Where Can I Find Negative Reviews About Wealthy Affiliates
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Hey, Karl here. Welcome to my Wealthy Affiliate review. If you want to know if it'due south worth it to sign up or if they're going to scam you, this is the review for y'all.
How's life?
Cool.
I'm good too. Just a bit tired.
Just finished 40ish hours of researching Wealthy Chapter training videos, the forums, talking to my friends in the industry, and researching every YouTube video, news article, website, and forum post related to this insanely controversial preparation plan.
I even paid $46 to import a bottle of sugar-free BBQ sauce. That'southward how drained I am right now.
Then, now that my eyes are heavy and I shake any time I hear the term "affiliate marketing", I'm going to do what any sane, level-headed internet marketer would exercise : WRITE 9,000 words on this topic and so you become an honest, fair review.
What You lot'll Learn
- What is Wealthy Affiliate?
- How information technology works
- Why so many people think it's an MLM (merely it's not)
- Who the founders are (and my major effect with them)
- If you tin really brand money with it
- Why I don't like their preparation, only I see why people do
- How to use information technology to make money
- Why their SEO advice is bad (and what to do instead)
- Exercise I recommend Wealthy Affiliate?
What Do I Know About Affiliate Marketing Anyway?…
I'm Karl.
I've been a relatively successful online entrepreneur since I was 12. SEO, affiliate, bureau owner, CMO for a large company, I've seen a lot of different sides of this industry.
I've flipped sites for $100,000, gone broke, moved to London, got the hell out, moved back for some reason (?… dumb-dumb), started a marketing agency, sold that, started from scratch again, got hired as a CMO, built massive potency sites – it'due south been a lot of piece of work.
So, when I first heard about Wealthy Chapter, I was pretty put off. I'thousand self-made. I've put and then much work into getting where I am that when I hear others telling people "information technology's so easy. All you demand is passion and a website", I immediately label them as spam.
Now that I'grand focusing on giving dorsum to the community that helped make me, I felt obligated to fix the tape straight hither. And then I pigeon caput on information technology and actually…
To tell the truth, I was kinda surprised. Wealthy Affiliate wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.
It's not skillful, but it'south not the evil corporate ponzi scheme/pyramid scheme/MLM that everyone says. It's complicated. Information technology has layers like an onion.
After spending all calendar week researching WA. I've finally narrowed my list down to the 30 most important things I learned from these past 5 days.
Here are the basics.
What is Wealthy Affiliate?
Wealthy Chapter is the earth'southward near pop – and controversial – affiliate marketing training course, community, and ecosystem.
It's a ane.4-1000000 strong customs designed to take consummate beginners from 0 to profitable affiliate marketers past offering training, tools, a functioning website, and coaching.
In theory, your membership offers everything you need to earn a expert living via chapter marketing including:
- Training on niche option
- A website architect
- Grooming on how to bring free traffic to that site
- Training on how to primary paid traffic
- Subscriptions to necessary tools
- An intro to affiliate programs so you tin earn money from your traffic
- Coaching and a helpful community then you go it right.
Hither are some interesting specs on the community
- 1,800 coaches
- x,000 + business concern started
- ane.4 one thousand thousand members
- 23,000 people helped daily
Kyle Loudon and Caron Lim founded Wealthy Affiliate with the goal of helping others achieve the same dreams they had all the style dorsum in 2005 – live a life of freedom while earning money via affiliate sales.
I always knew about them, but I was already earning a living from SEO and affiliate marketing by the time they were hitting it big. So I just "eh", and moved along.
When all the controversy started picking upward steam, I didn't even bother thinking about it.
I'one thousand not a beginner marketer and I don't demand another training course. But now that I'm really reviewing other courses and trying to assistance others, I joined upward so I could speak my listen and set the record directly on this grade.
I don't want to say anything too bad virtually them, just let'southward simply say I wasn't too thrilled virtually what I institute either.
I Don't Recommend Wealthy Affiliate for Nigh People
I'm self-made. Not saying I didn't have assistance, just I learned all this affiliate marketing stuff all on my own.
And then that means I've been anti-grade since the beginning (though I love them now). I'thou simply saying that so you know my standards are super high before I let this out.
I dove deep into this ecosystem for a whole calendar week.
I watched the videos, I read through the community, I stalked the founders for a flake (online – not physically apparently), I checked out the tools, I ate some donuts and chicken (not related to Wealthy Affiliate), and I came to this conclusion:
WA definitely has value for beginners. It'll teach you lot the basics, requite you an actionable management, and even requite y'all access to valuable tools…
BUT!
I tin't in good religion recommend this for anyone that'south serious near succeeding at affiliate marketing in 2020. Kyle definitely has succeeded at affiliate business in the past, simply his training is outdated at best and detrimental at worst. On acme of that, I don't agree with the marketing tactics or the MLM feeling of the whole shabang.
Simply who am I to offer advice, anyhow? Merely an entrepreneur with x+ years under my belt.
WA definitely has some value, I'll cover all my gripes and likes in depth throughout this training and then you can brand that decision for yourself.
Wealthy Affiliate Has Both Pros and Cons
Crazy, isn't it?
In 2020, something is non either the devil or the greatest thing ever?
I float somewhere in this mysterious ether known as "the middleground".
It all comes down to your expectations for the service.
Do you lot need a beginner-friendly service that offers basic advice, access to bones tools, and a community to answer questions?
Then information technology's actually OK.
Are you looking for elite grooming that's going to help yous actually make a lot of money online and be a successful entrepreneur?
WA isn't that.
To be fair to critics, WA WAY OVERSELLS itself (much more on that below – it's an interesting read).
It definitely DID NOT live up to the expectations information technology gear up. Allow me sum upward the pros and cons first earlier listing them.
The skillful thing – Wealthy Affiliate is a convenient service that helps you sympathize the basics of making money online through affiliate marketing, and saves yous from the hassle of ownership different tools and paying for web hosting.
The bad thing – Wealthy Affiliate is very outdated and a lot of the advice could actually be harmful in 2020. And the whole thing feels like a gimmick to get you lot to make money by promoting WA to others.
Pros
- You become a bones roadmap
- Access to keyword research tools
- Web hosting included
- A helpful community (though I don't know how much I'd trust some people here)
Cons
- Trainings from 2013
- Google's algorithm is totally different at present
- The creators and trainers aren't fifty-fifty (seemingly) in the space anymore
- Largely text-based
- The dashboard is disruptive and people can spam you with offers
- The claims are outlandish and unethical in my opinion
How Much Does Wealthy Chapter Cost?
Wealthy Affiliate costs either $0 or $49 per calendar month ($19 for the beginning month) OR $359 per year if you decide to pay yearly.
The Free Plan comes with:
- Access to BASIC training
- Community access (7 days)
- One basic website (more on this below)
- Admission to WA's chapter program
- xxx free searches for the keyword tool
The Premium Plan offers:
- All trainings
- Community access
- Direct messaging (I doubtable then you tin can convert free users to paid ones for a committee)
- 50 websites
- 2x higher affiliate payout
- Access to coaches and website feedback/support
A free membership lets you lot dip your toes into the training, getting familiar with chapter marketing, and start learning keyword research. And then what do you lot have to lose?
The trainings in the complimentary portion are really somewhat up-to-engagement, so at least you'll learn some decent stuff.
Why I don't like the Free Programme
The Free Plan is not enough to be successful at earning an income online.
That'southward fine. There'due south null wrong with a "freemium" model. But some of the stuff they advertise as a perk for the Gratis Plan is actually not even usable.
The "free and fully operational" site is actually a SiteRubix website. Ever heard of that? Me neither. That'due south because you tin can't use it to build a successful website.
SiteRubix makes Wix homo's greatest accomplishment.
Kyle even admits this. Here'south what he says on WA:
And then hither he says information technology's OK to get-go off with, but you're dead if you don't move to your own domain. That means your site is useless unless you lot upgrade to Premium.
Anyways, enough of my gripes. I'll save that for the grip department. Simply before you go, hither'due south a good summary of why SiteRubix isn't worth your time from a thread on WA:
Is Wealthy Affiliate Legit? Is Wealthy Chapter a Scam?
No, Wealthy Affiliate is not a scam. There's a lot non to similar well-nigh them, but it's definitely non a scam.
They claim to be an affiliate marketing preparation program that offers preparation videos, tools, coaching, and a helpful community, and they do actually offer that.
To me, a scam is just something that takes your money and runs off.
The trouble with WA aside from their spammy marketing is the quality of training that they offering, and that the whole functioning seems designed to funnel y'all into their affiliate plan.
The founders – Kyle and Carson – too every bit the pb trainer – Jay – as well take a bit of explaining to do near their claims. Again, more on that subsequently.
How Much Money Can You Earn With Wealthy Affiliate?
Wealthy Affiliate claims to give you lot all the tools and guidance you need to offset earning with affiliate marketing, only I guarantee you volition make $0 with the Free Programme unless you earn from signing others upwards.
How much you can earn with the residual of the training is up to estimation. After watching all of the training videos, there is plenty data here to get you lot started in the right direction.
And with coaching the community, I bet you could earn some coin if you really boot ass, hustle, build a brand, build a customs, and master paid traffic.
I only don't retrieve that's a reality for the vast majority of people. Chances are the best way for yous to make money with WA is as an chapter for WA itself.
How Much Money Can Yous Earn With Their Affiliate Program?
WA affiliates earn an average of $121 in lifetime sales for recommending some other user to the site.
That's what makes it so highly-seasoned. You earn residual commissions, meaning equally long as your referral is still paying a monthly subscription, you'll become paid.
Imagine yous refer someone to WA, and they convert to a premium member (WA converts most 12% of free users). You get a percentage of that sales. Now imagine they pay for a full year – yous go a percent of that.
At present, imagine they pay again adjacent year. Yous get a cutting of that pie too! And and then on and then on.
That's what makes information technology so enticing, actually. And it's the reason why there are so many people around the web promoting it.
Who Owns Wealthy Affiliate?
Kyle Loudon is the co-founder and face of Wealthy Affiliate, and the guy you'll run across in the most of the training sessions. I get the feeling he's the existent brains behind the functioning. Kyle is an affiliate marketer turned instructor and marketing chief.
Carson Lim is the designer and co-founder – Kyle'south correct paw human. Obviously, he'south responsible for making ideas come to life…whatever that means.
And the last important person you need to know about is Jay Neil.
Jay is the grooming chief at Wealthy Affiliate and a well-known affiliate "consultant".
Wealthy Affiliate Controversies and my Gripes
Where there'due south smoke, at that place's usually fire.
I'm not ordinarily blunt like that, but it's true.
What I mean is that when at that place's a ton of controversy around the spider web about something, it's normally at least based in fact. For instance, there's next to 0 controversy surrounding affiliate grooming similar the Affiliate Lab by Matt Diggity or even Authorization Hacker.
I want to cover all of the controversy and my personal gripes surrounding the community ane-past-1 and requite some plausible explanations for at least some of them.
Is Wealthy Affiliate an MLM? Is information technology a Pyramid Scheme?
No, Wealthy Affiliate is not an MLM and Wealthy Affiliate is not a pyramid scheme. At least non in the strict sense of the term.
A pyramid scheme is i where new recruits pay upfront costs to members at the top of the pyramid under the hope of receiving payments when they recruit new members "below" them. Basically, that just ways yous pay to get in and then make money by enrolling new people – who then pay you.
Wealthy Chapter IS NOT that…
But information technology does kind of "smell" like that a bit. You do pay to access legit training, and if yous practise become the Premium Programme, yous get 2x the commission. Still, it'southward not a pyramid scheme.
Fifty-fifty though information technology has elements of a typical pyramid scheme, it isn't.
Only what about being an MLM?
A multi-level-marketing scheme is similar to a pyramid scheme, but basically it's just when a company makes money by enticing their members to recruit new members. Typically, recruiting new members – including friends and family – is the merely manner to make money.
Technically, Wealthy Affiliate is non that either. You tin can brand money by learning well-nigh affiliate marketing via its training modules and become get in yourself.
But so I started to dig a little deeper, and eventually I stumbled on some stuff that started ringing some alarm bells. Y'all decide for yourself.
Start, Kyle specifically defines an MLM like this in a blog mail service.
But actually, if you build a website solely defended to promoting Wealthy Chapter, isn't that technically the aforementioned thing? Sure, it'due south a website, brand, and a following, just it's solely for the purpose of recruiting people.
Actually, in that location's a whole module on information technology.
So he goes on in another post to say how you make coin in an MLM.
But a ton of success stories in Wealthy Affiliate are just that – recruiting others into Wealthy Affiliate.
I won't phone call them an MLM or a pyramid scheme, considering those oftentimes force you to pay to recruit others, offering no other way of making money, and forcefulness you to recruit people to remain in the scheme.
Wealthy Affiliate isn't that, but there are definitely some elements that are alarming.
Wealthy Chapter Makes a lot of Outlandish or Unsubstantiated Claims
I'm a directly shooter, and I'd similar to retrieve that's why I've been successful.
With my marketing agency, I always told clients exactly what to expect. SEO, affiliate, eCom, any, this Southward**T is HARD. You lot don't brand money easily. You get it by working your ass off and outthinking others.
This is actually my main gripe with the company.
At first glance, it seems like they're selling the dream more than they're selling substance. That'due south what turns a lot of erstwhile heads off about them (onetime in the industry sense – I'm nevertheless immature).
Let'due south check out a few of my to the lowest degree favorites here.
ane. You won't neglect
I'm sorry, but this is just patently false. Nix is ever guaranteed in life.
And you have to define success if you lot want to ascertain failure. What does information technology mean? You are guaranteed to make money? You are guaranteed to earn commissions? Either way, I don't like saying this.
ii. It takes thirty seconds to build a website
There's no mode you can accept a beautiful, revenue-ready store capable of earning on today'southward market in xxx seconds.
Information technology'due south merely not possible.
Y'all need good design, good copy, fast hosting, SEO work, and a lot of other stuff in place before your site is ready to become. Hell, information technology might take more 30 seconds to buy the domain proper noun.
I think within xxx seconds using their site builder you can have a website. Not a revenue-set up i. Just "a website". Here's what ane forum member had to say.
3. Top Chapter Marketing Platform of the Year
OK, voted past whom? If you're going to make a merits like this, at least invent a publication that awards y'all this distinction. This makes it seem like they only had their own affiliates vote in these polls.
4. Wealthy affiliate members own Google rankings ( claimed as fact)
Again, I'g going to need some details hither. Is there anything backing this up? What does information technology even mean to Ain Google rankings and own a huge share of all online traffic? Once more it sounds like they're making some very dubious claims here. If it's true, I'd like to see some data, because our client-base shows otherwise 🙂
It could be true, but please back it up!
Wealthy Affiliate Sells the Dream More Than the Substance
I've been in this business concern for years, and taken just virtually every course available.
Compared to the average course, WA'southward copy focuses more on selling the dream than it does on the substance of the class itself.
Take a look at some of the re-create from The Affiliate Lab's sales page:
And this one…
Notice how straightforward it is? AND how it reveals what'southward actually inside?
Matt details pace-by-pace what yous're going to go.
WA'southward has language like "choose from one meg niches easily", "build a site in xxx seconds", and "we love people!". It even says "you can't neglect! Anyone tin can succeed".
I prefer details and I'thou guessing y'all practice too.
Wealthy Chapter is Outdated
Wealthy Chapter would be a really good form IF this were 2012.
Sadly, it's 2022 (tell me nigh it… ).
I can't sugarcoat this one, Wealthy Affiliate'due south advice is outdated. Some of the videos are from 2013!
Here are merely a few of the problems:
1. They talk a lot well-nigh Google+
Google+ was closed in the showtime of 2019. Not the cease of the world, only still not smart to accept the proper name up in your ads preparation.
2. They use the default WordPress editor
Kyle recommends the default editor, which is a pain in every single sensitive part of the body imaginable.
Anybody is using Divi, Thrive Architect, or Elementor these days and it's been similar that for a while.
Take a look at some of Kyle'south blog posts on one of the sites he freely shares:
That's what you get when you apply the default editor. Past the way, notice how this is from 2015?
I'll encompass that more downwards below when I talk about each of the people involved in more item.
3. Community members complaining virtually outdated trainings
Y'all don't have to hear me complain. Await at what members are proverb.
4. Facebook from circa 1893
This video is all about how to use Facebook the correct way for your website.
In what year did Facebook look like this?
First, practiced on you Seth for having 180k like all the way back then.
This is what Facebook (and Seth) looks like now:
Quick TL;DR of this section: WA provides the correct foundations – niche selection, social media, wordpress, content, etc – simply the data is out of date and even alien in some places.
Some of the videos even show examples from the early 2010'southward, including a website who'southward last web log mail was posted in 2015.
In a quickly evolving industry like this, that's not going to cut it.
Really Bad SEO Advice
SEO used to be easy. I started doing it successfully at 12 years quondam. That'southward how easy it used to exist.
The game has changed totally.
You lot tin't just choice a niche, put up some content, and express mirth your manner to the banking concern equally your "What is the best pair of boots for a new hiker under $200" article brings in $one,000 a month.
Kyle makes it sound mode also easy in his grooming. He even gives some advice that is outright harmful to getting organic traffic from Google.
Here are a few of the biggest missteps in my opinion.
i. You don't need backlinks to go traffic
You don't need what?
You don't need backlinks?
Backlinks are by far the most of import ranking factor. They are literally the courage of PageRank, which is the foundation of Google'southward algorithm itself.
Certain, you lot might be able to get away with no backlinks IF you're in an uncompetitive micro niche and you've mastered keyword research. But if that were true y'all probably wouldn't exist signing up for a gratis plan on a beginner's affiliate marketing platform.
Near every niche you come up with will have competition. Competition that will well-nigh certainly be using backlinks. If you've got a new site, you'll be dead in the h2o without them.
In more than advanced affiliate marketing courses, there are droves of in-depth training videos on how to properly build a killer backlink profile. And it's all backed by troves of data.
Verdict: Yous need backlinks.
two. There's no such thing as the wrong niche
WA encourages people to choose something they're passionate virtually rather than something lucrative.
And then it goes on to say there's no such thing as a incorrect niche.
Faux.
Guess what? All the niches yous're passionate virtually are probably super competitive. Allow's call up of stuff everybody loves:
- Travel
- Video games
- Music
- Nutrient
- Health
- Pets
Exercise y'all know how competitive those niches are? And yous won't even be getting backlinks?
Affiliate marketing is about making money. Say you desire to go into travel, how are going to compete with all the vii-figure travel bloggers, TripAdvisors, and Agodas of the earth?
Take me for example.
I'm passionate about supplements and bodybuilding. Possibly I'll get-go a site nigh supplements to help me flex my way into the side by side Terminator sequel. Cool! Let me bank check out the competition…
Oh, someone has the entire SERP already…
OK, maybe I'll endeavour something a petty more wide: "Supplements for exercise". That ought to go far easier.
Hang on. Let me check my banking concern and see if I can outspend THE United states of america DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES.
NOPE.
There are incorrect niches, plain and elementary.
If you choose a niche with established big players, high authority sites, and World GOVERNMENTS, y'all won't be able to compete. Y'all won't meet results, and yous'll quit.
three. Good content is only about communicating with your audience
Content is a lot more complicated than simply "communicating" with your audition.
To be fair, Kyle does recommend keyword research and planning, and so he clearly knows what he'southward doing. But this is gross oversimplification.
Yous can't just use a keyword tool, find some topics, and write a decent article.
Keywords are how Google knows what to rank you for, and similar it or not, y'all need to also optimize your manufactures for keywords.
In some niches, yous tin can get abroad with but writing articles and including your main keyword a few times and naturally allowing related terms to enter the article. But in the vast majority of cases, that's not going to come even shut to helping you rank.
And recall, this is all going to be done without backlinks?
Trust me, I love proficient content. I am all about writing reader-focused content. But not mentioning optimizing your articles for keywords – and the right keywords at that – is way oversimplifying information technology.
Over again, it just seems like WA wants to arrive seem really easy so you sign upward. A proper training course like The Lab contains modules on how to write expert content for readers and how to optimize it for Google.
4. Aim for i,000 words as a beginner for your article
Again, this is pretty bad communication.
Kyle does say that there'due south no right or wrong discussion count, just and so he does go on to advise students to aim for 1,000 words.
In SEO, you shouldn't "aim for" annihilation. Yous should analyze the contest and see what the word count is that Google prefers for this keyword.
You lot accept to see what'due south going on in the top x results.
Here's the thing about Google: Information technology's smarter than you think. Google has historical data on search terms and they've optimized the first page for the best results.
Imagine yous take a keyword similar "best supplement for men".
If the offset page shows a roundup style postal service with tons of products and an boilerplate word count of 5,000 words, and so you've got to exercise something similar. Your one,000-word commodity isn't going to do anything.
My thoughts: I call back Kyle knows his audience would be intimidated if they knew the truth and just requite up. Having a bunch 1,000-discussion articles is better than 0, and then I sympathize the logic behind information technology.
5. Kyle's keyword research advice is outdated
Keyword enquiry is the #i skill in SEO.
You could accept the best on-page SEO, droolworthy links, and kickass content, but it won't affair if you target the wrong keywords.
Which is why WA's advice is alarming to me.
What exactly is incorrect with it?
First, Kyle flat out lies near keyword tools in guild to promote some random tool I've never heard of (Oh, by the way, I practice SEO for a living, just saying) included in WA Premium.
He says that none of the tools on the market provided the data he needed. And that they provided useless or inaccurate information.
Then he goes on to say that Jaaxy (what the hell is a Jaaxy?) is an internet marketers dream research platform.
WHAT THE HELL?
Showtime, Jaaxy provides this information:
Keyword, average volume, traffic, competition.
That's the information y'all need?
Well, that'south the information THAT ALL THE KEYWORD TOOLS PROVIDE! So how did none of the other tools provide the data you needed?
Second, what'due south a Jaaxy? I've never heard of this matter. Seems like he's merely promoting because information technology makes keyword research expect easy and it's included in Premium.
And well-nigh importantly, keyword research is Non THIS Like shooting fish in a barrel. Kyle simplifies the process down to looking for low-competition keywords and writing corresponding articles.
Sure, in 2014 that probably would work in a low competition niche. Guess what? Not anymore.
What should you do instead?
I don't take fourth dimension to cover this in a quick review simply…
Beginning past using Ahrefs to see what competitors at a similar level as you are ranking for, because y'all've got a good chance at ranking for those. Start at that place.
I actually can't become super in-depth on this at present, merely you admittedly accept to be using ahrefs and do thorough keyword inquiry and planning. Then you've got to build it brick by brick. Just poking around on Jaaxy isn't going to cutting it.
That'due south why I'k so gung ho about other courses like The Affiliate Lab, Authorisation Hacker, or even Savage Affiliates. They have videos on videos on videos about thorough keyword research.
I Don't Think These Guys Are Actually Doing Affiliate Marketing Anymore
My feeling is that Kyle and Carson are too decorated yachting around the globe with supermodels to continue upwards with their chapter sites, considering the ones they provide are style out of engagement, dead, and not even earning much money at all anymore.
Here are two of the sites Kyle reveals:
- Waystoavoidscamsonline.com
- Howtolosebellyfattoday.com
Let'due south check the scams one first:
OK, 2018. Not likewise bad. Lots of comments too. People love scandals.
Simply man, that design is prehistoric.
Permit's go on to the belly fat i at present (looks down at chocolate donut in shame).
2015? You lot're conducting affiliate grooming based on a site that you oasis't updated since 2015?
Not a skilful look.
Here's a list of things that have happened since Kyle updated this site:
- Brexit
- The Cubs won the world series
- Pokemon Get
- Amazon bought Whole Foods
- Larry Page and Sergey Brin left Google
v years is an eternity in chapter marketing.
Here's some more nutrient for thought. According to study by a large and well-respected ecommerce site, the 3 sites Kyle revealed are currently bringing in an average of 92 visits per month…
Total {1}.
Yep, TOTAL.
I'yard sure these guys are still making money online other than just through Wealthy Chapter, but it's definitely not a skillful look to base of operations your training in 2020 on sites not bringing in any visitors or even being updated in one-half a decade.
Note – Kyle likewise uses an exact match domain: Exact match domains are where your domain name exactly matches a keyword you want to rank for. In this example, it'southward how to lose abdomen fat.
This is a no-no these days…
Google penalized these sites a long time ago. Bank check the results for how to lose belly fat on Google:
He ain't there.
This Jay Neil Guy …
Jay is the training master at WA, and his main site is affiliateresources.org. I'chiliad sure he'south a practiced guy in real life, but business is business concern as they say.
I decided to scope him out, and immediately I noticed some not-also-encouraging signs.
Natura Brasil? The cocky-admitted MLM that now owns Avon, the earth's most infamous MLM? I hope he totally bashes it. Normally I'd expect to encounter "SCAM" in the titles somewhere.
Jay goes on to say that information technology's an OK opportunity to earn some side income, simply he doesn't recommend information technology.
Not actually what I was hoping to see, simply at least he wasn't outright recommending it.
And the content itself wasn't quality either. Not what I desire from a guru.
Does this sound like it was written by an affiliate guru? More like a $x Upwork writer.
One more thing…
Basically, he says in this department that Natura Brasil is an MLM that y'all can't make a full-fourth dimension living with. Then that's at least good – he says kind of the truth. Simply then he goes on to say only the people at the summit of the chain brand a full-time income…
And then he promotes Wealthy Affiliate…which basically does the same affair via its affiliate program.
Actually, wait. Some other affair.
Jay bases a lot of his training/numbers off of Footballsnackhelmets.com.
If you stare at this enchanting brandish of M&Ms and nuts inside of a Dallas Cowboys helmet (how appropriate) long enough, yous'll get a pop up like this:
$9,300 a month? That'due south a lot of dough for this site.
He also hits you with this screenshot inside of his e-mail serial afterward on:
2016, Jay? Showtime of all, this is from February – Super Basin time. Of course people are ownership helmets. What near the rest of the twelvemonth?
viii% commissions? Endeavor 3% in 2020.
Fifty-fifty if this were legit dorsum in 2016, it doesn't agree water these days.
And then please alter it, Jay.
One very respected internet marketing blogger reached out to him for clarification only to be shooed off without an caption and then ignored.
Seems like Jay had a ton of success around Super Basin time in 2016, cashed in on it hard, and hasn't washed much to update things since.
Claims You Can Make $1 1000000 Dollars
This is not kosher with me.
I had to give information technology its own department rather than include it in the outlandish claims section from before.
He gives a bit of training in wealthy affiliate on audience targeting, then claims you could easily make 1 1000000 per year with this training. And only with ONE NICHE.
Making a million dollars is not piece of cake with annihilation, and it's fifty-fifty worse when it's used as advertisement in my opinion. I'd never tell clients "what I'yard going to do could make you $one million dollars".
This is kinda spammy, guys.
Disorganized Material
This one irked me a bit, also. I have high standards for something that costs hundreds of dollars per year.
46 lessons into the training, you get this video:
This is dozens of videos after he teaches you virtually writing content and sets you down the path to writing your 1,000-give-and-take masterpieces.
And so, why did yous wait 45 videos to tell me that I need to program them properly?
Do I now have to dorsum and redo everything?
This should have been included style before.
Let's Meet the Creators a Flake More
Kyle Loudon
Kyle is the brains backside the operation. He's the main trainer and face behind the brand.
From what I can see, he seems similar a skillful guy and I feel similar he genuinely wants to help people.
He clearly had success as an affiliate marketer in the by, because he knows a lot nigh marketing (at least as it used to be).
I also similar the manner he speaks in his videos: Very at-home, nerveless, and clear. Not a lot of wasted words or " ummmm ummmm ummm" s.
Check out this kw research video to become a feel for it.
I already aired my grievances with his sites, and then no need to dig up those bones.
As far every bit I can tell from the forums, he's active in chat and responsive to members. Then it all checks out.
Again, I'm pretty sure Kyle was making good money every bit an affiliate marketer when he started this. Then, it blew up. At present he but keeps his bones grooming videos upward, has Jay do webinars for updating members, and spends his riches at nightclubs in Monaco.
I don't blame him.
Carson Lim
Carson Lim is Kyle'due south partner in Wealthy Affiliate.
He's the design chief and co-founder of the operation.
There's not much info most him, and he isn't nearly as visible as Kyle from what I've seen.
His IG is really active though.
Apparently, he'south big into basketball and travel, and he'southward a dedicated husband and male parent, too. Good job, Carson.
They both seem like pretty legit guys.
Wealthy Affiliate Grooming: What Will You Really Learn Hither?
Lost in all this madness is that Wealthy Affiliate does actually offer training on how to do affiliate marketing, and instead of just telling y'all a agglomeration of scary BS virtually it, I'm going to actually tell you what you'll learn hither and let you make the decision for yourself.
Wealthy Affiliate Free Preparation
Wealthy Affiliate's complimentary Affiliate Bootcamp is a ten-lesson crash course in the basics of chapter marketing.
Theoretically, in one day you tin can get from "what's affiliate marketing?" to "I know enough nearly this to offset building my business".
Yes, the advice is outdated and overly simplistic, but this is meant for complete beginners, so I guess having the very basics is OK.
Hither's a quick glance at what's included.
You'll get grooming on:
- Choosing your direction
- Building your "website"
- Activating plugins
- Keyword enquiry
- Creating content
Wealthy Affiliate Premium
The bootcamp is enough to get your feet wet, but y'all can't make money online with information technology. You're going to have to get Premium.
On a positive note, Premium does cover all of the basics of earning a living as an chapter marketer, including:
- Generating free traffic: Getting your own domain, keyword-rich content, breaking down traffic, using visuals, and lessons on productivity.
- Making money: The basics of affiliate marketing, finding chapter programs, how to leverage product reviews, how to insert Amazon links, and how to capture data.
- Social media: Setting upward accounts, engaging with your audition, how to utilize each platform, posting within WA, and branding.
- Content creation: Overview of the industry, how to get indexed, improving readability, writing within a construction, and goal setting.
So, even if the advice is outdated, you'll yet have a solid base of operations to grow on.
What I Similar About Wealthy Affiliate Premium
There are a few proficient things here:
- All of the bases are covered
- Goal setting and productivity included
- Heavy focus on social media
- Clear and easy-to-digest delivery in videos
What I Don't Like About Wealthy Chapter Premium
There's also enough to not like:
- Outdated advice
- Non in-depth enough
- Walls of text
- Focusing more on theory and mechanics of getting setup rather than tips, overall strategy, or in-depth how-to's.
Wealthy Marketer Affiliate Preparation Bootcamp
"Hmmm, the costless and premium training modules were OK. I assume the ones on promoting WA will be the same also…"
WRONG.
There's so much to learn in promoting the WA affiliate modules than at that place is in the Premium preparation!
This is definitely why so many people remember it's an MLM ( though it technically isn't).
Affiliate Training Bootcamp walks you through:
- WA'south huge dashboard
- Writing readable content
- Keywords and selling to customers
- Taking a pause for some reason
- How to support your site
- How to make your site look and function improve
- Internal linking
- Writing and sharing reviews
- And bonuses
And each of the training videos is better in my opinion than the Premium ones.
I have 1 huge gripe here: Why is internal linking NOT included in other training?
Internal linking, keyword enquiry, backlinks, and content are like the wheels on a car. If you don't take all the wheels on your car, it's not going to go anywhere.
I'grand not sure how they expect you to succeed UNLESS you promote Wealthy Chapter.
Verdict: This module has more than helpful – though still dated information. I just wonder why they don't include some of this stuff in Premium, since they claim you can use that training to make money online.
What Fundamental Points Does Wealthy Affiliate NOT Teach
In my apprehensive opinion, WA misses out on a lot of key points about SEO. A lot of fundamental points that could boost your rankings, grow your business organisation, and earn y'all a lot of coin.
A lot of them have gained steam in the last 5 years, and so perchance that's why they aren't here. As well, back when WA started, y'all didn't demand to tighten all the bolts to continue your business organisation chugging along. Now, you do.
Hither are the key points Wealthy Affiliate DOES NOT teach (but you demand):
- Having an affiliate disclosure (non having this tin can go you in serious legal problem )
- YouTube SEO
- Snippet SEO
- External linking
- Google AdSense
- Nofollow
- Outsourcing content
- Outsourcing SEO tasks
- Outsourcing…EVERYTHING
- Email marketing
- Any of the pop WordPress page builders.
Without this stuff, you're at the very least letting low-hanging fruit slip abroad. And at worst, you lot're dooming your site to neglect.
Over again, that's why most of the courses I recommend embrace all of this in-depth. You've got to practise all the things, people!
To exist fair, a lot of this stuff IS addressed elsewhere on the site (forums, webinars, etc.). Not all of it, only most of it and to varying degrees of proficiency. But this stuff HAS TO Be in the core training or else students won't even know they need to know it.
Wealthy Affiliate Support, Community, and Misc
How is Wealthy Affiliate Back up?
This is a huge plus in my book.
Wealthy Chapter support is fast and convenient, at least in my feel.
Carson and Kyle are bachelor via private messaging, and are usually quick to reply. Aforementioned goes with Jay.
Notice you can contact him privately. I actually like how information technology doesn't feel like some large conglomerate. That's why they have such a ravenous customs.
In that location's likewise a traditional Contact Us page:
Betwixt Carson, Kyle, Jay, and the balance of the staff, plus the community, support gets a B in the ultimate Karl rating system.
The reason it'south not an A is because some of the advice isn't always the all-time, and it even felt a pushy at times. One girl asked how to choose a niche and Kyle responded "a niche can be anything. What are you passionate about?".
How if the Wealthy Affiliate Community?
WA's community is off the hook.
It's an 800,000 + community of members across the globe agile 24/7. Can't really argue with that.
Co-ordinate to the company, the average response time is 1.8 minutes, and there are more than 32,000 community interactions daily. Once again, unsubstantiated but it looks nice.
WA incentivizes people to contribute in the community through its leaderboard:
Yous can more "points" based on:
- Responding to questions
- Asking questions
- Blogging
- Welcome new members to the community (errggggg)
The concluding part is a little bit pyramid scheme-y, but in general I like this idea within communities.
It definitely promotes sharing cognition and helping others make more money/get bug solved faster.
I noticed in their forum that pretty much all major issues or knowledge gaps (not sure why there are so many), go filled really quickly.
The community might exist the best function about WA actually. It gets a Karl rating of B+.
There is one downside to this system though…
Since rankings are determined by interaction, this leads to a ton of spam. WA strictly forbids that, but it seems incommunicable to enforce.
Every bit soon equally I signed up got a bunch of welcome spam from other members trying to up their score. And for some reason preparation videos and webinars have weird comments like "I am watching".
Wealthy Affiliate Success Stories
WA claims to have a ton of proof that its members are earning a ton of coin from its training.
I read through this blog post about it to get a better feel of the whole state of affairs, and it confirmed my suspicions.
Outset, this guy is a well known affiliate making a ton of money off this stuff, so take it with a grain of common salt.
Bated from that, there are a few central issues.
- For one, a lot of the results are not that impressive. There are some good ones for sure, just a agglomeration are like "my first check!" or "1,000 a calendar month, finally!".
- A lot of the success stories are based on promoting WA, not running successful niche sites.
- A lot the success stories feel "cultish". They continually praise the "amazing arrangement" and repeat mantras like "hard work pays off!" and "This changed my life".
To be fair, there are enough of interesting success stories. One caught my middle peculiarly. It was about a student who created ebooks and hustled them out on Facebook groups using well known bloggers every bit affiliates (now THAT'southward some good affiliate marketing).
Even so, a lot of the biggest success stories are pretty outdated.
OK, one last thing. There are a few success stories that are completely unsubstantiated also.
Wealthy Chapter's Reputation
OK, so if you're this far you know that WA's reputation isn't exactly sparkling.
Merely Google it.
Enough of 1-star reviews floating around besides.
On the flip side, there are actually enough of positive signs out there too. Like this v-star rating from TrustPilot:
It seems that the spider web is torn. I faction – by and large professional chapter marketers and SEOs – HATE it with a passion.
The other side – more often than not members of WA – defend it with religious vigor.
So what's the truth?
The truth is somewhere in between. Wealthy Affiliate has helped a lot of people make a lot of money, and their community has helped a lot of newbies ameliorate at marketing and start earning an affiliate income from scratch.
There are just a few main bug everyone has:
-
- It feels kind of like a cult: WA members Beloved WA. Merely non like I honey chocolate donuts, or the Affiliate Lab, or my friends and family. They beloved it like people love a deity. They promote it ruthlessly (because they brand coin from it?), and anyone who says anything bad is often brigaded. That turns a lot of erstwhile heads off.
- Its language is spammy: No other way to put it. All the achieve your dreams, make millions, and find your passion stuff is kind of spammy.
- Its designed to get you to promote itself: Wealthy Affiliate members make a lot of coin from promoting it to others. And from the minute you lot get inside the ecosystem, the company pushes yous that manner. I think they even purposely fail other trainings within the customs to push you toward the "promote WA" grooming.
Why Are There so Many Positive Reviews of Wealthy Chapter Around the Web?
You lot've probably noticed by now that at that place are a ton of people out at that place recommending Wealthy Affiliate. Similar this guy above, Alex Sol.
I wish I could give them the benefit of the doubt – hey, we all make money recommending products – but this is a chip dissimilar in my opinion.
Wealthy Affiliate has entire serial of grooming videos on how to promote their production, pushes promoting their product on you lot, and and then gives a very generous commission if you sign anyone up.
And so it's no surprise that I establish this profile on WA afterwards looking this guy up:
He promotes WA difficult even inside their own forum. "They didn't promise me millions"? Actually, they did exactly that in the PPC training, only I estimate he didn't get that far.
I'm not trying to pick on this guy. I just think it's a prime example of why you demand to accept Wealthy Affiliate reviews with a grain of salt. Actually, you should take all reviews with a grain of table salt.
**looks self in mirror**
There are a lot of people out there who are heavily incentivized to recommend WA, and fifty-fifty conditioned from the get get to push information technology hard.
I take pride in honestly reviewing products that I love, and retrieve volition bring value to the customs. If I don't like something, I'g honest about it.
On the flip side, there are a lot of people making money from WA, and the community is gigantic, active, and helpful, so I'm not surprised a lot of people similar information technology.
Just trying to see both sides here.
The Community Might Make information technology Worth the Price for Some People
Wealthy Chapter'southward forum is thriving.
Mail a question, and you'll accept an answer inside minutes.
Not all the communication is sound in my opinion, simply knowing that help is merely an ask away is great for newbies in this business organisation. I wish I'd had that when I started.
I'm sure a lot of people are linking to each other and sharing each other'south content on social media, too. Again, nix incorrect with that. Information technology's a keen hack for accelerating a site/business organization' growth, specially in the early stages.
If you know affiliate marketing, you won't get much value. Most of the people in the customs are behind the times. Simply if you're new and demand some grooming wheels and hand property (I don't hateful that be condescending), I actually similar the forum.
It might be worth the cost alone. Might exist…
Wealthy Affiliate is Simply for Some Types of People
After going through the training and spending time on the forum, I personally think WA is simply for two types of people:
- The "what-the-hell-is-chapter-marketing people": If you are so new that you lot won't fifty-fifty know where else or how to get assistance, there'south nothing wrong with poking around WA and getting some free basic knowledge and help from the forum. That will set you in the correct direction.
- People who intendance more than nearly community than cognition: There are a lot better courses out there than WA, just at that place aren't many better communities (except one – more on that below). If yous desire just some basic affiliate marketing preparation with the aid of a large and thriving community behind you, give WA a effort.
Endmost Thoughts – Is Wealthy Affiliate Worth it? Can You Brand Money With it?
Is WA worth it? Can you make money?
Yes…but no…just yes…kind of.
This is a very complicated question with a long-winded answer. I warned yous.
Hither's my stance…
Wealthy Chapter is not a scam . They practise offer basic affiliate marketing training and back up. If you want to learn the basics, and desire to encounter others doing the same so y'all tin can support each other and be function of a thriving community, at that place'southward aught incorrect with WA. Simply don't wait to get high-level grooming. In fact, you should await to have to larn a lot on your own and to be funneled into promoting the product rather than your ain site.
Yet, I don't think you lot tin can make a practiced living with Wealthy Affiliate UNLESS you promote WA itself and brand your living via enrolling new members. The information is outdated, and some of the communication is outright detrimental to a website in the long-term. There's expert stuff there for sure, but there's a lot that doesn't sit correct with me – the misleading marketing, the bad SEO communication, and the smell of a pyramid scheme are too much for my taste.
If you're OK with the basics, sign upwardly and give information technology a endeavour. If you're serious about making coin online with real chapter training, and then yous need a consummate affiliate marketing course that teaches you every from the ground up or else you lot might equally well quit now.
And the only 1 I recommend is…
Matt Diggity's Chapter Lab – The Best Affiliate Marketing Grade in 2022
Wealthy Affiliate preaches almost following your passion and making a little niche site.
The Lab teaches you lot to find lucrative niches, grow a brandable asset, scale information technology fast, and flip information technology for six figures. And it does it all brick-by-brick in patently English with piece of cake-to-follow tutorials.
WA generally teaches surface-level stuff similar "write 1,000 discussion articles" or "assist your reader".
The Lab teaches like this:
- This is how you determine optimal word count, create the all-time piece of content on the topic, and accept over a top 3 spot
- This is how yous do keyword research that works in mod SEO, and construction the optimal way for Google to rank you
- Build exactly these types of links at this stage and in this quantity. Later on yous've done that, move along and exercise this
See what I mean? Hither's the biggest difference I see.
Wealthy Affiliate teaches you the basic theory and structure of chapter marketing as it was in 2013, and so plugs you lot into their community so you can grow on your own.
Matt Diggity gives yous an exact, step-by-step blueprint for selecting a niche, growing a site, and flipping it for a nice exit. And unlike WA, Matt's grade is based on modernistic information. You know, similar the way Google actually operates today. Half the stuff WA teaches is outdated, and some of it might even get you a Google penalization or in trouble with the FTC!
Let me run you through Matt's grade real quick so you can see the difference.
What is the Chapter Lab?
The Affiliate Lab is a pattern for edifice, ranking, scaling, and flipping websites in lucrative niches for 30 -35x its monthly profit, and it's all based on data from hundreds of tests conducted in Matt's evil SEO laboratory.
Topics include content, keyword inquiry, on-page SEO, link edifice, social media, and monetization merely to proper name a few. And it even comes with its own thriving community of successful entrepreneurs. So you get the same customs benefits of WA plus real SEO knowledge for 2020.
Why I Adopt The Affiliate Lab to Wealthy Affiliate
Let me give you the 10,000-pes reason first, then intermission downwardly a flake more than. The Lab has more than in-depth, actionable advice and it's all based on information rather than just surface level stuff like WA. WA basically says "detect your passion -> build a site -> assistance your audience -> $$". That'due south not going to cut information technology. That, and WA is based on affiliate marketing in prehistory, not modern times.
Here are a few key differences:
- Matt and Jay are continuously running tests to run across what'south really working and they're feeding this info to their community. WA hasn't been updated in years.
- The Lab is a pace-by-step pattern. WA is just a birds eye view of strategy.
- 2020 SEO vs 2013 SEO. Nuff' said.
- Matt and Jay are still doing affiliate marketing and continuously show real reports. Kyle's sites are from 2015…
- Matt doesn't push you to promote his class to friends and family unit.
- There aren't any gaps in the Chapter Lab. Information technology literally has everything. WA students need to read dozens of blog posts or view webinars to fill in knowledge gaps. This is purposely done to keep you within the subscription system and push yous to an easier way to make money: Promoting WA!
What's Included in The Lab?
The Affiliate Lab covers everything WA affiliate covers plus a ton that WA isn't even aware of in 2020.
Things like:
- Content creation: Not merely writing to help your audience, just how to really plan, structure, outline, and even outsource your content then yous tin write neat articles besides as scale speedily.
- Keyword research: Matt and his business partner Jay are skilful at kw research. Their module on the recursive kw project is fantabulous. They don't just teach you lot how to practise it, they testify you. Jay literally does it for a new niche while y'all watch over his shoulder, and so can echo the same steps on your niche site besides.
- On-page: WA neglects this almost entirely. The Lab walks you through site speed, search intent, URL hacks, and a ton of other important tips for making sure your site appeals to Google and readers.
- Link building: WA says yous don't even demand links. Not true. Matt shows you how to build existent, natural links in the optimal way so you grow faster without risking a penalty.
- Bonuses: Y'all'll get templates, access to the community, a mastermind invite, how to negotiate with buyers, and fifty-fifty a cool video on stealing snippets (non mentioned in WA).
If yous're serious almost growing a niche site, The Affiliate Lab is the #1 form I recommend.
Wealthy Affiliate F.A.Q
Q: Is Wealthy Affiliate legit?
A: Aye, Wealthy Chapter is legit. Kind of. They do offering basic training and a helpful customs, but the training is outdated. It exists generally to get you to promote the community to others.
Q: Can you really make money with Wealthy Affiliate?
A: Yes, y'all tin can make coin with Wealthy Affiliate, just don't await to brand a lot of money unless you promote WA to others. Most of the success stories are from students who earn a lot of money in commissions from enrolling other members.
Q: Who owns Wealthy Affiliate?
A: Kyle Loudon and Caron Lim own Wealthy Affiliate.
Q: Is Wealthy Affiliate a beginner programme?
A: Yep, Wealthy Affiliate is 100% for beginners and beginners just. Don't listen to what their home page says. It's not for every type of marketer. They only teach the accented nuts unless you get a Premium members. And then they only teach you lot some outdated SEO techniques that might nonetheless work but probably won't.
Source: https://www.dreamgrow.com/wealthy-affiliate-review/
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