The 17+ Affiliate Marketing Tools Every Marketer Needs
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In search of the best affiliate marketing tools? You should be.
If you're going to build anything properly, then you require the right tools. And this is true for your affiliate marketing business just as it is for anything else.
For starters, as an affiliate marketer you're going to need a website at some point. How you go about building one can make or mar your marketing endeavors.
One of the keys to success in building affiliate websites is that you employ the right tools, for the right reasons, at the right time.
You use affiliate marketing tools to scale up your business and enhance your efficiency.
Obviously, you can manage without some of the affiliate marketing tools and WordPress plugins on this list. But if mega-success is your goal and not merely getting by, then you need to invest in the majority of these tools to smooth out the process and boost your results.
Here's a list of the affiliate tools that we will be covering in this roundup:
Contents
- Bluehost and BigScoots – Hosting Tools
- Elementor Pro – Page and Landing Page Builder Tool
- Jasper AI – Content Marketing Tool
- Surfer SEO – Content Optimization SEO Tool
- Genius Links
- Link Whisper – Internal Linking
- OptinMonster – Lead Collection
- Thrive Leads – Lead Collection Tool
- Tailwind – Social Media Promotion Tool
- Rank Math – WordPress Website Optimization
- Google Analytics – Tracking and Analytics Tool
- AAWP – Amazon Product Review Tool
- Authority Site System – Affiliate Marketing Training
- Motion Invest – Jump Start Tool
- ShareASale – Affiliate Network
- Grammarly
- WP Rocket – Website Speed Improvement Tool
- GetResponse – Email Marketing Tool
- In Summary
Bluehost and BigScoots – Hosting Tools
Before you can launch your affiliate marketing campaign you need to build a website. And the first step to creating a website is locating the best web hosting service within your budget.
Using low-cost and terrible web hosting isn't an option anymore as speed is a major ranking factor with Google. A bad host can slow down your site speed amongst other mega problems.
For your hosting, we recommend Bluehost and BigScoots.
Bluehost
Bluehost is officially recommended by WordPress for web hosting and they are also one of the most affordable options for newbie affiliates. The hosting service starts at $2.95 per month and features the following and more:
- Free domain for 1 year
- Free SSL certificate
- 1-click WordPress install
- Expert 24/7 support
- Support for International Domain Names
- Email support
- 3 Different Webmail (Web Based E-mail) Solutions
- Forwarding E-mail Accounts
- Add-on Domains
- Parked Domains
- Subdomains
- cPanel Account Control Panel
- FTP Access
- Web File Manager
- SpamAssassin Protection
- $200 Marketing Credit
- WordPress Staging (see the best WordPress staging plugins here)
- SSD Hardware
- Free worldwide CDN
If you have way too much on your hands, you can even have an expert create and set up your site for you from Bluehost. Their hosting options include:
- VPS hosting
- Dedicated hosting
- WordPress hosting
- Managed hosting
BigScoots
BigScoots, on the other hand, is a fully managed hosting solution for all types of websites. Their hosting options start at $5.95 and include the following:
- Web Hosting
- Cloud VPS
- Managed WordPress
- Dedicated Hosting
The hosting service covers everything from small sites to enterprise-level websites.
They are also big on real managed web hosting which means that in less than 5 minutes you can get help from an expert.
They also have a 99.99% uptime guarantee and a 45-day money-back guarantee. And they offer one of the fastest hosting services in the world.
Their WordPress plans are also capable of handling up to 1.5 million monthly visits. Here are its primary features:
- Free email
- Fully managed
- Virtual dedicated and fully dedicated server environment
- Up to 20 installs allowed
- Free CDN
- 1000 to unlimited premium bandwidth
Elementor Pro – Page and Landing Page Builder Tool
Having to create a website that's both aesthetically and functionally appealing terrifies most affiliates. But these days, building a website has never been simpler, even for complete newbies.
With the page building tools available today, complete technophobes can go from nothing to a completed website in one day. However, the key to success here is the right page builder. For most marketers, Elementor does it.
Elementor is one of the best content builders for WordPress if you intend to build professional-looking sites and blog posts with minimal fuss.
The tool is fast and easy to use and allows you to create a website using a drag-and-drop interface.
They also have a 30-day money-back guarantee on every plan, which says a lot about their confidence in the tool.
Here are its main features:
- Drag-and-drop live editor
- Responsive design
- 60+ widgets
- 300+ pro templates
- Hello Theme
- Theme Builder
- Website kits
- Form builder
- Pop-up builder
- WooCommerce Builder
- Customer support and 24/7 live chat
Jasper AI – Content Marketing Tool
Affiliate marketing is a content volume game.
To impact search engines you have to pump out a considerable number of blog posts. Using a tool like Jasper AI, you can quickly curate high-value affiliate content to promote your offers.
Affiliate marketers use Jasper as an AI writing assistant. The tool can help you come up with content titles and subheadings by just asking a couple of questions.
It even has an option that allows you to use artificial intelligence to write an article from start to finish.
The idea behind the tool is to enable you to create more content faster (scale content creation) so you can focus on other aspects of the business.
The tool promises to help you finish your first draft 5× faster. A cool feature is its ability to help you create written content in 25+ languages. If you want to market to global audiences, this is an extremely helpful feature.
The tool's pricing starts at $29 per month for 20,000 words. They offer a 100% no-risk money-back guarantee as well. Here's our full Jasper Review.
Its primary features include:
- Plagiarism checker
- 50+ templates
- 25+ languages
- Grammarly integration
- Up to 5 million words per month
Surfer SEO – Content Optimization SEO Tool
No matter how many times you may have heard it or how annoying it sounds, the truth is content is king in the online world.
You have to make sure that the words on your page don't just engage human visitors but also give Google's bots what they want to find.
To achieve that we recommend Surfer SEO. See our Surfer SEO review.
Surfer SEO is an affiliate marketing tool that helps you analyze your competitors' pages down to the minutest of details. It shows you a blueprint for enhancing your search engine rankings with amazing keyword research.
We've tested this tool and it works perfectly.
So it's recommended that you make this tool part of your overall SEO strategy. And this is not just for affiliate marketers but anyone involved in the digital marketing space.
The most recent feature added to the tool is their Content Editor. The tool integrates to Google Docs. This allows you to optimize your content as you write and helps to speed up optimization time.
Surfer SEO is one of those affiliate marketing tools that you use and wonder how you got by without it.
Some of its primary features include:
- NLP-based algorithms
- Sharable organization
- Works in every language
- Content suggestions
- Full audit
- Integration with Google Docs, WordPress, Jasper AI, keywords in Chrome, etc.
Genius Links
You can use Genius Links to build, manage, and track affiliate links.
In essence, affiliates use Genius Link to create custom links for their affiliate links. So instead of using Amazon, Shareasale, or any other affiliate program's links, you would input the URL from them to Genius Link and use the tool's link instead.
Why do that?
Well, for one, when someone visits your site, all of your Amazon affiliate links are immediately converted to the visitor's nation by Genius Links.
This allows you to earn more money and convert more people into purchasers since they are directed to Amazon.com.au rather than Amazon.com if they are in Australia, for example.
Other features include:
- Creating links for custom choice pages
- Track out of stock products when linking to them
- Automatically tag all Amazon links on your website with your affiliate ID
It's also really cost-effective. Their pricing is determined by the number of clicks you receive on your affiliate links. And starts at just $2 per 1000 clicks.
Try Genius Links for Free NowLink Whisper – Internal Linking
Internal linking is one of the most crucial Google ranking factors. If done incorrectly, it can cause a lot of damage.
An effective internal linking strategy not only gives importance to every page but allows Google to know that your website is well organized and constructed.
The tool to help you achieve this is Link Whisper.
It is a WordPress plugin that enables you to create and manage your internal link construction using easy-to-use linking tools and reports.
The idea of the plugin is to help you speed up your internal linking process ultimately ensuring that you rank higher in Google quicker. The tool starts at $67 for a single website.
Its primary features include:
- Adding suggested links to pages with a small number of clicks
- Automatic link suggestions as you write
- Quickly locate and add internal links to old posts that need more
- Add automatic links from keywords of your choosing
- Internal links reporting
- Fix broken links
- Include target keywords for better internal links
- Receive internal link suggestions for other websites that you own
- Traffic data reports from Google Search Console
OptinMonster – Lead Collection
Some people use email marketing tools to collect leads but most of them have one major flaw and that is trying to be everything to every marketer.
That's where the problems start as either their forms aren't good enough or their pop-ups are just bland.
That's why we recommend a separate collection built for this purpose – OptinMonster.
OptinMonster is an excellent choice for taking your lead generation efforts to the next phase as they offer powerful analytics and A/B testing features.
It also provides a very granular methodology for capturing email addresses with a behavior automation trigger feature.
Your forms can be set to trigger on anything from time on site to exit intent or on-click. They can even be set for something as simple as geolocation targeting.
The pricing plans for the tool start at $9 per month, billed yearly.
Here are its primary features:
- Lightbox popup
- Exit-Intent technology
- Fullscreen welcome mat
- Floating bar
- Slide-in scroll box
- Inline forms
- A/B testing
- Conversion analytics
- Yes / No forms
- OnSite retargeting
- Monster links
- Monster effects
- Page-level targeting
- Geo-location targeting
- OnSite follow-up campaigns
- Inactivity sensor
Thrive Leads – Lead Collection Tool
This is another lead collection and generation affiliate marketing tool worth covering.
But what is its USP?
It offers a drag-and-drop editor that comes out as one of the best of its kind. There are also a ton of templates you can work with and a bunch of very powerful targeting options.
Simply put, Thrive Leads, unlike most other lead collection options, gives you total control over how and where your opt-in forms show up on your website.
The only downside with the tool is that their reporting can be a lot better and the user interface could do with some updates.
That said, the tool offers so many types of forms such as pop-up lightbox, sticky ribbon notification bar, 2-step opt-in forms, opt-in widget, screen filler overlay, and much more.
They also have A&B testing and laser targeting features.
The pricing plans for Thrive Leads start at $69 per year for a single site.
Here are its main features:
- Huge variety of opt-in forms
- Build your opt-ins from scratch
- A/B testing for opt-in optimization
- Form triggers
- SmartLinks
- Easy asset delivery for lead magnet creation
Tailwind – Social Media Promotion Tool
Promotion is the backbone of every affiliate marketer. These days, you can barely carry out a meaningful marketing campaign without involving social media.
Plus, for certain kinds of products, Instagram and Pinterest are the perfect choices as the platforms to promote on.
If you're looking for the perfect example of an app that found an opportunity in digital marketing then Tailwind is it.
Tailwind, in its words, is a tool that feels like a marketing team.
The affiliate marketing tool automates the most difficult aspects of social media marketing so you can grow faster and smarter.
The brand doesn't try to be the leading social media posting application for all social networks. But rather it simply focuses on being the best scheduling tool for Instagram and Pinterest.
Tailwind makes posting videos and images to Instagram and Pinterest a lot more seamless. They also offer a smart schedule feature that allows you to post your content at specific times for laser targeting.
Tailwind has a forever-free plan with no credit card required. Paid plans start at $9.99 per month.
Here are its primary features:
- Design-templates
- One-click edits
- 1,000 Posts/mo across Instagram, Pinterest & Facebook
- Unlimited Post Designs
- Access to Tailwind Communities
- Smart.bio Custom Link
- Advanced Analytics
- Additional users
- SmartSchedule
- Photo and video support
- Bulk uploads
- Automated posting
Rank Math – WordPress Website Optimization
SEO goes beyond optimizing the content you upload for promotion.
You need to ensure that your site is optimized as a whole for search engines. Using an SEO plugin is the most effective way to make sure that you satisfy Google's optimization basics for your website.
That said, these types of plugins usually fall in and out of popularity over time. So it's a bit hard to know which one you should stick to.
We recommend Rank Math as it has proven to be relevant with time. The SEO plugin also currently has a lot of great buzz around it.
Rank Math is a search engine optimization WordPress plugin that makes it seamless for anyone to optimize their websites using built-in suggestions based on generally accepted best practices (find out more in our Rank Math vs Yoast head-to-head).
The tool offers many features like being able to control which pages are indexable and how you want your website to show up in search of structured data.
The affiliate marketing tool enables you to carry out little touches such as being able to automatically “nofollow” external links or prevent the opening of external links in a new tab.
They also feature a 404 monitor, schema markup, and redirection tools built-in, so you don't have to use different plugins for the functions.
The tool is also completely free, which is a huge perk.
Its main features include:
- Search console
- Schema structured data
- Local SEO and knowledge graph
- WooCommerce page optimization
- Image optimization
- Sitemap feature
- Measure and track keyword rankings
- Carry out detailed SEO analysis
- Easy one-click imports
- Compatibility with WordPress Gutenberg and classic editors
Google Analytics – Tracking and Analytics Tool
Tracking the performance of all your affiliate marketing campaigns in terms of clicks, traffic, and user behavior is crucial to affiliate marketing success.
Without meaningful tracking, you'll be unable to determine which channels are doing great and which are not. This can lead to poorly optimized campaigns that bleed cash.
Google Analytics is the solution for this. The tool is a given for every affiliate marketer that needs to know their website audience better without having to break the bank.
The basic truth is this: for $0, no other tracking and analytics tool comes close to what Google Analytics offers. You literally get every metric and demographic.
If you haven't began using the tool yet, you should!
Get Google Analytics NowAAWP – Amazon Product Review Tool
It's a bit tough for affiliate marketing newbies to stay in Amazon's ToS compliance good books, especially when it comes to writing product reviews.
This is where a WordPress plugin like AAWP (Amazon Affiliate WordPress Plugin) comes in.
The tool integrates with Amazon's API, pulling in every type of data you require for product reviews.
Basically, AAWP helps you to boost the value of your affiliate page and your earned commissions
There is even a feature that allows you to import a list of the best-selling products with a couple of clicks. The tool isn't free but it is a must-have if you want to succeed as an Amazon affiliate.
Here are its core features:
- Automated lists (Bestseller and New Releases)
- Displaying single product information (e.g. price)
- Dynamic text links
- Product boxes in different variations
- Ordering and filtering of lists
- Use AAWP functions within your theme
- Pre-built templates & styles
- Flexible configuration via plugin settings
- PHP templating for custom presentations
- Geo-targeting to handle foreign visitors
- SSL/HTTPS support
- Google AMP support
Authority Site System – Affiliate Marketing Training
Knowing and having the tools of any trade is vital, but becoming an affiliate marketing success involves way more than just possessing the right tools.
You also need to learn from people in the game with more experience. That's where the Authority Site System (TASS) course comes up (find out more in our Authority Site System review).
TASS is one course that most experienced affiliate marketers unashamedly approve of and for good reason. The course is stuffed full with everything you need to know about affiliate marketing and leaves nothing uncovered.
It offers a step-by-step system for starting and growing a profitable affiliate marketing business (and if you're curious check out just how much affiliate marketers make).
The course achieves this through over 200 video lessons, real-life case studies, providing copy and paste templates, a website building to-do list, allowing you to become an active member of the community, and question-and-answer forums.
What's even more valuable is the community that the course provides affiliate marketers with. You can find honest answers to questions, as well as gain insights from some of the big names in the affiliate marketing industry.
Here are some of the topics they cover:
- Market research
- Keyword research
- Tech website setup
- Design and branding
- Content creation
- Link building
- Hiring and outsourcing
- Monetization
- Analytics and tracking
Motion Invest – Jump Start Tool
This tool is a great pick for anyone in search of how to jump-start the process of building a successful affiliate website from scratch. Motion Invest serves as a bidding marketplace that enables people to buy and sell websites – like eBay for websites.
With Motion Invest, as an affiliate marketer, you can purchase websites that already have a powerful backlink profile to jumpstart SEO growth.
That said, it's important to note that you should run a complete backlink audit before buying a domain.
This is to make sure that the domain is not being inflated with black-hat SEO practices such as PBNs.
So many affiliate marketers have purchased websites with strong backlink profiles only to get penalized by the Penguin algorithm update because the previous site owner used black hat link building practices.
The services offered by the platform include:
- All websites are vetted by experts in the industry.
- They enable you to buy a website.
- You can sell your website to Motion Invest.
- They have a support team that'll help transfer and set everything up on your end.
Affiliate marketing runs on creating partnerships with websites in need of sales.
ShareASale links publishers to advertisers who want to drive sales to their website.
Publishers get paid for sending website visitors to advertisers. This payment is issued is per lead, action, call, or referred sale.
That said, you may likely get more commission per sale for working with advertisers directly, but ShareASale is an excellent starting point.
Grammarly
Grammarly is an affiliate marketing tool that helps you to avoid using terrible grammar in your content. It comes in two packages: Free Forever and Pro.
Both plans come with a Chrome extension so you can correct your grammar right from Google Docs.
With the Pro version, you can access their advanced plagiarism checker.
So you'll get the features of both DupliChecker and Hemingway apps in one cost-effective package.
The pro plan for this tool starts at $29.98 per month. If you opt for the annual plan, you can get it for as low as $11.66.
Grammarly is a free affiliate marketing tool that every promoter needs to produce error-free copies that convert.
Its main features include:
- Plagiarism checker
- Tone detector
- Grammar checker
WP Rocket – Website Speed Improvement Tool
WP Rocket is a premium caching and site optimization plugin for WordPress. The plugin costs $49 per site annually to boost your overall website speed.
The price is worth it as it is more than just a simple caching plugin.
It does tons of other cool stuff like optimize your WordPress databases, integrate with your CDN, and lots more.
WP Rocket's major features include:
- Page caching
- Cache preloading
- Browser caching
- GZIP compression
- eCommerce optimization
- Excellent compatibility with most plugins, themes, and hostings
GetResponse – Email Marketing Tool
If you have an active email list, you can send them offers whenever you choose, and as much as you want.
You get to control the relationship you have with your email subscribers, not Facebook or Google.
So all you need are the right tools to assist you with the creation of an email list.
There are so many email marketing tools and platforms to pick from. However, GetResponse receives our recommendation due to its affiliate-friendliness.
Unlike most of its competitors, GetResponse will not penalize affiliate marketers for sending affiliate offers to their list. You also get a higher delivery rate for affiliate offer emails as long as they are not outright spam.
They have free and paid plans.
The pricing of this affiliate marketing software is entirely dependent on the size of your email list. However, their cheapest plans start at $10.50 per month for 500+ subscribers.
The standout features of these affiliate marketing tools include:
- List segmentation
- Sales funnels
- Marketing automation
- Transactional emails
Check out our GetResponse Vs ActiveCampaign comparison here.
In Summary
That brings us to the close of this roundup on affiliate marketing tools. You can run your affiliate marketing campaigns without using some of these tools but you'll need to work 200× harder. And most times, you still won't get meaningful results.
Also, the affiliate marketing space is becoming a lot more competitive than it has ever been. In the near future, you can expect the competition to increase.
So you need to boost the speed and scale of your affiliate marketing campaigns by taking advantage of affiliate marketing tools to smooth out the process.
With the above affiliate marketing tools, you can build your affiliate marketing campaign from start to finish in record time as well as track and measure your results to improve your performance.
That said, here's a recap of all the affiliate marketing tools we covered alongside what they're for:
- Bluehost and BigScoots – Hosting Tools
- Elementor Pro – Page and Landing Page Builder Tool
- Jasper AI – Content Marketing Tool
- Surfer SEO – Content Optimization SEO Tool
- Link Whisper – Internal Linking
- OptinMonster – Lead Collection
- Thrive Leads – Lead Collection Tool
- Tailwind – Social Media Promotion Tool
- Rank Math – WordPress Website Optimization
- Google Analytics – Tracking and Analytics Tool
- AAWP – Amazon Product Review Tool
- Authority Site System – Affiliate Marketing Training
- Motion Invest – Jump Start Tool
- ShareASale – Affiliate Network
- Grammarly
- WP Rocket – Website Speed Improvement Tool
- GetResponse – Email Marketing Tool
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