how to start using affiliate program

Site URL: http://thelocalgrowers.com

I have a website, but want to monetize and use affiliate marketing. How do I do that with Squarespace? 

Hi @Cabstender! I've just checked your website and it still needs quite a few development improvements both on the functional and aesthetic side of things, but good job on actually getting started! The first step is usually the hardest, and the mere fact you've done a good portion of the job shows your dedication of getting started.

With the functionality side of things, I'd highly recommend hiring a web developer so that you can optimise and make the most out of your website's features. It may sound scary/expensive, but hiring a remote developer is relatively cheap! I found my long-term web developer from this site if you're interested. For the graphical aesthetic, I highly recommend purchasing a web template that could suit your needs–it saves you money and time compared to having someone or yourself redesign the entire website.

Jumping back in to the main meat of the question–affiliate marketing. Whether you're using squarespace, wix, wordpress, and etc; the process of monetizing and getting your website thru affiliate marketing is relatively the same. 

First, you're going to need to place it on the footer part of your website which affiliates you'll be partnered with. This is essential, because if google detects you're placing in partnership links on your content without a disclaimer, they can take down your content on google searches.

Next, it seems like you already have a website that regularly posts content. Looking for a program related to your niche is the next big thing on your list of things to do. A quick google search of flower/plant affiliate programs will provide you with what you need. I suggest enrolling in a multitude of programs; amidst different aspects of gardening. You can have a program for tools, one for flowers, another for pots, and etc.

Then, you'll need to have a way to track all your affiliate programs. Remember, the more diversified you are, the higher the potential to earn profit, but the more difficult it can be to be on top of things. This is precisely why I use a tool called wecantrack that helps me be up-to-date with my Google analytics. It's a very useful tool that I highly recommend if you're planning on actually publishing a lot of content with different programs. I'll link a guide on how to use it to track your affiliate sales in Google analytics if you're interested.

Finally, you need to shell out cash if you want to get the ball rolling. Unless you already have really good traffic on your website right now, ads, social media, and other marketing campaigns will be your way to get the word out and actually generate an ROI. 

tl;dr–your website needs an aesthetic and functionality upgrade, you need to ground yourself with the basics of affiliate marketing which will help you in your monetization journey.

Hi @Cabstender, I came across your post and looked at your website. You've already got some great suggestions above so I won't delve deeper into that.

I've recently put together an article for shop owners like yourself which explains affiliate marketing and how to get started, as well as helps understanding the ROI and the tools you need: https://tapfiliate.com/blog/affiliate-marketing-retail-roi/

As you've probably noticed I work at Tapfiliate which is affiliate marketing software, and we have a lot of customers with retail/specialty/supermarket webshops who are running their affiliate programs through us, so I'm sure our solution can be suitable in your case as well.

Ive delivered the photos and outline as a product, coded a hyperlink to paintings as a button which then sends the client to the advertisers product web page direct to buy the product.