VPN:
NordVPN
Sometimes as an affiliate you need protection. Other times, you simply need to access content or search engines from specific locations. I use Nord VPN for this – I signed up to a 3 year plan which cost me around $4 per month to give me access to everything I need.
Email:
ConvertKit
The easiest email tool I have ever used (and I’ve used a few). Great for setting up opening email sequences and for sending one off email blasts. Easy to implement sign up forms.
I use ConvertKit for all my niche site newsletter building and also The Affiliate School email newsletter.
Themes and Plugins:
Affiliate Booster
An all-in-one suite of useful affiliate tools. Create tables, coupons, top picks, pros and cons, table of contents and more. There is a free version and a paid version that gives you even more functionality.
Check out Affiliate Booster Here
Link Whisper
Automate your internal link building with just a couple of clicks with Link Whisper. This can really help move the needle for your rankings.
WP Rocket
This all in one site speed plugin is all you need (along with decent hosting and a lightweight theme) to give you the ultimate in speed for your website.
Easy to use and affordable for what it does.
Affiliatable
Nothing better (or easier) for creating affiliate tables. You can also create product boxes now too with just one click.
The free option is great and gives you everything you need – the paid option is also well worth it for added functionality.
Nelio A/B Split Testing
I use this to split test CTAs on my pages. I usually test one variable at a time and usually focus on things like button colour, placement or text.
Imagify
If you want your site to load super fast then Imagify will help. It compresses your images and serves them in WebP format. Lovely.
GeneratePress
My theme of choice these days. Super lighweight and easy to use. I love it.
Rehub
I still run some sites using Rehub and they still perform well. They look great, are easy to maintain and convert like crazy.
Hosting:
WPX
WPX is my preferred hosting provider for affiliate and niche sites. Particularly when just starting out. They have a range of pricing plans with some great starter prices, their support is second to none and their speed is excellent with data servers across the globe. More importantly than anything, they understand affiliate as the owner used to be an affiliate marketer himself.
Get started with WPX Hosting here.
Siteground
Back in the day, Siteground was the go to hosting solution and although some people now knock it, I still have some of my sites hosted on Siteground and have never had an issue with them.
They still have good speed compared to other hosting companies, they have some really cheap first year pricing and also have very good support.
Get started with Siteground here.
Keyword Research & Competitor Analysis:
PRORANK TRACKER
I used ProRankTrackker for keeping a track of all my keywords – well the main ones anyway. Every time I add a new page to a site I add the main keyword to my rank tracker.
Check Out ProRankTracker Pricing Plans Here (30 Day Free Trial)
AHREFS
AHREFS is my go to ‘all-in-one’ SEO tool but I predominantly use it for keyword research and competitor analysis. It’s also great for assessing aged domains and the link profile of competitors and out of all the tools I’ve tested in this space it is the best hands down for link research.
SEMRUSH
I don’t tend to use SEMRUSH as much as AHREFS but that’s partly because I’m on a legacy account with AHREFS. If I didn’t have the legacy account and I was learning to use one tool I’d likely now choose SEMRUSH.
Again, it’s perfect for keyword research and competitor analysis – and they even have a free to use keyword rank tracker.
Keyword Chef
Having met the owner of Keyword Chef I can tell you he is committed to making this the best low hangind fruit keyword research tool going. It’s super competitively priced (you only pay for what you use), it’s easy to use and it is ideal for finding low competition keywords.
Get started with Keyword Chef here
WriterZen
Another great tool for low competition keyword research but also has an AI writing tool built in. It’s ideal for finding content opportunities in keyword clusters and will keep your content pipeline full.
Keywords Everywhere
A Chrome and Firefox extension that I simply cannot live without. I use it every single day – mainly for checking keyword search volumes on the fly – but it’s also ideal for finding longer tail keywords and opportunities on any given topic.
SerpWorx
Another chrome extension that I use daily. You can get started with it for free and it allows you to at a glance see the key SEO metrics of any given website – with the SERP overlay feature being the one I use the most. See the competition stats for any given search term at a glance.
Creating Brilliant Content:
Canva
Ideal for creating featured images, resizing and editing images and then exporting them as compressed image files ready to upload to your site. The free version gives you plenty and the pro version is worth every penny – with the background removal tool being a godsend almost on a daily basis for me.
Stencil
Stencil is a similar product to Canva but without the background removal tool. I managed to snag it on a lifetime deal a few years back but it’s very good value for money and does the same job as Canva.
Get started with Stencil here.
Jasper AI
Jasper AI is an AI writing tool and also now gives access to Jasper Art which is an AI text to image tool which creates some astounding artwork. Jasper AI is a very useful writing assistant to help you create content faster – but you will need to edit and give it guidance for best results.
Get started with Jasper AI here
Affiliate Programs:
AWIN
AWIN is a great affiliate platform with offers in a wide range of niches. I find they track well and have excellent payout terms. It’s my second highest earning network for my sites and a great place to get started when looking for programs to promote.
Sign up with AWIN for free here.
Sharesale
Another popular affiliate program and one that has lots of companies to promote with good terms and rates.
Fanfuel
One of my favourite affiliate programs and one that specialises in health and wellness. With commissions up to 60% and repeat order commissions – it is a highly lucrative program.
Sign up to FanFuel for free here.
Moreniche
Another health and wellness affiliate program and one that has some excellent offers. Again, with commissions ranging in the 40-60% range it can be a highly lucrative network.
Sign up to MoreNiche for free here.
Buying/Selling Websites
Flippa
A great place to get inspiration for affiliate sites and to buy and sell. Sites range in value but this is a good place to buy at the lower end of the spectrum.
Empire Flippers
A website marketplace that mainly focuses on content and affiliate sites. Sells sites making upwards of $2,000 per month and has one of the most thorough vetting procedures.
Check out domains on Empire Flippers here
Motion Invest
Another marketplace for websites. They range from starter sites up to 7 figure sites. Domains are usually shown to all.
Aged Domains:
SerpNames
A great marketplace where I picked up an Aged Domain for my case study. Making $3k per month in just 6 months would not be possible without an aged domain – but I did it with one of SerpNames’ domains.
Use Code THEAFFILIATESCHOOL to save 10% on all orders
ODYS
Another Aged Domain marketplace with some high powered domains. Pretty expensive.