get_started_affiliate_marketingIf you’re new to affiliate marketing, there is a lot of new information to take in. It is easy to get overwhelmed by the number of things to learn and tasks to complete, and you may be wondering where you would even begin.

The good news is that there are plenty of great resources and trainings available, and some of the best beginner programs is free. You can click here to learn how to get free access to my top-ranked program.

In this post, I’ll outline how to get started affiliate marketing in a way I hope is straightforward enough that you can get started today.

3 Steps to Get Started with Affiliate Marketing

Step 1: Improve Your Knowledge

Congratulations! You are already completing this step, and that’s awesome! Just by reading this blog you’ve taken that first step from ‘wondering’ about affiliate marketing to ‘getting started’ learning how to build a successful site.

I encourage you to keep reading, but if you’re completely new to the game, you’re going to want to find an affiliate training course, or check out some other online marketing resources.

Basically, there are three ways to learn affiliate marketing:

  1. The blog route. This is usually the first step on your journey and one of the most important. I recommend using blogs like this one as a stepping stone to learn the basics and decide whether or not affiliate marketing is right for you.
  2. The free guide route. As part of that early decision process, you’ll probably stumble onto a few free guides, like the one I have posted here. Take advantage of these to get your bearings and start taking the first steps towards building your business.
  3. Paying for a course. At some point, however, you’re probably going to yearn for more, and that’s when it’s time to purchase a training course. There are several courses that will take you from beginner to expert, and if you’re serious about building your business, that’s the fastest route to get there. You can click here to see my #1 recommendation.

The best way to learn is through a combination of these methods. When you’re just starting out, it can be difficult to justify spending a few hundred dollars on a business you don’t know is going to work. So, I recommend starting with one of the free options designed for beginners just like you.

As you start to build your business, you’ll become more confident in your abilities and will realize that the free programs available are just the first phase. That’s when it’s time to invest in your education and lay the groundwork for finding real profits online, which will pay you significant dividends for years to come!

Step 2: Start a Website

Don’t spend too much time reading up on what to do. Just start doing it! The next step is to actually start a website. I know this feels daunting if you’ve never done it before, but basically you just need a domain and hosting plan.

Many of the better hosting providers, like Dreamhost and Arvixe have one-click installs for WordPress and other main blogging options. They walk you through exactly what you need to do to get your site setup, and you can do it in just a couple of minutes. The reality is that it doesn’t matter which domain and hosting company you use, all of the top brands have similar services, and it’s just a matter of personal preference and price to get going.

If you’re not a technical person and have never worked online before, it’s understandable if this step feels daunting. The good news is that there’s absolutely nothing to be afraid. I’ve written a post on how to setup a new website in 5 minutes, which will walk you through exactly what you need to do in order to launch your site.

Once you go through the process once, you’ll realize that getting setup online really is just a few clicks, and is incredibly easy to do.

Step 3: Write Your First Post

Your first post is extremely important. It doesn’t matter what you write it on, or even if it’s related to how you’re going to develop your site later on, but the point is simply to get a post published. Publishing a first post is important for two reasons:

  1. For the Search Engines. It ‘starts the clock’ on when your site became active, which will help you get indexed later on. As a beginner, you’re probably not familiar with all the details of how the search engines work and rank your website, and that’s ok. You’ll learn more as you progress with your business. For now, just know that the age of a website can be very important, so starting earlier is generally better. It doesn’t have to be perfect, and you can always change the content later, but go ahead and get it published!
  2. For YOU. Writing that first post gets you over many of the mental hurdles that are stopping you from having a business. You’ll start to realize that you can do this, and that’s an important psychological change. Getting over that initial mental roadblock is one of the most important ingredients to success. Your business will be built after you consistently complete small actions. Let your first post be the start of a new habit!

Take Action

This is the part that separates the successful stories from the wannabe’s. When I first started out marketing online, I “thought” about doing something for over a year, but I didn’t take action. Now my only regret is that I had started sooner. You can read more about my story of how I got started in affiliate marketing here.

The point is: taking action is the most important ingredient to success. You can think about getting started all day, but until you actually take those first concrete steps and build your business, you’ll never be successful online.

You can do this. Better yet, you can do this today. Wealthy Affiliate will help you start a site in 5 minutes, for free. In an hour from now you can have a site started and your first post written.