14 Best Pay Per Click Affiliate Programs
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If you want to start earning a passive income, one of the best ways to start is by joining a pay per click affiliate program. You can earn money every time someone clicks on the links you place on your website, and earn a very decent amount.
Here’s what you need to know about pay per click affiliate programs:
How Do Pay Per Click Affiliate Programs Work
In pay per click affiliate programs, an advertiser pays a publisher (in this case you), whenever an affiliate link or banner ad is clicked (depending on the terms of the program).
A lot of affiliate programs have strict criteria. They will demand that you have a certain amount of traffic, for example. A lot of them also have minimum payout thresholds, and some may provide payments months after the click was made. Most of them will also only want to work with quality, reputable websites.
Some programs are great for affiliate marketing beginners, while others won’t accept you until you’ve built a reliable audience.
14 Best Pay Per Click Affiliate Programs
Here are the best pay per click affiliate programs you can choose from.
Google Adsense
Google’s own AdSense is the pay per click affiliate program most people get started with. It’s the one everyone’s heard of.
However, even though every website seems to be running Google Ads, the truth is that it’s not easy to get approved by them. You’ll have to have a steady traffic stream (we don’t know exactly how many visitors per month that means), and you’ll have to have a good quality website.
How much you get paid per click will depend on the niche of the ad and the country it is displayed in. Roughly, you can expect to earn around 10 cents per click. Some niches, like web hosting or insurance will pay more. Others will pay a lot less.
If you already have an established website that is seeing regular traffic, try AdSense, if you don’t qualify for any of the other pay per click affiliate programs we are about to mention.
Sovrn
Sovrn is very easy to get started with. You will just need to add a bit of code to your website, and all of your current and future links will become affiliate links. If you are linking out to someone they are partnered with, you’ll earn a commission.
The great thing about Sovrn is their Commerce Convert feature. It will detect keywords and product mentions in your writing, and check if affiliate links can be added to them. If yes, it will insert the highest converting and paying affiliate program link.
Sovrn also offers an instant payment program, but it does come with extra fees, so you might want to stick to regular payouts.
Skimlinks
Skimlinks is an affiliate network of over 40.000 merchants. They will match you with advertisers from your own niche.
All you need to do is install a short piece of code on your website. After that, every link on your website will be transformed into an affiliate link, as long as the merchant you are linking to is a part of their program.
Note that this script can slow your website down, so the best way to add links is manually, through the Skimlinks toolbox.
The best part about Skimlinks is that they don’t have a minimum traffic threshold, so you can get started immediately. You can focus on building and promoting your website, and enjoy a trickle of passive income at the same time.
Infolinks
Infolinks provides a wide range of ad formats you can use, from text ads to banners. You can also promote their referral program and earn money that way too.
This pay per click affiliate program works just like the others we’ve mentioned. It has a smart targeting system that only shows the most relevant ads to your website visitors. They work with thousands of advertisers, so they will easily be able to match you with someone relevant.
They have a minimum payment threshold of $50, and they offer a variety of payment options, including PayPal.
Media.Net
Media.net is another huge advertising platform. You can use them to display native and mobile ads, as well as contextual and display-to-search ads. They also offer the option of displaying cookie-independent ads, so you can show ads even if visitors don’t accept your cookies.
Media.net works with a huge number of advertisers, so they can practically guarantee you will be paired with the most relevant one for every ad.
In order to get approved by them, you will need to:
- Have at least 5000 pageviews per day
- See traffic mostly from the US, UK and Canada
- Have a good ad-to-text-ratio
You can use them in combination with AdSense to maximize your income as well.
Ezoic
Ezoic has been around for over a decade, so they have certainly perfected their affiliate platform.
The best thing about them is that they offer higher payouts than AdSense. You can expect around $15 per 1000 visitors, which is not negligible.
However, do note that you need to have at least 10.000 unique visitors per month to qualify. They aren’t suited to beginners, but they can be a great choice for an established blog.
They use machine learning to optimize their ads, so you can expect your visitors to be served with the most relevant affiliate links and banners.
You can also become a part of their referral program and earn a 3% lifetime commission.
Mediavine
Mediavine is often hailed as the best pay per click affiliate program, with very good reason. They provide the support and the resources needed for you to grow with your ads, and they offer some of the highest revenues.
How much you earn will of course depend on your niche and the amount of traffic you see, but you can expect to earn more with Mediavine than with any other pay per click program.
Their requirements are very strict, so you won’t be able to get started unless you have a great website:
- At least 50.000 sessions per month
- A good standing with Google’s AdSense
- Long-form, high-quality, engaging content
Raptive
Raptive is a relatively new brand, resulting from the merger of AdThrive and CafeMedia. It promises to be one of the best pay per click affiliate programs out there.
They provide great assistance to niche websites, and they work directly with creators to help them make the most of the program. They also provide high revenues, a great support system and work with lots of advertisers.
To qualify, you will need to meet some steep criteria:
- At least 100.000 pageviews per month
- Original, high-quality content
- The majority of your traffic should come from the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand
Outbrain
Outbrain is a great PPC affiliate program, plus they also help you promote sponsored content on your blog, so you can earn that way too.
They offer plenty of native advertising options, including feed ads on social media, recommended article ads, and video recommendations if you produce video content. The benefit is that this type of advertising is more natural than banner or display ads, so they will be better integrated into existing content.
If you want to join an affiliate program that is different from the rest, Outbrain is a good choice.
Adblade
Adblade claims that their ads get three times more clicks than standard display ads, so they are definitely worth checking out. They work with some very high-end clients, so you can benefit from high-quality ads too.
Like Outbrain, they do native advertising, which is more natural and has a much higher chance of enticing a click.
However, note that you have to have at least 500.000 pageviews per month to qualify for Adblade, so this is not a program for new bloggers.
Adcash
Adcash is another pay per click affiliate program that has no minimum traffic requirements, so it can be a good choice for beginners.
The platform is easy to use and set up, and they offer 24/7 support, which can be a great asset as you are just getting started. The best part about Adcash is that they have global coverage, so you can monetize literally all of your traffic.
You can choose from multiple ad formats, so you can easily align them with your website’s theme and your visitors’ preferences.
RevenueHits
RevenueHits offers geo-targeted and contextual ads. Their affiliate program is based on the CPA (cost per acquisition) method, which differentiates them from all the other programs on this list. This means you will only earn a commission when your visitor finalizes an action: a purchase, a newsletter signup, etc.
Consider how likely your audience is to engage with the ads you display. Since they are highly relevant to them and their location, there is a high chance you can see a decent income from this form of advertising.
RevenueHits does not have any specific requirements, so you can join immediately. They are also compatible with AdSense, so you can use both of them as you are starting out.
Taboola
Taboola lets you earn money through sponsored content and sponsored videos. They offer a wide range of ads, including video ads, so you should definitely consider them if you produce a lot of video content.
They also allow you to exchange traffic with a partner or a third-party website, so you can drive new audiences to your website.
They pay commissions monthly, and can be a very interesting choice.
MintClicks
MintClicks earns you money for every click, unlike other pay per click affiliate programs that pay for a completed action or offer a percentage of their earnings.
You can display both banner ads and text ads with MintClicks.
You can even sign up for this affiliate program if you don’t have a website, as you can use them via your social media profiles too.
They have an easy-to-use interface and offer a lot of customization options, so you can serve your audience with the most relevant and enticing ads.
Wrapping Up
Which of these pay per click affiliate programs do you like best? Are you already a part of one, or are you just getting started?
Consider the requirements of each before you choose whose links you want to be using on your website.