What tools do you use on a daily basis to run your online business? Which ones are so critical to your success that you can’t imagine not using them? Here are 10 affiliate marketing tools I can’t live without.
This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through one of these links, I make a commission at no expense to you.
Table of Contents
Affiliate Marketing Tools
I have written specific blog posts on most of these affiliate marketing tools. Click the links provided to read an article explaining the details of how each one works.
1. WordPress For Website Creation
My blog is my number one marketing tool. Without it my business wouldn’t be a business. It’s how I inform, interact, and connect with my audience. It’s indispensable for content marketing, SEO, and my ability to have an online presence.
My page containing all my posts is on my website, which I made on WordPress. You can read my post on how to build a blog on WordPress here, and if you want some great tips on how to write valuable content for your blog, click this link.
Here are just a few reasons why I love WordPress:
- It’s free and easy to customize.
- WordPress is SEO friendly.
- It’s versatile and its extensive library of beautiful themes and plugins enhance its already great functionality.
- The WordPress platform supports eCommerce sites.
- WordPress makes it easy to integrate media into your pages and posts. Insert images and videos to make your posts pop.
2. Google Alerts For Business
If blogging is my number one tool, a tool that helps me decide what to blog about is next in my arsenal. This is where Google Alerts comes in. It helps me stay on top of current topics and trends. Learn how Google Alerts works here.
When you sign up for Google Alerts, you can choose which topics interest you. You’ll then receive notifications straight to your inbox every time new search results appear for those particular keywords. Google Alerts are a great way to keep up on current trends, which you can then integrate into your posts. It makes you look like you’re in the know, which you are!
As an example, let’s say you’re writing a post on Apple products. You receive a message in your inbox from Google Alerts announcing that Apple has just released a new product. Bam! There’s your new blog post topic. Or better yet, write a review on the newly-released item.
[Read More: How to Write A Good Product Review]
3. Jaaxy For Keyword Research
As all content creators know, keyword research is vital for search engines, to not only find your posts, but to eventually rank them. Keywords are simply words that provide information about the content of an article. They are what people type into Google when searching for a particular topic so you want to choose keywords for each post you write.
To give you an idea of what it means to “rank,” consider this scenario. Let’s say you’re looking to buy a vacuum cleaner, and you want to make the best choice possible. You type in the keyword “how to pick the best vacuum cleaner” into your search bar. You’ll now see several articles to inform you on how to pick the best vacuum cleaner.
Those articles that appeared on the first page are articles that have “ranked.” This means that, Google and other search engines, have given them priority. That’s why they’re the ones who see first. Ranking is important because better rankings lead to more traffic, and more traffic leads to more sales. This is the bread and butter of affiliate marketing.
It’s worth the effort it takes to find long tail keywords that have just enough traffic without too much competition. Long tail keywords, or keyword phrases commonly containing three to five words, are used for specific searches. While these keyword phrases may generate less traffic, they typically get higher conversions due to their specificity.
Jaaxy is one of my go-to tools for keyword research. It helps me determine which keywords are ranking best. I use it every single day. Never write a post again without this indispensable tool on your team.
[Read More: Jaaxy Keyword Research Tool Review]
4. Site Content For Writing
Site content is a writing platform that couldn’t be more convenient, and is simply awesome in every way. You can create and save templates to use later. For instance, I have a template saved that I use for my 1,000-word blog posts, and one for my 2500-word review posts. This is a great organization tool to keep my articles uniform.
You can view your stats so you know how many words you’ve written, and how many articles have been published to date. These numbers keep me motivated to keep writing. Site Content also provides you with a word count so you have an idea how many more words you need to write to complete your post. This helps me gauge how long my paragraphs should be.
You can add images, links, and videos, all within Site Content, while also creating great-looking headlines and lists. After completing an article, I save my posts directly to my WordPress blog where I can then edit and fine tune them before publishing. It’s all quite slick, and I’m confident you’ll love it!
[Read More: Site Content [The Ultimate Writing Platform]
5. Unsplash Stock Photos
I love adding images to my posts. It makes such a difference in how they look, and it makes for a better user experience. I love the clean, crisp images that Unsplash offers. Download beautiful images to use on any project for free.
Gone are the days of having to buy royalty free or stock images. And they have sooooooo many images to choose from. You’ll be amazed at both the quantity and quality of what’s available on Unsplash. Check out their site to begin your visual feast!
But wait, there’s more. Your life definitely just took a turn for the better. Pixabay and Pexels are two other resources you’ll find indispensable. Never again will you have to search far and wide for the perfect image now that you have these three resources on your team. Learn more about Pixabay here, and Pexels here.
6. Canva For Graphics
I use a variety of social media platforms. Pinterest is my favorite, though, and I love using Canva for all my pins. Canva makes me look good. It’s an easy-to-use online tool where you can create and design professional-looking layouts to use for presentations and projects or share on social media.
The ways in which you can use Canva are endless. Design posters, flyers, business cards or infographics all to your heart’s content. It’s fun and gets your creative juices flowing. You’ll feel kind of like a graphic designer when you see you’re finished project.
And if you haven’t designed and used an infographic on your site, frankly, you’re missing out. Infographics are an great way to convey complex concepts in a simple way that is easy to comprehend. Check out my post here on infographics. Once you start using Canva, you’ll never go back to not using it – that’s how great it is. Use the free version or grab the Pro version here.
[Read More: How To Use Canva For Your Online Business]
7. Tailwind For Social Media
I love tools that do my busy work for me, and do it behind the scenes when I’m busy doing tasks that only I can do.
Why not automate what you can, right? That’s why Tailwind is something I can’t live without. Tailwind schedules and delivers your Pinterest pins and Instagram posts for you, and all with one simple click. Gain more Pinterest and Instagram followers by letting Tailwind, not only schedule your pins and posts, but also choose the most advantageous times for posting.
You can determine which of your pins are performing best by accessing Tailwind’s Pin Inspector or use Tailwind Analytics to see where your repins are going. It’s really quite fabulous! If that weren’t enough, Tailwind now has a feature called Tailwind Tribes where you can find niche-specific content to pin, while promoting your own. Don’t know what a niche is? Check out my post on how to pick the perfect niche.
Read my post on Tailwind and Tailwind Tribes for more information. Or set up your free trial account here. I have an account for all four of my websites, that’s how terrific Tailwind is.
8. AWeber For Email Marketing
Email marketing is essential for any online business looking to grow their email list and increase traffic to their site. AWeber is an email marketing service that makes it easy to send one email to your entire list of subscribers. There’s not a better way to grow your list.
AWeber personifies the efficacy of automation. And it doesn’t stop at email marketing, you can also design landing pages. Landing pages are designed with a specific purpose in mind, and that is to increase conversions. Learn more about creating landing pages in AWeber here.
Features include a convenient drag-and-drop email build, unlimited email campaigns, robust automation tools, a vast library of mobile-responsive and customizable templates, split-testing tools, text and HTML editors, analytics dashboard, live chat, and a 3-day free trial.
[Read More: AWeber Email Marketing Review]
9. ScreenFlow For Video
If you haven’t tried ScreenFlow, you’re missing out. Video is all the rage these days, and ScreenFlow is an awesome screencasting software that allows you to, not only create videos, but online tutorials as well. Drive more traffic to you site with video marketing.
[Read More: What Is The Best Screencasting Software?]
Screencasting software, also called video screen capture, lets you make a digital recording of your computer screen. For all your camera-shy people out there, this is the perfect medium for you because you don’t have to show yourself if you don’t want to. All that will be recorded is your voice. So stop watching other peoples’ videos and go create some yourself! It’s not as difficult as it seems, and after you create one or two, you’ll be hooked.
10. Google Search Console
This handy tool lets you test how Google crawls a specific URL on your site. You can also determine if your website pages and posts are accessible to Googlebots, and whether any of those pages have resources on them that Google as blocked, such as, images or scripts. Google Search Console simulates a crawl, alerting you to any issues on your site.
I know this kind of thing can be pretty confusing. You don’t need to know all the mechanics behind it. I just make sure I enter my URL for each post I write so Google can find it. It only takes a few minutes, and then the rest is up to Google.
Here’s a quick tutorial on how to set up and use Google Alerts. All you need is a Google account. Create a free one here.
11. Wealthy Affiliate Online University
Okay I lied, I have 11 affiliate marketing tools I can’t live without. This one belongs in the number one spot because it’s where I learned all my affiliate marketing skills. Wealthy Affiliate is a great online community where you can collaborate with other affiliate marketers, learn how to create a blog full of keyword-rich content, and design your own niche website on WordPress.
The certification course is comprehensive and you’ll learn more than you ever thought possible. I love the 24/7 support to help with website troubleshooting. I’ve been flying solo for years when it comes to website creation and design, and I can’t begin to explain how invaluable this resource it. It has saved me many a headache, and countless hours of frustration. You can set up a free account with no credit card required. Read my REVIEW to learn more.
[Read More: Is Wealthy Affiliate Legit Or A Scam?]
Key Points
If you’re new to the online world, check out these 10 affiliate marketing tools I can’t live without, and see if you don’t rely on them as much as I do.
Are you an internet marketer? What are some of your favorite affiliate marketing tools? Let me know in the comments:)
Great post, very informative and very thorough for your chosen niche. I like how you really laid it all out there for your readers. On a basic level, I do agree with everything you said. A marketer does need a website, keyword rich content, traffic, and tools to find success. It is obtainable, it just requires work. Great job and keep up the great work.
Thank you for reading and commenting. You’re right, it’s essential for marketers to have a website and content, and, yes, it does require a lot of hard work.
Hi Holly,
What a brilliant post! Love it. You cover everything you need to really improve your efficiency. I love unsplash. Such high quality photos all for free. Canva is another favourite. I only recently discovered it and I love how it has templates already set up for Facebook posts, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook ads, any kind of pic and has the correct sizes for each platform. Brilliant.
I am also a fan of Wealthy Affiliate and endorse all your comments there. I’d be lost without it 🙂 Cheers,
Kev
Thank you for reading Kev! Aren’t we so fortunate to have such awesome tools!