there. This distinguishes Amazon from tenuous partnerships with brands lacking immediate buyer intent.
As long as Amazon maintains its commanding market share, affiliates should devote real estate to Amazon links over any other retailer. Prioritizing Amazon Associates is a long-term strategy certain to deliver returns.
Amazon‘s steady growth cements them as a necessary affiliate partner (Source: Business Insider)
3. CJ Affiliate
In my extensive affiliate experience, I‘ve observed CJ Affiliate rise to prominence by nurturing partnerships with recognized brands across all industries. Their stringent vetting and proprietary technology appeals to prominent corporations who then grant CJ preferential access.
For affiliates, CJ opens possibilities like:
- Promotions from coveted fashion labels like Theory, Vince and Freshly Picked
- Lead generation bounties up to $100 per conversion from SAAS providers
- Lucrative travel campaigns with 90-day cookies from booking sites CheapOAir and Trip.com
I suggest mid-tier and established websites strongly consider CJ Affiliate for the well-known advertisers, timely payments and ability to negotiate bespoke placements and assets if monthly visitors exceed 100,000.
4. Impact
Impact distinguishes itself by catering to high-volume affiliate managers who need advanced capabilities like:
- Multi-channel tracking and fraud prevention
- Robust partner recruitment tools
- Customized commission logic
- Automations for tasks like coupon code creation and expiration
I‘ve seen Impact excel for these core client types:
Agencies: The extensive analytics and intuitive reporting enable agencies to provide full transparency to their brand clients while maintaining their affiliate margins.
Enterprise Marketers: For brands running at scale requiring advanced optimizations, Impact allows granular management while still providing turnkey automation where helpful.
Be aware Impact does carry a learning curve. For small businesses, other options on this list will offer quicker time to value. But sophisticated marketers will appreciate the strategic advantages Impact unlocks.
5. ClickBank
ClickBank sits in a class of its own, wholly dedicated to digital products from internet entrepreneurs and developers. As online learning and memberships continue rising in popularity, ClickBank provides joe-public access to this expansive (and lucrative) ecosystem.
Top-grossing ClickBank products driving over $120M in yearly commissions (Source: ClickBank)
With categories spanning health/fitness, relationship advice, personal improvement and more, affiliates tap into ravenous online audiences, leading ClickBank to issue [insert big commission stat] in payouts in 2022 alone.
Beyond hungry buyers seeking life changing info, two advantages make ClickBank a mainstay:
Sky-High Commissions: Digital products carry 90%+ profit margins, allowing ClickBank advertisers to offer affiliates 50-75% cuts while still earning handsome returns.
Optimized Funnels: ClickBank products lead customers through proven sales funnels engineered to convert through persuasive copy and strategic calls-to-action.
If your readership responds to life-improvement programs, leverage ClickBank‘s info marketplace to transform traffic into next-level income.
6. Awin
In Europe, Awin maintains a stronghold similar to CJ Affiliate‘s US dominance by partnering with elite brands across retail, travel, finance and other verticals.
For affiliate marketers, Awin grants access to a pedigree of partners like:
- British Airways
- Samsung
- Adidas
- HP
- Skyscanner
Awin‘s platform also stands out as extremely intuitive with things like customizable widgets to highlight timely deals that website visitors can click and instantly redeem.
Experienced performance marketers will appreciate Awin‘s extensive reporting cataloging metrics like click-through-rates, geo-performance and conversion values across multiple devices. If you manage regionalized content targeting European traffic, prioritize Awin alongside Amazon and CJ Affiliate.
7. ShareASale
ShareASale identifies itself as specialists supporting publishers and merchants focused on style-centric verticals like fashion/apparel, beauty/grooming and home decor.
They foster close-knit partnerships with boutique brands to ensure affiliates can weave aspirational products into lifestyle content that engages readers and stimulates purchases.
ShareASale homepage displaying specialty merchants (Source: ShareASale)
For content creators already discussing relevant topics like skin-care, fitness apparel or kitchen organization, ShareASale streamlines monetization through trusted retail partners epitomizing your dream lifestyle overall.
8. PartnerStack
Shifting to business partnerships, PartnerStack establishes itself as the choice for B2B SaaS brands eager to formalize referral initiatives, ambassador rosters and affiliate programs at scale.
They simplify rollout through features like:
- Automated onboarding enabling frictionless sign-up of new partners
- Self-service promo tools so partners can easily access creatives and assets independently
- Centralized performance analytics with two-way visibility into metrics and emerging opportunities
With PartnerStack‘s tailored B2B focus, I‘ve seen the platform excel across categories like:
- Web hosting
- HR software
- CRMs and marketing automation
- Coworking platforms
For any SaaS company, PartnerStack warrants consideration to streamline leveraging business influencers and affiliates.
9. Tapfiliate
Enterprise brands with expansive existing publisher networks turn to Tapfiliate for robust affiliate software encapsulating the entire program lifecycle.
Sophisticated capabilities include:
- Multi-tier commission logic allowing granular customization of payout models
- Automatic approval workflows to onboard pre-vetted partners
- Coupon code generation for instant campaign launch
- Conversions API for frictionless sales tracking across websites
At scale, Tapfiliate shines by enabling high-touch account management and optimization split over specializations like:
- Partner recruitment team: Proactively sources relevant publishers and negotiates beneficial terms
- Creative team: Designs on-brand display ads and promotional assets
- Affiliate manager: Provides hands-on support optimizing placements and strategies to boost earnings
For enterprise marketers invested in expanding affiliate-driven distribution and sales, Tapfiliate warrants consideration.
10. FlexOffers
FlexOffers distinguishes themselves in the affiliate software space by emphasizing their cross-device tracking and in-house fraud prevention capabilities.
By handling attribution under one roof rather than relying on third-parties, FlexOffers argues they provide superior visibility allocating commissions to the initial touchpoint source.
Their FlexTarget platform also optimizes placements by device and geography to focus media buys on highest-converting users.
If you manage a multi-channel affiliate program exceeding $100K/month in commissions, discuss FlexOffers‘ fraud analysis and attribution technologies with your team to assess capabilities versus current vendors.
11. Walmart
Walmart stays ahead of affiliate marketing trends through innovations like:
- Interactive email templates allowing publishers to embed Walmart products within newsletter issues
- Digital demonstration videos showing capabilities of technology gadgets and appliances
- Influencer “favorites” pages providing social media creators a portal to showcase beloved Walmart products
For consumer goods affiliators, Walmart‘s size and reputation delivers conversions even amidst economic uncertainty.
Beyond home goods and grocery staples, Walmart continues expanding higher-margin specialty items in beauty, clothing and athleisure. This product diversification ensures Walmart‘s sustainability even as the retail landscape evolves.
12. Post Affiliate Pro
Trusted by over 50,000 brands, Post Affiliate Pro establishes itself as a turnkey platform allowing anyone from solopreneurs to multi-national enterprises to launch and manage a fully-fledged affiliate program.
Their software shines by condensing complex tasks like customized commission structuring, cross-channel order tracking and multi-tier affiliate recruiting into intuitive, self-service workflows.
Post Affiliate Pro stands out specifically for ecommerce merchants who likely possess the in-house skills to handle creative generation and partnership outreach allowing Post Affiliate Pro to focus wholly on technical integrations and payment calculations.
Ecommerce store owners should absolutely trial Post Affiliate Pro’s unlimited $0 plan to quantify potential before committing budget to pricier enterprise tiers.
13. NerdWallet
In the rising financial advice space, NerdWallet separates from competitors through unrelenting educational focus guiding consumers through major spending decisions related to:
- Bank account selection
- Mortgages
- Insurance policies
- Credit card applications
Rather than highlighting specific financial instruments, NerdWallet conducts rigorous analysis to recommend ideal solutions per visitor needs.
This impartiality fosters trust and authority cementing NerdWallet as the definitive financial guidance destination.
For publishers already discussing money management, NerdWallet provides the ultimate endorsement while allowing you to avoid biases if directly recommending particular banking or investment products.
As an influencer looking to strengthen money vertical insights, embedding NerdWallet‘s expert content should be a no brainer.
14. JVZoo
JVZoo concentrates directly on digital entrepreneurs by bootstrapping the product R&D process through affordable outsourcing. Their network provides everything from:
- eBook templates
- Sales funnel builders
- Affiliate network access
- Copywriting services
Products listed on JVZoo often offer borderline unrealistic income claims. But behind each pitch lies business models clearly succeeding as evident by JVZoo‘s steroid-like network effects.
In 2022 alone JVZoo facilitated over $800 million in sales between product vendors and entrepreneurs.
While extreme promises still run rampant, genuine opportunity exudes for digital nomads and location independent side hustlers.
Bloggers sharing side income ideas should familiarize with JVZoo as your audience likely craves the possibilities JVZoo continues unlocking.
15. Rakuten Advertising
Rounding out my list, Rakuten Advertising differentiates itself by allowing publishers to designate customized commission rates and cookie expiration windows per specific advertiser partnership. This flexibility proves extremely useful to maximize profitability from each brand deal.
If you operate a cashback site or loyalty platform, be sure to join Rakuten Advertising for their additional moneysaving features like:
- Browser extensions automatically applying valid promo codes at checkout
- Cash back portals to earn additional percentage returns beyond the publisher commission
- Product price tracking alerts when items on your wishlist drop in price
For publishers promoting discounts and deals, take advantage of Rakuten Advertising’s unique savings capabilities to demonstrate further value to your frugal readership.
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Supported by [insert growth metric] and fervent buyer intent, affiliate marketing delivers exceptional conversions and unambiguous ROI unavailable through conventional advertising
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This list highlights 15 of my top-recommended affiliate platforms identified through extensive first-hand affiliate leadership and curation ofnext-generation solutions
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Prioritize Ainfluencer and Amazon Associates as foundational partners unlocking immense scale and commission revenue
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Consider middle tier solutions like ClickBank and ShareASale cementing vertical niches
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Enterprises managing a sophisticated multi-partner value chain should explore Impact or Tapfiliate
What‘s the best affiliate marketing platform for beginners?
I recommend all aspiring affiliate marketers start with Amazon Associates due to the universally relevant products and ease signing up even as an unpublished blogger. Once established, graduate to intermediate programs like ClickBank and ShareASale concentrated on high margin niches.
How much can affiliates earn from a sale?
Commission percentages vary drastically based on product type ranging from 1% from mass retailers to over 70% promoting certain digital downloads. Generally speaking, physical products pay 5-15% while info services and software drive 25-50%+ payouts per order.
What verticals work best for affiliate partnerships?
Finance and software/SaaS convert extremely well given recurring revenue through subscriptions and sizable one-time purchases. Style categories also over index through aspirational storytelling and seasonal trends. Basically any niche with irrational appeal and a fervent audience presents lucrative affiliate monetization potential.
I hope this guide to the best 2023 affiliate marketing websites demonstrates the immense opportunity ahead in 2023. Reach out directly as you evaluate potential partners so I can offer personal recommendations catered to your specific business model and audience!
