Once you are an approved member in one of our affiliate programs, you might want to start by considering the following points:
1. Understand your marketing tactics and what type of affiliate links should be used
Depending on how (website content, emails, and other options) and who (website visitors, email lists, social followers, etc.) you are trying to reach, there is a number of ways to make use of our different affiliate creatives.
- Referring a customer or a friend via instant message or social media
Here, the best practice is to provide a simple affiliate link. How to do this is explained in the "How to find your affiliate link" article.
- Content creation (such as website posts about Namecheap products and promos, product reviews and comparisons), emails, or even eBooks
When creating content, you can include text links in the copy or place a banner (or banners) in various parts of the web page.
Text links: those popular blue links (though color now varies) are available on each platform, and we have written them to include the appropriate landing page. These you can use in any related copy you write.
Banners: We design the banners with an interesting call to action to get viewers to click on them. The banners are available in all popular sizes and are connected to the corresponding product or promo page.
For information about where to find your preferred creative type - refer to the "How to find an affiliate text link or banner" article.
- Referring users through domain generator or domain listing websites
You have a couple of options here:
- You can create a custom affiliate link that will lead users who search for a domain name on your website to the corresponding domain search results page at Namecheap. How to do this is
explained here.
- We offer an
affiliate domain search widget that can be easily added to your website. It allows your site visitors to search for their perfect domain right on your website. After they click the search widget, they are redirected to our domain search result page, and your affiliate code has been applied.
- Referring users through coupon websites
Coupons are very popular nowadays, and Namecheap provides monthly coupons for affiliates. Discover how to find our latest affiliate coupons by checking this article.
Please keep in mind that you must use these specific coupons in order to get the commissions. Use of any third-party coupons from other marketing channels will not pay commissions.
- Referring customers of design and marketing agencies
If you are a digital agency or a freelancer and your clients purchase domains, hosting, or SSL certificates, you can earn commission by referring them to Namecheap via a simple affiliate link. This should be provided directly to them via instant message, email, or via a text link (posted on "Resources" (or equivalent page) on your website).
Please keep in mind that you cannot buy Namecheap products for your customers to get your affiliate commission. We suggest providing comprehensive instructions to your customers so they can make purchases on their own.
2. Understand the product/offer you want to advertise
It’s important to refer users to a relevant page at Namecheap. The most successful affiliates are those who use the appropriate banner or text link for the type of content on their page.
For example, if you write about WordPress, you can mention our inexpensive hosting options and choose a link (or banners) to include in the page content. If you write about web security, maybe your readers would like to know about SSL certificates, so choosing a banner or text link for those products would be more successful, than say, one about domain registration.
Our banners are usually connected to a certain product or promo page - so you can just grab the necessary banner code and put it on your website.
However, if you don't find the one you really like and want to create it yourself, you can do that by following the instructions provided
here.
3. Include FTC Disclaimer
You should be aware that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires you to disclose any affiliate relationship you have with any company you provide an endorsement or testimonial of, including publishing online rankings or reviews. The FTC guidelines require any marketing by an affiliate, from which commissions are potentially earned, be disclosed. For more thorough information on these requirements, the FTC has provided a detailed outline here.
Below you can check the examples of an FTC Disclaimer:
- This website receives compensation from the companies whose products we review. We thoroughly test each product and provide an honest review or opinion.
- This review contains affiliate links, and I am compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.
4. Monitor and adjust your campaigns
Once your affiliate links are posted, you should monitor performance and adjust links and banners accordingly. We use three networks to provide a variety of reports that will help you understand what campaigns bring high conversion rates and which should be optimized.
To set you up for success, consider creating monthly or quarterly targets associated with the KPIs you identified. Setting targets not only helps you become more goal-oriented but also enables you to uncover patterns in performance, identify problem areas, and take corrective action if required.
These are a few pointers to get you started.
If you have questions - remember we are here to help. Just contact us at affiliates@namecheap.com.
