Affiliate marketing is one of the most popular ways to make money online.
It’s a simple business model that can become lucrative if done correctly.
In this article, we will discuss some of the best affiliate marketing tools available.
These tools will help you succeed as an affiliate marketer by making it easier to track your campaigns and find new leads.
Contents
What Is Affiliate Marketing?
Affiliate marketing is a performance-based marketing model.
Using it, businesses reward affiliates for each customer brought to the company by the affiliate’s marketing efforts.
How Does Affiliate Marketing Work?
With affiliate marketing, you’re the middle man between the consumer and the products they wish to purchase.
Promote Products for Commission
As an affiliate marketer, you’ll promote products to earn a commission on each sale.
You can do this by creating valuable content that drives traffic to your affiliate links.
If a reader clicks on your affiliate link and makes a purchase, you will earn a commission.
What Is an Affiliate Network?
An affiliate network is a platform that connects businesses with affiliates.
The business gets more exposure and the affiliate earns a commission on every sale they generate.
Examples include the following.
Who Should Do Affiliate Marketing?
Four main types of business owners can use affiliate marketing.
1. Small Businesses
Small businesses can benefit from affiliate marketing by using it to open a new revenue source.
Find affiliate products that compliment your main product.
Add more value to customers without needing to fulfill the delivery of each affiliate offer.
2. Social Media Influencers
If you have a large social media following, you can use affiliate marketing to monetize your platform.
3. Bloggers
Bloggers can use affiliate marketing to generate revenue from their blog traffic.
Simply link from blog posts over to affiliate offers.
4. Coaches
As a coach, consider earning revenue by pointing clients to affiliate products that make sense for them.
You can focus more time on coaching while adding revenue streams to your coaching fee structure.
What Do Affiliate Marketers Need To Do?
To be successful as an affiliate marketer, there are four main things you need to do.
- Find a relevant product: You might choose a physical product, digital product, or service.
- Create content: Use blog posts, videos, or social media posts to provide value before linking your audience to affiliate links.
- Track campaigns: Tracking helps you see which content and campaigns perform best.
- Convert leads into Sales: You’ll generate sales by providing value and helping your leads find the right product for their needs.
What Affiliate Marketing Tools Do You Need?
You need four types of affiliate marketing tools.
1. Chat Marketing
A chat marketing tool turns website visitors into leads.
Your goal is to get the lead’s contact information so you can continue the conversation later.
2. Ad Tracking
You should track which ads drive traffic to your affiliate links.
Then, track how much each lead is worth.
Knowing this information means you can invest more in the ads that perform well.
3. Email Marketing
Email marketing allows you to continue the conversation with leads who didn’t convert right away.
5. SEO
Search engine optimization is how you get traffic to your website.
You need to do keyword research, create valuable content, and build backlinks.
The Top Affiliate Marketing Tools In 2022
Let’s review the top 15 affiliate marketing tools.
Website Building Affiliate Marketing Tools
The tools in this area help to create your blog or website.
1. WordPress
WordPress (WP) is a popular site-building and content management system.
Best For
More experienced business owners should consider WordPress.
Notable Features
- Plugins: Thousands of WP plugins help improve a blog’s functionality
- Themes: Use one of many free themes to improve your site’s look and feel
- Ease of Use: WordPress is fairly easy to use
Pros
- Except for your third-party hosting fees, WordPress offers a free content management system
- Easy back office lets you update your site from anywhere
- Hundreds of tutorials exist inside the WP community
- Sites are search engine optimized via simple plugins & it’s easy to connect to Google Analytics
- Mobile-friendly themes
Cons
- You need some technical knowledge
- WordPress is free but some of the best plugins require paid options
- Need to update WordPress frequently to maintain security
Is WordPress Hard To Use
Overall, it’s relatively easy. There is a learning curve, though.
Pricing & Plans
WordPress is free. You’ll need to invest in hosting with companies like Bluehost or Siteground.
Our Take
WordPress is an excellent option for affiliate marketers ready to invest the time to learn a new platform.
You can build out any customized options required over time.
2. Wix
Wix is another popular site-building and content management system.
Best For
Works well for any business owner with limited website-building experience.
Notable Features
- Wix offers 800+ templates for any industry
- Special mobile-optimized website versions
- Simple drag-and-drop editor
Pros
- You can have a website up and running in minutes
- No need to worry about hosting or security
- Wix takes care of all website updates
- One of the easiest site-building platforms to use
- Can add an online store
Cons
- Templates can be limiting
- More expensive than other site-building platforms
- Difficult to move your website to WordPress later
Is Wix Hard To Use?
No, Wix is easy to use.
Pricing & Plans
- Combo: $16 per month
- Unlimited: $22 per month
- Pro: $27 per month
- VIP: $45 per month
Our Take
If you’re a newer affiliate marketer who wants to invest less time in website creation, consider Wix.
The templates are high quality and customizable to fit your needs.
Chatbot Affiliate Marketing Tools
Use chatbot tools to communicate with your website visitors.
1. Omni Chat
Omni Chat, which used to call itself EasyChat, is an AI chatbot tool that automates customer support.
Best For
Designed mainly with eCommerce businesses in mind.
Notable Features
- Premade bot templates
- Customizable bots
- All features work on any website, including affiliate marketing blogs
Pros
- Offers a 14-day free trial plan
- Can integrate with Shopify, WordPress, and other platforms
- Bots can answer common questions, collect leads, or even make sales
- Use the marketing automation for personalized campaigns
- You can consolidate user data and offer support across your website and social media
Cons
- Costs more than other chat options on the market
- Some users find the interface difficult to use
- Its website server exists in a high-risk country
Is Omni Chat Hard To Use?
No, it’s not difficult to use.
However, you may need some time to become familiar with it enough to consider it an easy dashboard to navigate.
Pricing & Plans
- Customer Service: $1,440 per year
- Growth Marketing: $1,330 per year
- Advanced Marketing: $3,330 per year
- OMO Sales: Contact the company for pricing details
Our Take
Omni Chat is a good chatbot tool for affiliate marketers who want to offer support or sell products on their websites.
2. BotPenguin
BotPenguin is a chatbot tool that helps you automate customer support and sales for affiliate marketers.
Best For
Any small business can make good use of this chatbot software service.
Notable Features
- Can send from 2,000 messages (free plan) to unlimited messages (Emperor plan)
- Offers a CSV export feature
- Integrations with Zoho CRM and Google Calendar
Pros
- Offers a forever-free plan
- Easily add the chatbox to a WordPress or Wix website
- 24/7 customer support team to help with any issues
- No setup costs involved
- Helps avoid waiting times to answer your customers’ questions
Cons
- Doesn’t pick up on human emotions well
- Without spending time customizing the auto-bot chats, customers can tell they’re talking to a machine
- The free plan limits you to only one bot
Is BotPenguin Hard To Use?
No, it’s not difficult to use.
You’ll experience an intuitive dashboard.
Pricing & Plans
- Free: $0 per month
- King: $4.17 per month
- Emperor: Contact the company for pricing details
Our Take
BotPenguin is a great chatbot software service for small businesses.
We like its forever-free plan and intuitive dashboard. We also appreciate the company’s commitment to customer support.
Affiliate Ad Tracking Affiliate Marketing Tools
Select one of the following affiliate marketing software options to track your ad campaigns.
1. Voluum
Best For
Voluum helps you track your ads and optimize them for better performance.
Any affiliate marketer can benefit from using Voluum.
Notable Features
- Tracks conversions, clicks, and impressions
- Offers a heatmap to show where visitors are clicking on your website
- Cookie-less tracking helps to deliver more accurate results
Pros
- You can discover which landings pages convert best
- The ad variation feature lets you easily compare ads
- Works with any traffic source
- Fast reporting helps you uncover important statistics in real-time
- Uses up-to-date AI technology
Cons
- Doesn’t track extremely complicated funnels as well as some affiliate marketers may need
- Dashboard confuses some new customers
- Pricing is on the higher side
Is Voluum Hard To Use?
No, it’s simple to use overall.
Some marketers do need to take time to get used to the interface, however.
Pricing & Plans
Individual plans:
- Discover: $89 per month
- Profit: $149 per month
- Scale: $299 per month
Business plans:
- Start-up: $499 per month
- Agency: $999 per month
- Enterprise: $1999 per month
Our Take
Voluum will help you track conversions, clicks, and impressions.
We also like its heatmap feature and fast reporting.
2. Everflow
Everflow will track the performance of all ad channels and help you uncover campaigns that deliver the best ROI.
Best For
All affiliate marketers can use Everflow.
Notable Features
- Top-notch affiliate campaign tracking
- ROI tracking
- Commissions tracking and management
Pros
- Does a good job with fraud protection
- Effective affiliate management tools
- Helps with email campaigns as well
- Engagement monitoring
- Integrates with Shopify, ClickFunnels, Tipalti, BigCommerce, and more
Cons
- Doesn’t find broken ad links well
- API integrations require resetting often
- Heavy use slows the software down
Is Everflow Hard To Use?
The software is not difficult to use.
The company provides detailed instructions.
Pricing & Plans
- Core: $750 per month
- Custom: Contact the company for pricing details
Our Take
Consider Everflow strongly for ad tracking as an affiliate marketer.
3. Osi Affiliate
Osi Affiliate helps brands empower their affiliates with the tools required to create marketing campaigns.
Best For
Brands that need to track their affiliate sales and payouts.
Notable Features
- Tracks lead generation campaigns
- Offers a payout management system
- Track rewards provided to top affiliates
Pros
- Fraud protection measures
- Easily tracks paid commissions
- Create affiliate tracking links
- Provides text and banner ads to affiliates
- Software is cloud-based
Cons
- The dashboard isn’t as intuitive as other options
- You can’t add an unlimited number of affiliates
- A more expensive option when compared to other software
Is OSI Affiliate Hard To Use?
Yes, beginners will find the dashboard difficult to navigate.
Pricing & Plans
- Basic: $47 per month
- Professional: $97 per month
Our Take
While pricey for what it does, Osi Affiliate offers a quality solution for brands that need to track affiliates.
Email Affiliate Marketing Tools
Consider using one of the following tools to create your affiliate email marketing campaigns.
1. Mailchimp
Mailchimp is one of the most popular email marketing platforms.
Best For
All affiliate marketers can use Mailchimp to find success with email campaigns.
Notable Features
- A/B testing: Test different versions of your emails
- Segmentation: Group subscribers together so you can send them targeted content
- List management: Keep your subscribers organized
Pros
- Integrates with a wide range of apps and services
- Offers detailed analytics to show the performance of your campaigns
- Plenty of available templates
- One of the most affordable platforms
- A wide range of integrations are available
Cons
- The interface is not as user-friendly as some other options
- Triggered emails sometimes go to the spam folder
- Email deliverability isn’t as high as some other platforms
Is Mailchimp Hard To Use?
We wouldn’t say it’s hard to use.
However, it’s not as intuitive to use as some competitors.
Pricing & Plans
- Forever Free: $0 per month
- Essentials: $11 per month
- Standard: $17 per month
- Premium: $299 per month
Our Take
Mailchimp is a solid tool for affiliate marketers of all experience levels.
2. Constant Contact
Constant Contact is an email marketing platform that’s been around for a long time.
Best For
Affiliate marketers who are looking for a tool with a wide range of features.
Notable Features
- Event registrations and polls
- Market segmentation features
- Contact management tools
Pros
- A/B testing
- Offers advanced CRM marketing tools
- Autoresponders are easy to put into use
- Good for both beginners and experienced marketers
- Offers a free trial
Cons
- Doesn’t offer variety with pricing plans
- Email templates are not as robust as other competitors
- Customer service doesn’t always respond quickly
Is Constant Contact Hard To Use?
Constant Contact is easy to use.
Pricing & Plans
- Core: $9.99 per month
- Plus: $45 per month
Our Take
Constant Contact offers a good range of features for affiliate marketers. It’s a tool we recommend considering.
SEO Affiliate Marketing Tools
As an affiliate marketer, getting search engine optimization “right” is critical to your success.
Use one of the following tools to uncover the best keywords to target on your affiliate blog.
1. SEMrush
SEMrush is one of the most popular SEO tools on the market.
Best For
Affiliate marketers who want to uncover profitable keywords to target.
Notable Features
- Keyword research: Find new keywords to target
- Competitor analysis: See what’s working for your competitors
- Site audit: Check for technical errors that could hold your site back
Pros
- One of the most comprehensive keyword research tools
- Provides new ideas to improve the health of your blog
- Easily monitor your blog’s rankings
- Helps to discover linking opportunities
- Aids in developing content marketing plans
Cons
- The user interface is not as intuitive as some other options
- The SEO writing assistant could work more effectively
- Pricing is high for beginner affiliate marketers
Is SEMrush Hard To Use?
While offering a relatively intuitive dashboard, SEMrush takes time to master.
Pricing & Plans
- Pro: $119 per month
- Guru: $229 per month
- Business: $449 per month
Our Take
SEMrush is one of the best affiliate marketing tools for uncovering profitable keywords.
2. Ahrefs
Ahrefs is another comprehensive SEO tool.
Best For
Affiliate marketers who want to use one of the best keyword research tools available.
Notable Features
- Search for keywords: Quickly find the right keywords to target
- Track your rankings: Track your website’s progress in the SERPs over time
- Check backlinks: Analyze your website’s backlink profile
Pros
- Analyze competitor traffic
- Get detailed insights into the search volume, CPC, and competition for any keyword
- All data is fresh and up-to-date
- Uncover partnership opportunities from the backlink checker
- Helps to easily uncover content gaps
Cons
- The pricing plans can be expensive for small affiliates
- Keyword research can be time-consuming
- Customer service isn’t responsive enough
Is Ahrefs Hard To Use?
Ahrefs is not difficult to use, but it does require some time to get used to all of the features and options.
Pricing & Plans
- Lite: $99 per month
- Standard: $199 per month
- Advanced: $399 per month
- Enterprise: $999 per month
Our Take
Ahrefs is one of the best affiliate marketing tools on the market.
While the pricing can be a bit steep for small affiliates, it’s worth the investment if you’re serious about making money through affiliate marketing.
Ad-Related Affiliate Marketing Tools
Placing ads is another way to generate revenue on an affiliate blog.
Consider using one of the following ad networks.
1. AdThrive
AdThrive is a popular ad network for bloggers.
Best For
Affiliate marketers who want to use an ad network known for being reliable and easy to work with.
Notable Features
- Ads are automatically placed on your blog
- A/B testing of ads
- Robust reporting features
Pros
- Reports show ad results for desktop, tablets, and mobile devices
- You can track which ad units bring the most revenue
- Place ads easily in areas like your blog’s header, sidebar, footer, and within posts
- Auto ad placements don’t stack ads upon one another
- Video ads perform well
Cons
- You can’t track ad results in real-time
- Slows down your site (all ad networks do)
- Doesn’t offer an affiliate program
Is AdThrive Hard To Use?
AdThrive is one of the easiest ad networks to use.
Simply sign up for an account and add its code to your blog.
Pricing & Plans
You don’t pay AdThrive. You join for free and then add its code to your website.
Our Take
AdThrive is easy to use and offers reliable reporting features.
2. Zeropark
Zeropark is an ad network that specializes in pop-under and push-notification ads.
Best For
Affiliate marketers who want to use an ad network that specializes in less intrusive ad options.
Notable Features
- You can target by device, connection type, operating system, or browser
- Zeropark also offers an API for developers.
- Campaign optimization features
Pros
- Free campaign setups
- Push notification ads deliver well on both desktops and mobile devices
- You can redirect domain misspellings to full-page ads
- Pop up ads show up under or on top of each tab
- Offers competitive CPMs
Cons
- Only offers payouts via PayPal or wire transfer
- Customer support isn’t highly responsive
- Takes a while to get ads to match your blog’s visitor preferences
Is Zeropark Hard To Use?
No, Zeropark is not hard to use.
Pricing & Plans
Like AdThrive, you sign up for free to place ads on your website.
Our Take
Zeropark is potentially the best affiliate marketing tool for bloggers who want to try something other than AdThrive or Mediavine.
AI-Related Affiliate Marketing Tools
As an affiliate marketer, you should look for ways to cut down on the time it takes to create content for your campaigns.
Use the following AI tools to help in this area.
1. Jasper.ai
Jasper.ai is an AI tool that can help you with tasks like content ideation, copywriting, and blog content.
Best For
Affiliate marketers who want to speed up the content creation process.
Notable Features
- Offers a content ideas generator: The feature helps with copywriting by providing suggestions for headlines, CTA copy, and affiliate product descriptions
- You can set up content workflows to help with content creation
- Its “recipes” feature provides clear commands to the AI-writing assistant, which then writes out headlines, sub-headings, and blog post outlines
Pros
- Helps affiliate marketers come up with ideas for blog posts, social media posts, and email campaigns
- You can get your content created faster by using the workflows feature
- Offer templates such as content improver, blog post outline, sentence expander, YouTube descriptions, Amazon listings, and more
- Speeds up the creation of long-form content
- Offers a free copywriting and SEO course
Cons
- Only available in English
- It often comes up with irrelevant suggestions for headlines or copy
- Its plans are expensive and you need to keep track of credits
Is Jasper.ai Hard To Use?
While it’s easy to learn, there is a learning curve that might stump some affiliate marketers.
Pricing & Plans
- Starter: Starts at an estimated $49 per month with a 35,000-word limit
- Starter: Pricing can go as high as $399/month for 320,000 words
- Boss Mode: Starts at $99 per month with a 100,000-word limit
- Boss Mode: Pricing can go as high as $600 per month for 700,000 words
Our Take
Jasper.ai is a helpful tool for affiliate marketers who want to create content faster.
However, you will need to budget a large amount to write a lot of content.
You might be better off hiring a freelance writer in that case.
2. Frase.io
Frase.io is an AI-powered content writing tool that helps you create SEO-friendly content.
Best For
Affiliate marketers who want to improve their SEO game and write better headlines.
Notable Features
- Offers a content brief builder: The feature allows you to input information about your target audience, campaign goals, call to action, and more
- Topics and questions research tool
- Offers a content Hub: It provides templates, resources, and guides
Pros
- The tool gives you a clear idea of what to write about
- Content briefs generated by AI technology
- Easily create topic clusters
- Optimizes your content for SEO purposes
- Free tutorials provide extra help
Cons
- You need to have some knowledge of SEO to get the most out of this tool
- Customer support is slow
- Doesn’t always return content useful for humans
Is Frase.io Hard To Use?
No, Frase.io is not hard to use.
Pricing & Plans
- Basic: $44.99 per month
- Team: $114.99 per month
- Enterprise: Contact the company for pricing
Our Take
Frase.io is a quality AI tool for affiliate marketers who want better SEO rankings.
The content brief builder is especially useful for those who are starting with SEO.
Affiliating Marketing FAQs
You may still have questions about affiliate marketing.
Here are the answers to two commonly asked questions about the industry.
How long does it take to see results from affiliate marketing?
This answer varies, as affiliate marketing success depends on many factors such as the niche you’re in, the quality of your content, and how much traffic you can generate.
If you place ads, expect results almost immediately.
It might take six months or longer for a new affiliate marketing blog to generate enough traffic that produces sales.
Can you automate affiliate marketing?
Yes, you can automate parts of your affiliate marketing strategy.
For example, you can use a tool like Mailchimp to schedule email marketing campaigns.
Or, you can use BotPenguin to automate some chat services from your blog.
Wrapping Up
Now that you know about these affiliate marketing tools, start conducting your research.
Select two or three tools and look into them in greater detail.
Choose which marketing tools make sense for your situation and begin using them.