Overview

We are often asked for help in getting started in affiliate marketing. Here are some requirements, recommendations, and resources for you if you're just beginning your program.

It is important to understand that affiliate marketing is a marketing channel that, like any other successful business effort, requires time, planning, effort, creativity, commitment, quality, integrity and communication, and relationship-building with your advertiser partners and your consumer followers. Our Network Quality team screens and monitors publishers to ensure the quality of our Network. If you don't meet the requirements below, your publisher account will be terminated. 

Requirements

At a minimum, you will need to:

• Sign up on the Publisher Registration form, as your primary website information, you will need to include your own live (not under construction) website, blog, or customized social media page URL.
  • As an example of a website, you will need to include your own domain, such as https://fashionistaheaven.com, not https://google.com. If you wish to use a social media page, then you will need to have a URL like https://www.facebook.com/momshoppingtips/, not https://www.facebook.com.
• Read carefully and agree to all Publisher Membership Agreement terms and conditions, including but not limited to following all applicable laws and privacy regulations.
• Read carefully and agree to all Network Policies, including but not limited to FTC Endorsement Disclosure Requirements for affiliate marketing, and compliance testing and approval for any DSAs (Downloadable Software Applications).
• Provide unique, quality content (not copied from another site or source) that adds value for your visitors.
  • "Google believes that pure, or "thin," affiliate websites do not provide additional value for web users, especially (but not only) if they are part of a program that distributes its content across a network of affiliates. These sites often appear to be cookie-cutter sites or templates [with] the same or similar content replicated within the same site, or across multiple domains or languages. Because a search results page could return several of these sites, all with the same content, thin affiliates create a frustrating user experience. Added value means additional meaningful content or features, such as additional information about price, purchasing location, or product category."*
    • *From Google Webmasters Support quality guidelines for affiliate programs.

Next Steps

There is a two-step process to using affiliate marketing in your business efforts:

1. Join Rakuten Advertising.

2. Apply and be approved into each advertiser's affiliate program. After you join Rakuten Advertising, you will then apply to join the specific advertisers' affiliate programs. Each advertiser has certain criteria that you need to meet in order to be approved into the program. Your website content must also be relevant to the advertiser's products and meet brand guidelines.

Read about the road map to success for new publishers, and some resources to help you get started.