Web Hosting Affiliate Programs: A Collection of Ways to Make Money Online
Web hosting is a very competitive market and affiliate programs are often created by web hosting companies in a bid to obtain more customers. According to each web hosting affiliate program, you’ll earn a commission when you refer a customer who purchases a hosting plan.
For web hosts, there’s nothing easier than getting other people to promote their web hosting services for them. The returns in investment for each new customer is usually high as well, because each signup gives the web host recurring income over the long run.
For webmasters, bloggers and internet marketers, web hosting affiliate programs can be a rather lucrative source of income.
You’ve probably seen many web hosting ads on numerous websites all over the internet. These web hosting affiliate programs work well for almost all types of websites, particularly if you are offering a site-building or website consultation service for clients or businesses.
One particular benefit of affiliate programs for web hosts is that they offer high commission rates which can range from a minimum of $60 to over a hundred dollars just for referring a single customer who purchases a web hosting plan.
How do I Make Money with Web Hosting Affiliate Programs?
There are several ways to make some money of web hosting affiliate programs. You can create a website or blog solely dedicated to web hosting or simply include the affiliate links and banners on your existing websites.
I would recommend creating a pre-sell page instead of linking directly to the web host. An honest and objective review of a web host you are familiar with usually does wonders in webmaster referrals.
You can leverage existing traffic from your website or use PayPerClick advertising to send targeted visitors to any specific webpage. The goal is to get as many interested individuals to click through on your affiliate links as possible.
Dosh Dosh’s List of Web Hosting Affiliate Programs
Here is a list of web hosting affiliate programs I’ve found to be the most lucrative. There are a great number of web hosts and I’ve only picked the larger ones with established affiliate programs and tracking systems.
In terms of sheer monetary potential, I would recommend going with MidPhase, DreamHost and HostiCan. If you are looking for second tier earnings, affiliate programs you can use include LunarPages, HostiCan and DreamHost.
1. BlueHost
By driving customers to sign-up at BlueHost.Com, you will receive $65.00 per referral. Through your personal Affiliate login and their online administration you can view click-through ratios of your links or banner promotions.
2. Yahoo
Yahoo’s program structure is simple: The more customers you refer, the more you earn. You get $60 to $70 for each Yahoo! Web Hosting customer and based on volume, you can make up to $100 per referral. Yahoo also pays 20% of the total sale for each Yahoo! Domains customer.
3. Hostgator
Hostgator utilizes a commission scale. Referring 1 to 5 customers a month will make you $50 per sale and 20+ customers a month will earn you $125 per sale. Payment is monthly via Paypal.
4. LunarPages
You earn $65.00 for every new customer you refer to Lunarpages from YOUR website. Refer advertisers to sign up for LunarPages’s affiliate program and earn $5 for every new customer they refer to LunarPages.
5. IX Web Hosting
Sign up customers through their affiliate program and receive commissions starting at $50 up to $150 for each signup (varies depending on the hosting plan and billing cycle). Commissions are paid no later than the first week of each month following the first 30-days after the sale that achieves the minimum level was made.
6. MidPhase
MidPhase’s affiliate program covers four different webhosts (Midphase, Autica, Thrill host and AN Hosting) and commissions range from $25 to $85 per sale, depending on which host you promote. Payments are made every two weeks via check. Cookies are set for one year and premium rates exist for premium publishers who are able to send over 20 signups a month.
7. DreamHost
You can choose to receive substantial one-time credits for each of your referrals, or recurring credits for every payment that your referrals ever make to DreamHost. For one time payments, a new customer you send to Dreamhost will make you $97 and each customer your referral sends will earn you $5.
For recurring payments, You’ll earn 10% of every payment that your referrals ever make and 5% of every payment that their referrals make - for as long as they remain customers too. Credits can be paid out via PayPal or check, or applied to a hosting bill with DreamHost.com.
8. HostiCan
Affiliates will receive $70 for the first 4 successful sales and then $90 per successful sale. Commissions are only paid for qualifying and approved sales. You will earn $5 extra for every sale that a sub affiliate makes for HostICan.
Commissions are paid one time a month for all verified and approved sales. Payment is made via Paypal. Performing affiliates have the advantage of earning $250 bonus for 25 new referrals per month, $500 bonus for 50 new referrals per month, and $1000 bonus for 100 new referrals per month.
Future Web Hosting Affiliate Updates
This post will be updated to include other web hosting affiliate programs I come across in the future. I’m quite sure that I’ll add a lot more web hosts to this article so do feel free to bookmark it for reference purposes.
Very clever post in many ways: it really is good info, but it’s also good for you, since some of these links are your affiliate links (nothing wrong with that!). It’s a good example of the very subject of the post! Dang, you just keep doing that.
great post - thanks for the tips. the other one that we promote is godaddy - not so much for hosting but more for domain registration. as for a full fledged hosting - its tricky to run a lot of linux stuff on their servers. domain registrations though are great.
Thanks for summing these up–you have saved me a lot of reading!
I’m currently a user of Dreamhost and found out about their affiliate program. I was surprised that web hosts can even have one. So far I’ve only referred 6 people with Dreamhost. The only thing I don’t like about it is that they take away money from the $97 payment whenever you give away promo codes.
Thanks for bringing all of these hosting affiliate programs together into one post. Certainly makes things a lot easier for me.
That being said, I wonder how your current host company would feel if you decided to plug a different hosting service. I use Dreamhost for my blog but must admit that their affiliate program isn’t very good. I plan to plug one of these other companies but am, ever so slightly, concerned about pissing off my current provider. Has anyone ever had any problems with something like this?
Interesting post. I need to try and see if i can get any sales some day!
Nice and informative posts.
I have been using the web hosting affiliates for long time but came to know about new programs like midphase and hostican…
Great stuff Maki, the $65 for Bluehost is great, but they pay $90 if done through Clickbank!
I’m with Midphase/ANHosting and could not promote them to anyone-their uptime is absolutely awful.
I know that’s not the point of affiliate sales, but still.
Nice post, yeah I like to make the 65$ for hosting especially when it goes towards my dedicated servers. Good post Maki.
I am with lunarparks and best way to make money in my opinion is to place a small banner on blog.
OMG, Blue Host sucks. I have an account there and the server is just so slow. I have stopped putting websites on BlueHost for this reason.
I recommend a lot of the same hosts (funny, I was just about to do this same post) but I don’t recommend BLue Host.
just my opinion
Has anyone else had/heard of issues with bandwidth at bluehost.com? I realize that this post is promoting affiliate programs and not the actual hosting, but it still feels weird to promote affiliate programs for bad hosts..
Okay, glad I’m not the only one. I have heard the same thing from multiple places Blog Builder.
Jason,
Don’t know anything about Blue Host as I’ve never used them before. Like most web hosts, some people are happy with the host they are using and others find them lacking in many ways. I guess you can choose to promote the ones that you think are more reputable and useful.
Chris,
Thanks for the heads up on Midphase/AN Hosting.. I was actually considering them for one of my new projects so its nice to hear some honest feedback!
Bret,
I think it should be fine to promote other web hosts as long as you find them to be beneficial for your audience. After all, you own whatever content that’s on your website. Your web host shouldn’t have the power to determine what and how you promote anything. They’re just renting you that slice of cyberspace after all.
i heard about a new one called Host Arcadia today via KillerStartups - they seem to have some really good deals going no doubt to attract new users but are also Web Designers themselves so they know what people need* They also offer Fantastico which seems to be all the rage* & they have an affiliate program as swell!! ;))
I used BlueHost before and it was a big disappointment.
I decided to switch to Site5, for that special $5 promotion (5 TB of bandwidth!) and never looked back.
Plus, I recently discovered that it´s easier to score a comission if you create a dedicated landing page for your products/services, like Copyblogger does for his host.
Of course, the best way to make a good amount of money is by becoming popular. Just look at Problogger. Everytime Darren recommends a product, I bet he gets tons of money from comissions.
When I used Bluehost it was perfectly fine, I’m very surprised some people found it slow or dissapointing.
definitely, affiliate for blogger product is just one of the big commission for blogger. Maki, I’m really curious that why you didn’t post your online income?
I’ve had great luck with Bluehost, too. Their live chat tech support has been particularly helpful for me.
God, Yahoo are generous, good to use big brand like Yahoo also.
A good review of the affiliate programs. How come you didnt consider ipower or gate?
Hey,
Funny, I have this on my list of things to do find “Hosting Affiliate Program.”
Though, the REAL question is (and anyone is free to answer)…which one of these above actually converts?
EG…for every 100 visitors you are sending their way, who’s site is bringing in the $?
I’d rather promote a service w/a $40 payout if it converts at 3%(rare) vs. a site with a $97 payout that converts @ .25%…know what I mean?
R
Whether an affiliate program produces results really is a matter of how effectively you promote the program.
For example, I have a Host Gator affiliate account and when I send people to Host Gator, it is with my “endorsement”. Eg: “I user Host Gator and am thrilled with not only their service but also their support. I think you will be thrilled too! Click here to sign up: [my affiliate link].
Oh, and I use a URL redirect for my affiliate accounts as well… so it is NOT so obvious that I am using an affiliate link.
Great!, nice review about web hosting affiliate programs. The most benefit of web hosting affiliate programs is the high percentage of commissions plan.
hey you missed globat.com affiliates program
is a great program check it out 
Nice article, but can you give out more information. I am particularly interested in info on minmum payment and payment method.
Great post! Really help me a lot in finding a good affiliate. Can’t wait for the next update!
We recently changed our affiliate program model back in January and have had great success with it. More signups in one month than one year on the old model.
It’s similar to DreamHost’s program. We’re looking to revise it again with a credit system, but if you’re interested in a high-payout web hosting affiliate program ($101.00 USD per referral), check out Crucial Cash:
http://www.crucialwebhost.com/affiliates/
I also agree with Virtual Impax. Your conversion rate has a lot to do with how well you market the hosting company. Sure, the hosting company itself has some responsibility, but once in a blue moon we’ll get an affiliate asking why their conversions aren’t doing so well, and it’s always pretty obvious.
It’s not as simple as just putting up a banner and expecting that to do the job for you. This article, and some of of your other ones on the same subject, have been an interesting read.
We’ll definitely consider working more with our affiliates and coming up with landing pages for them and some useful tips (and, of course, recommending they come here!) once we integrate our new program.
By the way, was recommended here from David Airey’s site (www.davidairey.com). Some good stuff. Take Care!