Most publishers treat affiliate links like a copy-paste task. Paste the URL, publish the post, move on. The operators who build real revenue treat links as infrastructure: organized, trackable, and placed where buyer intent is highest.
We’ve spent a decade building million-dollar affiliate sites. What follows is not theory. It is what we learned through years of trial and error about adding links in ways that earn trust, clicks, and commissions.
If you want to turn a blog from a side project into a business, the link layer is where the shift happens.
Updated 2026.
1What Are Affiliate Links?
An affiliate link is a URL with a unique tracking ID tied to a merchant’s product or service.
That tracking ID tells the merchant which site sent the sale so the right person gets the commission.
Below is an illustration of an Amazon affiliate link.
The tracking ID (your “affiliate code”) is how you get credit for the sale.
2How to Get Affiliate Links
You sign up for affiliate programs to get links.
They are free to join and typically approve quickly (Amazon’s is practically instant).
To find a program, try one of these Google searches:
- brand name + affiliate program (e.g., Lasso affiliate program)
- niche + affiliate program (e.g., financial affiliate programs)
You can also search our database with over 8,600 affiliate programs categorized by niche.
Alternatively, search one of the larger affiliate networks, such as ShareASale, ClickBank, or CJ Affiliate.
Once signed up, explore their database for relevant products in your niche.
You can also search by links in your affiliate dashboard (like in the screenshot below).
Affiliate platforms vary from network to network, but this is typically how you will find them.
For operators deciding how many programs to stack, read how many affiliate programs you should join. The answer is simpler than most people make it.
3How to Add Affiliate Links to Your Blog
Here are the three methods we use most often. Each works. Only one scales when you have hundreds of links across a growing site.
1. Use our affiliate plugin Lasso
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
Lasso helps you organize, track, and cloak affiliate links from one dashboard.
Paste the affiliate link into Lasso’s dashboard.
Lasso creates a Link Details page for your affiliate product.
For instance, say you wanted to add Roofstock’s affiliate link to your blog. Paste it into Lasso, and here is its Link Details page.
The “Primary Destination URL” is your affiliate link.
Lasso also cloaks the link and shows you every place you have used it when you click “Locations.”
Cloaking helps you create memorable branded URLs that are easy to share with your audience.
You can find all of your affiliate URLs in a searchable dashboard. It displays each URL, image, name, group, and the number of links across your site.
Plus, you can see which links are broken and look for new linking opportunities.
When you are ready to add your affiliate link to your blog, you do it the same way you would add any link in WordPress.
For example, if you wanted to add your Roofstock affiliate link to your post, type “roofstock” into the search field.
Because Lasso created the link for you, it reads “Lasso” in the right-hand column. That makes finding your links quick.
Compare that to searching for the un-cloaked version of Roofstock:
This was one reason we built Lasso.
After seven years of running and growing his affiliate site, it became harder for Lasso’s founder, Andrew Fiebert, to manage. He struggled to increase affiliate revenue with thousands of affiliate links and no way to control them.
2. Copy and paste the affiliate link into your post
WordPress lets you insert links into your content quickly, and affiliate links are no different.
Highlight the text where you want to add your link and click the link icon (or “command + k” on your keyboard).
Then, paste your affiliate link into the field. Done.
This is a fine first step, but copying and pasting the link into your content will not let you track or cloak it.
Link management quickly becomes a nightmare of spreadsheets, broken links, lost products, and manual updates.
That is why we built Lasso to fix all of those problems at once.
3. Copy and paste the HTML code
Affiliate programs offer various ways to display affiliate URLs and text links.
Another method bloggers use is adding widgets to their site’s sidebars and footers.
Go to Appearance > Widgets > Custom HTML inside your WordPress dashboard.
Next, paste the HTML code from your affiliate program.
For example, when using Amazon, you can copy and paste the code from their ecommerce site.
Simply select any product, then get the code.
Alternatively, you can embed the code directly into your WordPress code editor.
This method works, but without an affiliate plugin to keep you organized, you will quickly lose track of your link’s performance.
4How to Promote Your Affiliate Links
Getting your links is the first part. Now you have to promote them.
The best approach is to weave links into your content naturally, sharing your affiliate product as the solution to your reader’s problem.
Here is a shortlist of approaches we have used that boost affiliate sales.
For a full channel breakdown, read our guide on how to promote affiliate links.
Use Attractive Product Displays That Stop Scrolling
Online readers skim.
We tested this on our sites and saw visitors scroll past affiliate text links but stop and click our product boxes.
If you want your audience to notice your affiliate promotions, you need displays built to convert.
That is another reason we created Lasso.
Try adding product displays (like this one below) to your content to attract more attention.
3.6
Make your site load faster in a few clicks. WP Rocket is recognized as one of the most powerful caching plugins for WordPress. We use it specifically for image lazy loading.
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
Lasso co-founder Matt Giovanisci tripled his affiliate revenue from $40,000 to $140,000 in a year. It was a combination of a traffic increase and adding more affiliate link displays strategically across his site.
If you are curious about which types of content convert best, try writing articles where your reader is in “commercial investigation” mode.
These include:
- Product reviews and comparisons
- Best lists
- Tutorials
Typically, somebody has narrowed their choices to a few options and is almost ready to buy.
Product reviews give your reader an objective analysis of a product while comparisons pit two products against each other.
This reader is typically “on the fence” between products. Your article can nudge them in one direction and win the commission.
Best lists are curated collections your reader is searching for. For example, “best gifts for bourbon lovers” or “best tools for earning income from a blog.”
These have high buying intent due to the nature of the query. A person searching for “best gifts for x” is ready to purchase. They just need a few good recommendations first.
Tutorials teach people how to do something, then include your referral link. For example, showing your readers how to use specific email marketing software (e.g., Active Campaign).
Create a Resources Page
A resource page is a strong location to put several affiliate links in one place where buying intent is high.
Our site, Listen Money Matters, has a Resources Page (aka our Toolbox) that converts at 10%. That is an incredible number.
Depending on your traffic, a 10% conversion rate adds up quickly (potentially thousands or tens of thousands of dollars).
Leverage Your Email List and Social Media Accounts
Do not be shy about emailing your list. They have already permitted you to connect, so take advantage.
For example, if you created a special bonus for a product you recommend, inform your list. Or, if an item has recently been upgraded, reach out to your audience.
If you connect with your audience on social media, use those accounts to announce unique affiliate products, content, or upgrades.
Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok are all great ways to get more affiliate traffic (and sales).
5Tips for Better Conversion Rates
In addition to the promotional models already discussed, try these tips when creating your content.
Add Affiliate Links to Images
Another thing we discovered when testing our sites: readers love clicking images.
Images are more eye-catching than text, so people click them more frequently. If you include your links in pictures on your site, you should see higher engagement.
The more places you can include affiliate links, the more conversions should improve across the board.
Highlight Your Links
Your text links should stand out to your readers. Make them more visible by:
- Using bold fonts
- Making links an alternative color from the primary text
- Underlining your links
Make your links prominent and clickable.
4% of people are color blind. If your audience is mostly male, this number jumps to 8%. Underline your links to ensure more people see them.
Use Secondary Call-to-Action Buttons
Another way to build trust and boost engagement is with a secondary CTA button. This can keep your reader on your site longer.
We have product displays with CTA buttons asking people to buy (or sign up). Some readers on our site are unfamiliar with some of the products we promote.
So, we added a secondary CTA button linking them to a product review or tutorial that familiarizes them with our recommendation.
Just putting a CTA button on your site is not enough. You need to optimize for all types of visitors because not everyone is ready to buy today.
You can use secondary CTA buttons with Lasso to send users to another page (like a product review), or to give them a second buying option.
Read our guide on using a secondary CTA to improve conversion rates for the full pattern.
Cloak Your Affiliate Links
This makes it easy for people to share your content link with others.
Remember our earlier example of what a chaotic affiliate link looks like?
Which one looks more reader-friendly?
A plugin like Lasso can automatically cloak your non-Amazon links for you. And if you want to uncloak them, you can do it with the flick of a toggle.
For the full breakdown, read our guide on what link cloaking is and how to use it effectively.
Transform Un-Monetized Mentions into Dollars
Lasso has a unique feature: finding un-monetized mentions of keywords and converting them into affiliate links.
For example, say you run a pet blog and mention the brand “Chewy” numerous times. Maybe you even link to their homepage.
Later, you decide to sign up for their affiliate program.
Now, you want to find every piece of content that mentions “Chewy” so you can add your affiliate link.
Solution: Create a “Saved Keyword,” and Lasso finds every place you have said it.
Alternatively, say you have monetized “Chewy,” but now you want to find places in your content where you mentioned “pet supplies.”
Create another “Saved Keyword” for that term, and Lasso will find it as well.
Using Lasso’s Opportunities lets you discover linking opportunities hiding in plain sight.
Our niche site used the automation and displays from Lasso to earn $1.2M in affiliate income in under five years.
Run an Opportunities scan on your site to surface keyword and program placements mapped to content you already have live. For a full walkthrough, read our Ultimate Guide to Using Lasso’s Opportunities Reports.
6Common Affiliate Link Types
There are multiple ways you use links to promote your offers that fit into your content strategy.
Text Links: These are table stakes and a good starting point. Some readers will click them. In our experience, it is best to display your links in multiple, eye-catching ways.
Image Links: Readers love to click images. It is a great way to win more clicks. Typically, you can add links to images similar to how you would add a text link.
Banner Links: These display at the footer or header of your site. You can usually find them in your affiliate dashboard under “Links” or “Linking.”
After making many mistakes, we learned that displaying links in various ways wins more clicks and spices up your content with a better user experience.
With Lasso, you have eight choices for displaying your affiliate links.
Simply choose your display type, and Lasso adds a shortcode to your content.
7Best Practices for Disclosing Your Affiliate Links
The FTC requires you to disclose whether you are in a paid relationship with merchants.
The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) is a government agency that helps protect consumers. If you choose not to include a disclaimer, you risk getting penalized, fined, or banned from your affiliate program.
The best thing to do is place them in apparent areas on your site, including the footer, disclaimer page, and about page.
Some people write the phrase “aff link” in parenthesis immediately following a link. The point is to be transparent.
Lasso includes a default affiliate disclosure at the bottom of your product displays.
Or, you can write your own if you prefer.
Tip: DO NOT include disclaimers in sidebars. People reading on mobile devices might not see them.
Read our guide on affiliate disclosure requirements with examples.
8Track Your Affiliate Links and Measure Performance
One crucial reason you want to monitor affiliate links is that you will see what is performing well.
For example, spotting popular products with your audience or seeing which pages drive the most clicks.
Lasso can do this easily. Just connect Lasso to Google Analytics and track every click as an “Event.”
Head to Behavior > Events > Top Events
This lets you see the products resonating the most with your readers and track the success of specific affiliate campaigns.
Read our guide on how to connect Lasso to Google Analytics for simple click-tracking.
9Frequently Asked Questions About Adding Affiliate Links to Your Blog
If you are getting started with affiliate marketing, you probably have questions. Here is what we see the most.
Which platform is best for affiliate marketing?
The most important thing is whether a program offers relevant products and services in your niche.
You should also weigh additional factors, such as commission rates, payment frequency, and cookie duration.
Affiliate programs should be free to join and easy to use. Do not sign up for a program that is only going to cause you headaches.
Amazon Associates might have a massive product selection, but its cookie duration is short, and its commission rates are low.
That is why you should look at other programs as well (ones with higher commission rates and longer cookies).
Is affiliate marketing worth it?
Yes, affiliate marketing is worth it. We have been wildly successful with it, and it let us walk away from our day jobs.
Statista revealed a $3 billion boost in affiliate marketing spending since 2017 and projects it will hit $8.2 billion by 2022.
You can read our article on why affiliate marketing is a strong business model if you want the full argument.
How do bloggers find affiliate products?
If you are short on ideas, fire up your search engine of choice and type this into it:
- best products for + your niche (e.g., best products for CBD)
- best (your niche) products (e.g., best CBD products)
See what populates in the SERPs. Start there.
Why do affiliate marketers fail?
As our founder says, it boils down to a war of attrition (i.e., be the last person standing because everybody else will quit).
So, keep pushing, and you will find success. Simply showing up weekly puts you light years ahead of “hobbyists.”
Here are a few of the most common pitfalls and why you will fail:
- You will quit
- You will lose focus
- Promote the wrong products
- Write things nobody cares about
Number four derails many new bloggers because they do not perform keyword research and wonder why nobody reads their content.
They are not optimizing for SEO and what people actually want.
10Final Thoughts
Blogging is a great way to share your expertise with the world. It can also be a strong way to earn from the audience you build.
If you want to monetize a blog, affiliate marketing is your best bet.
There is no overhead (because you are promoting other people’s products), startup costs are less than $5, and you can do it on your own time.
Adding affiliate links to your site is straightforward. Follow one of the three methods above and you are on the right track.
Lasso is the best way to add affiliate links to your blog at scale. Get started with Lasso and see how link infrastructure changes what your content earns.
Sean Brison
Sean Brison is a dad, writer, business owner, and Content Lead at Lasso. He's spent the past several years in cahoots with Lasso's founder, Andrew, creating awesome things for people. He's also addicted to perfectly-balanced cocktails, the outdoors, and John…