What are the Top Affiliate Networks with the Best Converting Merchants/Advertisers

When looking to join and market affiliate programs you should look to join with affiliate networks that have stood the test of time and have excellent merchants and advertisers to choose from. By far the top two networks in affiliate marketing are Commission Junction and Linkshare. Both of these affiliate network companies have been around since around 2000 and have very impressive rosters of brand-name merchants. Let’s face it, online shoppers tend to feel more confident and therefore purchase more frequently from brand-name merchants that they are familiar with and have confidence in. This is where CJ and Linkshare have extreme dominance in the the affiliate network industry. Yes there are many, many smaller affiliate networks but if you really look at them you will see that the quality of offers/merchants is not usually very impressive. Shareasale is the only other affiliate network that has built up a good list of merchants and database of quality affiliates. CJ and Linkshare have their dominance and really have been the “meccas” for affiliates to join and participate with merchants in affiliate relationships since the inception of affiliate marketing. You won’t find the same offers in CJ and Linkshare, as Linkshare does not allow their merchants to participate in any other networks which is known as network exclusivity. So as an affiliate, you pretty much have to be joined to both CJ and Linkshare to participate with the majority of merchants out there.

When looking for the best converting offers you simply have to just log into CJ and Linkshare and go to apply to join the programs. there are stats know as the “EPC” or earning per hundred clicks that you can consider when selecting merchants within a particular category. The higher the EPC the better the offer tends to convert. I always suggest to new affiliates or “noobies” that they apply to several hundred programs in each network to see who approves them. They can then start building sites or blogs that target the products and/or services that those merchants sell. Most super affiliates already have a procedure for grabbing newly launched offers and adding them to their sites. It really depends on the type of website you already have or you want to launch when you are looking for offers to add to you site. Make sure to try out different merchants, but give it a little time to work, as trickle traffic can bring in unexpected sales. This is a basic description on the top affiliate networks and best converting offers you can join. Now get out there and start writing some content and driving some traffic! If you are interested is launching your own affiliate program or having you affiliate program managed properly, drop us a line.

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CEO and Founder

Evan is the CEO and Founder of Experience Advertising. He has more than 20 years experience and background with ecommerce website marketing. His skill sets include: search engine marketing, social media marketing, affiliate marketing, conversion rate optimization, and other traffic driving and community building strategies.