With affiliate marketing you don’t actually need a website at all, and you can just simply direct your traffic straight to the product’s sales page.
But this isn’t the best idea. There are much better methods for earning affiliate commissions that just directing potential buyers right to the order page
So, why is it so important for an affiliate marketer to have a website?
There are quite a few reasons that can answer this question.
Having a website that you run on your own domain name and web hosting is yours. It can’t be shut down or deleted at any moment like it can be if you use a free blogging site.
Many affiliates have watched their hard work disappear with little or no reason for the deletion. If the blogging service has any doubt that you are spamming or using improper marketing tactics (even if you’re not), it’s likely your blog will be deleted without notice. With your own domain, you control what is removed.
Pre-Sell Your Customers
Also, it’s important that you pre-sell your potential customers a bit before you sending them the page where they can purchase an affilite item that you’re promoting. Connecting with your readers allows you to develop a relationship with them. If they visit your website and find that you have struggled with the same problem and have a solution for them, they are more likely to take you up on it and make the purchase. Sending the straight to the sales page doesn’t allow you to make that connection.
Build Your Email List
If you run a website related to the niche in which you are an affiliate marketer, you can have an opt-in form on your home page that will capture emails. This allows you to contact these people in the future to remind them of the perfect solution, or to offer them supplement products that you can promote as an affiliate.
This helps to further promote the trustworthy relationship you want to establish with your blog readers. Having an autoresponder connected to the opt-in form makes the entire process much easier.
As you can see, there are many reasons why it is vital to have a website if you are an affiliate marketer. You’re risking your business if you decide to use a free blogging service, as they can shut you down in a second. Also, money is being left on the table if you’re not connecting with traffic and offering them the perfect solution to their problem.