How to Build a Simple Affiliate Website That Earns

When I first started exploring affiliate marketing, I thought building a website would be the hardest part. I imagined needing to learn code, design skills, or spend weeks figuring out technical details. The truth is that getting a basic affiliate website online in 2025 is much simpler than most people expect.

This guide assumes you already know your niche and the affiliate programs you want to promote. The focus here is on putting together a clean, fast, trustworthy website that can actually start earning. By the end, you’ll know exactly which tools to use, which pages to set up, and how to launch without getting stuck in endless design tweaks. 

If you haven’t sorted out your niche and affiliate programs yet, start with my Affiliate Marketing 101 Guide.

Step 1 – Choose Hosting and Get a Domain

Your hosting and domain are the foundation of your website. A domain is just your web address (like yourbrand.com), while hosting is the service that keeps your site online.

Beginner-friendly hosting recommendations:

• Bluehost – one of the most popular options for first-time WordPress users. Affordable, easy setup, and free domain included for the first year.
• Hostinger – budget-friendly with surprisingly fast servers. Great if you’re starting small and don’t want high monthly costs.
• SiteGround – a little pricier, but known for excellent customer support and long-term performance.

If you’re not sure which platform to use to build your site, I break down your options in my Best Website Builders for Beginners guide.

Step 2 – Pick Your Website Builder / Platform

There are many website builders out there, but not all are equally good for affiliate sites. Here are the main choices:

• WordPress.org (self-hosted)
  • The most popular and flexible choice. Works with almost any host, thousands of themes, and plugins for SEO and affiliate links.
  • Slight learning curve, but you’ll thank yourself later for the control it gives you.
• Shopify
  • Technically designed for e-commerce, but can be adapted for hybrid affiliate/e-commerce stores.
  • I compare it directly with WordPress in my Shopify vs WooCommerce article.
• Ghost
  • A clean, content-first platform. Perfect if you want a fast, distraction-free affiliate blog.
• Squarespace / Wix
  • Drag-and-drop simplicity. Good if design matters to you, but less customizable for SEO.

Step 3 – Install WordPress (or Your Chosen Builder)

If you’ve picked WordPress, most hosts make it a one-click install. Within minutes, you’ll have a live site.

Choosing a theme:

Go for something simple and fast. Avoid bloated “all-in-one” themes. Some great free/cheap options are:

• GeneratePress
• Astra
• Kadence

Must-have plugins for affiliates:

• RankMath or Yoast – for SEO optimization.
• Pretty Links or ThirstyAffiliates – to manage and “shorten” your affiliate links.
• WP Rocket (paid) or W3 Total Cache (free) – for speed and caching.
• Affiliate disclosure plugin or just a reusable block of text you can add to every post.

Step 4 – Set Up Core Pages for Trust and Compliance

Before you even publish your first blog post, create a few key pages that show visitors you’re legit:

• Home Page – a simple welcome message, a bit about what your site is about, and links to your best content.
• About Page – share your story and why people should trust your recommendations.
• Contact Page – a basic form or email so people can reach you.
• Affiliate Disclosure & Privacy Policy – required by law in most countries. Something like: “This site contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.”

For a broader overview of compliance in affiliate marketing, see my Affiliate Marketing 101 Hub.

Step 5 – Create a Simple Site Structure

Keep your navigation simple. Don’t overwhelm readers with dozens of menus. A clean structure might look like this:

Home | Blog | Tools | About | Contact

• Use categories sparingly (e.g., Reviews, Tutorials, Best Of).
• Add a sidebar or footer with an email signup form (we’ll cover this shortly).

A clutter-free site is easier for readers to navigate and for search engines to understand.

Step 6 – Publish Your First Affiliate Content

Your site doesn’t need dozens of articles at launch. Focus on 3–5 high-quality starter posts:

1. A long-form guide – e.g., “How to Start a Blog in 2025.”
2. A comparison post – e.g., “ConvertKit vs MailerLite.”
3. A roundup – e.g., “Best Email Marketing Platforms for Beginners.”
4. A tutorial or case study – e.g., “How I Built My First Landing Page with [Tool Name].”

When writing, remember:

• Place affiliate links naturally. Don’t force them.
• Focus on solving a reader’s problem first. The affiliate link is the solution, not the headline.

Step 7 – Optimize for SEO and User Experience

Affiliate sites live or die by their ability to attract free traffic. Basics to follow:

• Put your keyword in the title, intro, headers, and meta description.
• Link your posts together internally (Google loves clear structure).
• Keep your site fast (test with Google PageSpeed Insights).
• Make sure your theme is mobile-friendly, most traffic now comes from phones.

If SEO is new to you, I’ve written a full SEO and Keyword Research Guide to help.

Step 8 – Add Analytics and Email Capture

Once your site is live, you’ll want to track what’s working.

• Google Analytics – shows where your visitors come from and what pages they read.
• Google Search Console – shows what keywords you rank for.
• Email signup form – even with a small audience, start building a list. Services like ConvertKit or MailerLite are beginner-friendly.

Why email? It gives you a direct line to your readers. Even if search rankings or algorithms change, you’ll still have a loyal audience. For more, see my Email Marketing Platforms Guide.

Step 9 – Launch and Promote Your Site

Don’t wait until everything feels “perfect.” A simple site with a few strong articles can start attracting visitors right away.

Ways to promote:

• Share on your personal social media.
• Post in relevant communities or forums.
• Guest post on other blogs in your niche.
• Pin articles to Pinterest or make short TikTok/Instagram videos to drive traffic.

If you want to explore traffic strategies in detail, my Marketing Your Website or Store guide compares paid ads, organic social, SEO, and influencers.

Final Thoughts: Keep It Simple

Building an affiliate website is much easier than most beginners expect. You don’t need to be a designer or coder. You just need:

1. Hosting + domain.
2. A clean, simple WordPress install.
3. A few essential plugins.
4. Core pages for trust.
5. 3–5 strong pieces of content.

Everything else: SEO, email and design, can be improved over time. The most important thing is to get your site live. Your first affiliate site is practice, and every step will teach you something valuable.

👉 If you want to dive deeper, check out:

• Best Affiliate Programs for Beginners
• Content Creation and Digital Products Hub
• Affiliate Marketing Strategies That Work in 2025