It's easy to get caught up in the "does it work?" question.

Does affiliate marketing really work?

As a new online business owner, regardless of how long you've been a member here at Wealthy Affiliate, if you haven't made any money with your website yet, it can seem like the whole thing is a sham.

At the very least, it can seem like YOU will never see success with affiliate marketing.

It can be frustrating, demoralizing, and make you want to quit. I've been there!

Making money online is not limited to affiliate websites

I've written about this before, in my post titled How Much Are Your Online Business Skills Worth? but I had a shocking reminder today of how much money you can make online even if your affiliate affiliate site bombs and you never make a dime with affiliate commissions (which is highly unlikely if you follow the training at WA).

What's the story?

So I placed a job on UpWork for an email copywriter. I needed a 5-email sequence written for me for a series of products I want to promote.

I don't fully understand the mechanics of the products, so I want a professional writer, who has experience in the industry (or has the time to research it) to write the sequence for me.

Here are the five applicants after one day:

Notice that they are bidding $50 - $150 per hour to WRITE EMAILS.

Can you write an email?

Do you know how email marketing works? (webinar)

Can you write emails that convert? (webinar)

If you're paying attention at WA, YES YOU CAN.

That means you have the potential to earn $50-$150 per hour writing emails online.

More Than Just Writing Emails

There's so much more that you are learning here in WA that will allow you to contribute to the online business world in a meaningful way.

• you can build a WordPress website
  
• you can install custom plugins and themes
  
• you can manage hosting (you've got 25 spots on your WA account)
  
• you can install SSL certificates and speed-optimize websites
  
• you can write SEO optimized articles
  
• you can do SEO audits
  
• you can research low competition keywords
  
• you can develop a 12-month affiliate site business plan
  

What else can you think of that could be a marketable skill?

At the end of the day, the stuff you're learning inside Wealthy Affiliate has real-world applications that people will pay good money for.

Like any business, skill, or hobby, it's going to take time and practice to get good at it. The good news is that you can learn and practice these skills at home, sitting at a computer, any time of the day you want.

You don't need to go to a training center 30 minutes away. You don't have to pay $800 per semester for a single glass and listen to a teacher for 90 minutes. You can start or stop any time you want. You even have fellow classmates and experts to consult for advice.

The price of a WA yearly membership is $359. Let's say you master copywriting, and start charging $100 per hour to write sales copy. That means you only have to work four hours to turn a profit from what you learn here at Wealthy Affiliate.

Of course, I still prefer affiliate sales because it's much more passive, but the option to do freelance work out there.