Bloggers make money blogging with affiliate marketing. While there are several other ways to monetize a blog, affiliate marketing is one of my favorite ways. When searching for affiliate partners, you may have come across Skimlinks.
I’ve been using Skimlinks for a few years now, and while my Skimlinks income has been quite fluctuating over the years, I still use it.
If you’re looking for a quick way to monetize your traffic, read our Skimlinks review.
What is Skimlinks?
Skimlinks can automate affiliate marketing for you. The platform and access to the technology are free and easy to use. You can start earning today with a quick plugin installation.
Why Use Skimlinks?
Usually, when you sign up for an affiliate network, you must apply for it. Once your application is accepted, you’ll get access to tracking links, banners, and images.
Let’s be honest – this process can be quite long and time-consuming. You’ll need to apply to several affiliate programs, fill forms, and provide information about your blog.
Skimlinks gives you direct access to thousands of merchants. At the moment, they have more than 48,500 merchants. In simple words, this means you don’t need to apply to affiliate programs, you’re already a member when using Skimlinks.
This explains why there are more than 60,000 publishers who chose Skimlinks to monetize their content.
So, what’s the catch?Â
Skimlinks will take a percentage (25%) of your sale, but in exchange, you’ll save time.Â
How to Use Skimlinks?
There are three main ways to use Skimlinks.
- Install Skimlinks plugin and start earning today.
- Add a Javascript code to your website.
- Create your own direct link using the Skimlinks Toolbox.
So, how do you actually decided on which way works best for you?
I’ve done #1 and #3, so keep reading to know my thoughts on this matter.
Skimlinks Plugin
The installation of Skimlinks is fast, easy, and painless. Skimlinks will automatically generate affiliate links for all your external links affiliated with Skimlinks.
This is fantastic news if you want a quick option and this is how I started myself to test out the platform.
Although, the plugin was slowing down my website, and since I wasn’t making much with it (thanks to the pandemic), I decided to remove the plugin and insert manually the links for a faster website.
Skimlinks Javascript Code
To install the code, you can head to Settings and to Install. You can select your website at the top right corner, and then you can copy the code just before the </body> tag. You can follow Skimlinks’s full instructions if you’re not sure how to access this.
Once the installation is completed, you can test if Skimlinks is working.
Skimlinks Link
Skimlinks offers a toolbox section where you can create your own link for each merchant. You’ll have to manually enter the link and then copy/paste it to your website.Â
I did the switch on two websites because my site speed is important to me. It offers a better user experience to my readers and it helps with my search engine rankings.
Skimlinks Features
Skimlinks offers an easy-to-understand dashboard called Snapshot where you can see your revenue, clicks, top merchants, and top pages.
You can get more details about your website’s performance in the Performance section. You can see the data per day, per merchant, per link, per page, etc.
You can take a look at all the merchants and commissions in the Merchants section. It’s the best way to know if a merchant is part of Skimlinks.
You can find coupons and special offers in the Offers section. If you want to advertise deals and offers to your readers, you can pick a category and find the related offers quickly.
You can generate your own links with the Toolbox. This is what I’ve been using instead of the Skimlinks Plugin.
Finally, you can take a look at your commissions and payment history in the Payments section.
How to Make Money with Skimlinks?
Skimlinks automatically help you make more money with affiliates without having to apply to affiliate programs. By generating your own links with the Toolbox or by installing Skimlinks, you can start earning today.
When a reader clicks on a link that goes to one Skimlinks merchant and buys something, you will get a sale on Skimlinks.
How Much Money Can You Make with Skimlinks?
It really depends on the merchants chosen since they have different commission rates. That said, it also depends on your website’s traffic. A website that gets 5,000 visitors per month and a website that gets 50,000 visitors per month won’t make the same amount of commissions.
Finally, it depends on the type of content you write on your blog. For example, if you write informative articles, there might be fewer opportunities for affiliate links. If you write an article that compares two products, you can link to both products and get more income as a result.Â
The user intent influences the number of sales you can make from your blog. This is a concept we teach in our SEO course.
After the beginning of the pandemic, my revenue on Skimlinks dramatically went down. Although, I had “okay months” before. Depending on your niche, Skimlinks could be great (or not). I think that Skimlinks is great for lifestyle blogs, but in the travel niche, I have other affiliate programs.
For example, I have affiliate programs directly with Booking.com and GetYourGuide. So, I’m using Skimlinks for other websites such as EagleCreek, Housesitting, Skyscanner, etc.
I’d suggest you test it with the code or the plugin first and see if it’s worth it for you and your niche. Or you can directly create your link to test it out.
I’ve heard of bloggers who managed to make between $1000-2000 per month with Skimlinks – but they have other blogging niches.
What I Like About Skimlinks
- I like the dashboard which gives me a quick overview of my income and clicks. I can see which merchants are performing well and it can give me content ideas.
- I like the toolbox which can generate links for me. I can also choose the short version so it looks better than a very long link.
- I didn’t have to sign up for hundreds of affiliate programs, so that’s a huge benefit for me.
What I Dislike About Skimlinks
- It can take up to three months before you get paid (and longer if you don’t reach the threshold).
- With the plugin, it was generating links even if there were no affiliate programs, so I didn’t like the redirection on each click.
Final Thoughts On Skimlinks
Should you use Skimlinks to monetize your blog? Absolutely! It’s a good option if you don’t want to apply to hundreds of affiliate programs one by one. It’s an easy way to monetize your blog without having to work too much.
With the dashboard that gives you a quick overview, you can focus on the merchants that convert well in your niche.
That said, don’t forget to sign up for affiliate partners that offer high commissions within your niche directly. While Skimlinks offers lots of affiliate opportunities, I still participate in other affiliate programs too.
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