Why start a coupon blog? Because advertisers love coupons and will pay you to offer them to your visitors. If you’re interested in coupon culture or just looking for a way to make money online, look no further.
Brands love coupons because they attract new customers and drive sales. How effective are coupons? Well, 77% of us will spend $10-$50 more than we do when we redeem a mobile coupon. That’s a lot of dollars. And when it comes to millennials, if you offer them a 30% discount, they’ll actually switch brands.
So it looks like brand loyalty will soon be a thing of the past. Whether it’s good or bad, that’s the way a generation behaves. Therefore, it would be foolish not to recognize it. By offering coupons on your website, you can benefit from that behavior.
How to Start a Coupon Blog From Scratch (Spoiler Alert: It’s Easier Than You Think!)
If you don’t have an existing blog or website, don’t let that discourage you from starting one now. I promised you it would be easier than you think… let me try it.
Securing a home for your blog
That means setting up web hosting. If you don’t have experience with your own web space, this sounds like it could be a great project. But is not. The truth is, you can be up and running in minutes.
In a move that shouldn’t come as a surprise, I recommend using GreenGeeks as your blog host. The support staff is smart and dedicated, and our hosting platform is optimized for WordPress (more on that in a minute).
Not only that, but GreenGeeks runs on renewable energy. For every amp we draw from the grid, we match three times that power in the form of renewable energy through the Bonneville Environmental Foundation. No other host anywhere matches that level of commitment. Your website will “reduce carbon emissions” when hosted on our eco-friendly platform.
How to set up and use a GreenGeeks account
- Choose a plan.
- If you don’t already have a domain name, it’s time to choose one. GreenGeeks will give you a free .com, .net, .org, .us, .biz or .info domain name. If your dream name is not available, try combining two short words. This is where your imagination comes into play.
- Enter your account information and click the “Create Account and Get Started” button.
- You will receive a new account email with your username and password. Use them to log in to GreenGeeks.
- Once you’re logged in, click the “cPanel” button.
- You can now install WordPress with a couple of clicks.
- No step 7. 😉 You now have a blog up and running with your own domain name.
This is why we will be using WordPress for our coupon blog</ h3
One of our steps was to install WordPress. I took a step because I think WordPress is the best option. It’s established, reliable, and has a vibrant ecosystem of themes and plugins.
Let me elaborate.
WordPress is easy to use
You’ve already seen how easy it is. What is installing WordPress? Once you delve into it, you’ll find that doing what you need to do is easy too. If you need to find information, we have over 1,000 WordPress tutorials. You should be able to find what you’re looking for.
WordPress is Perfectly Fit for a Coupon Blog
WordPress didn’t invent blogging software, but developers perfected it. And through the use of plugins and widgets, it’s the most flexible blogging platform you can buy. You just don’t have to buy it since the platform is free.
One of the coupon sources we’ll be talking about provides code to display coupons in a widget area. And that’s just one of the many advantages.
How WordPress Plugins and Themes Can Take Your Coupon Blog to the Next Level
Usually when I talk about WordPress themes , I like to highlight the free themes from wordpress.org. But a coupon blog is a specialized thing. The truth is, you’ll get better results with commercial (paid) themes.
Paying $39 (or more) for a theme may seem like an unnecessary expense when there are so many themes available for free. But trust me when I tell you, you’ll save a lot more than $39 of your time buying a specialized theme.
Here are a few to consider.
Coupon
Coupon has an attractive default home page. Of course, you can change the look and still take advantage of the coupon posting features. In fact, you can choose from six home page layouts. It also offers video tutorials to help you get the most out of the theme.
CouponXL
CouponXL includes a search tool that works by type or geographic location.The theme supports printable coupons, affiliate links, or traditional code-based discount coupons. CouponXL can accept XML files to import offers you get from a coupon affiliate. That feature alone will save you a lot of time.
Kupon
Kupon has the functionality you need to make your coupon blog a success. Sale countdowns and other custom timers can be used with Kupon to promote any time sensitive coupon quite effectively. There are also dynamic pricing and discount tools.
WordPress Plugins for a Coupon Blog
There are usually half a dozen plugins relevant to any new blog project. But honestly, you don’t need any plugins for a coupon blog. Coupon affiliate networks handle most of the integration.
I’m about to talk about those networks, but first, here’s a coupon plugin you might find useful.
Affiliate Coupons
Where to find coupons to offer on your blog
Starting a coupon blog is one thing; Finding coupons to offer your visitors is another. But you don’t have to look for opportunities in business. You can get all the coupons you need from a coupon affiliate network.
Affiliate networks pay you to send shoppers from your site to a merchant’s website. Links that use cookies or tracking codes let the merchant know that the visitor came from their blog. If they complete a sale, you are paid a commission.
Coupon affiliate networks work the same way. But instead of clicking a product link, your visitors click a coupon code. Then, when your visitor buys, they pay you.
Here are some coupon affiliate networks that might work for you.
Brandcaster/coupons.com
Brandcaster /coupons.com is easy to set up. (Although it’s worth noting that most affiliate networks have an approval process that can take a few days.) You can add the decoupons.com code to a page or post to your site and create a coupon gallery instantly. There is nothing easier than that. They also provide coupon widgets and you can use text links.
ShareASale
ShareASale offers affiliate programs for over 4,500 merchants. Not all merchants have coupon offers, but it’s the largest affiliate network in the world, so there are plenty of opportunities. We are GreenGeeks, so I like ShareASale’s “Green Merchants” category.
Applying to merchants can be time consuming. But that’s the way most big affiliate networks work. Fortunately, the system has something for everyone. You will find tons of products to promote.
CJ Affiliate
CJ Affiliate has everything from software to clothing to InterContinental Hotels Group deals. CJ provides access to thousands of products from three thousand different merchants.
As with ShareASale, you will request merchants individually. But CJ allows you to apply to traders from your dashboard. A great time saver. If you want to sell from sites like Overstock, Lowes, Office Depot, Priceline, and GoPro, check out CJ.
Rakuten Marketing
Rakuten Marketing is not a meganetwork like ShareASale or CJ, but still they give you access to just about everything. Products from major retailers like Walmart, Best Buy, Macy’s, even Papa John’s pizza. Rakuten also has an automatic coupon rotation feature and a data feed. You can use the data to make product comparisons.
Affiliate Disclosure
Coupon blogs are affiliate sites.
When you use affiliate links that pay a commission, you are subject to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) affiliate disclosure guidelines. The guidelines state that anyone who receives a commission, payment, free products or discounts in exchange for promoting a product in any online medium must inform their site visitors that they are being compensated for links.
For more information on the guidelines, see the FTC’s list of answers to common questions.
How to Promote a Coupon Blog
The most successful coupon bloggers spend a lot of time getting the word out. That includes doing everything you can to drive people to your sites. Spend time on search engine optimization (SEO). Establishing themselves as authorities in certain areas (even if that area is couponing).
Building an audience is critical. You will earn much more with 10,000 visitors than with 10. That’s just the mathematical reality. The best way to get those 10,000 visitors is to consistently post content that is useful. Then let people know through social media.
Open social media accounts for your coupon and post deals on them frequently. You may eventually discover that one site works best for you, but start with as many as you can manage. You can get rid of the ones that don’t work as you go.
You can use social media tools that automate much of the process and make management much easier.
It’s time To Clip This Article
But before I go, I know I mentioned that you’ll make more money with 10,000 visitors than you will with 10. But that doesn’t mean your coupon site can’t make money without tens of thousands of visitors.
It can. Most affiliate or coupon sites earn smaller sums for larger numbers of people.
And even the largest coupon websites and blogs had to start somewhere. There’s no reason you can’t join their ranks if you’re persistent and motivated. And I know you are both.
I can feel it.
Now that you know how to make a coupon website, tell us about your experience in the comments.
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