If you’re wondering how to start affiliate marketing as a complete beginner — you’re in the right place.
I started my affiliate journey in 2017, with zero experience, no online skills, and no idea what “SEO” or “conversions” even meant.
Fast-forward to today, and I’ve earned over $100,000 online promoting digital courses, tools, and services.
- It wasn’t luck.
- It wasn’t a secret formula.
- And it definitely wasn’t “get rich quick.”
Affiliate marketing worked for me because I followed a simple system, stayed consistent, and learned from the right place.
This guide will show you exactly how I started, what I would do if I were starting today, and the exact steps you can follow to build your first affiliate income.
Let’s get into it.
What Is Affiliate Marketing? (Simple Explanation)
Affiliate marketing is a business model where you:
- Recommend a product
- People buy through your special link
- You earn a commission
That’s it.
You don’t need to:
- create your own product
- handle customer support
- ship anything
- invest upfront
Your task is to connect people with products — and you earn money for every sale.
Why Affiliate Marketing Is the Best Online Business for Beginners
From my experience, affiliate marketing is the easiest and safest way for beginners to start earning online because:
✔ No investment required
I started with $0 — only hosting + domain later.
✔ Income grows over time
One article can earn for years.
✔ You can work from anywhere
This might probably be the best thing about affiliate marketing!
✔ No customer service
The product creator handles everything. You just promote.
✔ Unlimited income potential
My first commission was $3…
My biggest? Over $1,000 in a single sale.
How Does Affiliate Marketing Work? (Step-by-Step)
Here’s the basic flow:
- Choose a niche
- Find affiliate programs
- Build a website or platform
- Publish content that helps people
- Insert your affiliate links
- Get traffic (SEO, social media, paid ads)
- Earn commissions
This guide will walk you through each step.
Step 1: Choose Your Niche (Very Important)
A niche is the topic your website or content is about.
If you choose wrong → it becomes hard.
If you choose right → everything becomes easier.
3 Types of Niches That Work Best in 2025:
1. Evergreen Niches
Always in demand:
- health
- wealth
- relationships
- self-improvement
2. Passion Niches
Things you enjoy:
- fitness
- traveling
- cooking
- gaming
- fashion
3. Problem Niches
People want fast answers:
- back pain
- dog training
- insomnia
- budgeting
- anxiety
Pro Tip (From My Experience):
The niche doesn’t have to be your passion.
But you must care enough to create helpful content for a few months.
When I started in 2017, I chose a niche I understood well — online business and marketing. Later, that grew into multiple profitable sites.
Step 2: Find Affiliate Programs to Join
Once you choose your niche, join affiliate programs.
Types of affiliate programs:
1. High-ticket programs ($200–$2,000 commissions)
Great for beginners because you earn more with fewer sales.
2. Recurring commission programs
You earn monthly when the customer keeps paying.
3. Amazon Associates
Huge variety, but low commissions.
Some affiliate networks you can join today:
- Amazon Associates
- ClickBank
- Impact
- ShareASale
- Digistore24
- CJ Affiliate
- PartnerStack (great software programs)
When I started, I joined several networks — but what helped me grow fastest was having one main product to promote consistently.
Step 3: Build Your Affiliate Website (This Is Your Foundation)
You do not need to be a tech expert to build a website.
I built my first website inside Wealthy Affiliate in under 30 seconds because they have a built-in website builder + hosting.
If I were starting today, I would still use WA.
Everything is in one place, and the training shows you exactly how to build your first income-generating website.
You can also use:
- WordPress (recommended)
- Wix (not ideal for SEO)
- Squarespace (okay for simple sites)
But from my experience, WordPress + Wealthy Affiliate is the most beginner-friendly and scalable long-term.
Step 4: Create Helpful Content (The Secret Weapon)
Affiliate marketing works ONLY if you help people.
Your content should solve problems.
Best types of affiliate content:
1. Product Reviews
Example: “XYZ Course Review – Worth the Money?”
These convert the best (most of my $100k came from reviews).
2. How-To Guides
Example: “How to Start a Keto Diet (Beginner Guide)”
These attract people early in their journey.
3. Comparison Posts
Example: “Shopify vs WooCommerce – Which Is Better?”
Super high conversions.
4. Best-Of Lists
Example: “Best Dog Training Programs in 2025”
These rank well and attract buyers.
5. Case Studies
People love real results.
Step 5: Get Traffic (SEO, Free Traffic, Paid Ads)
You can have the best content in the world…
But without traffic → no money.
Here’s what worked best for me:
Free Traffic (SEO)
This is how I earned most of my first $50k.
Learn:
- keyword research
- on-page SEO
- writing helpful content
- internal linking
Wealthy Affiliate taught me everything step-by-step.
I still use those strategies today.
Social Media Traffic
Good for beginners:
- TikTok
- YouTube
You don’t need to show your face — value > appearance.
Paid Traffic (Advanced but scalable)
I now use paid ads occasionally when I want fast results.
Useful platforms:
- Facebook Ads
- Google Ads
- YouTube Ads
- Bing Ads
Paid ads helped me scale past $100k, but you absolutely do not need them when starting.
Step 6: Add Your Affiliate Links
Important:
❌ Don’t spam links
❌ Don’t force them into every paragraph
✔ Add them naturally
✔ Add one CTA per section
✔ Add buttons for clarity
You should also add:
- disclosure (“This page may contain affiliate links.”)
- no-follow tag on links
Both help you stay compliant.
Step 7: Track, Improve, Scale
Affiliate marketing is like learning a skill.
You become good by improving:
- content quality
- SEO
- conversion rates
- traffic strategy
As you grow, you can scale by:
- building more sites
- using paid ads
- outsourcing content
- promoting high-ticket programs
This is exactly how I scaled from:
- $0 → $500
- $500 → $1,500
- $1,500 → $5,000+ per month
My Personal Journey & Lessons Learned Since 2017
Here’s what I wish someone told me on day 1:
1. Consistency beats talent
The best affiliates are not the smartest — they’re the most consistent.
2. Pick ONE niche and stick to it
Don’t jump around. It kills focus.
3. Invest time, not money
You don’t need ads or tools.
You just need commitment.
4. Find the right training and community
This was huge for me.
Going through Wealthy Affiliate gave me:
- structure
- support
- feedback
- tools
- hosting
- step-by-step training
Without WA, I’m not sure I’d ever have made my first dollar.
5. Focus on helping, not selling
When I shifted to problem-solving content → my commissions exploded.
Why Wealthy Affiliate Helped Me Succeed (Honest Opinion)
I joined Wealthy Affiliate in 2017, and it completely changed my understanding of online business.
Here’s why I still recommend it for beginners:
✔ Step-by-step affiliate training
No fluff, no hype — real practical training.
✔ Beginner-friendly
Perfect for people starting from zero.
✔ All tools in one platform
Website builder, hosting, keyword tool, support.
✔ Weekly live classes
I learned SEO here.
✔ Supportive community
When I got stuck, I always found help.
✔ It keeps you focused
Affiliate marketing is overwhelming.
WA gives you a clear path.
I don’t claim it’s “the best in the world.”
But for someone who wants to start affiliate marketing in the simplest way possible…
it’s the most complete platform I’ve seen.
👉 Wealthy Affiliate Review (2025) – My Real Experience After 7+ Years & Over $100,000 Earned
How Long Does It Take to Make Money? (Honest Answer)
Here’s the truth:
⏳ 1–3 months → Learning, building
⏳ 3–6 months → First traffic
⏳ 6–12 months → First $100–$500/month
⏳ 12–24 months → Real income ($1k–$5k/month)
Is it slow?
Yes.
Is it worth it?
Absolutely.
Affiliate marketing gave me:
- freedom
- income
- flexibility
- long-term stability
It’s one of the few businesses where effort compounds.
Beginner Mistakes to Avoid in Affiliate Marketing
❌ Choosing too broad a niche
❌ Publishing 2–3 posts and quitting
❌ Expecting fast money
❌ Copying other sites
❌ Promoting low-paying products
❌ Ignoring SEO
❌ Not building an email list
My Recommended 30-Day Beginner Affiliate Action Plan
Day 1–3: Pick your niche
Day 4–7: Build your website
Day 8–14: Research keywords
Day 15–30: Publish 10–15 beginner-friendly articles
If you follow this, you’ll be ahead of 95% of beginners.
Conclusion: Start Today, Stay Consistent, and Follow a Proven System
Starting affiliate marketing changed my life back in 2017.
I had no experience, no technical skills, and no idea what I was doing.
But by following the right steps, staying consistent, and learning through Wealthy Affiliate, I built a real online income — and crossed over $100,000 in total commissions.
If you’re serious about starting, follow the steps in this guide:
- Choose your niche
- Build a simple website
- Create helpful content
- Add affiliate links
- Get traffic
- Stay consistent
And if you want the training platform that helped me personally succeed…
👉 Check out my Wealthy Affiliate review.
Start small.
Stay committed.
Your first commission might feel small…
But trust me — it can change your life.