By finding this review, you’re likely researching into ways to make money online, or are interested in starting an online business. You may also have come across many programs, sites or individuals who are offering to teach you all you need to know, for a price. Just sign-up now at a discounted price, for a limited time only, and then fend off a multitude of up sells once you’re committed… sound familiar? Or what about a system that you can test drive for free…?

People who’ve heard of Wealthy Affiliate may ask, “Is Wealthy Affiliate a scam?”, “Is Wealthy Affiliate legit?” or even “Does Wealthy Affiliate work?”. And if you haven’t heard of Wealthy Affiliate, then the below review will hopefully be of assistance.

And if the world of online income is still new to you, by the end of the review you’ll understand affiliate marketing, you’ll have a detailed understanding of Wealthy Affiliate and also whether it would be a good fit for you.

Let’s get to it.

OVERVIEW

Personally, I don’t like to read through pages of waffle. I like reviews to be concise and to the point, not a novel. That said, even though the Wealthy Affiliate review I’ve put together is far more to the point than others, I’ve included a Summary immediately below with the all the main points:

Wealthy Affiliate – Overview

Name: Wealthy Affiliate

Owners / Founders: Kyle & Carson

Website URL: www.wealthyaffiliate.com

Training: 5.0 out of 5.0

Website Builder: 4.5 out of 5.0

Hosting: 5.0 out of 5.0

Research Tools: 4.5 out of 5.0

Support: 4.9 out of 5.0

Price: Starter Member (Freemium) is FREE, Premium Membership is $49 monthly or $495 annually.

OUR RATING: 4.8 out of 5.0

What we LIKE:

The Training is detailed and informative.
The Community is fantastic and supportive.
The Hosting is by far the best you’ll get for the price.

What we DISLIKE:

The “Noise”, and by this I mean the constant posting by people in order to increase their visibility and ranking (see below). Some blog posts are valuable, but a lot are just unnecessary and unhelpful and you’ll have to sift through your notifications to find the gold nuggets – but there are still plenty of those.
The Ranking System which a LOT of the community tend to focus on, to the detriment of their businesses. More on this below.

RECOMMENDATION:

With the vast extent of training, it’s solid support and the strongest hosting package for it’s price, Wealthy Affiliate is likely the best value for money program and platform out there for affiliate marketers, and given that the starter membership is 100% free, it’s a no brainer to give it a test run.

If the above summary is enough and you want to try it for free, click here.

If you’d like a more in depth look, keep reading.

OK, so who are Wealthy Affiliate?

When I first came across Wealthy Affiliate, I’ll admit that the name sounded a bit kitch (quirky, but not in the good way). Almost immediately I though, Wealthy Affiliate, must be a scam, surely? But the more I then dug into it, the more I saw how exactly the opposite was true. Now, Wealthy Affiliate is a brand (a good one) and I don’t even notice the cheesy name.

Briefly, Wealthy Affiliate is a full on affiliate marketing platform comprising; training programs, a community of affiliate marketers, and a collection of affiliate marketing tools (e.g. website builder, hosting, keyword research tools).

Wealthy Affiliate is the brainchild of two friends, Kyle and Carson and has been running since 2005, when Kyle and Carson decided to create their own platform after they were tired of the multitude of scams and poor value-for-money programs and courses that were on the market. They decided to develop a truly all-inclusive program to help beginners learn how to set up their own business online.

The training was designed to give you everything you could possibly need, all in one place.

The best bit; you can give the system a test drive for free. No card details or bank accounts, just your email address.

Wait, what’s affiliate marketing anyway?

In a nutshell, Affiliate Marketing is the business of promoting other people/companies/businesses products and services and in exchange for referring a successful sale, you get paid a commission. Your sales are tracked by a special link that your client gives you, that is unique to you alone. Depending on what you are promoting, commissions can range from a few dollars to thousands of dollars.

If you’ve often asked yourself; “What can I do to earn money from home?”, starting an online business is a great avenue to explore. It requires little startup capital, no premises, and with affiliate marketing you don’t require any stock or inventory. Just your time, imagination and desire.

So, what’s included in Wealthy Affiliate membership?

EDUCATION

1. Training

So much training. Almost anything you can think of looking for, is there.

New training is also added constantly. Kyle (one of the founders) in particular is very active in the community and in creating training.

Additionally, seasoned members can add their own training and tutorials, so there’s a training for almost everything you can think of, or challenge you encounter in building your business.

There are also mini-courses that tackle the training in a structured and progressive order, so that even in you’re a complete noob (newb/newbie/novice), you can be up and running in no time. And you’ll learn everything in the correct order.

One for example is their Online Entrepreneur Certification;

5 courses, 50 lessons
The Online Entrepreneur Certification (OEC) training is a 5 phase (50 lesson) series of courses walking you through the process of creating and growing a business within absolutely ANY niche that you want.

Some fundamental basics you’ll learn at Wealthy Affiliate (amongst many other things):

Learn Affiliate Marketing.
Learn how to pick a niche.
Learn how to select a domain name.
Learn how to build a website.
Learn keyword research.
Learn how to create great content for your website.
Learn SOE (Search Engine Optimization), how it works and how to make it work for you.
Learn how to drive targeted TRAFFIC to your website.

An example of training modules available to Wealthy Affiliate members:

2. Weekly Webinars

Every Friday evening, one of the Wealthy Affiliate stalwarts, Jay Neill, presents a 1 hour webinar training related to affiliate marketing, websites, SEO, content etc. You name it, it’s likely been addressed, and if not – request it! Jay has been with Wealthy Affiliate since early 2007 and has a wealth(y) of knowledge.

Plus every webinar is recorded, so you can always catch up if you can’t make the live event.

RESOURCES

1. Website Builder

Wealthy Affiliate have developed a fantastic website builder, built on the WordPress platform. You can literally have a website running in seconds, however you’ll still need to add content. Think of your website as being your shopfront; you want to make sure it attracts visitors in, so you want to ensure you’ve got a solid tool for developing your site.

Another plus is that you can build a website without having to code; let me repeat; you do not need to know how to code. WordPress is the platform of choice for the Wealthy Affiliate SiteBuilder (more below).

WordPress has become the most popular content management system (CMS) in the world. Millions of bloggers and businesses, large and small, have chosen WordPress to start their websites. Over 75 million websites are powered by WordPress. So your websites will be robust, and built on a very powerful and compatible platform.

There are over 54,000 plugins for WordPress that will allow you to make your website do almost anything you can think of.

As a Wealthy Affiliate Premium Member, you are able to create and host 25 websites.

The only issue with the website builder is that it isn’t drag and drop, like other platforms out there, so it can be a bit more daunting for complete beginners. However, that said, once you’re familiar with the WordPress platform, it opens up a very large world of opportunity when creating your sites. Also, there are a few plugins out there that can be installed to enable a drag and drop functionality. One for example is Elementor, which I personally use.

2. Domain names

If your website is your shopfront, think of your domain as being your brand. And if you’re serious about affiliate marketing, you’ll want to have a solid domain with adequate security and protection. If your visitors don’t feel safe using your site, you’re going to lose sales.

You can also register free domain names with the SiteRubix.com platform developed by Wealthy Affiliate. Try it here.

However, if you want to get serious about Affiliate Marketing, you’ll want a custom domain name, but these can be purchased for a nominal fee. A custom domain also gives your site more legitimacy in Google’s view.

Domains purchased through Wealthy Affiliate come with significant added benefits when you compare against other domain name registrars out there. Privacy Protection, SSL, email accounts, plus there’s no uplift in the renewal price.

3. Content Creator

The content creator (Site Content), has templates, guidance, structure examples, word/paragraph counters, plus spelling and grammar checks.

You have the ability to create content and make your own templates for future use, whilst also categorizing posts.

Plus, when you’re ready, upload directly to your website with the click of a button. Simples.

4. Hosting

All your sites are hosted with Wealthy Affiliate‘s SitePlus+ features:

SiteSpeed Better Rankings, Better Engagement, and a 100% better experience for your website visitors. Proprietary Wealthy Affiliate Technology to speed up your WordPress Website without plugins or clunky software.

SiteSSL (HTTPS) Serve your website over 256-bit Encrypted Connections and do it at Wealthy Affiliate for FREE! Encryption is favoured by search engines and keeps visitor data safe.

SiteProtect (Spam Blocker) The problem with plugin spam blockers is that the spam still hits your site, clutters your database, slows your site down, and wastes your time recovering real comments. Wealthy Affiliate SiteProtect happens at the server level and blocks ALL automated comment spam before it even hits your site. It’s just better!

In addition to this, you get the following features and Website Performance and Engagement Tools:

Site Health Monitor the health of your website to ensure your have the best chances of indexing, rankings, and acquiring traffic through Google, Yahoo, and Other major Search Engines.

Site Comments Wealthy Affiliate’s proprietary Website Engagement platform to spark discussion and see engagement within your website content – a must for ranking.

Site Feedback Get feedback on your website from the Wealthy Affiliate community and learn what others think about your site design, your content, and your overall direction.

Site Support Website Technical support available 24/7 when you need it. You can expect a response in minutes.

Site Security Our proprietary suite of website security including hacking, malware, and bot-net attack protection. We keep your hard work safe.

5. Keyword Tool

Wealthy Affiliate members get access to Jaaxy, a powerful keyword research tool. It’s incredibly powerful and is very intuitive when researching your keywords, suggestion different strings which you can search to create additional, unique keyword lists.

SUPPORT

1. Site Support / Live Chat

The support from Wealthy Affiliate is very, very good. You can raise tickets for IT issues, send queries to the community for almost anything, plus there’s a live chat function if you’re looking for answers almost instantaneously.

Support ticket response times are excellent and the team are very strong and knowledgeable.

2. Community and Networking

Wealthy Affiliate has a very strong community. They’ve done really well in promoting an ethos of support within the community too.

There’s always someone to lift your spirits, congratulate you on your achievements or share in your frustrations (there will be frustrations while building your online business, but that’s part of the journey).

There’s also the ability to meet like-minded people and the potential to meet people in you local vicinity too.

OK, Wealthy Affiliate sounds legit, but do I choose the Free or Premium Membership?

Now, the beauty of Wealthy Affiliate is that you get a very good amount of access to the platform, for FREE. And I mean 100% free, no credit card, no payment information needed. In fact, it’s often referred to as Freemium by many within the Wealthy Affiliate community. Take Wealthy Affiliate for a test drive and see for yourself.

Ready to join for free? CLICK HERE for a 100% Free Wealthy Affiliate Account

Of course, there’s also a Premium Membership available – there always is. And yes, it comes at a cost, they always do. However, what sets Wealthy Affiliate apart is the mind blowing extent of the resources, platforms and knowledge that you have access to. Additionally, the functionality and tools available for your websites are second to none available at the price. You literally won’t find the same value anywhere else. And what else? NO UPSELLS. When you’re Premium, you’re Premium!

An overview of the Freemium versus the Premium is as follows:

So, do I actually NEED Wealthy Affiliate?

It depends.

You might hear from people that you could find all the information on the internet already, and I’m sure they’re correct. But it would likely take you a LONG time to piece it all together and you’d also likely have your fair share of mishaps along the way, trying to work out which information is actually legitimate. With anything in life and business, when you want to succeed, and do it quickly, efficiently and with the least amount of mistakes; the surefire way is to learn and get mentored by someone who has seen it all and done it all.

Trying to find the information for free, by yourself is likely to take a lot longer and cost you a lot more in the long run. With Wealthy Affiliate, they’ve given you everything at your fingertips in one platform.

You may also be a seasoned affiliate marketer already, in which case you’re looking for a few extra strings to add to your bow, or some additional strategies or maybe some SEO training. Wealthy Affiliate could still work for you, and that’s where the monthly Premium Membership adds value; you can sign-up, get the knowledge that you’re after and then end your membership at any time (month Premium Membership is $49/month – $19 for the first month – check it out here).

Can I Get Rich Quickly?

No.

If you’re looking for overnight millions, you’re better off buying a lottery ticket. Affiliate marketing, like most online businesses, is exactly that; a business. You will still need to work at it, and put in the time and effort, however the reward, when it comes, is entirely yours and it’s scalability is limited only by your imagination.

Think of Wealthy Affiliate as an online University with a mentorship packed into it. They’ll give you everything you need to succeed but they can’t do the work for you. Ever heard the phrase “You can take a horse to the water, but you can’t make it drink.”? That’s exactly it, Wealthy Affiliate will bring you all the tools and training and support that you need, but they can’t MAKE you do the work and put in the effort, that’s on you. Except in Wealthy Affiliate’s case, the water they bring is an ocean, not a trough.

Do YOU Use Wealthy Affiliate?

Yes, I do.

I’ve tried many, MANY different online programs and business models. Why choose affiliate marketing, and why choose Wealthy Affiliate? Well, I think that affiliate marketing is one of the easier and more accessible online business models to get into. You have no product to worry about (unlike drop shipping, Amazon FBA etc.), there’s no customer service issues or refunds to worry about and you can choose almost any conceivable niche out there, which means being able to market something you actually have an interest in. And also, you can work from anywhere you want; home, the coffee shop, the beach, on a (permanent?) holiday… You just need your computer and an internet connection.

Ultimately that’s what I always wanted to achieve, a truly mobile and flexible business. Affiliate Marketing can offer that, but like I said above, you need to put in the effort too.

So who is Wealthy Affiliate NOT for?

If you’re looking for a quick buck, look elsewhere.
If you’re looking to make millions in a short space of time, look elsewhere.
If you’re in financial difficulties and need money NOW, I’m really sorry, but you’re better off looking elsewhere.
If you’re not sure if affiliate marketing is even for you, then best to avoid signing up for a Premium membership, especially the annual membership (although the free starter membership will allow you to give it a trial run).

Just a note; any course, platform, trainer, company out there that claim to be able to get you financially free overnight, or in a very short space of time, should be avoided like the plague. There’s a 100% certainty that it’s a scam.

Building a sustainable, scalable and robust online business takes time and effort, but it will pay dividends if you do it the correct, and patient, way.

OK, so it all sounds great, but are there any Negatives or Downsides?

There are some annoying things about Wealthy Affiliate. As I said above, when you’re Premium, you have NO UPSELLS, everything is there and at your fingertips and there are no tricks to get you to part with more of your hard-earned cash. However, when on the Starter package, you’ll notice a constant flow (not barrage – they don’t spam you) of promotional emails and messages to get you to upgrade. This can be a bit annoying, especially if you’re there purely to test the water. That said, the value you get for the small annoyance is well worth it.

Additionally, there a lot of people within the community that believe that gaining followers and improving their ranking is a measure of success, when in fact their businesses suffer as their attention is focused elsewhere.

There’s also a lot of “noise”. Part of the ranking process means if you create a lot of content, it can result in higher creator points, which contribute to your overall Wealthy Affiliate ranking. What happens is that you can get a LOT of blog posts by people trying to get content out there, and often it’s not helpful at all. However, I must caveat that one of the big selling points is that Wealthy Affiliate is built on community values, so this does play a part in people talking about what’s going on in their journeys. So if it annoys you, I’d just say remove the notifications in your settings and then you’ll hardly notice them.

So, in Conclusion, is Wealthy Affiliate worth it?

Maybe I should have titled this review “Wealthy Affiliate Review – The Past, Present and Future of Affiliate Marketing”, as these guys have been paving the way for Affiliate Marketing since 2005.

Remember; there are almost 8 billion people on this planet (at the time of writing), but no two people are the same. You have a uniqueness that cannot be replicated by anyone else. You have a purpose that defines who you are and that allows you to contribute and add value to the world. Whether you know yet what that purpose is, or whether you’re still searching, Wealthy Affiliate has the platform to find out what that purpose, passion or drive is and will show you how to turn that into massive value for the world out there, and subsequently, a massive earning potential for yourself.

SPECIAL BONUS OFFER

If you sign up for a FREE starter membership with Wealthy Affiliate and you upgrade to Premium within 7 days, you’ll get the following bonuses:

You are going to get a 59% discount on your first month Premium membership (only $19).
You are going to get personal and private access to me for questions and support!
You will receive a special additional training, the “Diamond Traffic Bonus”.

Wishing you all the best in your online success.