How to Start Affiliate Marketing in India (Complete Guide for 2021)
By: Pranav Deshmukh
Tags: India, Affiliate Marketing

Do you want to maximize your writing skills and earn money online? A profitable option is to start an affiliate marketing website.

Managing an affiliate blog gives you the freedom to earn more cash and express creativity. It is also an excellent way to hone your writing skills, connect to a broader audience, and showcase your written work.

This article answers such common questions about how to do affiliate marketing, start affiliate marketing in India, and find an affiliate program. Here you will find a step-by-step guide to help you start right away.

What is affiliate marketing, and why is it ideal for beginners?

Affiliate marketing is the process of advertising or referring companies’ products or services in exchange for a commission.

It is suitable for beginners because it is easy to implement with minimal capital.

Affiliate marketing is an effective way to make money online without worrying about inventory management or shipping tasks. All you need is to set up a website, create your content, and drive traffic to generate sales.

How does affiliate marketing work?

Companies, also known as merchants, create an affiliate program to increase marketing capabilities and grow business revenue.

Merchants form a team of affiliates that are willing to promote their products. In return, merchants pay a commission to the affiliates when a customer buys a product through an affiliate link.

Customers who purchase through affiliate links do not pay anything themselves. Upon clicking an affiliate link, they are directed to the product page.

Here is a general process of affiliate marketing:

Find a product. Look for a suitable company or merchant that offers an affiliate program. Apply for a program. Read the contract and complete the merchant’s requirements to become an affiliate. Get a tracking link. The merchant provides a unique referral promotion link to monitor sales. Marketing. Promote the merchant’s products. You can ask for marketing templates if there are specific requirements. Earn money. Get paid a commission if someone purchases through your affiliate link.

Starting an affiliate marketing business is fast and straightforward. It allows a person to earn money with no lock-in requirement or sales quota. Anyone can make a commission as long as they are willing to dedicate their time and effort.

How to start making money with affiliate marketing in India?

Most merchants require a website to promote products, so it is vital to create a professional-looking site. Here I’ll go through the steps on how to start with affiliate marketing.

Step 1: Get a domain name and hosting

One essential step when getting started with affiliate marketing is thinking of your domain name.

First, start by describing your website content and value proposition. Think of ideas and narrow them down to create a short and memorable domain name.

Once you have your domain name, check if it’s available for purchase through a domain checker.

Domain prices can start around ₹49 per year, depending on the chosen TLD.

Now that you have a domain name, it’s time to get a hosting plan. Web hosting enables a website to be visible online.

I use Hostinger’s Premium Web Hosting plan because it comes with a free domain. It also offers other hosting plans that are suitable for affiliate marketing in India.

To pick a shared hosting plan, consider your budget and website needs.

Once you’ve chosen your hosting plan, proceed to account creation. There are multiple payment options available. Choose your preferred payment method and finalize your order.

Step 2: Create your website or blog

The most convenient and popular type of website for affiliate marketing is a blog.

It is a journal-type website where you can use images, videos, and content about affiliate products.

To start creating your blog, use a content management system (CMS) such as WordPress — one of the most reputable blogging platforms available. It is easy to install and comes with professionally designed website templates.

Other widely used CMSs are Joomla and Drupal.

Marketing in India will be easy if you have a blog or website. It enables potential customers to connect with you and browse through valuable products.

Step 3. Pick a niche for your affiliate marketing website

A niche is a specific industry or topic you want to focus on.

The products and services you can sell through affiliate marketing are endless. However, having a niche will give you a competitive advantage over selling generic products. By focusing on a topic or industry, you can target your research and capture a specific audience.

First, choose a topic. Identify relevant and top-selling products within that topic. Then, create a marketing plan to find potential customers and encourage product purchases.

Some examples of niche websites are finance blogs, lifestyle sites, and tech blogs.

Here is a quick guide for narrowing down a topic and choosing a niche:

Determine your goals . Think of what you want to achieve for your affiliate blog and create a plan based on your objectives.

. Think of what you want to achieve for your affiliate blog and create a plan based on your objectives. Think about your hobbies, passions, or interests . Marketing products that you like will feel more natural. It’s easy to justify why you are promoting products or services that you believe in.

. Marketing products that you like will feel more natural. It’s easy to justify why you are promoting products or services that you believe in. Find your community . Look for people who share your interests and understand their buying behavior.

. Look for people who share your interests and understand their buying behavior. Identify a problem or need. Determine people’s concerns and look for valuable products that offer solutions to said problems.

Determine people’s concerns and look for valuable products that offer solutions to said problems. Look at demand. Think of a product type that can generate perpetual demand, which translates to recurring income. Some examples include clothing, vitamin supplements, and food products.

Focusing on a niche allows you to understand your target audience and to tailor-fit an appropriate marketing strategy. For inspiration, check out these successful personalities that work with affiliate marketing in India.

Step 4: Create content around your subject of interest

Develop a content marketing strategy for effective product promotion. Creating content involves understanding your goals, target audience, and unique selling points.

Content can be anything that informs, entertains, or adds value to the customers. It can be in the form of blog posts, videos, reviews, tutorials, and podcasts.

Here are some guidelines you can apply:

Understand the problems of your target audience and emphasize how your affiliate product can help them.

Create informative or entertaining content that showcases the benefits of the product you are promoting.

Diversify by creating articles, videos, infographics, and other resources to generate interest.

Use SEO practices to increase blog or website traffic.

Maximize different marketing avenues, such as email marketing, website promotion, and paid advertising.

Create a social media account to connect to a broader audience.

Use high-resolution and attractive images for product promotion.

Content marketing helps potential customers understand how your products will benefit them. It is an effective way to convince your audience to click on your affiliate link and purchase a product. Be sure to display your tracking link in all your content.

Step 5: Find profitable affiliate marketing programs

One way to find an affiliate program is to look for companies that you know and trust. Since you are already familiar with the brand’s values and products, it will be easier to promote them.

Another way is to search for specific brands you want to advertise. Check their website or reach out to their marketing team to see if they offer an affiliate program.

Affiliate networks gather information about various merchants’ on one platform. You can either join an affiliate network and access multiple brands or use it as a reference to find a suitable merchant in your niche.

Which affiliate program is the best in India?

There are a lot of affiliate programs, so do your research and choose reputable merchants. Work with companies that offer marketing resources, convenient sales tracking, and reporting.

Look for established merchants that offer good incentive programs with reasonable and achievable requirements. Read online reviews and get insights from experienced affiliate marketers.

Here are some of the best affiliate programs in India to help you get started with affiliate marketing.

eBay Partner Network is an online marketplace that offers numerous types of products. It is ideal for beginners who can convert sales within a short time frame.

The affiliate commission ranges from 2.5% to 4% of the selling price, depending on the product category.

eBay Partner Network offers a comprehensive dashboard and marketing resources to help people start affiliate marketing with ease.

The Amazon Affiliate Program welcomes newbies who are interested in marketing products online. An Amazon affiliate can earn a commission of up to 10% per product purchase or subscription referral.

To help prompt products, the Amazon Affiliate Program offers customized marketing banners and product links.

Flipkart Affiliate Program is one of the best eCommerce companies based in India. It is suitable for beginners who want a user-friendly platform. A Flipkart affiliate can earn up to 18% commission for each purchase. Rates vary depending on the product category.

Flipkart Affiliate resources come with a custom search tool, banners, and widgets for marketing campaigns and website use.

vCommission is one of the most reputable affiliate networks in India. It connects brands with marketers and is ideal for beginners who want to find a suitable product to promote on one platform. Affiliates from India can earn a commission of as much as ₹5,000 per month.

In order to help affiliate marketers with product promotion, vCommission provides custom tools for automating deep links and coupons on a website.

Rakuten Advertising is a global tech company that offers services like eCommerce and financial technology. It’s an affiliate network that gathers numerous brands and connects them with marketers.

Rakuten’s commission rates vary depending on the merchants. To aid with product marketing, Rakuten equips affiliates with AI tools that are available via mobile devices.

Komli is another digital marketing company in India that specializes in social, mobile, and video campaigns.

It offers an affiliate program with flexible commission rates, depending on the merchant, providing different earning metrics such as cost-per-click, cost-per-lead, and cost-per-transaction.

Komli provides affiliates with in-depth sales tracking and reporting tools.

Amitad is an affiliate network that provides a platform for international merchants and marketers.

It offers an affiliate program in India for anyone who wants to make money online. Commissions vary depending on the merchant and referral metrics such as cost-per-install, cost-per-acquisition, and cost-per-lead.

Amitad provides useful marketing tools such as coupons, MoneyLink, and Google Ads integration.

A lot of affiliate marketing companies in India offer an easy application process. Most will require a digital marketing plan for product promotion. Be sure to check the requirements as the criteria for accepting someone into an affiliate program varies.

Marketing is easy as long as you have a functional blog-type website with valuable products and a concrete marketing strategy. To help with product promotion, use marketing tools such as banners and coupons.

Affiliate marketing in India is gaining momentum due to increased online shopping trends, so take advantage of this opportunity.

Affiliate marketing involves influencing a person’s purchase decisions. To encourage people to buy, offer products with value, and create relevant content.

What are the best types of products to promote?

Affiliate marketing allows you to promote and sell all types of products. There are no limitations to the number of merchants you can work with as long as you pass the application process.

To find suitable products and start marketing in India, focus on your niche. Start with your chosen topic or industry and determine why you want to promote this niche. From there, look for items that will be useful for your target audience.

For instance, if your niche is photography, visit eCommerce websites such as Flipkart and Amazon to check top-selling products. Doing so will give you ideas on the type of products that people are buying.

From there, branch out to related products like software subscriptions and online courses. You can offer anything as long as it is related to your niche.

Another way to find products is by understanding your target market. Find out their problems, needs, and wants. Know the industry trends by maximizing free platforms like Google Trends.

Gather insights and interact with your potential customers through social media platforms.

By understanding your target market, you can find the ideal products that your target market would want. It will help you understand customer buying habits and tailor-fit a marketing strategy.

Most importantly, choose products that can add value to people’s lives. Consider how your products can satisfy a need or solve a problem.

It’s a good idea to market products that you use or want to own. When you are genuinely interested in a product, your enthusiasm shows and compels a person to trust your recommendations.

Step 6: Drive traffic to your affiliate marketing website

It is necessary to generate online attention to sell affiliate products. Here are a few ways to increase site traffic:

Content marketing. This involves creating educational or entertaining articles, videos, reviews, and social posts for your target market.

Write articles using SEO keywords to increase online visibility and connect with people interested in what you offer. Enhance articles with high-resolution images, easy-to-read formatting, and straightforward explanations.

Tutorials and reviews are also a great way to maintain online attention. By providing potential customers with free information, it helps them make informed decisions.

Social media is a popular platform to encourage people to check your affiliate website. It is a great way to show your personality and relate to your audience.

Post unique images, videos, and display website links. If you’re using Facebook, provide a link to your blog.

Paid advertising. Helps generate traffic for your website or content in exchange for a marketing fee. One of the most common advertising platforms is Facebook Ads.

Facebook uses AI-based technology to help users reach their marketing objectives within a set period. It is easy to use and suitable for beginners.

Another advertising platform is the aforementioned Google Ads. Which puts your website’s content on the first page of relevant search queries, making it ideal for reaching a broader audience.

Remember that paid advertising requires a bit of experimenting to figure out a successful strategy. It is suitable for affiliate marketers who have a large enough of a budget to spend.

Email marketing . It is the process of creating marketing campaigns to inform people about your products and services.

. It is the process of creating marketing campaigns to inform people about your products and services. It is an effective way of making personal connections with your audience. By sending newsletters and email updates, it can help convert visitors into customers.

Start by collecting emails from your website or social media platforms. Once you’ve gathered a list of emails, use email marketing tools, like Mailchimp, GetResponse, or Drip, to automate campaigns.

Driving traffic to your affiliate site requires time and dedication. Aside from adopting marketing techniques, remember to create relevant and high-quality content. Doing so helps increase search engine rankings and attract online attention.

Affiliate marketing India FAQ

Here is more useful information on how to start affiliate marketing in India.

What is an affiliate link?

It is a link given to an affiliate marketer to track if someone buys the recommended product.

How much can an affiliate marketer earn in India?

Affiliate marketers in India can receive an affiliate commission of around ₹50,000 per month, depending on digital marketing efforts. Higher potential earnings, like Flipkart affiliate, can get up to 18% commission.

Is Amazon good for affiliate marketing in India?

Yes, Amazon offers one of the best affiliate programs in India. The Amazon affiliate program is easy to learn and suitable for beginners. An Amazon affiliate can earn as much as 10% per product purchase.

Conclusion

This article provided you with a comprehensive guide on starting an affiliate marketing business in India to start earning money. Here is a summary of the tips I have discussed in this article:

Consider the company’s reputation and stability.

Create a niche-based affiliate website and promote products that people will want.

Generate traffic and sales conversions by creating exciting content such as written articles, videos, and social media posts.

Use time-proven digital marketing techniques, such as paid advertising and email outreach.

Remember to display your affiliate link for proper monitoring of referrals.

Have a concrete understanding of your target audience.

It is easy to start affiliate marketing in India. Take advantage of the increasing demand for online purchases.

Go ahead, simply register a domain name, and place your affiliate site online. Follow the steps listed above, and you’ll be on your way to affiliate success.

This post may contain affiliate links. When you use them to buy a service, I may earn a commission.