Web hosting affiliate programs
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How web hosting affiliate programs work
Web hosting affiliate programs provide a way for web hosts to increase their client base by paying or crediting affiliates for sending them new clients. Orders that come to web hosts via affiliates are identified by an affiliate link (also called a referral link) or a coupon code.
Some web hosts invite only existing clients to take part in their affiliate program, while others offer their affiliate program to anyone who wants to be an affiliate. Web hosting affiliate programs are also sometimes used to partner with companies that offer related services, such as web designers or SEO consultants.
Payments are typically one-time payments per new client. They're paid to affiliates at a set time after new clients sign up for services, such as 60 or 90 days after the account was created. This practice ensures that payments are not made for accounts that are created and then canceled. Less common with hosting affiliate programs are recurring payments for referred clients who renew services. Another payment option, offered mainly to existing clients, is to provide service credits such as a free month of hosting for every new client they bring to the company.
Affiliate programs and reseller accounts compared
Affiliate programs and reseller accounts are different ways to build a web hosting business.
- Affiliate programs provide payment only for actual clients. Affiliates have no responsibility for the web hosting services; their only role is to get clients for the company.
- Reseller account holders are typically responsible for the clients they serve, from billing to support. (A few web hosts that provide reseller web hosting offer end user support.) To web hosting clients of resellers, the reseller is their web host.
Web hosting affiliate programs and web hosts
Benefits to web hosts
- Affiliate marketing can be used in addition to advertising to serve the same purpose.
- Existing clients know other people with websites, and with the incentive of an affiliate program, they're more likely to refer people they know to their web host.
- Affiliate marketing software is available to make it easy to manage an affiliate program.
Tips for web hosts
- Join an established affiliate network.
- Use an affiliate marketing software program that displays account information to affiliates. This will help show that you offer a legitimate affiliate program.
- Create a clear and detailed TOS page for affiliates so that affiliates know what to expect.
- Provide banners for your services that your affiliates can use at their websites.
Web hosting affiliate programs and affiliates
Benefits to affiliates
- Affiliate marketing is a way to earn money without having any responsibility for the clients after they've signed up for a service.
- Expenses incurred by affiliate marketing are low. If marketing to family, friends, and acquaintances only, there might not be any expenses.
- Affiliates who have accounts with several web hosts put their own reputation less at risk than web hosts do as they aren't the ones providing the ongoing service.
Tips for affiliates
- Offer people something besides an affiliate link. A pre-sell page with a review of the web host(s) and details about their services helps readers decide to click on your link.
- When posting at sites other than your own, be sure that affiliate links or coupon codes are allowed before including them in your posts. Keep in mind that affiliate links are a form of advertising and are treated as such.
Disadvantages of web host affiliate programs
- Affiliate marketing is very competitive in the web hosting industry, and a lot of big web hosting companies have affiliate programs with high payouts. It can be difficult to compete with their affiliate programs.
- Affiliates generally prefer affiliate accounts with established companies, so new companies may have difficulty attracting affiliates.
- Some affiliates become spammers by posting their affiliate links in forums, blogs, and wherever they can without regard for the rules and conventions where they're posting. This practice makes these affiliates and the companies they're promoting look bad.
See also
- How to advertise your web hosting company
- How to acquire web hosting clients
- Online advertising terminology
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