What Is a Pay-Per-Click Affiliate Program?
A Pay-Per-Click (PPC) affiliate program allows website owners to monetize their websites. All you need to get started is a consistent stream of engaged traffic.
Advertisers pay when someone clicks on an ad displayed on your site. Website owners can create networks to choose between multiple advertisers to find the best content for their websites. Alternatively, this process can be automated with optimization algorithms, allowing you to get optimal results with minimal effort.
Google AdSense
When you think of affiliate programs, your mind probably goes straight to Google. And rightly so. Google Ads is one of the easiest, biggest, and most reliable affiliate programs out there. It is the perfect beginner affiliate program, but it might not be the best fit for everyone. Why is that?
Well, Google AdSense is notoriously hard to get into. And once you’re in, it can be hard to stay in the program. So make sure to check the requirements before applying. And if you get rejected, don’t worry. Just apply again.
Another potential con is that they are known for having low RPMs (ad revenue per thousand impressions) and a pretty high minimum payout. As a result, Google AdSense is sometimes seen as the perfect additional affiliate program.
In fact, there are several alternative affiliate programs that you could be using instead. Stay tuned, as we will cover the top PPC affiliate programs that are alternatives for Google AdSense later in this post.
PPC Affiliate Referral Programs
By the way, if you plan on being part of any PPC affiliate programs listed in this article, double-check if they have a referral program.
By sharing your referral link and getting other travel bloggers, website owners, and content creators to sign up for specific programs, you can, in turn, earn some extra cash—entirely passively.
Beginner, Medium & Advanced Affiliate Programs
PPC affiliate programs come in many forms and typically have different difficulty levels and requirements. When looking into top pay per click affiliate programs, you need to know a few key things.
The first is application criteria, such as minimum traffic or stipulations about traffic sources. Many programs have a basic monthly page view threshold and prerequisites, like requiring all content to be original. These application criteria can make it difficult for beginners to join specific programs.
The second is the actual program, including the tool, dashboard, or community. Depending on your expertise and needs, each affiliate program can help in different ways. Beginners might be looking for ease of use, while experts probably need a more in-depth analytical dashboard.
The third (and arguably most important) is how much you will earn. The more advanced your website, the more you can make. When looking at this requirement, look into RPM (“Revenue per mill”), revenue share, and key measures (like CPC vs. CPA). Also, make sure to understand the program’s minimum payout sum and payment timeframe.
Beginner Pay-Per-Click Affiliate Programs
A good beginner pay-per-click affiliate program should have a low traffic threshold, a low minimum payout amount, and an easy-to-use user interface.
Beginners should look for programs that don’t have too many restrictions on their traffic sources and can give them access to automated tools for the placement and optimization of ads. These programs should also offer more reasonable payouts so that it won’t take too long for new affiliate partners to start earning money right away. Additionally, the program should provide support to help beginners in case of any questions.
So what are some of the beginner PPC affiliate programs you should look into?
1. Skimlinks
Skimlinks is a network uniting thousands of affiliate programs (over 40,000 merchants), matching you with affiliate partners from your niche. It is also one of the easier PPC affiliate programs as it automates affiliate marketing for you.
It does this by asking you to install a piece of code on your website. Once you do this, every link transforms into an affiliate link—as long as that link directs people to a merchant with a relationship with the program.
Nevertheless, be aware that the script can slow down your website. To circumvent speed issues, avoid using the script and manually create links with the toolbox. SkimLinks also comes with a WordPress plugin and a Chrome extension.
Advantages:
- Making money on your website is easy if you install the script. Install, set up your payment information, and then just sit back and relax.
- Instant access to a huge catalog of merchants.
- No minimum traffic requirement.
- The dashboard is user-friendly and provides a quick overview of clicks and income.
2. PropellerAds
Similar to Skimlinks, PropellarAds also offers beginners an affiliate program with a setup that is simple and automated. It is one of the biggest alternative ad networks, home to over 30,000 merchants. The program has no minimum ad requirements, and the minimum payout is USD$25, which is perfect for smaller blogs.
PropellerAds offers a variety of popular ad formats, including pop-up ads and push notifications, which are all Google AdSense compatible. The result? Ad versatility and the ability to display multiple ads on your website simultaneously—meaning more money.
Advantages
- Activated instantly, no waiting.
- No minimum traffic requirement.
- Global Coverage (100% of your traffic can be monetized)
- The minimum payout threshold is only USD$5
- Adblock Bypass, a way to monetize ad block users
- Publisher community with frequent meetups
- Multiple ad formats that you can choose from
3. Adcash
Another fantastic ad affiliate program, Adcash, has no minimum traffic requirements and takes little time to set up. Some of the platform’s key features include 24/7 online support, no hidden fees, and account management, setting it apart from other programs on this list. Although each user does not automatically get dedicated support, you can still request it if you need it.
The program also offers publishers advanced features and tools and claims that they offer high-quality, relevant ads to users.
Advantages
- No minimum traffic requirement.
- Global coverage (100% of your traffic can be monetized)
- Multiple ad formats that you can choose from
- A higher fill-rate with can mean higher revenue
- Adblock Bypass, a way to monetize ad block users
- Great customer service
4. Sovrn
Sovrn is another PPC affiliate program that makes creating affiliate links simple and easy. All you need to do is add some JavaScript to your website code, which will transform existing and future links into affiliate ones.
But unlike other programs listed, Sovrn offers a cool extra feature called Sovrn Commerce Convert. This feature detects keywords and product mentions within your content. Once detected, it will check if those products have affiliate links. Sovrn will then insert a link to the highest converting and paying affiliate program. And it’s as easy as moving a toggle switch from left to right.
Other cool features are the ability to monetize your links beyond the platform, a publisher dashboard, and advanced user support.
Advantages
- Ease of use & easy sign-up
- Adds links automatically, meaning that you don’t need to add anything manually
- Thousands of advertisers are available
- Designed with social media influencers in mind
- They have an Instant Pay option, but it comes with an extra fee
- Both CPC and CPA offers are available
Medium Pay-Per-Click Affiliate Programs
For those with more experience in the world of PPC affiliate marketing, looking into medium pay-per-click programs can be a great way to increase your earning potential.
These programs can provide access to more complex features and functions, advanced optimization tools, and comprehensive reports and analytics. All of this can positively impact your potential payout rates.
What are some of the medium PPC affiliate programs you should look into?
5. Google AdSense
Google AdSense is a service offered by Google that allows website owners and publishers to display targeted ads on their sites. The ads are tailored to the site’s content, meaning relevant ads typically appear when someone scrolls through your website. And as with all PPC programs, you get paid when someone clicks on an ad.
With AdSense, you can choose from a range of different ad types and formats that seamlessly blend into your site’s native content. Ad types include display ads, in-feed native ads, and in-article native ads. You can also opt to include responsive ads that adjust to the browser and device that your visitor uses. Moreover, ads can be customized to fit the needs of your website, which includes changing the color scheme and font.
If you have multiple sites, you can also run AdSense across different blogs, all from a single account.
Advantages
- Ease of use & easy sign-up
- Allows you to integrate your own branding and layout easily
- Control of ads displayed. Target ads that are more relevant to your audience, helping to improve click-through rates and potential earnings.
- High-quality inventory
- Detailed analytics and reporting
6. Media.net
Another advertising platform for medium-sized creators, Media.net, is the second-largest contextual advertising platform in the world. Its key differentiators are its display-to-search (D2S) technology, ROI optimization, and top-notch customer service, which includes account representatives.
With Media.net, along with native and mobile-response ads, the platform also offers contextual and D2S ads. Contextual ads are ads related to the content of your website. Another feature is that their technology provides cookie-independent contextual ads. The D2S format looks at the search intent of the user and serves visitors with a list of keywords (in an ad format) that are related to that intent.
The platform is also home to a massive pool of advertisers, which results in high-quality inventory and fits perfectly with AdSense for anyone looking to diversify their ad income.
Media.net also has a couple of site approval criteria, which include:
- At least 5,000 page views per day.
- Content that is primarily in English
- The website traffic primarily comes from US/UK/Canada
- A good ad-to-text ratio
Advantages
- Dynamic optimization through contextual advertising
- Compatible with AdSense, you can use both simultaneously to maximize your ad revenue with target high-intent ads
- Once owned by Yahoo & Bing, and still in collaboration with these companies
- Dedicated technical support representatives that respond within 24 hours
- An all-in-one manager that includes
- A pretty good RPM (revenue per impression), around USD$5 per 1,000 impressions
7. RevenueHits
RevenueHits is an ad network that helps you monetize your content through its geo-targeted and contextual ad-serving technology. Its main key differentiator is that, unlike many other networks, it is based on a CPA (Cost per Acquisition) method. This model means that you earn only when your visitor finalizes an action. This action can be a sale, newsletter sign-up, registration, contact request, etc.
As a result, although RevenuteHits has no real requirements or restrictions, before applying, consider whether your audience is willing to take action. Specific niches, like shopping, movies, food, and sports, could work well on this model, while others may not.
Advantages
- Geo-targeted ads only relevant to your audience (and their location)
- AdSense compatible, you can use both simultaneously
- Intuitive interface
- Great customer service
- Allows you to integrate your own branding and layout easily
Advanced Pay-Per-Click Affiliate Programs
For serious content creators looking to maximize their earning potential, advanced pay-per-click programs are the way to go. While these programs often have very high traffic thresholds and a lot of requirements, they offer access to the highest payout rates available.
In fact, these types of programs offer unparalleled potential for earning money when done correctly.
Here are some of the top pay per click affiliate programs.
8. Mediavine
Mediavine is touted as one of the best ad networks out there, and for good reason. It is a full-service ad management partner that offers you the technology, support, and resources to optimize your content, improve your ad quality and earn more money.
First and foremost, Mediavine is known for its high RPMs (revenue per impression). The range depends on factors like website niche, traffic, the age of your domain, and the quarter, but it is often between $11-$45. Other key differentiators include the amazing ad user experience, fantastic customer support, features like their Grow Social and Create plugins, and Mediavine resources like a Facebook group.
Now let’s look at the requirements to get into the program:
- At least 50,000 sessions per month (according to Google Analytics)
- Good standing with Google AdSense
- Original content
- Long-form engaging content
Once submitted, each website is individually assessed and either rejected or accepted into the program. If rejected, email Mediavine, as the team will provide pointers on why your website was not accepted. Once you resolve the issues, make sure to re-apply.
Once admitted into the program, all you need to do is install their script and let their tech team handle all the rest. It is as simple as that.
Advantages
- Premium ad partners
- High-earning video ads
- Data-driven dashboard
- An exclusive Facebook group that allows you to chat with other members as well as Mediavine staff
- Technology that doesn’t slow down your website speed
- Trellis, a super-fast WordPress theme created by Mediavine
9. AdThrive
Another top dog in the affiliate program world, AdThrive, is a premium ad network that allows you to earn ad revenue at the highest potential level.
Similar to Mediavine, AdThrive is known for its RPMs. The range again varies, but the key differentiator with AdThrive is their 20% RPM guarantee. The network promises individuals a 20% increase over what they earned at their previous ad network if they make the switch. And if they don’t see that increase, they guarantee a $5,000 payout. Furthermore, AdThrives’ preference for lifestyle niches, like travel, means lifestyle website owners can expect great ad revenue potential.
AdThrive also offers website owners optimal ad placement strategies, fantastic customer service, and an advanced dashboard that offers detailed reporting and analytics.
Now let’s look at the requirements:
- At least 100,000 sessions per month (according to Google Analytics)
- Traffic mostly from the USA
- No previous problems with ad providers
- High-quality content
- An SSL certificate
Be aware that only 15-20% of applications get accepted. AdThrives reviews process is intense and rigorous. Again, if you are rejected, ask why, fix the problems, and try to apply again. Once you are accepted into the program, onboarding is quick and easy.
Advantages
- High RPMS and revenue potential
- Video ads
- Detailed and data-driven dashboard
- Amazing customer support
- 20% Increased Revenue Guarantee (if you switch over from another ad network)
- Facebook Community
10. Adblade
One of the largest content-style ad platforms on the web, Adblade claims that its ad units received 3X more clicks than standard display ads. This particular network offers high-quality ads with a limited number of high-end clients, like Yahoo and Fox News.
AdBlade specializes in native ads, similar to Outbrain. These ads look like related posts and can be found beside other regular articles on blogs and news sites. The difference is a small advertisement label that can be found in the corner. Sometimes you can’t even see the difference.
Not much is known about the requirements for Adblade besides the fact that you need to have at least 500,00 monthly page views. Each website is approved within 1-2 days.
Advantages
- High RPMS and revenue potential
- Trusted and legitimate ad network
- Real-time and quick ads tracking interface
- Referral program
Final Thoughts: Best Pay Per Click Affiliate Programs
Pay-per-click affiliate programs are a great way to monetize your website and earn passive income from an engaged audience. And the best part is that no matter your numbers, there is a program for everyone. From beginner programs with low traffic requirements to advanced services offering high payouts, there is room for everyone in the world of PPC affiliate marketing.
Another popular affiliate marketing model that you might want to explore is cost-per-action (CPA) affiliate programs. These programs pay you a commission when a visitor makes a purchase through your affiliate link. If you’re interested in promoting travel-related products and services, then you should definitely check out the CPA travel affiliate programs available on Travelpayouts.
