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21 REAL LIFE EXAMPLES OF SUCCESSFUL AFFILIATE MARKETING WEBSITES IN 2024

by
Steve Rajeckas
Updated February 22, 2024
February 22, 2024

Want to know the secret to affiliate marketing success?

Study examples of successful affiliate marketing websites and implement their
strategies.

To help you grow your traffic and revenue, we spent over a month analyzing 21 of
the best affiliate marketing websites – and identified 63 actionable tips you
can use to improve your site today.

Let’s dive straight into the examples.


21 AFFILIATE MARKETING WEBSITES TO LEARN FROM

Each affiliate website in this list shows something different.

From rigorous product testing and systematic EEAT development to schema markup
and link building, there are plenty of tactics to add to your affiliate
marketing toolbox.

 1.  The Diamond Pro
 2.  Clever Hiker
 3.  Wirecutter
 4.  This Is Why Im Broke
 5.  PCPartPicker
 6.  The Points Guy
 7.  SafeWise
 8.  RTings
 9.  NerdWallet
 10. Dog Food Advisor
 11. Money Saving Expert
 12. Headphones Addict
 13. Everyday Carry
 14. Baby Gear Lab
 15. Money To The Masses
 16. Modern Castle
 17. Garage Gym Reviews
 18. eBiz Facts
 19. VeryWellFit
 20. VPNMentor
 21. The Hoops Geek

🤓 How we collected data for this post

We list certain data for each affiliate marketing website. Here are the tools
and strategies we used to find these:

 * Estimated monthly visits: Ahrefs
 * Year founded (when not available): Wayback Machine
 * Estimated revenue: When available, we used revenue reports. If a website was
   sold, we extrapolated monthly revenue from the sale price.


1 THE DIAMOND PRO

The Diamond Pro helps people by offering accurate information, personal buying
advice from industry veterans, and transparent reviews about diamonds and
related products.

 * Niche: Gemstones, precious metals, and jewelry
 * Year founded: 2009
 * Monthly visits: 251,000

HOW THE DIAMOND PRO STANDS OUT

The Diamond Pro differentiates itself through deal alerts, “ask an expert”
forms, and unique ways of including affiliate links in educational content.
These tactics go a long way toward increasing conversions and improving email
collection.

Let’s start with the deal alerts.

These colored box-outs advertise discounts at popular diamond retailers. Readers
must enter their email address to get the discount code, doubling as a clever
email collection tactic and affiliate traffic driver.

They also collect emails and earn commissions by embedding a form at the bottom
of each article that lets readers ask questions about diamonds, gold, or
jewelry. A diamond expert will respond with tips, recommendations, and an
affiliate link for the site offering the best deal.

Finally, they incorporate affiliate links in educational content by embedding
tools and quizzes.

One example is a gold pricing calculator they embed in gold-related content.
When readers fill out the calculator, they are shown a form that offers a free
quote from a gold buyer.

They also embed a simple quiz that shows the reader two diamonds and asks them
to select the one that matches the description.

Clicking on either redirects you to a website where you can buy the diamond.

HOW THE DIAMOND PRO MAKES MONEY

The Diamond Pro makes money by referring people to websites that buy and sell
diamonds, gold, and similar items.

Their unique strategy of answering questions and providing recommendations
directly via email works well in the diamond niche due to the high value of the
products. A 5% commission on a $6,500 purchase is worth a few emails back and
forth.

TOP AFFILIATE PROGRAMS

 * Blue Nile
 * James Allen
 * Leibish
 * Ritani

For similar programs, check our list of jewelry affiliate programs.

👉 See also: High-Ticket Affiliate Programs

WHAT WE CAN LEARN

 * Use deal alerts to drive traffic and collect emails. If you can negotiate
   exclusive discounts with your affiliate partners, you can either offer them
   for free to generate more upfront commissions or require an email signup to
   build your list.
 * Offer targeted advice to collect emails and recommended products. An “Ask an
   Expert” form at the end of articles or product pages lets you provide
   valuable advice and recommend relevant products, leading to potential
   conversions.
 * Add affiliate links to educational content. Use quizzes, calculators, and
   other interactive elements to generate affiliate commissions from
   informational posts.


2 CLEVER HIKER

Clever Hiker provides guidance and gear recommendations for backpackers, hikers,
and campers.

 * Niche: Backpacking, hiking, and camping
 * Year founded: 2012
 * Monthly visits: 100,000

HOW CLEVER HIKER STANDS OUT

Clever Hiker’s standout affiliate marketing strategies are their free video
courses and trip guides to popular wilderness destinations.

These resources give them a hard-to-replicate traffic source and boost EEAT and
credibility by proving the authors “walk their talk.”

The video courses act as beginner-friendly introductions to wilderness
exploration.

This approach captures people near the beginning of the customer journey. Rather
than focusing solely on high buyer intent like most affiliate websites, they
educate beginners about the fundamentals.

As these beginners gain knowledge and confidence, they’re more likely to engage
in the niche and purchase products recommended by Clever Hiker.

However, a free course is only effective if it’s up-to-date.

To address this, they made sure that the videos – which were made over 8 years
ago – covered evergreen topics and didn’t mention specific products.

For example, their video about ultralight shelters only covers general tent
categories.

Clever Hiker would have needed constant video updates if they covered specific
tents.

However, focusing on timeless fundamentals has allowed their content to stay
relevant for years.

Along with their courses, Clever Hiker offers extensive guides to 49 popular
destinations, complete with crucial trail info, author photos from the trails,
trip planning resources, gear advice, and much more.

HOW CLEVER HIKER MAKES MONEY

They recommend affiliate products related to backpacking, camping, and hiking.
Some of their most popular products include backpacking hammocks, freeze-dried
meals, water bottles, and sleeping pads.

TOP AFFILIATE PROGRAMS

 * REI
 * Amazon 
 * Walmart
 * Tentsile

For similar affiliate programs, check our list of outdoor affiliate programs.

WHAT WE CAN LEARN

 * Create a free, evergreen video course that teaches the fundamentals of your
   niche. You can build audience trust by establishing your site as one that
   knows what it’s talking about, and you can also convert those newbies into
   affiliate conversions.
 * Share your own relatable experiences. This proves to readers that you’re
   involved in the niche, boosting EEAT and audience trust. You can also
   recommend the items needed to complete the tasks, giving you another avenue
   to earn commissions.
 * While Clever Hiker didn’t take this route, offering a free course can be an
   incredible lead magnet for a paid course. We employ this strategy here at
   Authority Hacker with our free authority site training course.


3 WIRECUTTER

Wirecutter offers unbiased, rigorous product reviews for home, garden, health,
fitness, tech, and more.

 * Niche: General product reviews
 * Year founded: 2011
 * Monthly visits: 13.4 million
 * Estimated revenue: The NY Times acquired Wirecutter for $30 million in 2016.
   Based on a 40x monthly valuation, their revenue in 2016 was likely about
   $750,000. 2024 revenue is unknown

HOW WIRECUTTER STANDS OUT

In the review arena, no single website does it quite like Wirecutter, whose
dedication to rigor and quality is sometimes extreme but always thorough.

Their reviewers have years of experience using the type of product they’re
reviewing. And they invest a significant amount and resources in researching and
testing products.

Product reviews often include unique and frankly extraordinary tests designed to
find the best possible products. They set a room on fire to test fireproof
safes, designed an obstacle course to test robot vacuums, and smeared food on
hundreds of dishes to test dishwashers.

This high standard gives them a ton of credibility and reader trust, resulting
in a much higher conversion rate than affiliate sites with a less hands-on
approach.

They gather data from the best sources, from engineers and scientists to subject
matter experts. And they don’t stop at the pros. They sift through countless
customer reviews for testimonials from everyday product owners.

All of this adds to the already stellar reputation that this website enjoys,
thanks in part to its New York Times ownership. This also sees its reviews
posted on the home page of its parent website – how’s that for credibility?

The lengths the testers go to might seem extreme, but its value is evidenced in
consumer trust. Many will head straight to Wirecutter for their product review
fix. For instance, thousands of consumers search ” vacuum wirecutter ” monthly.

For more information on how to write great product reviews, check out Google’s
Product Review Update page.

HOW WIRECUTTER MAKES MONEY

Wirecutter has two revenue streams:

 * Affiliate commissions
 * A monthly subscription fee

Wirecutter is the only affiliate site I’ve seen that charges you to view their
content. You get a limited number of free articles per month, and access to
additional reviews is gated behind a monthly subscription.

This goes back to reputation. The enormous amount of effort they’ve put into
building their database of rigorously tested products has made them a go-to
source for recommendations – even if that means the reader has to pay for the
information.

TOP AFFILIATE PROGRAMS

 * Amazon
 * Walmart
 * Home Depot 
 * Wayfair

For more affiliate programs with a wide array of product types, check our list
of the best affiliate programs for beginners.

WHAT WE CAN LEARN

 * Build a brand people trust and actively seek out. While the effort to do this
   may seem over-the-top initially, it can be extremely valuable in the long
   run.
 * Rigorously test your products. Before reviewing a product, consider what
   tests or experiments you can run to make the review truly valuable to
   readers.  
 * Give multiple purchase options. Providing two marketplaces users can buy a
   product is worth considering. Even if one offers a better affiliate
   commission, offering two shifts the question from “Do I buy?” to “Which store
   should I buy it at?”

👉 See also: Best Affiliate Marketing Tips & Strategies


4 THIS IS WHY IM BROKE

This Is Why Im Broke is not your usual affiliate marketing website. They’ve
carved out a unique niche by highlighting entertaining novelty items.

 * Niche: Novelty items and gifts
 * Year founded: 2011
 * Monthly visits: 545,000

HOW THIS IS WHY IM BROKE STANDS OUT

This Is Why Im Broke is committed to featuring fun, shareable, and interesting
products, whether or not they have an affiliate partnership with the product
creator.

The single-minded focus on products is built into the site’s user experience,
allowing users to scroll endlessly through wild and wacky finds (and generating
a ton of lucrative clicks to affiliate offers).

They often source these unique products through their product pitch page, where
they invite creators to pitch their offerings directly. This allows them to find
products that most other sites haven’t heard of yet.

They also use their product catalog to create gift guides for a variety of
people and circumstances, driving substantial organic traffic from Google.

HOW THIS IS WHY IM BROKE MAKES MONEY

ThisIsWhyImBroke earns their bread entirely through affiliate commissions. Per a
Reddit AMA with the site owner, 66% of their revenue comes from Amazon, with 80%
of that from products not even featured on the website.

This is possible because when a user clicks on one of their Amazon affiliate
links, a cookie is placed on their device which tracks any purchases they make
on Amazon within a certain time frame.

Source: Reddit

So, even if the user is driven to Amazon purely by curiosity but doesn’t buy the
item, the site still earns commissions from unrelated products that Amazon
recommends.

In essence, they’ve found a way to monetize window shopping by directing high
levels of traffic to Amazon – one of the most powerful online conversion
machines.

TOP AFFILIATE PROGRAMS

 * Amazon
 * Etsy

WHAT WE CAN LEARN

 * Affiliate niches don’t always have to be serious. If you have a knack for
   spotting light-hearted novelty products, you can build a successful affiliate
   marketing website without in-depth reviews and rigorous testing.
 * Product-focused websites can still thrive. Despite many recommendation-heavy
   sites taking a hit from Google updates, ThisIsWhyImBroke proves that the
   model is still viable if done right.
 * Don’t write off Amazon affiliate websites just yet. Although Amazon
   commissions are lower than ever, you can still earn a decent amount through
   the Amazon affiliate program if you drive a lot of traffic.

👉 See also: Amazon Affiliate Program Review


5 PCPARTPICKER

PCPartPicker helps people build PCs by recommending compatible components.

 * Niche: PC building
 * Year founded: 2010
 * Monthly visits: 1.6 million

HOW PCPARTPICKER STANDS OUT

PCPartPicker stands out from other affiliate websites by offering a suite of
incredibly useful tools that have turned them into the go-to website for PC
builders.

The most impressive tool – and the centerpiece of their business – is the PC
Builder.

It enables you to choose your preferred parts, check for compatibility issues,
and find the best deals.  If you buy a recommended product, PCPartPicker earns a
commission.

Here are some helpful features they’ve implemented into the Builder:

 * A compatibility alert to flag parts that won’t work together.
 * A section that explains compatibility issues and how to solve them.
 * The cheapest retailer for parts and how much it will cost (including
   shipping).
 * A graphic that shows how all of the components fit together.
 * A “Share Parts” section lets you share your build with anyone online –
   complete with links to the product pages on PCPartPicker’s website.
 * And a price history graph with historical prices of the components you’re
   considering.

While the Builder is what most definitively sets them apart from competitors,
they also have other innovative tools and solutions for PC builders, including
pre-designed builds, a user marketplace for completed builds, and a thorough
database with information about every component they recommend.

This dedication to building one-of-a-kind solutions for the thorny problem of
tool compatibility has helped them dominate the PC component affiliate space.

HOW PCPARTPICKER MAKES MONEY

PCPartPicker earns 100% of their revenue from affiliate commissions driven by
the builder tool, build guides, and user-created builds.

What’s interesting about their monetization strategy is the many different ways
they enable users to participate in, benefit from, and save money in the PC
building niche.

 * The marketplace allows users to earn money through PCPartPicker (by building
   PCs and selling them for a profit).
 * The sharing feature lets users help others build PCs by giving them a quick
   overview of each component and what it will cost.
 * The Builder helps people save money by mentioning coupons, showing historical
   pricing for parts, and showing the cheapest marketplace for each product.

These tactics have helped create a dedicated audience who use PCPart Picker for
their own builds and share the site with others interested in building PCs.

TOP AFFILIATE PROGRAMS

 * Amazon Affiliate
 * NewEgg
 * Best Buy
 * GameStop

For other programs in the computer niche, check out our list of computer
affiliate programs.

WHAT WE CAN LEARN

 * Make complex tasks easy. Before PCPartPicker, building a computer was a
   nerve-wracking process. If there’s a thorny problem in your niche, consider
   how you might build a tool that makes the process easy to solve.
 * Use the “Add all to cart” feature on Amazon. If you’re selling multiple items
   that complement each other, eliminate friction by letting users buy
   everything with one click.
 * Never stop improving. PCPartPicker could have simply created the PC Builder
   tool, and they likely would have found enormous success. But they continued
   iterating and adding new features, and grew their status from “helpful tool”
   to “nexus of the PC building niche.”


6 THE POINTS GUY

The Points Guy (TPG) is a website in the travel niche with an emphasis on
loyalty programs and credit cards.

 * Niche: Loyalty programs, credit cards, and travel
 * Year founded: 2010
 * Monthly visits: 2.6 million
 * Estimated revenue: $4.5 million per month

HOW THE POINTS GUY STANDS OUT

There are two things that set TPG apart from other affiliate websites:

 * Their focus on the travel sub-niche of credit card points and rewards.
 * Their transition into a broad lifestyle media brand.

This approach not only built a dedicated audience and topical authority, but
also drove traffic through their news arm and social channels, increased
exposure for their affiliate offers, and built more links through viral social
content.

Initially, TPG was all about traveling efficiently by using certain credit cards
or rewards programs.

While they could have easily stuck to the miles-and-points content and still
been quite successful, they pivoted into a broader lifestyle and travel niche.

Today, TPG’s website and social channels balance core credit card advice with
broader travel news and lifestyle content.

Their engaging content across platforms lures readers back to their site,
getting more eyeballs on their credit card affiliate offers.  

This is especially noticeable on social channels like Instagram, where much of
the content has nothing to do with credit cards or travel rewards.

HOW THE POINTS GUY MAKES MONEY

The Points Guy makes most of their money from credit card referrals, which they
promote in a variety of ways.

They have an expansive collection of detailed credit card comparison articles,
similar to NerdWallet. They provide an in-depth look at the features, benefits,
and costs associated with various credit cards.

They also offer a service called CardMatch, which is a questionnaire that
matches you with the right credit card for your situation.

Besides credit cards, TPG also leverages hotel and airline rewards programs,
reviewing them while nudging readers to sign up for associated credit cards.  

Finally, they show unobtrusive display ads that promote credit card offers and
their CardMatch service.

TOP AFFILIATE PROGRAMS

While there isn’t any publicly available information about The Points Guy’s
credit card affiliate agreements, you can still profit from credit card
referrals through the Bankrate Credit Cards affiliate program.

You can also check out our list of financial affiliate programs and travel
affiliate programs.

WHAT WE CAN LEARN

 * Find your angle: In a saturated market, targeting a unique sub-niche can help
   you stand out.
 * Mix it up with content: Publishing news or entertainment content within your
   niche can boost your social media and email engagement, which drives extra
   traffic and creates link-building opportunities.
 * Maximize your affiliate offers: Use banner ads to promote your top
   affiliates. High conversion rates and value can give you a higher ROI than
   standard display ads.

👉 See also: Is Affiliate Marketing Worth It?


7 SAFEWISE

Safewise provides product recommendations and tips for home safety and security.

 * Niche: Home safety and security
 * Year founded: 2013
 * Monthly visits: 670,000

HOW SAFEWISE STANDS OUT

Safewise uses in-depth statistics pages on everything from home safety and
identifying theft to burglary and crime rates to attract backlinks. This helps
improve their Google rankings and drive more traffic and affiliate conversions.

But the smart link building tactics don’t stop at topic selection.  

Safewise’s approach to citing sources seems clear and straightforward at first
glance – neatly organized footnotes that provide the source for the information
presented.

However, these footnotes are more than meets the eye. They’re actually jumplinks
that lead to an extensive list of sources at the bottom of the page.

Here’s an example from their Home Safety and Security stats page:

For readers – many of whom are writers searching for a credible statistic to
cite – this can be a bit of a maze.

Faced with the task of combing through the list to find the appropriate source,
many won’t bother and will instead link directly to the Safewise article.

Here’s a quick look at the impressive backlink profile for the Home Security
stats page:

Safewise also strategically places one of their own articles as the third item
in the Sources list. This positioning places it directly in the middle of the
reader’s line of sight when they click the jumplink. As a result, their content
is subtly highlighted and primed for more traffic and engagement.

Sneaky? Perhaps. But it’s undeniably brilliant for SEO.

And finally, they incorporate EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authority,
Trustworthiness) into their statistics pages by featuring a relevant quote from
a criminal justice and theft expert at the end of each section.

This provides additional value to the reader and signals to Google that the
content is credible and authoritative.

HOW SAFEWISE MAKES MONEY

They make affiliate income on the products they recommend. Their most popular
products include safes, security cameras, smart doorbells, and self-defense
tools like tasers and stun guns.

TOP AFFILIATE PROGRAMS

 * Amazon
 * Google Nest
 * Bay Alarm Medical
 * Gabb

For more relevant programs, check our list of home security affiliate programs.

WHAT WE CAN LEARN

 * Create statistics pages to attract backlinks. If you can build a statistics
   page that ranks, you can generate high-quality passive backlinks that would
   otherwise be hard to get.
 * If you have a sizeable audience, run a survey and publish unique data. This
   gives you unique data that no one else in the industry has, and that
   uniqueness will help your statistics page rank higher. Other statistics pages
   will also link to you as the source for their data. For more on this, check
   out our podcast on running surveys:


 * Optimize your statistics page. Add expert commentary to boost EEAT and
   increase your page’s chance of ranking. Set up footnote jumplinks to a
   sources list to encourage readers to link to your page.


8 RTINGS

Rtings specializes in reviews of electronics and home goods.

 * Niche: Product reviews
 * Year founded: 2011
 * Monthly visits: 6 million

HOW RTINGS STANDS OUT

Rtings uses a granular quantitative scoring process. This data-driven approach
enhances reader trust and substantially increases affiliate conversions.

Here’s how it works:

 1. They define unique testing categories based on common use cases.
 2. They identify score components for each use case.
 3. They test and assign a weighted score based on how crucial it is for
    successful task completion.

This is best shown with an example.

In their Best Ninja Blenders review, they test blenders on multi-purpose
blending, smoothie-making, crushing ice, soup blending, and professional use. 

Each of these categories is broken down into multiple elements.

For instance, the smoothie-making capability is rated based on how well the
blender can process fibrous ingredients, its noise level, its build quality, and
how easy it is to clean afterward.

To ensure an accurate review, they apply weights to each score.

For example, 60% of the smoothie-making score is based on the blender’s ability
to blend fibrous ingredients. The remaining 40% is divided equally among the
other four elements –  build quality, cleaning, noise level, and crushed ice
capability.

Each element is given a granular score from 1-10. With the weighting applied,
each category then receives an overall score out of 10.

By providing such a detailed breakdown and scoring system, Rtings.com ensures
its readers understand the thorough research and consideration that goes into
each review.

If you’d like to learn more about the Rtings approach to product reviews, we
discussed them at length in this podcast:



HOW RTINGS MAKES MONEY

Rtings.com earns revenue from affiliate commissions and an “Insider Access”
subscription program.

Their affiliate monetization is pretty standard. But unlike other affiliate
sites, they focus on a very narrow product range, currently reviewing only 12
product categories, but they cover every base within these.

For example, their TV category features 18 different types of TVs. This means
they can review each product type comprehensively despite limited bandwidth.  

Subscribers gain full access to their suite of product selection tools
and in-depth looks at the raw testing data.

TOP AFFILIATE PROGRAMS

 * Amazon
 * Best Buy
 * B&H

WHAT WE CAN LEARN

 * Take a granular, quantitative approach to your product reviews. Consider the
   major use cases of your product. Apply scoring weights based on different
   elements’ importance for each use case.
 * Narrow your focus. Center your attention on a select group of product
   types. You’ll build incredible topical authority, learn the ins and outs of
   those products better than anyone, and can recycle your tests for use in many
   different roundup reviews and comparison articles.
 * Maintain up-to-date reviews. Rtings often revises reviews and product
   roundups with information about the latest products, and they routinely
   remove inferior products when better products are released.

👉 See also: How To Write A Product Review (Templates & Examples)


9 NERDWALLET

NerdWallet helps consumers and small businesses make smart money decisions.

 * Niche: Finance
 * Year founded: 2009
 * Monthly visits: 28.9 million
 * Estimated revenue: NerdWallet earned $538.9 million in 2022, which equals an
   average monthly revenue of $44.9 million

HOW NERDWALLET STANDS OUT

NerdWallet offers a variety of tools that help readers find the best product for
their unique situation.

These methods are often side-by-side on the same page. The variety of options
boosts their affiliate commissions, and you can find them on many pages across
the site.

A great example of this is on their Best Credit Cards page, where they have a
product comparison table, a filtering option for the table, and a link to a
questionnaire that provides personalized recommendations.  

Their data and recommendations are legit, thanks to complex, proprietary
formulas for their star ratings system. And they focus on readers’ needs with
strong editorial guidelines, so it’s easy to see why consumers go to NerdWallet
for help making financial decisions – and why this dedication to quality and a
tailored user experience have made them an affiliate marketing powerhouse.

HOW NERDWALLET MAKES MONEY

The operation may be complex, but NerdWallet’s monetization strategy is simple:
affiliate marketing.

The beauty is in how they promote their products.

Most websites have a static approach to affiliate marketing that doesn’t change
based on who visits the website.

NerdWallet offers highly personalized recommendations and guidance through
features like product comparison tables, sophisticated calculators, detailed
questionnaires, an app that provides customized guidance, and detailed finance
guides with relevant offers embedded in the content.

Okay, and what products earn them the most money?

Here’s what their 2022 Q4 investor report says:

 * Their top moneymaker was credit card referrals, accounting for 37% of
   revenue.
 * Loans – including mortgages, auto loans, and student loans – made up 15% of
   revenue.
 * All other categories – including insurance, taxes, investing, financial
   planning, travel planning, banking services, and small business services –
   generated the remaining 46%.

TOP AFFILIATE PROGRAMS

Many of NerdWallet’s partners don’t have public affiliate programs. NerdWallet
can only earn referrals from these companies because their enormous traffic
numbers enable them to make private agreements.

However, NerdWallet does work with some companies that offer public affiliate
programs. Here are some of the top finance affiliate programs they use:

 * TurboTax 
 * Insure
 * PolicyGenius 
 * SoFi

💡 Pro tip: While there isn’t any publicly available information about
NerdWallet’s credit card affiliate agreements, you can still earn big from
credit card referrals through the Bankrate Credit Cards affiliate program.

You can also check our list of credit card affiliate programs and insurance
affiliate programs.

WHAT WE CAN LEARN

 * Put readers first: Provide an unmatched great user experience – ideally, a
   programmatic one that can be tailored to the reader’s unique situation.
 * Focus on big earners. Even a massive website like NerdWallet – which
   currently has 11 major topic categories – earns more than a third of revenue
   from just one of those.
 * Explore private partnerships. Even if a company doesn’t offer a public
   affiliate program, they may entertain a private agreement if you have a
   strong brand and high traffic.

👉 See also: High Paying Affiliate Programs In 2024


10 DOG FOOD ADVISOR

Dog Food Advisor provides dog food recommendations for different breeds, buyer
preferences, and health conditions.

 * Niche: Dog food
 * Year founded: 2008
 * Monthly visits: 990,000
 * Estimated revenue: Dog Food Advisor was purchased by Wag! in 2023 for $9
   million. Based on that valuation, their monthly revenue is likely around
   $225,000

HOW DOG FOOD ADVISOR STANDS OUT

Dog Food Advisor effectively uses pop-ups to build their email subscriptions and
convert visitors to regular buyers.

Their lead magnet is a dog food recall alert newsletter. It’s a great choice
because every visitor to the site is probably a dog owner, and the urgent nature
of a recall notice means readers will be highly motivated to subscribe.

Here are the tactics they use to increase the engagement of their pop ups:

 * Eye-catching pop-up featuring a cute dog.
 * Social-proof claim that 750,000+ others have enrolled in the recall alerts.
 * Specific recall locations (US and Canada) provide relevance.
 * Use of ‘lifesaving’ in copy, conveying the possible risks of not subscribing.
 * Yellow and red colors for urgency.
 * Emphasis that the recall alerts are free.

And here’s a banner pop up that shows all of those strategies in action:

They also employ an exit intent pop up that appears when you move your mouse to
exit the page.

As you can see, the exit intent pop up uses the same CTR-boosting elements as
the banner pop up.

Beyond the pop ups, they also heavily promote the recall alert notifications on
their home page, giving it important real estate near the top of the page and at
the bottom of their home page:

These link to a page on their site that lists all of the latest recalls. This
page also has a call-to-action to sign up for the email list:

When you click on that link, you get to a sign up page that allows you to add
your email to the list. It uses most of the same elements as the pop ups, and
also makes it easy for readers to share the page on social media.

HOW DOG FOOD ADVISOR MAKES MONEY

They earn affiliate income from their dog food recommendations. Some of their
most popular affiliate products include puppy food, grain-free food, and dry
food.

TOP AFFILIATE PROGRAMS

 * Chewy
 * Ollie
 * The Farmer’s Dog
 * Nom Nom

For similar programs, check our list of dog affiliate programs.

WHAT WE CAN LEARN

 * Use exit intent pop ups. These can significantly increase conversions by
   capturing people who would have left your site and never returned.
 * Create a relevant, urgent lead magnet. Your lead magnet will be most
   effective if it is broadly relevant to your audience and may save them or
   their loved ones from harm.
 * Consider the copy you use in your pop ups.  Even a slight change in wording
   can significantly impact conversion rates. In particular, understand the core
   motivation for signing up for what you’re offering.

👉 Read more: How to Build an Email List for Affiliate Marketing


11 MONEY SAVING EXPERT

Money Saving Expert (MSE) provides UK-specific advice about loans, credit cards,
insurance, and other financial topics.

 * Niche: UK financial advice
 * Year founded: 2003
 * Monthly visits: 6.5 million

HOW MONEY SAVING EXPERT STANDS OUT

MSE excels by simplifying complex financial topics.

This positions them as the go-to source of financial advice and product
recommendations, serving millions of UK residents, and generating substantial
income from affiliate commissions along the way.  

Here are some of the general tactics they use to improve reader comprehension:

 * Content is written at around an 8th-grade level. Jargon and complex topics
   are always broken down into layman’s terms that anyone can understand. A free
   readability tool like Hemingway can help with this.
 * Expandable FAQ sections answer relevant questions that don’t fit into the
   flow of the content.
 * Quotes from regular people (not financial experts) explain the value of the
   advice from the consumer’s point of view.
 * Use of UK-specific phrases and spelling.
 * Detailed, step-by-step instructions for important processes are provided –
   complete with a breakdown of costs.
 * Easily skimmed content with frequent subheadings, lists, tables, quotes, and
   images.
 * Users can provide article feedback on their forum, helping MSE make future
   iterations of articles more helpful.
 * Embedding helpful videos from their YouTube channel that provide a more
   visual way to understand the topic.
 * Frequent updates keep content fresh.

Above all, they create helpful, easy-to-digest content that resonates with most
readers.

HOW MONEY SAVING EXPERT MAKE MONEY

MSE earns revenue from affiliate commissions. Top product categories include
bank account, credit card, and loan referrals.

TOP AFFILIATE PROGRAMS

 * MoneySupermarket
 * uSwitch

Most of their partners don’t have public affiliate programs. However, our guide
to the best financial affiliate programs provides alternatives.

WHAT WE CAN LEARN

 * Keep it simple. Don’t assume readers have an easy time grasping complex
   vocabulary or jargon. Write at an 8th-grade level and break down complex
   concepts.
 * Make it skimmable and interactive. Incorporating interactive elements such as
   jumplinks, bulleted lists, tables, FAQ sections, and highlighted key
   information can enhance the user experience. Visual aids like tables,
   infographics, or videos can make content more digestible and engaging.
 * Update your content frequently. If any aspect of your content becomes
   outdated, update it! Content refreshes are great for SEO, and they show your
   audience that you’re committed to providing reliable and accurate
   information.


12 HEADPHONES ADDICT

Headphones Addict tests headphones and earbuds to discover the best options for
different use cases.

 * Niche: Headphones
 * Year founded: 2015
 * Monthly visits: 28,000

HOW HEADPHONES ADDICT STAND OUT

Headphones Addict has a sophisticated internal linking strategy, which helps
them improve their rankings with high topical authority and earn more revenue by
recommending additional products. It also improves their site architecture, a
crucial part of SEO.

This tactic is made possible by a core of over 150 pieces of informational
content, which they link to heavily from both their commercial content and other
info content.

For example, this headphone review links to 30 internal posts – 20 informational
posts that explain topics discussed in the article in more detail, and 10
relevant product reviews.

All links are contextually relevant and never inserted unless it makes sense to
do so.  

They also have individual reviews for every product they feature in a roundup
review, allowing them to link to the individual review and help people who want
more information than a roundup review summary can provide.

HOW HEADPHONES ADDICT MAKES MONEY

Headphones Addict makes money through affiliate commissions. Their most popular
products include earbuds, noise-canceling headphones, and workout headphones.

TOP AFFILIATE PROGRAMS

 * Amazon
 * eBay
 * Walmart

For other relevant programs, check our list of electronics affiliate programs.

WHAT WE CAN LEARN

 * Build a strong foundation of informational content. This tells Google you
   have strong topical authority and gives your reviews extra credibility
   because the relevant on-site resources signal to readers that you’re
   knowledgeable in your niche.
 * Link to relevant resources. Begin by writing comprehensively to cover all the
   key elements a reader needs to know. Then identify terms or concepts that
   might need more explanation and link to the informational articles on your
   site that explain those topics.
 * Use concise and descriptive anchor text. Include only essential words needed
   to describe the topic. Ensure the text accurately describes the link
   destination, because Google uses anchor text to pinpoint what your pages are
   about.

👉 See also: How to Build An Affiliate Marketing Website (Beginner’s Guide)


13 EVERYDAY CARRY

Everyday Carry (EDC) recommends practical everyday items you can carry on your
person.  

 * Niche: Essential everyday gear
 * Year founded: 2009
 * Monthly visits: 92,000

HOW EVERYDAY CARRY STANDS OUT

EDC was purchased by Ridge – a high-end wallet company – in 2022. This
acquisition has increased sales of their wallets, which now feature prominently
across the site.

This purchase was a good idea for The Ridge for a few reasons.

 * Wallets are a centerpiece of the “everyday carry” philosophy. Not everyone
   needs a knife, flashlight, or watch, but every man I know carries a wallet
   daily. A knife or flashlight company might not have found as much value in
   buying EDC.
 * As it’s a male-focused site, most people who browse Everyday Carry need a
   wallet. Virtually every visitor is a potential customer.
 * The Ridge earns money from the site’s other affiliate categories. Their
   purchase doubles as a traffic source for their products and a secondary
   revenue stream independent of their wallet business.

What’s impressive about this merger is how The Ridge has inserted its products
into Everyday Carry content without seeming spammy or pushy.

First, The Ridge doesn’t hide that they are affiliated with EDC. The top of
every page clearly states that The Ridge “supports” EDC. This transparency
improves reader trust and prevents a scandal in the EDC community if someone
were to figure out that The Ridge owned EDC.

They also curate themed “loadouts” that combine items with a similar theme into
one batch of products. Ridge wallets are prominent in these.

Many of their wallet roundup reviews contain a Ridge wallet. The top spot in
these reviews is usually a Ridge wallet.

Finally, their more general buying and gift guides that feature a variety of
products usually include a Ridge wallet near the top of the post.

HOW EVERYDAY CARRY MAKES MONEY

EDC makes money by recommending Ridge wallets, earning affiliate commissions on
other product recommendations, and sponsorship opportunities, which include
sponsored content, giveaways, and social and email promotions.

TOP AFFILIATE PROGRAMS

 * Amazon
 * Etsy
 * G-Shock
 * BladeHQ

For affiliate programs with similar products, check our articles listing the top
survival affiliate programs, self-defense affiliate programs, and tech affiliate
programs.

WHAT WE CAN LEARN

 * Creating a product is a great monetization strategy. Selling your own product
   is more involved than promoting affiliate products, but you’ll keep a lot
   more of the profit.
 * Subtle promotion is king. If you sell products, you need to be thoughtful
   about how you promote them. The integrity of the blog has to be maintained,
   or you risk losing the trust of your readership.
 * Ensure your product is something the majority of readers would want. This
   strategy won’t work if there isn’t a significant overlap between the
   website’s readers and interest in your product.


14 BABYGEARLAB

BabyGearLab helps parents find the best baby products for their children.

 * Niche: Baby products
 * Year founded: 2011
 * Monthly visits: 297,000

HOW BABYGEARLAB STANDS OUT

BabyGearLab places a lot of emphasis on building EEAT, which helps them rank
higher in the search results and generate more traffic.

EEAT is a complex topic with many different elements. Here’s a summary of what
BabyGearLab does right in this department:

 * Referencing their pediatrician-led credentials on the homepage twice above
   the fold.
 * Utilizing appropriate schema on important pages, including Organization
   schema on their general About page, Person schema on their author About
   pages, and article schema on each blog post.
 * Author pages showcase authors’ photos, backgrounds, expertise, and
   credentials.

 * The general About page defines the company’s mission, purpose, and goals.
 * A unique physical address and a direct contact form on their contact page.
 * Reviews include “experience-proving language” showcasing direct experience
   with the product. An example is “We had to take the crib apart to swap parts
   around.”
 * Trust basics like a privacy policy, terms & conditions, and an SSL
   certificate.

Check out our YouTube video for a complete walkthrough of how to improve your
site’s EEAT.



HOW BABYGEARLAB MAKES MONEY

Baby Gear Lab makes money through affiliate commissions. Some of their top
products include car seats, strollers, and diapers.

TOP AFFILIATE PROGRAMS

The only affiliate program BabyGearLab uses is Amazon.

For other programs, you can use in the baby niche, check our list of baby
products affiliate programs.

WHAT WE CAN LEARN

 * Treat every niche as if it’s YMYL. YMYL stands for Your Money Or Your Life,
   meaning the content can affect your health or financial situation. To rank
   for YMYL content, you need someone with real experience and credentials to
   author or review your content. Applying this concept to any niche can help
   you rank higher.
 * Implement schema on important pages. Your general About page should have
   organization schema, Author pages should have person schema, and all posts
   should have article schema. You can use the RankMath plugin to add these.
 * Use experience-proving language. Google wants to see that the author of a
   post has experience with the topic. Using first-person language that
   indicates personal knowledge – whether physically reviewing a product or
   performing the steps in a guide – helps prove to Google that you know what
   you’re talking about.


15 MONEY TO THE MASSES

Money to the Masses is a UK-centric personal finance website.

 * Niche: Consumer finance
 * Year founded: 2010
 * Monthly visits: 150,000

HOW MONEY TO THE MASSES STANDS OUT

Money to the Masses uses video and frequent content updates to keep high-value
articles fresh and at the top of the search results. This helps them beat higher
authority competition, and drive more traffic and affiliate conversions.

For example, they rank in the top 3 for the lucrative keyword “best credit cards
uk” despite having low domain authority compared to the competition.

There are a few strategies that help them accomplish this.

First, they ensure the title displays the latest month and year, signaling to
Google and users that the content is current.

They also release monthly YouTube videos – simple screen shares of the updated
article narrated by their founder, Damien. These videos are low-effort and
low-budget, but that’s okay because they’re not trying to succeed on YouTube.
The videos are merely a vehicle for SEO improvement; high production quality
isn’t required.

Finally, they keep the content fresh by updating articles with their latest
recommendations. Merely changing the title or adding videos won’t be enough to
move the SEO needle; the content must evolve too.

For a deeper dive into what Money to the Masses does right, check this podcast
episode:



HOW MONEY TO THE MASSES MAKES MONEY

Money to the Masses earns money from financial product affiliate commissions.
Some of their top products include credit cards, bank account signups, and
mortgage loans.

TOP AFFILIATE PROGRAMS

 * Credit Karma
 * Lifesearch
 * Quotezone
 * Tembo

Many of their top affiliate deals are private and not accessible to the public.
However, they do use some public affiliate programs.

WHAT WE CAN LEARN

 * Update your content regularly. By frequently refreshing your content with the
   latest information, you can gain a competitive edge over websites that don’t
   put as much effort in — even if they have higher domain authority. Remember
   to update the title with the month and year to inform readers and Google that
   the content is fresh!
 * Use YouTube videos to boost your SEO. Creating relevant YouTube videos and
   embedding them in your content can boost your SEO efforts. This works even
   better if you refresh the videos along with your content.
 * Focus on practicality over production value. Going through your updated post
   and sharing useful information in a single-take “talking head” video for
   YouTube can provide a substantial SEO boost.


16 MODERN CASTLE

Modern Castle is a home products review site with an emphasis on vacuums, air
purifiers, and furniture.

 * Niche: Home product reviews
 * Year founded: 2017
 * Monthly visits: 50,000

HOW MODERN CASTLE STANDS OUT

Similar to Wirecutter, they rigorously test their products by running unique
experiments. Where they go beyond is in making detailed YouTube videos for all
of their product reviews.

While their videos boost their organic traffic by proving they have real
experience with the products, they’ve also performed exceptionally well on
YouTube, garnering over 10,000,000 views in five years.

What truly stands out is how they’ve systemized their review process for a few
different types of products — namely, vacuums, robot vacuums, and air purifiers.

Each review follows a similar, replicable format, and videos are scripted,
further simplifying the review process for new products.

The narrow focus on popular products and streamlined review process allows them
to compete successfully in a crowded niche with a small team.

Their vacuum reviews exemplify their comprehensive, straightforward approach,
covering every feature, running cleaning tests on various debris types and
surfaces, and rating them for battery life, noise, maneuverability, and
maintenance.

While the videos aren’t flashy or overly polished – they consist of narration,
product demonstrations, and footage of tests – the exhaustive and original
experiments are enough to help Modern Castle reach a high level of affiliate
marketing success.

Extra: For a deeper dive into their review methodology, read through their About
Page.

HOW MODERN CASTLE MAKES MONEY

Modern Castle makes money through affiliate commissions and sponsored videos on
their YouTube channel. Their top affiliate categories include vacuums, robot
vacuums, and air purifiers.

TOP AFFILIATE PROGRAMS

 * Amazon
 * Shark
 * Samsung
 * AirDoctor

For other programs in this niche, check our list of home improvement affiliate
programs.

WHAT WE CAN LEARN

 * Incorporate video into your review process. Video will make your reviews more
   trustworthy, boost your SEO, drive traffic through YouTube, and give you more
   real estate on the SERP by ranking for both an article and a video.
 * Systemize your review process. Focus on a high-traffic vertical with constant
   new product releases and capitalize by running each product through the same
   tests and using the same format for all your reviews.
 * Script your videos. While there’s value in an off-the-cuff approach,
   scripting your review videos can reduce shooting gaffes and editing time,
   allowing you to review more products in less time.


17 GARAGE GYM REVIEWS

Garage Gym Reviews (GGR) helps people build their ideal home gym.

 * Niche: Home gym
 * Year founded: 2014
 * Monthly visits: 1.3 million

HOW GARAGE GYM REVIEWS STANDS OUT

GGR capitalizes on people’s love for discounts with a prominent section in their
navigation dedicated to coupons.

The site generates substantial traffic using four types of coupon pages,
including:

 * General product discount pages. Example: Treadmill Coupons
 * Company-specific discount pages. Example: Titan Fitness Coupon Code
 * Holiday discount pages. Example: 4th of July Treadmill Sales
 * Military discount page: A constantly updated page that shares all companies
   who offer discounts for active U.S. servicemembers and veterans.

As you can see, some of these pages drive a lot of visitors.

The SEO traffic isn’t the only benefit. They target searchers with high buyer
intent. People looking for coupons have usually already decided to buy and are
looking for the best deals.

By capturing these searchers, you can direct them to merchant websites through
your affiliate links or by offering them an exclusive affiliate discount code
you’ve negotiated with the merchant. Either way, you’re likely earning a
commission!

Now that we’ve established clear incentives for publishing coupon content, we
have to answer an important question: aside from the coupon codes, what do you
write about?

Well, it depends on the type of coupon page.

For company coupon pages, GGR includes the following information:

 * The coupon codes
 * How to apply them at checkout
 * Common holidays the company’s products go on sale
 * Why GGR likes the company’s products
 * Why you should buy from the company
 * FAQs about the company.

And on general product coupon pages, they include:

 * Common types of discounts. Examples include shipping/assembly discounts,
   financing, holiday sales, and bundles.
 * Specific coupon codes. They list the top companies offering discount codes
   and link to their company-specific coupon pages.
 * FAQ section. They end the content with FAQs about coupon codes for the
   product type.

The content might seem rather thin compared to what’s required to rank for other
high-traffic keywords, but it’s enough to rank over other sites that simply list
promo codes and nothing else.

HOW GARAGE GYM REVIEWS MAKES MONEY

Garage Gym Reviews makes money through affiliate commissions. Some of their top
products include pre-workout supplements, squat racks, and treadmills.

TOP AFFILIATE PROGRAMS

 * Amazon
 * NordicTrack
 * Onnit
 * Transparent Labs

For more programs in this niche, check out our list of fitness affiliate
programs.

WHAT WE CAN LEARN

 * Leverage coupon and deal pages. By creating pages about general product
   discounts, company-specific discounts, holiday discounts, and military
   discounts in your niche, you can drive significant traffic for high buyer
   intent keywords.
 * Don’t just publish the coupon codes. Offer additional information like how to
   apply them at checkout, information on common sales events, reasons you like
   the company’s products, and FAQs about the company.
 * Add your coupon pages in the navigation menu. Not only can this help your
   coupon page SEO through improved site architecture, but many visitors will
   notice you have extensive coupon resources and may re-visit your site the
   next time they buy something.


18 EBIZ FACTS

eBiz Facts provides guidance on how to make money online.

 * Niche: Online business
 * Year founded: 2018
 * Monthly visits: 60,000

HOW EBIZ FACTS STANDS OUT

eBiz Facts distinguishes itself by expertly meshing user-generated content (UGC)
and editorial material.

Utilizing UGC effectively isn’t easy, but it can substantially enhance your
site’s credibility and EEAT,  thereby boosting traffic and creating a unique,
hard-to-copy asset.

They encourage readers to submit course reviews, which they publish under their
primary review to calculate an overall product rating. These reviews are
surprisingly detailed, including the reviewer’s identity, course rating,
earnings, course duration, pros and cons, and specific aspects like presentation
and value.

An example from their review of our Authority Site System course:

They only publish valid reviews, with reviewers providing proof of course
purchase. To maintain quality, they vet each reviewer’s identity and content,
rewarding users with a website backlink and a small charity donation.

It’s worth noting that eBiz Facts doesn’t directly pay for reviews to prevent
spamming.

To further leverage their UGC, they combine all of their course reviews into one
mega roundup review. Here’s an example from their best affiliate marketing
courses page.

Alongside high-quality UGC, their well-researched and honest editorial process
has been crucial to their ascent as an online course review powerhouse.

This combination was necessary; if they had merely focused on editorial quality
or great UGC, they likely wouldn’t have reached the heights they have.

HOW EBIZ FACTS MAKES MONEY

They make money through the affiliate commissions they earn from recommending
courses.

TOP AFFILIATE PROGRAMS

 * The Virtual Savvy
 * Proven Amazon Course
 * Authority Hacker
 * Virtual Excellence Academy

WHAT WE CAN LEARN

 * Leverage user-generated content. Encouraging users to add their reviews to
   your product reviews can boost traffic and conversion rates. It also builds a
   moat around your reviews that the competition will have difficulty
   overcoming, cementing your status at the top of the SERP.  
 * Provide slight incentives. If you ask users to leave reviews, be careful
   about how you incentivize them. You need to offer something of value to
   accumulate a significant number of reviews, but if the incentive is too
   great, you may get people who try to game the system with inauthentic spam.
 * Couple your reviews with high-quality editorial content. High-quality UGC
   won’t matter if your primary content is low-quality. Only a combination of
   great editorial content and great UGC will produce a long-term win.


19 VERYWELLFIT

VeryWellFit provides authoritative content in the health and fitness niche.

 * Niche: Nutrition and fitness
 * Year founded: 2018
 * Monthly visits: 5.5 million

HOW VERYWELLFIT STANDS OUT

VeryWellFit (VWF) stands out through their intelligent and extensive use of
schema markup.

Schema is a set of structured data that helps search engines understand and
display specific information about a website’s pages more effectively.

Their deep integration of schema into their SEO strategy substantially boosts
their EEAT and visibility in the SERP, both of which can increase rankings and
traffic.

Let’s take a deep dive into the types of schema they use and the information
they include in their schema markup.

💡 Pro tip: To identify the schema used on a particular webpage, paste the URL
into the Schema Markup Validator tool.

Organization schema: this serves as an umbrella for various sub-schemas.

 * sameAs schema indicates that other websites and social media accounts are
   owned by or closely related to the brand. VWF has sameAs schema pointing at
   their Wikipedia page and social media accounts
 * parentOrganization schema shares information about the company that owns the
   website.
 * address schema shares the organization’s physical address.
 * logo schema shares information about their logo.

Article schema: This is predominantly used for VWF’s blog content and
encompasses several sub-schemas:

 * citation schema shares their sources.
 * author schema contains the author’s name and credentials.
 * audience schema describes the intended audience of the content.
 * itemList schema describes the different elements in list posts.
 * review schema shares detailed information about product reviews, including
   ratings, price, and many more elements.
 * mainEntityOfPage clarifies that the content is medical in nature.

Their Author pages have Person schema, which includes information about their
name, a description of them, sameAs social channels, job title, education, and
areas of expertise.

They also use breadcrumb schema extensively to help search engines understand
their site architecture and hierarchy.

If you want to harness the EEAT and SERP visibility benefits of schema for your
website, start with the RankMath WordPress plugin.

It doesn’t include every type of schema, but it makes it easy to add the most
essential schema types without implementing the markup code yourself.

HOW VERYWELLFIT MAKES MONEY

VeryWellFit makes money through affiliate commissions and display ads. Some of
their top products include shoes, exercise equipment, and meal delivery
services.

TOP AFFILIATE PROGRAMS

 * Amazon
 * Dick’s Sporting Goods
 * Hungryroot
 * LivingFit

For more programs in this niche, check out our list of health affiliate
programs.

WHAT WE CAN LEARN

 * Use schema markup to boost SEO and SERP visibility. Implementing a variety of
   schema markup on different pages can significantly boost your EEAT and
   enhance your visibility in the search results.
 * Fill out schema as completely as possible. Providing comprehensive schema
   data allows search engines to gain a deeper understanding of your website.
   The more information you add, the more Google will trust you.
 * Use RankMath for easy schema implementation. Manually adding schema markup
   can seem daunting, but plugins like RankMath can simplify the process. Just
   remember that it doesn’t include every single schema type, and you may need
   to implement lesser-known schema directly to your site’s HTML code.


20 VPNMENTOR

VPN Mentor helps people by providing VPN recommendations and internet privacy
advice.

 * Niche: VPN
 * Year founded: 2014
 * Monthly visits: 800,000
 * Estimated revenue: Purchased in 2022 for $150 million. Based on a 40x monthly
   revenue valuation, their monthly revenue is likely around $3.75 million

HOW VPNMENTOR STANDS OUT

VPNMentor has a dedicated team of cybersecurity researchers who find evidence of
data breaches in major software programs and publish reports on those breaches.

They run PR campaigns to get those reports in front of writers and journalists
at major news publications, which gives them plenty of high-authority backlinks
when the publishers run stories on the data breaches. These backlinks increase
their rankings and help drive more traffic.

For example, check the impressive backlink profile of a data breach report
involving Spotify:

This earned them incredibly valuable links from high-DR sites like Wikipedia,
CNET, WeLiveSecurity, and hundreds of other sites.

We discussed this innovative link-building strategy in our VPN niche deep-dive
podcast episode.



While little is publicly known about their exact methods, here’s an overview of
what we believe is happening:

 * VPNMentor’s team of cybersecurity experts is performing ethical hacking. They
   find evidence of data breaches, privately notify the companies who
   experienced the breach to let them fix the issue, and then go public with the
   news once the companies have been made aware.
 * They likely employ multiple PR firms to ensure all of their reports receive
   massive news coverage from publications in many different languages and
   locations.
 * The cost of maintaining a team of researchers and hiring PR firms is
   mitigated by the increased rankings, traffic, and conversions that the swell
   of backlinks provides.

Of course, many sites won’t be able to hire researchers and PR firms to promote
their content, but there can still be plenty of value in taking a more
budget-oriented, DIY approach.

To learn more about running a successful PR campaign for link-building purposes,
check out our podcast on the topic:



HOW VPNMENTOR MAKES MONEY

VPNMentor makes money through VPN affiliate commissions. Their parent company
Kape Technologies also owns multiple VPN companies, and they promote those
services heavily in their content.

TOP AFFILIATE PROGRAMS

 * ExpressVPN
 * NordVPN
 * SurfShark
 * IPVanish

For more programs in this niche, check out our list of VPN affiliate programs.

WHAT WE CAN LEARN

 * Conduct original research for content and link-building. Uncovering new
   information or insights within your niche can serve as compelling content for
   your audience.
 * Invest in strategic resources and partnerships. This could include hiring
   experts in your field to produce unique, high-quality content or partnering
   with PR firms to get your content in front of a larger audience.
 * Cultivate relationships with media outlets. Building relationships with
   journalists and media outlets in your niche can be a powerful way to increase
   your site’s visibility.


21 THE HOOPS GEEK

The Hoops Geek (THG) provides basketball shoe recommendations and coaching
advice.

 * Niche: Basketball
 * Year founded: 2016
 * Monthly visits: 161,000

HOW THE HOOPS GEEK STANDS OUT

The Hoops Geek takes a “review aggregation” approach to product reviews. These
in-depth basketball shoe reviews integrate YouTube reviews, leveraging the EEAT
and conversion-boosting benefits of product testing and expertise without
physically buying or testing the shoes.

Pretty smart, right?

For instance, their review of Air Jordan 36 incorporates insights from eight
expert YouTube reviewers.

It’s a mutually beneficial relationship. The YouTubers get more views from
people who find them through THG, and THG gets to use their content to inform
their product reviews.

They watch each review — or at least read the transcripts — and gauge how well
the reviewers rate the sneakers in various categories, including traction,
cushion, materials, and fit.

The reviews don’t necessarily conform to these specific rating guidelines, so
THG looks for quotes from each review that capture the reviewer’s thoughts on
each category and then translates that into a score out of 10.  

The individual scores are used to create an overall score from each reviewer,
and then the scores from all the reviews are combined to create a final score.

The effort that goes into finding a score isn’t merely about providing
quantitative clarity to users. It also helps the reviews rank on Google by using
review schema that shows a star rating in the search results.

While this approach would be very effective if they were merely trying to earn
commissions through product reviews, THG has taken it further.

They’ve used their 1,200+ shoe reviews and created a searchable database that
enables users to quickly find the best shoes in 19 different categories and
dozens of brands and shoe types.

This intelligent use of their one-of-a-kind database has elevated THG from an
SEO-based product review site to owning one of the most trusted and widely known
tools for choosing basketball shoes.

For more insight on TheHoopsGeek, check this podcast episode where we discuss
their tactics:



HOW THE HOOPS GEEK MAKES MONEY

The Hoops Geek makes money through shoe affiliate commissions and display ads.

TOP AFFILIATE PROGRAMS

 * Nike
 * Dick’s Sporting Goods
 * Champs Sports
 * Foot Locker

For more programs in this niche, check out our list of basketball affiliate
programs.

WHAT WE CAN LEARN

 * YouTube reviews are a great source of product review information. If you
   can’t get your hands on a product – or want to avoid the work involved in
   testing it – summarizing YouTube reviews can be a solid alternative.
 * Use reviewer comments to come up with a scoring system. People – and Google –
   want to see numerical ratings for your content. Find a way to turn YouTube
   reviewer comments into a sophisticated rating process, and your traffic and
   affiliate revenue will thank you.
 * Turn your reviews into a searchable database of products. If you have a
   critical mass of product reviews in a particular category, creating a
   searchable database can drive repeat visitors who consistently use your tool
   to find new products.

👉 See more: Amazon Affiliate Website Examples.


SUMMING UP

We’ve covered 21 websites and analyzed what they’re doing right.

But we didn’t cover the intricacies of how they’re doing it.

If you’re serious about becoming a successful affiliate marketer, the next step
is to learn that secret sauce – how to put together all of the moving parts that
make up a profitable website.

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Article by

Steve Rajeckas
Steve Rajeckas is the Content Manager at Authority Hacker. Before joining the
team, Steve built a 7-figure content agency, generated millions of organic
pageviews on his websites, and sold his primary niche site for a 6-figure exit.
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