What are Web Hosting Affiliate Programs?

Affiliate programs are those which offer customers of a service rewards simply for referring other customers, and they’re very popular in the world of web hosting. Web hosting is an extremely competitive industry, with thousands of different web hosts online. Often, when a customer signs up with a web host, they’ll be able to join the affiliate program whenever they want and become an associate for the web host. Should they refer people to the service, and those people become actual clients of the web host, the associate will receive a reward.

The rewards offered to associates are about as varied as the web hosts themselves. Some web hosting affiliate programs give away points for each new client brought in and those points can later be turned in for free web hosting services. Other web hosting companies don’t bother with points, and will discount a certain percentage off hosting packages for the affiliate. Others still offer cash rewards to their associates.

Web hosting affiliate programs are beneficial for both the associate and the Web host. When strictly cash is paid out for referrals, the hosting company can actually create an entire commissions-only sales team; even if it’s not a formal, organized marketing department. Web hosts almost never train their associates, so there’s no time lost or cost to them; and the host also doesn’t have to hand over free services or cash unless they’ve received a new customer – and new profits to cover it.

Of course, web hosting is beneficial to the associate, too. Marketing for the company can be as extensive or diminutive as the associate would like. Associates sometimes become highly involved, taking on the position of an actual sales person. In these cases, referral links or links to the Web host might be placed on the associate’s website; and sometimes, associates end up creating entire websites or blogs, all in an effort to promote the web hosting company. When the associate’s efforts have been this inclusive, they will be rewarded by lots of referrals and lots of rewards from the company.

Typically it’s professional marketing consultants or Internet marketers that go to these lengths to promote a web host through an affiliate program. Often, a professional marketer will be involved in many of these programs, and will have many websites up and running to promote them. This can be a very lucrative business but requires a great deal of time and an extensive knowledge of the Internet and Internet sales.

Other times, associates may want to be part of the affiliate program but may have little interest in actually selling any service. In this case, something as small as a conversation with their friends and family could be enough to convert a new customer for the company; and a chance for the associate to still reap some reward. While definitely not as extensive as a full-on professional marketing campaign, this can still be a great way to make or save some money, while being part of a web hosting team.