Is Clickbank Legit? A Comprehensive Review of the Popular Affiliate Marketing Network
As an experienced affiliate marketer, I am often asked about the legitimacy and effectiveness of various affiliate networks. One network that has been around for over two decades is ClickBank. Founded 1998 as a small garage start-up, ClickBank has grown into a billion-dollar business primarily focusing on digital products. In this article, I will comprehensively review ClickBank, including its ease of use, available affiliate marketing programs, payment structure, and overall reputation.
Key Takeaways:
- ClickBank is a popular and legitimate affiliate network primarily focusing on digital products.
- While it offers weekly or bi-weekly payments and a low payment threshold, it also has some cons, such as a dated interface and a 90-day reimbursement policy that some customers can abuse.
- To make money with ClickBank, affiliates must find quality products that match their niche and audience, create affiliate links, and promote them through various channels.
Is ClickBank Legit?
Based on the information available, ClickBank is a legitimate affiliate marketing network with a long-standing history of success. It has operated for over two decades and has built a network of almost 100,000 affiliate marketers worldwide. With over 4,000 products listed in the ClickBank marketplace, it’s clear that vendors also find value in the platform.
According to our affiliate marketing statistics page, ClickBank is the second most popular affiliate network, with Amazon being the largest. ClickBank has leveraged its global reach to generate over $4 billion in commissions, and it has a 4.5-star rating from 2,300 reviews on Trustpilot.
Given the substantial numbers and positive reviews, ClickBank is unlikely to be a scam network. The company’s reputation and success are proof of its legitimacy.
Signing Up for ClickBank
When signing up for ClickBank, the process is straightforward to follow. As a new affiliate, you must enter your details, including your name, location, telephone number, and email address. ClickBank offers a multilingual signup page, making it easier for users to navigate the process in their preferred language.
After entering your details, you must accept the terms and conditions by clicking the ‘Accept Terms and Conditions’ button. Once you have completed this step, you can click on ‘Join ClickBank’ to complete the signup process.
It is important to note that ClickBank can only make direct deposits to certain countries. Therefore, reviewing the terms of service before signing up is crucial to ensure that your country is supported.
Once you have completed the signup process, you will be offered free training and a welcome video to help you get started. ClickBank encourages you to complete your publisher profile, including payment and contact details, to optimize your performance on the platform.
To fully utilize the platform’s features, you must create a nickname within your main account. This nickname will be part of your referral URL and cannot exceed ten characters. To make it easier to remember, you can use something related to your affiliate marketing niche.
ClickBank does not ask for SEO metrics or traffic details during signup, unlike other affiliate networks. This low barrier to entry makes it easier for anyone to start promoting digital products.
It is important to note that ClickBank sells digital and physical products from brand names that may only be recognizable to some. However, many of these products can still be sold by truckload and earn the average affiliate marketer a substantial amount of money.
In conclusion, signing up for ClickBank is a simple and easy process that can be achieved in just a few steps. With its low barrier to entry and a wide range of products, ClickBank is an excellent platform for affiliate marketers looking to promote digital products.
Ease of Use
As someone who has been in the affiliate marketing industry for two decades, I can confidently say that ClickBank’s website is easy to use. While it may not be the most visually appealing dashboard, it keeps things simple using WordPress as its backend. This is a common platform, so many users will already know how it works.
One of the advantages of ClickBank’s dashboard is that it doesn’t overwhelm users with excessive features. Only a handful of functions are available, including Dashboard, Reporting, Tickets, Transactions, Accounts, Users, Affiliate Marketplace, Profile, and Support. This makes it easy to navigate and find what you need.
The Transactions function is handy for tracking down serial refunders. However, the Affiliate Marketplace is the most essential feature for affiliates, as this is where they can find offers to promote.
Overall, ClickBank’s dashboard is user-friendly and straightforward, making it an excellent option for new and experienced affiliates.
Finding Affiliate Programs on Clickbank
1. Creating Affiliate Links
Creating affiliate links on ClickBank is straightforward. Once you find a product you want to promote, click the “Promote” button. A pop-up window will appear where you can fill in the account nickname you created during the setup process. After that, you click “Generate Hoplinks” to create your affiliate marketing link. The link will look like this: http://affiliate.vendor.hop.clickbank.net/.
It’s worth noting that ClickBank doesn’t guarantee that vendors will provide banner links and graphics for your site. Some vendors do provide these resources, but others need to. If you need promotional materials beyond banners, you may have to email vendors and ask for them.
Despite this decentralized process, ClickBank’s affiliate link creation process still needs to be more cohesive than you might experience on other affiliate networks.
Getting Paid
1. Payment Timeframe
Unlike most affiliate marketing networks that operate on a net 30 payment schedule, ClickBank offers weekly or bi-weekly payments. However, receiving your payment takes two more weeks after your payout date. Therefore, your ClickBank payments take 4 – 6 weeks to start overlapping until you feel they’re weekly or fortnightly. In my experience, I have never had a problem getting paid by ClickBank – they always disbursed payment on time.
2. Payment Methods
ClickBank offers two payment methods: check or direct deposit. International affiliates should note that ClickBank checks don’t arrive overnight, so they should expect up to seven days of delay. While some affiliates might prefer other payment methods like Payoneer, PayPal, or wire transfer, ClickBank only permits check or direct deposit. However, this lack of options is probably due to a lack of demand from affiliates, who are mostly happy with these two options.
3. Payment Threshold
To trigger a ClickBank payment, affiliates must earn a minimum of $10 in commissions. However, I recommend setting a higher threshold if you can only receive payments by check. Bank charges for checks under $100 can be high, so setting your ClickBank payment threshold to several hundred dollars is better. Additionally, affiliates must generate at least 5 sales before receiving a payment. This requirement helps prevent fraudulent activities, which we discuss in the next section.
4. Refunds
ClickBank offers a 90-day money-back guarantee to customers, which is good news for them. However, some unscrupulous people abuse this policy by ordering digital products, downloading them, and requesting a refund. Unfortunately, most of these people are affiliate marketers who pretend to be affiliates. This issue can eat into ClickBank affiliate commissions, but it’s not a significant problem if you promote quality products and avoid working with scammers.
Publisher Help
As a ClickBank publisher, I found their support system to be limited. The only options available are the ticketing system and the knowledgebase. While the knowledge base is comprehensive, it lacks mixed media like screenshots and tutorial videos. The blocks of text are fine, but they look dated. ClickBank University is another option, but it is only suitable for vendors and advertisers and comes at a cost.
ClickBank is trying to create a community section, which is currently blank. They would be better off setting up a Slack channel. Overall, their support options are okay but could benefit from more modern and interactive resources.
ClickBank Reviews
As an affiliate marketer, I have researched and analyzed various ClickBank reviews to understand users’ experience with this network. While some users are happy with the site and making good money, others have faced issues like account termination.
One user mentioned in a review that he is still receiving checks from ClickBank for posts he no longer updates, indicating that the same products are converting eight years later. However, it is essential to note that not all reviews are charitable, and some users may have a traceable online history leading to their account termination.
Despite this, ClickBank stands out with its active social media presence, including an FB page with 91k followers and no visible negative feedback. This suggests that they have nailed their customer service.
In conclusion, while ClickBank has its fair share of negative reviews, it is crucial to research and analyze them critically to understand the user experience and make an informed decision.
ClickBank Review Summary
Weighing it up
In my objective assessment of ClickBank, I found several pros and cons worth noting.
Pros
- ClickBank is the oldest network dedicated to digital products, providing many products for most niches.
- The network offers high commission rates, with some products offering up to 90% commission.
- ClickBank is one of the few networks to offer recurring commissions, which can be a significant source of passive income.
- Creating affiliate links is effortless, and no approval is needed to promote products.
- ClickBank provides a 60-day cookie, allowing affiliates to earn more commissions.
- The network offers weekly and fortnightly payouts, providing affiliates quick access to their earnings.
Cons
- The ClickBank dashboard can be confusing, with old and new interfaces mixed.
- Finding high-quality products amidst the hype can be a challenge.
- ClickBank is no longer the only player in the digital product marketplace; other networks, like Udemy, offer similar products.
Overall, ClickBank is a reliable network with attractive commission rates and a wide range of digital products. However, the dashboard’s clutter and the challenge of finding quality products can be a downside.
Conclusion: Is Clickbank Legit?
In summary, ClickBank is a marketplace that provides affiliates with a wide range of digital and physical products to promote. While the platform has a negative reputation due to low-quality products, many legitimate products are still available that can help affiliate marketers make money.
One of the main issues with ClickBank is that anyone can sell a product on the platform, including “get rich quick” and “internet marketing” gurus. However, affiliate marketers can find quality programs to promote and make money by researching, reading reviews, and looking for legitimate products.
Although ClickBank has a lackluster interface and some teething problems, it is still a popular platform for affiliate marketing. While other alternatives are available, many people still make money promoting products through ClickBank.
While ClickBank may not be perfect, it is a legitimate platform for affiliate marketing. As with any marketplace, doing your due diligence and research before promoting any product is essential. Focusing on quality products and building a solid affiliate marketing content strategy makes it possible to make money through ClickBank.
Frequently Asked Questions
a) How does ClickBank pay its affiliates?
ClickBank offers several payment options to its affiliates, including direct deposit, wire transfer, and check. The frequency and minimum payment threshold vary depending on the affiliate’s chosen payment method.
b) What are the benefits of using ClickBank?
ClickBank offers a user-friendly platform for both vendors and affiliates. Some benefits of using ClickBank include a large marketplace with a wide range of products, high commission rates, and reliable payment processing.
c) Are there any downsides to using ClickBank?
While ClickBank has many benefits, there are also some downsides to consider. One potential downside is the high competition among affiliates, making it difficult to stand out and make sales. Additionally, some products on the ClickBank marketplace may be of low quality, leading to negative reviews and damaging the affiliate’s reputation.
d) What is the ClickBank marketplace?
The ClickBank marketplace is a platform where vendors can sell digital and physical products, and affiliates can advertise these products and earn sales commissions. The marketplace offers a wide range of products in various affiliate marketing niches, making it a popular choice for affiliates looking to promote products in their expertise.
e) Can you make money with ClickBank?
Yes, it is possible to make money with ClickBank as an affiliate. However, success on the platform requires a combination of factors, including choosing the right products to promote, creating high-quality content to promote these products, and implementing effective marketing strategies.
f) Is ClickBank a trustworthy platform?
ClickBank is a legitimate and trustworthy platform for both vendors and affiliates. The platform has been in operation for over 20 years and has a solid reputation in the industry. However, as with any online platform, it is essential to research and exercise caution when choosing products to promote or purchase.