How To Become A Successful Bluehost Affiliate (2023 Guide)

Do YOU agree with this statement?

Making money as a Bluehost affiliate is tougher than it used to be.

It used to be so simple: put together a quick review, put the link in relevant content, and…bam! If you got enough traffic, you’d have the revenue to back it up.

But nowadays?

You need an entire marketing strategy to become a successful Bluehost affiliate.

But take it from someone who is right there in the trenches with you: the rewards are worth the effort!

In this comprehensive guide to the Bluehost affiliate program, I’m going to show you exactly what you need to do to become a top-tier affiliate and earn real money.

In fact, I’ll give you the strategies we use on this site to earn over $41,000 a year from Bluehost with minimal promotion.

Ready?

Let’s go!

Bluehost 101: How does the affiliate program work?

Here’s a quick Bluehost affiliate program review.

When you recommend Bluehost to someone (and they sign up using your unique link), you earn a reward of $65. This applies to several of their services, including:

• shared hosting
• website builder
• VPS server
• Woocommerce online store
• managed WordPress hosting
• and more.

You won’t earn that reward if someone chooses the Website Builder and spends less than $30. I don’t think this is a big deal since many people would spend more than this on a site builder.

When someone signs up via your link, you’ll see your affiliate commission in 10 days. But if they drop Bluehost within 6 months, you won’t be compensated.

Here’s a neat Bluehost perk: their 30-day referral window. If someone clicks your link, they have a whole month to sign up and still get you that commission.

You might wonder, “Why’s that special?”

Often, people don’t sign up right after clicking an affiliate link. Life might get in the way. They might do further research, or simply forget. Many affiliate programs will “rob” you of your commission if there’s any delay. Not Bluehost. They grant a generous 30 days.

Here are a few more details to remember:

• Your rewards will be in USD.
• Bluehost can change some rules without prior notice, so it’s wise to check their terms now and then.
• You can’t use your own tracking tools with Bluehost – they have their system in place (more on this later).

How was my anti-’lawyer-speak’? I think I did pretty well!

Let’s now speak about THE MONEY. How much can you make with Bluehost?

First of all, it depends on your:

• Efforts
• Content creation skills
• Persuasion skills
• Niche and the audience you’re addressing.

But just to show you what’s possible, Pat Flynn talks about how he’s making $30,000 – $40,000 per month with Bluehost.

If we take $40,000 and divide it by 65, that gives around 615 new customers per month. Pat speaks about him having 600+ pages on his site and how he interweaves Bluehost content in them. More on this later – for now, I just wanted to mention what’s possible.

10 Steps to join the Bluehost affiliate program

Before I walk you through the process, it’s good to know that Impact.com is the platform that hosts Bluehost’s affiliate program.

You’ll need to sign up for an account on Impact to be able to promote Bluehost.

Here’s the step-by-step to follow:

• Step 1: Head over to Bluehost.com. It’s their main page where all the magic begins.
• Step 2: Once on their site, give your mouse a little workout and scroll down.
• Step 3: As you scroll, search for the words “Affiliates.” That’s your golden ticket.

• Step 4: Found it? Great. Click on it, then click on “join now.”
• Step 5:: Things get a bit technical here, but stay with me. If you already have an account with Impact.com, just log in. If not, you’ll need to fill out a form. It’s pretty straightforward.
• Step 6: If you’re new and filling out that form, take a moment to review the program terms. It’s always good to know the rules of the game.

• Step 7: Once you’re done with the form, or if you logged in, you’ll be inside Impact.com.
• Step 8: Before you can start, you’ll need to review and agree to their terms. It’s like shaking hands on a deal.

• Step 9: After you’ve done your part, it’s time to wait for approval.

• Step 10: Once you get the thumbs up (that’s the approval), you’re all set. Now, you can start creating content and sprinkle in your affiliate links (more on this in the next section).

Case studies: what successful Bluehost affiliates are doing

Why reinvent the wheel when you can use what’s already proven to work?

Here’s how top Bluehost affiliate marketers are finding success.

Pay Flynn

Exploring the world of Bluehost affiliate marketing business generally puts you across the path of Pat Flynn.

He’s been promoting the company for several years. Here’s a picture of him from a 2016 blog income report:

Image credit: smartpassiveincome.com

Here’s his income report from the same post:

Safe to say he’s been in the game long enough to be able to give some golden nuggets.

But how did it all happen?

One of Pat’s strengths lies in his ability to create valuable content. He runs Smart Passive Income, a website that teaches others how to earn money passively.

Here’s a paraphrased quote from him on his journey:

“I have more than 600 posts. Consider each post as an avenue for visitors to discover the site. With a solid presence on Google and incoming traffic, newcomers land on different pages, where they can explore my content, access the homepage, or find their way to the Resources page.”

A quick Google search on his site and the keyword “Bluehost” returns more than 190 results.

I looked at his resources page but couldn’t find a link to Bluehost. I guess he has since removed this link. However, this still presents a lesson you can use: have a resources page and include affiliate programs. People will visit this page.

Here’s a look at AdamEnfroy.com’s blogging page. You can see it’s pretty similar when it comes to the recommended resources:

Image credit: adamenfroy.com

The above image can give you an idea of what to include when making such recommendations.

Now, back to Pat Flynn. Over the years, he also strategized and took advantage of special promotions offered by Bluehost. One such promotion gave affiliates a $100 commission for every qualified referral.

Here’s a screenshot from the email Bluehost had sent out:

Image credit: writingbeginner.com

He also talks in-depth about his Bluehost experience on a variety of channels. In this podcast, he talks about Bluehost and his affiliate earnings:

Image credit: smartpassiveincome.com

So, what can we learn from Pat’s approach?

Here are the main takeaways:

• First, understand the product and ensure it aligns with your audience’s needs.
• Second, create content that adds value, helping your audience see how the product fits into their lives or solves a problem.
• Third, be transparent. Trust is crucial in affiliate marketing, and honesty builds trust.

Ryan Robinson

Ryan Robinson reported a blog income of $35,218.31, with a notable portion derived from affiliate earnings, including hosting services.

Among various hosting affiliate partnerships, Bluehost played a significant role, contributing $9,400.00 to his affiliate earnings.

Image credit: https://www.ryrob.com/

Ryan emphasizes the importance of diversifying income streams and highlights how his guide on ‘how to start a blog‘ consistently drives traffic, boosting his affiliate earnings.

In this post, he makes multiple references to Bluehost:

Image credit: ryrob.com

He also shows his readers how to create their own Bluehost account:

Image credit: ryrob.com

Ryan’s approach demonstrates the significance of blending valuable content, strategic affiliate placements, and ongoing content optimization.

YouTube Channel: Create WP Site

The Create WP Site channel on YouTube offers multiple video tutorials for WP beginners.

The topic of this channel lends itself perfectly to mentioning Bluehost as a recommended hosting service.

There are also videos on the same channel that are directly about Bluehost. Here’s a video that shows how to setup WordPress on Bluehost:

Image credit: youtube.com

In the description of the video, there’s a link to get a Bluehost discount.

Image credit: youtube.com

Clicking the link leads me to this page:

Image credit: createwpsite.com

If I click on “view this offer”, I’m then taken to the BlueHost homepage. Here I can sign up for an account.

The takeaway is that getting people in the door can be done using various content. It depends on factors such as:

• Your target audience
• Your preferred channel
• Which products best serve your audience

Adam Enfroy

Here’s how AdamEnfroy.com is successful when promoting Bluehost.

Checklists

Checklists help people get stuff done. When launching a blog, knowing what’s next in your to-do list is great.

Here’s a checklist Adam created to help with this:

Integrating your affiliate links within such a checklist is as natural as it gets. It’s also super helpful to provide your readers with a one-stop shop to all needed tools:

Videos

If I go to Adam’s YouTube channel and search for Bluehost, I get tons of results. The more chances someone finds your content, the higher the odds of them clicking your affiliate link:

Make content creation a consistent process. Do it well and do it often!

Blogging and SEO

There are plenty of opportunities to write about Bluehost when creating content. Our readers are interested in blogging. In turn, this means they need hosting. Bluehost is a solution to that need.

We’re not confined to just writing Bluehost reviews, either. Here are a few ‘related posts’ where we mention Bluehost to our readers:

• The 4 Best Low-Cost Business Ideas With High Profit You Can Start Today
• Affiliate Marketing: Money-Making Guide for Beginners
• How to Make Money on YouTube (Top 7 Ways)

Your Bluehost affiliate strategy plan

Let’s now put it all into action. In this section, I will give you THE strategy to follow to become a successful Bluehost affiliate.

First, what do you need to be a successful Bluehost affiliate?

You need 3 things:

1. A Bluehost affiliate account
2. An understanding of how affiliate marketing works
3. Proven strategies to share your Bluehost affiliate links

In this section, I’m going to focus on #3.

You need a strategy you can rely on that allows people to:

• find your content
• learn about what Bluehost can do for their business
• and makes it easy for them to sign up.

Here’s the key: creating relevant content makes or breaks your plan.

Quick note about the word “relevant”. I’m going to use this word an awful lot. That’s because it must make sense for your link to be promoted in the content you create.

When I talk about relevant content, I mean:

• Your audience actively wants to read it
• Bluehost is a potential solution to the problem they have
• It won’t feel “salesy” or “spammy” to include a link

This will mean different things in different niches. I’m smart, but I’m not smart enough to predict exactly what niche you’re in from my desk here in Malta! So, you’ll have to use some common sense.

But, a good rule of thumb is to consider this: would someone going through your content think it’s logical to buy Bluehost after they finish consuming it?

If not, the content is probably NOT relevant.

Foundational promotions (Quick wins)

The first thing is to identify where in your current website (or content-creation ecosystem) you can add your link. If you’ve been creating content for 6+ months, chances are you have lots of options for this.

Take a look at the list below and use it as a checklist to identify where to add the link on your site:

• Add a link to 5 YouTube video descriptions
• Add to your blog’s resources page
• Add to the top 3rd of any relevant blog posts around relevant topics
• Add to social media bios
• Include in pop-up form on your site
• Add a link to your email signature
• Include in an upcoming newsletter
• Add to your podcast description

Some examples:

If Adam was going to start promoting Bluehost through his YouTube channel, adding his affiliate link in video descriptions would be a quick win.

Pat Flynn already had hundreds of blog posts online. If he was starting over, it would make sense for him to add his Bluehost affiliate links in relevant blog posts.

Therefore it makes sense to include your links in relevant places where people can see most often.

Have another look at the list of quick wins above. Also, consider other opportunities you might have. The goal here is to find things that make sense to your audience.

Moreover, don’t just spray and pray. Instead, be tactical about the process.

Time investment

Okay, now we will look at things that will take 60-90 minutes to create. These require more time and resources but will help build out longer-term campaigns to make you money.

Here’s a list of options you can run through:

• Send email blast
• Social media updates (including promotions to any upcoming content)
• Videos, blog posts, podcasts, etc.
• Infographics
• Building a valuable lead magnet(s)

I want to take a second to break down the highest leverage activity above: building a valuable lead magnet.

What’s a lead magnet?

A lead magnet is a piece of content you create to solve ONE SPECIFIC PROBLEM. You use this to attract those seeking a specific solution and then tie Bluehost to such a solution.

Moreover, you offer this content free in exchange for a person’s email address.

The best part is that you can do this non-intrusively. Personally speaking, hard-closing is generally not much fun. Done wrongly, it can destroy the trust you’ve built up with your audience.

A lead magnet solves all of this. So what should your lead magnets be about?

It depends on what is relevant to your target audience. Told you I’m going to use this word a lot.

Let’s say you find that your people have issues with setting up their WordPress site. Maybe they’ve never done this before and are generally non-technical. You could create a short video course, a 5-page ebook or even a checklist with step-by-step instructions.

Here’s an example:

Image credit: bluchic.com

“But I’m not an expert in web hosting”, you might be thinking.

The best thing about creating a lead magnet is that you don’t need to be! You just need to have enough knowledge and research skills to create a helpful resource.

After you’ve decided what your lead magnet will be about, consider how you will deliver it. Most people create a specific page on their website to do so (known as a landing page). On this page, they collect people’s names and emails. They then use this information to send people valuable content.

So how does this all make you money with a one-time setup?

You use email marketing software. Each time someone signs up for your lead magnet, you don’t need to email the person manually or even send follow-up emails. You’ll have automated systems to deliver your emails at just the right time.

The big guns

Let’s now bring out the big guns. These will take longer to set up but provide the highest odds of success.

Here are the big guns to focus on:

• Create keyword cluster for relevant niche:
  • Consider TOFU / MOFU / BOFU posts
• Run a webinar on a relevant topic(s)
• Create different landing pages and run paid traffic to them (if budget permits)

Let’s explore these in more detail.

Create keyword cluster for relevant niche

Creating a long post about Bluehost web hosting is a good start to any affiliate journey. It allows you to create valuable content while inserting your affiliate link naturally.

Want to take it to the next level?

Here’s the game plan:

• Start with a big keyword that gets lots of searches
• Create a keyword cluster of content around that keyword
• Write the articles for each keyword in the cluster
• Internally link each article to others that make sense
• Include your Bluehost link in the content

Let’s say your business is more geared toward the ecommerce sector. You use SEO tools to research and find that ecommerce hosting is a keyword that gets lots of traffic.

Image credit: ahrefs.com

By itself, it’s tough to rank for this keyword. That’s where having a keyword cluster comes in.

For example, you create a cluster of keywords around the main one:

• best ecommerce hosting providers
• ecommerce hosting for small business
• managed ecommerce hosting
• ecommerce hosting comparison
• ecommerce hosting reviews
• cheap ecommerce hosting
• secure ecommerce hosting
• ecommerce hosting with ssl
• ecommerce hosting for wordpress
• ecommerce hosting solutions
• cloud ecommerce hosting
• ecommerce website hosting costs
• scalable ecommerce hosting
• fast ecommerce hosting

As you build your cluster, consider the different types of posts you can create:

Image credit: webascender.com

Here’s a breakdown of each content type:

• TOFU (Top of Funnel): These pieces of content are designed to introduce potential customers to your brand and products. They should be educational, informative, and help visitors understand the fundamentals.
• MOFU (Middle of Funnel): At this step in the funnel, you’ll usually see more detailed content such as product reviews, FAQs, and posts related to the features of the affiliate (i.e. Bluehost).
• BOFU (Bottom of Funnel): At this point in the funnel, you’ll usually see content focused on helping customers make an informed decision about their future purchase. This could be customer testimonials or reviews, discount codes, or comparison charts between similar products.

Knowing how your content fits into the customer journey will help you create relevant content that resonates with your target audience.

It will also drive them close to making a purchase.

After you do your research, it’s time to get to work. Create detailed content that goes in-depth into the topics you chose. This also adds to your authority on the topic. Plus, the more content you create, the easier it is to insert your Bluehost affiliate link.

Run a webinar on similar topics

Want to extend your authority even more on the topic you chose? Running a webinar is a great way to show your expertise and solve your audience’s problems.

You can even take the content you researched in the previous step and run different webinars that deal with specific topics. You don’t even need to do the research again.

Want to get better at running webinars? Check out the perfect webinar script by Russell Brunson.

Image credit: funnelsecrets.us

A benefit of developing this skill is that you will learn how to speak on webinars. However, you’ll also learn how to create high-converting sales videos. You’ll also be more confident when creating Facebook or Instagram lives.

These are all skills that will transfer over to your personal life.

The above isn’t a quick way to become a successful affiliate. However, it is a long-term strategy that will help you find the success you’re looking for.

Create different landing pages and run paid traffic to them (if budget permits)

Interested in getting results fast (er)?

Investing money into paid ads is one of the fastest ways to get marketing results. If you have a budget you’re willing to use (i.e. potentially lose) to test out different campaigns, this might be for you.

Important note: Paid ads aren’t a magic bullet in any kind of marketing. You need to understand several factors to make them work. These include:

• who your target audience is
• their pain and pleasure points
• what your offer will help them solve
• what your messaging will be

Once you crack the above, you’ll find that paid ads can help you become a successful Bluehost affiliate. You’ll also probably do it much faster than using other marketing channels.

Again, I stress to you that this will take time. You’ll also have to be okay with losing money as you invest money to test different campaigns.

Long term affiliate marketing strategy

Want to get the best bang for your buck? It’s time to combine all you’ve learned above.

A long-term affiliate marketing strategy should use both organic and paid marketing on the front end. You do this to get people ‘in the door’ (let’s call them leads) using a combination of search engine optimization and paid advertising.

You then have a backend email marketing funnel that converts those leads into paid customers.

Here’s an example of what this could look like when people land on your website:

• Lead magnet
  • You get people’s names and emails in exchange for valuable content
• Email sequence
  • Sending the lead magnet
  • Providing additional valuable content
  • Webinar invitation
  • Webinar replay
  • Links to relevant posts (with affiliate links)
  • Links to tutorials (with affiliate links)
  • Links to content (with affiliate links)

To recap, you get people onto your email list with a lead magnet that solves a problem they have. Then, you’ll follow up with an email sequence that provides value. These emails introduce them to the products and services Bluehost offers.

Each email you send will expose people to more valuable content. Each interaction will add to the know, like, and trust factor these people have with your business.

When you build the right system, it can become as close to ‘set and forget’ as possible. People will find your site through your front-end content. Then, backend automation will send the right communication out at the intervals you set.

Promote multiple products

The beauty of Bluehost is that it offers multiple products that solve different problems. As an affiliate marketer, you connect the right solutions to each customer’s needs.

Here’s a breakdown of the products you can promote and which type of person might need them. For each product, I’ll also provide you with a marketing angle you can use to appeal to potential customers.

1. Shared Hosting

What is it? Like living in an apartment complex, shared hosting lets you share resources with other websites, making it cost-effective.

Who it might be for:

• Beginners launching their first website.
• Small businesses or personal blogs with moderate traffic.
• Budget-conscious users wanting reliability.

Promotion Angle: Emphasize the affordability and ease of use. “Get started without breaking the bank. Perfect for newbies!”

2. Website Builder

What is it? A tool that lets you craft a website using drag-and-drop features, no coding needed.

Who it might be for:

• Individuals wanting a simple way to create a professional site.
• Those not tech-savvy but eager for an online presence.
• Small businesses needing a quick website solution.

Promotion Angle: Highlight simplicity and speed. “Craft a stunning website in hours, not weeks. No tech skills required!”

3. Managed WordPress Hosting

What is it? Hosting tailored for WordPress websites, ensuring top-notch performance and security.

Who it might be for:

• Bloggers or businesses using WordPress aiming for peak performance.
• Users who’d rather not handle techy stuff like updates and backups.
• Sites with significant traffic on the WordPress platform.

Promotion Angle: Stress the optimization and hands-off maintenance. “Let your WordPress site soar without the tech headaches!”

4. WooCommerce Online Store

What is it? Specialized hosting for online stores using WooCommerce, a top e-commerce platform for WordPress.

Who it might be for:

• Entrepreneurs launching an online store.
• Existing businesses expanding to e-commerce.
• WordPress users wanting an integrated shopping solution.

Promotion Angle: Emphasize the all-in-one e-commerce solution. “Turn your passion into profit with a seamless online store setup!”

5. VPS Server

What is it? VPS, or Virtual Private Server, offers more resources and control than shared hosting, akin to having a condo in a shared building.

Who it might be for:

• Growing businesses with increasing web traffic.
• Tech enthusiasts wanting more server control.
• Websites needing more resources and customization.

Promotion Angle: Highlight the balance of power and affordability. “Elevate your website’s performance without the hefty price tag!”

6. Dedicated Server

What is it? Like owning your own house, a server dedicated entirely to your website, offering maximum resources and control.

Who it might be for:

• Large businesses or websites with very high traffic.
• Professionals needing specific server customizations.
• Those prioritizing top-tier security and performance.

Promotion Angle: Stress the exclusivity and peak performance. “For those who accept nothing but the best for their website!”

Tracking your Bluehost affiliate efforts

Once you’re a part of the Bluehost.com Affiliate Program (on Impact.com), it’s time to create your tracking link.

Just head over to your Impact Radius dashboard and follow these simple steps:

• Look for the “Create a Link” box.
• If you want your link to direct your audience to a different page on Bluehost, that’s no problem. Just tell Bluehost where you’d like your link to take your visitors.
• Click on the “Create” button.
• Your link will appear right below, ready for you to use.

Image credit: Bluehost.com

Further reading: Here’s how to promote and monetize your affiliate links.

Comparing Bluehost affiliate to other web hosting affiliate programs

Here’s a table that compares Bluehost’s affiliate program to some of its competitors. You can see the differences in commissions and cookie duration to help you make your decision:

Conclusion

Going with Bluehost as an affiliate means you’ll have a reliable, guaranteed commission for every customer who signs up through your link.

The commission rate isn’t the highest, and the range of services offered means you likely won’t attract high-end webmasters.

However, selling their services to new bloggers, startup websites, and small businesses is relatively easy. If this sounds like the kind of audience you’d like to work with, Bluehost could be a great affiliate choice.

Further reading on AdamEnfroy.com: Not sure which niche to start promoting? Here are the best niches for affiliate marketing to help you get started.

You can also look at the best-paying affiliate programs, choose the one that lines up the best with your audience, and benefit from multiple income streams.