9 best practices to create an affiliate marketing landing page

From testimonials and personalized CTAs to benefit-highlighting copy, your affiliate landing page should have the right mix of on-page elements to make people purchase using your affiliate links.

But how do you create an affiliate landing page that gets thousands of conversions when you only have 2.6 seconds to make an impression?

Let’s learn how to make a landing page for affiliate marketing that converts customers by the bucketful.

What is an affiliate landing page?

For affiliate marketers, an affiliate landing page is a web page where visitors can find your affiliate links and purchase through them. This traffic can come from social media, organic searches, email newsletters, or paid advertising.

Your landing page can be a dedicated landing page with a CTA and catchy copy. Or it can be an SEO-optimized blog post created for a specific campaign.

Landing pages can also be a part of a larger lead magnet or advertorial affiliate marketing funnel. The goal is to prompt prospects to sign up for email newsletters that use a drip format to warm them up and help them make a high-ticket affiliate purchase.

From a company’s point of view, an affiliate landing page means a product landing page that receives traffic from your affiliate partners. Or it could be a page about your affiliate marketing program targeted at potential affiliate partners.

In this post, we’ll focus mainly on landing pages created by affiliate marketers.

9 Best practices to create an affiliate marketing landing page

While a high-converting affiliate landing page can perform the heavy lifting for your affiliate marketing campaign or funnel, you have to set it up right before it can convert a lead for you.

Let’s break down exactly what you need to do when creating landing pages.

1. Choose the right design tool

You must first choose the right design tool to create a successful affiliate landing page.

An effective affiliate landing page needs custom graphics, affiliate banners, and blog headers to stand out and boost user engagement. Moreover, custom graphics can help you showcase the value of the product you’re promoting, increasing the chances of converting site visitors.

Besides the graphics, your landing page will need to be properly designed with elements like headlines, social proof, and so on. That’s where a good design tool comes into the picture.

A good landing page design tool will help you create high-converting landing pages for your affiliate campaigns. Ideally, you want to go for an easy-to-use tool with features like a drag-and-drop editor and a good selection of templates to choose from.

For example, the GetResponse landing page builder provides dozens of templates for different goals. Whether you want a landing page to promote your affiliate links or build your affiliate email marketing list, you’ll have enough template options to choose from. The tool is also integrated with AI to help you write better copy for your landing page.

Remember, you’re an affiliate, not a graphic designer. So, a user-friendly tool will help you set up your landing page quickly and focus on the more important part: promoting your affiliate products.

Besides the landing page design tool, you may also want to use tools like Canva to create custom graphics. This is helpful, especially for the blog posts carrying your affiliate links. Custom graphics will breathe life into your articles, making them more engaging for your readers.

2. Use eye-catching visuals

People love great visuals — they’re engaging, shareworthy, and make an impression. It’s also easier to understand and communicate more information through visuals than text. This makes eye-catching visuals great conversion enablers.

So, boost the performance of your affiliate marketing landing page by adding relevant visuals. Here’s how you can go about it.

• Explain concepts using infographics, such as the benefits of getting the service or product you’re promoting.
• Show your affiliate product or service in action so people understand what they’re getting.
• Demonstrate what people have accomplished with a specific product or service using images with testimonials or statistics.
• Offer directional cues using illustrations to show how one should use the product you’re promoting.

Be careful not to kill your page load speed with heavy visuals. Resize and compress your images before using them on your landing page. This will take less server space, which means a faster loading time.

3. Hooking headline

Your visitors will always bounce if your headline tries too hard to be clever or doesn’t match their needs. Think about it. If you needed something, why would you stay on a page that doesn’t help you right off the bat?

But you also shouldn’t create a heading that’s boring or sales-y. As a general rule, write a headline that hits at least one of these goals:

• Solve a problem
• Sell a benefit
• Agitate a pain point
• Create interest

Your headline should also “hook” your customers using colorful language, something unique about the product/service you’re trying to promote, a persuasive piece of data, or social proof. But how do you sandwich all these points into a heading that clicks with prospects?

Here are five tried-and-true headline formulas to try:

• Agitator – This headline highlights a pain point and rubs it in, creating problem awareness and driving action at the same time. Here are some examples: “Don’t You Hate [X[?” and “Stuck at 6-Figures in Your Real Estate Business?”
• Value prop – This headline focuses on the unique selling point of your affiliate product or service instead of the customer’s problems. It can be value- or results-focused. Here’s an example: “Take the Stress Out of Mealtime.”
• Superlative – This headline highlights the one thing that your affiliate product is best at  by using words like “most,” “best,” and “greatest.” An example is “Authentic Travel Experiences and Tailor Made Holidays.”
• Call to action – This headline applies whenever your goal is to inspire your customers to instant action. Here are some examples: “Be Yourself. Be Fearless.” and “Scale Success With Automation.”
• Special offer – This headline states your offer to drive sales, attract new customers, or promote a new affiliate product. Here’s an example: “Get X% of Your First Order.”

Also, remember that you don’t really have to stick to these formulas; they’re just a starting point. Instead, experiment with your headlines until you find something that works with your audience and chosen niche.

4. Clear and simple copy

Here’s the thing. Your target audience isn’t looking for a product. They don’t care about your affiliate commission. Sadly. What they are really interested in is the best solution to their problem. And if your affiliate product happens to tick all their boxes, you win.

That means you must be crystal clear about your offer and promise a specific benefit without being too wordy.

If your customers can’t understand what you’re saying, they’ll most likely bounce away. To give you some context, one study found that incomplete and unclear ecommerce product descriptions can lead to a 20% decrease in conversions.

Don’t try to be too clever or over-explain everything. Instead, make your copy compelling by helping your visitors imagine their lives with the solution you’re promoting.

Here’s how to do that:

• Focus on a single idea – Each section or paragraph of your copy should focus on a single idea. You don’t want to confuse readers, especially when you’re close to the CTA.
• Shoot straight –  There’s no need for drama or fancy words. Instead, be authentic and tell it like it is, whether it’s your affiliate product’s benefits or your target customers’ problems.
• Show; don’t tell – Using qualifiers like adverbs leaves little to the imagination. They don’t engage your prospects or help them imagine a life with your affiliate product or service.

Here is an excellent example from Safewise.

The page focuses on a single idea — the best smartwatches for kids. And it gets straight to the point, which is the features each watch offers.

If you’re writing a long blog post, make sure to have a summary somewhere toward the top of all the products you’re promoting. This is essential because not everyone will have the time to dig through the whole article.

5. Highlight the benefits

Do you know what the difference between features and benefits is? I’ll tell you what.

Features are an important functionality of a product. Users don’t care much about this stuff. On the other hand, benefits discuss how an item’s feature improves the user’s life. This is what your readers are interested in.

We’ll use one of our own blog posts to demonstrate this. Don’t mind the name of the subheading. Take a close look at how we’ve phrased those points underneath.

The feature we’re talking about under the first point is marketing automation. But users are not interested in that. So, instead, we’re explaining how the feature benefits them, i.e., it’ll help them automate different email campaigns to drive more sales.

For the second point, the feature is forms and popup builder. But we’re telling the readers how that feature is beneficial, i.e. they can generate email signups and promote deals.

I think you get the idea.

Don’t pay too much attention to a product’s features. It’s the benefits that will get site visitors to click on your affiliate links.

(By the way, this is the blog post referenced above, in case you want to give it a read.) 

6. Sneak early discounts at the start

Everybody loves a discount. It’s just natural for us as consumers to look for the best deals when shopping. This means sneaking in a discount at the start of your affiliate landing page is a surefire way to make affiliate traffic convert.

For instance, TechShielder’s affiliate tutorial is an excellent example of leveraging the power of discounts.

If you’re an affiliate partner, you could create a feeling of exclusivity by offering discounts to only those people who click through your site. You can work with your affiliate manager to get an exclusive deal for your audience. This should be fairly easy once you’ve built a large audience. 

7. Leverage social proof

Marketers have come to terms with the fact that modern consumers trust reviews more than brand ads. This makes customer testimonials the ultimate marketing tool.

Testimonials are one of the many forms of social proof you can use to win your audience’s trust. Show how other customers have benefited from the product you’re promoting. 

For instance, in the affiliate review below, the Forbes Advisor rating shows potential customers how many other people think Squarespace is a great website designer, convincing them that they should try it.

But ratings aren’t the only way to use social proof on your landing page. You can also use: 

• Metrics and statistics 
• Video testimonials from the most successful clients (customer success stories)
• Before and after photos
• Case studies that describe the impact of your affiliate product or service on a customer’s life or business
• Social media comments or messages from current product users

It’s not enough to tell readers what a product can do for them. Show them it has been tried and tested by other customers going through a similar situation.

8. Cap your navigation links

You’ve created an affiliate landing page to get your customers to convert. You don’t want them to bounce or drive them to other pages. This means avoiding anything that could potentially divert their attention, such as navigation links.

Navigation links clutter landing pages, distract users, and lower your conversion rate, so removing them seems like a no-brainer, right? That’s correct!

In fact, a HubSpot study revealed that removing links from landing pages actually increased conversion rates by 2% to 28%, with middle-of-the-funnel (MOFU) landing pages actually seeing the highest lift.

But there’s an exception. Remember, we said that an affiliate marketing landing page could be a blog post housing your affiliate links or a landing page dedicated to another objective, like building your email list.

If it’s a blog post, you’ll need the navigation and internal links to help visitors navigate your site. These links are also beneficial to your website’s SEO. But of course, you should make your affiliate links stand out through contrasting CTA buttons. That’s what Forbes does with their affiliate link promoting the best email marketing software in this article.

This draws the readers’ attention to the links that will actually make you money.

9. Get your landing page tested

Before going online, you must ensure your landing page works as intended. This means your buttons work right, your links don’t give 501 errors or are broken, and your tags are tracking what they should.

You can also do A/B testing to ensure your landing page is optimized for conversions.

A/B testing involves comparing different versions of your affiliate landing pages. You’ll essentially create two versions of the same landing page by playing with their size, color, content placement, CTAs, and other elements.

After that, you’ll split your page traffic in half. One-half would land on version A, while the other half would be on version B. You could then use tools like Google Optimize to determine which page performs better.

3 Examples of affiliate marketing landing pages

Now that we’ve looked at how to create the perfect affiliate marketing landing page, let’s look at three real-life affiliate landing page examples.

1. Product roundups 

Reviews.org is an affiliate marketing website dedicated to helping first-time buyers new to a product category. They create product roundup lists for almost every product or service category under the sun.

These roundups almost always begin with a comparison table that includes affiliate CTAs to make it easy for customers to click through. Plus, the headings address the intent behind a user search, helping visitors select the option that fits them best. This drives clicks early.

Reviews.org also establishes authority by showing exactly who is giving the advice and why you should listen to them.

To do this, they use the author’s photo and mention in their bio that they’ve “written about streaming, wireless, and TV for over three years.”  

2. Product reviews 

Wirecutter is one of the best product recommendation services on the internet, with 12 million monthly visitors. They research and rigorously test gear, appliances, tech, and other products to help buyers make quick and confident purchases.

They also have a common product review template they stick to for every article. The template cuts to the quick by letting people know the results of the exhaustive testing, which is also cleverly referred to in a neat “How we tested” graphic that describes the lengths the reviewers went to ensure customers get the best recommendations.

And if that’s not enough authority to drown a whale, the “Why you should trust us” section hammers the point home by describing why the author’s qualifications entitle them to this opinion, creating trust in spades.

3. Tutorials

TechShielder is a website that reviews and provides information about online security products and services that protect internet users from cybercriminals. It focuses primarily on VPNs, testing, trying, and talking about each to help users understand whether it’ll work for them.

While the website doesn’t have a set template for its affiliate tutorials, it cleverly helps people learn how to use tools like NordVPN on Windows while asking for a purchase through their affiliate link. This appears as a pop-up when you enter the site and an end-of-screen banner that trails your every move.

3 Templates of affiliate landing pages for marketing

If you don’t have the time to build a page yourself or can’t hire a designer to create one for you, a pre-designed affiliate landing page template might be your best bet. 

Let’s check out three easy-to-use templates:

1. Predesigned #033

With its simple layout and no-navigation theme, Predesigned #033 is sleekly designed for a content-based offer, such as an e-book or guide.

This is great for lead generation. You can let users download your assets for free in exchange for their email addresses. Then, run email marketing campaigns to promote your affiliate products.

You can modify the product shot, background image behind the gradient color, description text, logo, and form of the template to suit your needs. 

2. Predesigned #050

This would make an excellent affiliate landing page template for product reviews. First, it has a very distinctive design, which will capture the readers’ eyeballs. It also gives you space to share both the visuals of the product and a copy to explain the specs and benefits. 

The landing page is also responsive, so it’ll look great on both desktop and mobile devices.

3. Predesigned #049

Predesigned #049 is an affiliate landing page template without a navigation bar. It’s an excellent choice for influencers, freelancers, or industry experts looking to share their knowledge and business skills with their audience while earning on the side through affiliate links. 

Customers can click on the “sign up” button to subscribe to the email newsletter of the company or individual.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I promote an affiliate link without a landing page?

It’s possible to promote an affiliate link without a landing page. You can use platforms like Reddit, YouTube, and other social media networks for this purpose. However, you won’t have the control to perfect the art of sales that you would with a landing page.

2. How to do affiliate marketing without a website?

While having a website makes it easier to become a successful affiliate marketer, you can make money without one. Here are five ways you can do that:

• Email newsletter
• Social media
• Forums and communities 
• YouTube
• Free ebooks. 

3. How to promote affiliate links without followers?

Here’s how you can promote affiliate links if you don’t have many followers: 

1. Use your website or blog to spread the word.
2. Post on social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.
3. Go for paid ads.
4. Consider email marketing.
5. Reach out to small-time influencers.

What’s next? Getting started with affiliate marketing

An affiliate marketing landing page doesn’t really need the highest-resolution images or complex web page builders. Simple copy, a few nice images, and a bit of testing can get the job done quickly. 

After that, it’s all about optimizing your landing page to provide the best possible experience for your visitors. And with the tips above, you can do just that. Considering starting affiliate marketing campaigns in the tech space? Check out the GetResponse affiliate program. Our program will reward you with a recurring 33%-50% commission or a $100-$150 upfront bounty commission for every successful referral. We’ll also set you up with essential marketing materials to make your life as an affiliate easier.