Last Updated on by Michael Brockbank
One of the easiest ways to monetize any website is through affiliate links and advertisements. This is when you provide links to third-parties in the hopes of making a sale. However, getting specific affiliates is harder than you might think.
There are several factors that come into play. And you might find affiliates declining your website.
It’s disheartening when you’re declined, especially from a brand you truly enjoy and love. But, that doesn’t mean it’s the end of the story.
How Do You Get Affiliate Links?
For the most part, there are two distinct ways to sign up for affiliate links. You can:
- Sign up directly with the brand from its website.
- Use a third-party service like CJ.com or ShareASale.com.
However, this isn’t a guarantee that you’ll become affiliated. The brand then has to verify your website and figure out if it’s a good fit.
After all, something like trying to sell gaming supplies on a wedding planning blog would be utterly pointless.
Once the brand agrees to add you to its list of affiliates, you’ll be able to add tracking links and banners to your site. Then, you’ll earn a commission on any sales that come from your blog.
What Stops You From Getting Affiliate Links?
One of the things many “experts” try to convince users is how easy it is to sign up with any affiliate. And while the claim is true is some instances, it’s not always the case.
In fact, you can get denied for a variety of reasons. For instance, affiliates may deny you for:
1. Not Enough Content on the Website
Most reputable affiliate programs have a policy for website content. If you have a new blog or don’t post very often, there’s a good chance the brand will decline your application.
Not only do they want to ensure you have a legitimate website, but many brands don’t want to take the time to maintain and manage an account that sees very little action.
And it’s not just these systems that require constant content, either. In fact, Google Adsense won’t authorize your website unless you have quite a few quality posts under your belt.
2. Too Low of Domain Authority
Some brands will turn you down if your website doesn’t have a high enough domain authority ranking. This information is available in a lot of research tools such as Ahrefs.
Domain Authority is a representation of how well your website does in search results as opposed to others using the same topics and keywords. The higher the DA, the more trusted the website.
And a lot of affiliates will not “trust” a website if the DA is too low. This means you’ll need to work on being an authoritative figure in your industry or niche.
3. Not Relevant to the Affiliate’s Industry
Perhaps one of the most pertinent reasons why you are denied affiliate links deals with relevance. You want products that your visitors are most likely to buy to make the most money.
Otherwise, it’s a waste of space for you and a waste of time for the brand.
So, sign up with companies that are a perfect fit for your website. For instance, a gaming blog would do better showing custom gaming controllers as opposed to vitamins.
4. Displaying Competitor Banners and Links
When using any affiliate program, make sure you read through the Terms of Service. Some will not let you use banners and links if you’re also showing that of a competing service.
An example of this is if you have banners for Pepsi and then signing up as a Coca-Cola affiliate. Both are direct competitors, and in this situation, the application is often denied.
And it’s not just brands, either. Some affiliate platforms won’t allow competing services as well. It’s always best to simply use one platform for each individual website.
5. Too Many Current Advertisements
One thing that usually results in a denial of affiliate links is having too many already on display. Your website shouldn’t look like the pages of a coupon book.
You want to provide the best experience for the visitor, and saturating your pages with ads is actually harmful to your site’s reputation. Visitors shouldn’t have to sift through ads to find your content.
In fact, having too many third-party ads can hinder site performance. Each banner or advertisement that uses an off-site resource needs to pull those images and data. This means it begins to slow your website.
In turn, this impacts your search engine ranking and can result in fewer people visiting the site overall.
6. Affiliate Just Doesn’t Like Your Website
And lastly, your website might just not be up to the affiliate’s standards. Some brands are incredibly picky when it comes to sharing affiliate links. For one thing, they may not want their brand associated with your content, beliefs, or niche.
This doesn’t mean that your website is terrible. It just means that the brand in question just doesn’t like it. Like I try to teach all of my clients, followers, and children, “You can’t please 100% of the people, 100% of the time.”
In this case, all you can really do is move on and find a product or service that is more attuned to your content. And with so many available online, it shouldn’t take you long to find a few.
Auto-accepting Affiliates
Some affiliate programs have the capacity to auto-accept new applications. This is when you apply to a brand and the application is processed immediately. Then, you can add available links and banners.
Sometimes, though, the brand may step in and examine the site manually after accepting applications. At which point, the company can choose to remove your site from the exchange.
In reality, though, I’ve found that a lot of auto-accepting brands are usually low traffic, low paying, and unknown. But, there are several that have great potential depending on how you use the affiliate links on your site.
If you’re having trouble getting accepted, you may want to look for those brands that offer auto-accept applications.
When Affiliates Turn You Down, Work to Improve
I applied with one brand about five or six years ago and it turned me down. After so much time had passed, and I made something out of the blog, I re-applied and was accepted.
Just because someone denies you today for placing affiliate links, doesn’t mean the decision is set in stone. Improve your site, create some amazing pieces of content, and get some pages in the top search results in Google.
Then, simply reapply or contact the brand in question to see what you can do to improve your chances.
By growing your website, you vastly enhance your chances of making money through affiliates. Mostly because more people will come to read your content.
At any rate, it’s always best to keep your site in motion.
- Can a Blog Be Successful without a Social Media Presence? - October 11, 2024
- How to Get the Most Out of the Reedsy Planning Board - October 9, 2024
- Is it Worth Setting Up a Bookstore on Your Author Blog? - October 7, 2024