How Affiliate Marketing Works
Affiliate marketing means recommending a product and earning a commission when someone buys through your link. It is how review and comparison sites like SiteGrowth are funded.
How it works
You join a program, get a unique tracking link, and earn a commission when a purchase is attributed to your link. The merchant or network handles tracking and payment.
What you need to succeed
- An audience or traffic source (often SEO)
- Useful content that fits the product
- Trust and honest recommendations
- Compliance (disclosures)
What SiteGrowth does
SiteGrowth reviews and compares software, and uses affiliate links as our business model. Our disclosure explains that we may earn a commission — and our recommendations are based on fit, not commissions.
What to avoid
Avoid fake reviews, urgency tricks, and promising guaranteed income. Ethical affiliate marketing is about genuinely helping people choose well.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much money can you make with affiliate marketing?
It varies widely and depends on traffic and conversions; treat any 'guaranteed income' claim as a red flag.
Do I need a big audience to start?
No — but you need some traffic channel (search, email, social) and content that matches buying intent.
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Related reading
- /affiliate-disclosure/
- Systeme.io for Affiliate Marketing
- /online-business/
- Best Funnel Software for Affiliate Marketing
Some links on SiteGrowth are affiliate links. If you purchase through one of these links, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Our recommendations are based on the fit of the tool for the use case, not simply on whether an affiliate relationship exists.