Are you in search of a solution to monitor and oversee your affiliates?
Incorporating affiliate marketing into your business strategy is a tried-and-true method to boost brand and product recognition. That’s why major corporations such as Amazon, eBay, and Hilton have made it a crucial component of their marketing tactics.
This article will evaluate and contrast the top affiliate tracking and management software options for WordPress, outlining their advantages and disadvantages.
What are the Benefits of Incorporating an Affiliate Program into Your Business Strategy?
Incorporating an affiliate program into your business allows you to expand your reach to potential customers instantly by building a sales army. The best part is that you only pay your affiliates when they make a sale, making it a lucrative way to increase your online revenue.
However, managing your affiliate team can be a daunting task, as you need to keep track of each affiliate and their sales, and pay their commission regularly. Fortunately, using the right affiliate management software can simplify the process.
If you’re considering adding an affiliate program to your online store, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s explore the top affiliate management solutions for WordPress.
1. AffiliateWP
AffiliateWP, a WordPress plugin, is the top choice for affiliate tracking and management software. Developed by Pippin Williamson and Andrew Munro, the creators of Easy Digital Downloads, it offers superior cost-effectiveness and control over your affiliate program compared to other solutions.
AffiliateWP is a trusted system in the market and is utilized by other WordPress plugin developers to sell their products. It’s an excellent option for those who want to establish a small group of carefully selected affiliates.
The best part about AffiliateWP is that it comes with a 14-day money-back guarantee, giving you ample time to test the plugin and determine if it meets your requirements.
We rely on AffiliateWP to manage the affiliate program for our online stores, including Smash Balloon and SearchWP.
Pros:
– With a one-time purchase, you can enjoy a year of support and updates, with license plans starting at $134.55 per year.
– You have complete control over your own affiliate program and network on your own website.
– It integrates seamlessly with popular WordPress eCommerce plugins such as Easy Digital Downloads, WooCommerce, and iThemes Exchange.
– Real-time reporting is available for both you and your affiliates.
– You can identify your top-performing affiliates and establish long-term partnerships without having to pay high fees.
– You can enjoy a 14-day money-back guarantee.
– Bulk payment options are available for PayPal and integrated Payouts services, making your life easier.
Cons:
– You are responsible for managing everything, including plugin updates and ensuring proper tracking.
– Since the plugin runs on your WordPress hosting server, you may need more resources if your site is large.
– You do not have access to an existing network of affiliates, so you will need to recruit affiliates to sign up for your program.
2. Easy Affiliate
Easy Affiliate, previously named Affiliate Royale, is a top-notch affiliate marketing plugin designed for WordPress. This software is user-friendly and provides numerous features to monitor and handle your affiliates.
It presents a comprehensive solution for establishing a self-hosted affiliate program. You can effortlessly manage your affiliates and receive up-to-date reports on their progress from your WordPress dashboard.
Moreover, it includes a fraud detection function that notifies you of any dubious affiliate activities. The software is compatible with WooCommerce, MemberPress, PayPal, and email marketing services.
Pros:
– Easy Affiliate is extremely user-friendly and allows you to set up an affiliate program with just a few clicks.
– The affiliate dashboard enables you to manage and monitor multiple affiliates, edit their accounts, download their links and banners, and view payment history.
– The software provides comprehensive reports to track your affiliates’ performance and allows you to establish different commission levels and commission tracking for each user.
– You can safeguard your payments through the fraud detection feature and identify suspicious affiliate behavior before paying your partners.
– Easy Affiliate enables you to create personalized affiliate tracking links and supports Pretty Links, which ensures that your URLs are concise, clean, and memorable.
– It seamlessly integrates with eCommerce platforms like WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads, payment services like PayPal, and email marketing tools like ConvertKit.
Cons:
– Easy Affiliate does not offer a free trial to test the software before purchasing it.
– There is no network of affiliates available to help you expand your business quickly. You will have to approach people to join your affiliate program, which can be time-consuming.
3. ShareASale
ShareASale is a highly sought-after affiliate network online, providing a simple and straightforward way to begin and access a vast network of affiliate marketers.
With over 20 years in the business, ShareASale boasts a network of more than 270,000 affiliates.
We rely on ShareASale for our WPBeginner product line, including OptinMonster and WPForms.
As a merchant, we have had a positive experience working with ShareASale. However, the per transaction fee can accumulate quickly, making it less suitable for smaller stores.
Pros:
– The software is hosted on ShareASale’s server, eliminating the need for managing or updating it.
– ShareASale handles tracking and payment distribution to affiliates, saving time.
– Access to ShareASale’s extensive network of affiliate marketers.
– No monthly recurring fee, with payment only required when an affiliate generates a sale.
– Additional features include real-time tracking, top performer segmentation, and the ability to connect multiple sites to one account.
Cons:
– Poor user interface, although users can adapt to it over time.
– A one-time setup fee of $625 and a recurring transaction fee.
– A $35 monthly transaction fee, with a 30-day grace period for new merchants. However, meeting this fee has not been an issue for us after the grace period.
4. Impact
Impact provides an affiliate marketing solution that enables you to pay solely for the affiliates you collaborate with, rather than network fees. This results in a significant reduction in costs, as you only pay for the platform and the number of affiliates you work with.
With Impact, you can monitor customer interactions across various devices. Its cross-device tracking feature provides a comprehensive view of your customer journey and the devices used by your affiliates and customers.
The software offers tracking options that allow you to precisely measure your affiliate campaigns. Additionally, there is fraud protection, which helps you identify suspicious affiliates before payout.
Pros:
– Offers advanced analytics and insights to optimize your marketing campaigns.
– Allows you to identify top-performing affiliates and build strategic partnerships.
– Boasts a user-friendly interface.
– Provides additional features such as mobile tracking, SEO-friendly URLs, coupon tracking, and integration with Salesforce and other CRM platforms.
– Includes fraud protection to ensure secure payouts to affiliates.
Cons:
– Requires a monthly recurring fee, but eliminates the need to pay network fees for each affiliate, which can be beneficial for larger programs.
– Has a smaller network of affiliate marketers.
What is the Best Affiliate Tracking Software for You to Select?
It is important to select a solution that aligns with your budget and needs. For those seeking a budget-friendly option for WordPress, we suggest considering AffiliateWP or Easy Affiliate.
Both options are exceptional, with AffiliateWP’s payout services offering the best of both worlds.
If you require more advanced features and are willing to pay per-transaction costs and higher fees, ShareASale is the ideal choice.
We trust that this article has assisted you in finding the optimal affiliate tracking software for your WordPress site. Additionally, you may want to explore our other WordPress guides for affiliate tracking and management sites.