Is Wealthy Affiliate for real?
Or is Wealthy Affiliate just another scam?
To try and answer that question, I can run you through what Wealthy Affiliate is about, and what they do, so you can decide for yourself if Wealthy Affiliate is for real or not.
In the end, the only way you can see for yourself is to join as a free member.
This way you'll get instant access to the affiliate marketing training and community.
But if you have any questions, be sure to leave you comments below and I'll always get back to you.
What we'll cover in this post:
- What is Wealthy Affiliate is about (and what it isn't)
- Is Wealthy Affiliate for real? Let's ask the members…
- The Wealthy Affiliate complaints
- Free Starter Membership – What's the catch?
What is Wealthy Affiliate is about (and what it isn't)
In a nutshell:
Wealthy Affiliate is an all-in-one online business centre with over 800,000 members building very successful affiliate website businesses for themselves.
Founded by Kyle and Carson, two experienced affiliate marketers in 2005, they teach you how to make real money online through (in my opinion) in the best affiliate marketing training course for beginners. I think the fact they've been around for 12 years also says a lot.
Wealthy Affiliate is about education, community and state-of-the-art business building tools. Let's look at each in turn…
The Wealthy Affiliate training
Wealthy Affiliate's ethos is that education is the biggest key to success when it comes to online entrepreneurship.
Way more than theory, the 7 phases of interactive training come with detailed step-by-step video training and assigned tasks.
The training is put together specifically with beginners in mind and is structured in such as a way as to build layer upon layer of solid online business knowledge.
You could be a total newbie and still be successful if you consume the information and build your online business as you go through the course.
The affiliate marketing business concepts and strategies you learn at Wealthy Affiliate are solid and well established. Watch this 1 minute video to get a general overview:
The best part?
You can choose what you want your website to be about. So if you're a stamp collecting enthusiast or a travel junkie, you can start a website and write about that.
By following the techniques Wealthy Affiliate teaches you'll become a master of attracting targeted visitors to your site and start to earn a steady and growing income.
This is how you make money with Wealthy Affiliate and it's a simple 4 step process that looks like this:
I say anything more about the training here, for more details you're free to check out my full and 4,880 word Wealthy Affiliate review.
The important thing is: what they teach works. I've been a member for 3 years and my life has changed dramatically as a result (this is not an overstatement). Hundreds of members have achieved financial freedom by implementing the training.
Don't take my word for it, read the Wealthy Affiliate success stories here, including my own personal story after 3 years of being a member.
The Wealthy Affiliate community
More than just training, Wealthy Affiliate is an online community of like-minded entrepreneurs all helping one another to succeed.
As soon as you land inside the member's area you'll see it's a very interactive and friendly place full of people more than happy to help you out on your learning to make money online journey.
There's live chat, classrooms, comment areas, question and answers, direct messaging – basically lots of way to get support, help and advice when you need it.
The Wealthy Affiliate business building tools
There are so many tools inside the member's area meaning everything you need is in one place.
If you decide to upgrade to the Premium membership, you'll never need to look elsewhere for any other programs or training again.
Even with the free account you get two free websites, along with free hosting and domains that can apply the things you're learning with.
You're going to get instant access to keyword research tool, easy and fast website buildersand 24/7 support.
As I say, this is just a really quick runthrough and there's so much more I haven't covered.
I guess what I'm trying to say is this: when people ask me “Is Wealthy Affiliate for real?” I say of course it is.
It's up to you take the training and make something out of it. I know of members who are earnings thousands of dollars a month running websites about weightlifting, keeping pet parrots and cookware sets.
Some of these are micro-niche Amazon affiliate websites, others are bigger authority sites. The same traffic generation techniques and monetisation methods apply for both.
The training, the community support and the business-building tools at Wealthy Affiliate are for real. And real people are getting results. Read 7 real & inspiring Wealthy Affiliate success stories here.
What Wealthy Affiliate is NOT
If you decide to join Wealthy Affiliate today, I want to make sure you have the right expectations going into it, because Wealthy Affiliate isn't for everyone.
You don't start making money just because you've set up your Wealthy Affiliate account.
Wealthy Affiliate is not a passive money making system.
It's not a Google-busting online profit generating machine.
Trust me:
I'd be the first to put my name down for a single push-of-a-button system that automatically generated $$$$'s a day while I sat around in my pyjamas watching Netflix and eating Cornflakes all day – but they simply don't exist.
Anybody that tells you they do is trying to sell you something.
Online scammers who promote programs like these know how to press your buttons to get you to press ‘the button‘ and hand over your credit card details.
Wealthy Affiliate is like teaching a man to fish and giving him a fishing rod, a boat, nets and hooks so he can go out and do it.
The man doesn't wake up in the morning with fish in his nets. He has to remember what he learned, take the tools given to him, get into his new boat and actually get out onto the water!
Is Wealthy Affiliate the real deal in that by applying what they teach you and using the tools they give you you make lots of money online? Yes absolutely. 100%.
[alert-note]“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.“
– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe[/alert-note]
Is Wealthy Affiliate for real? Let's ask the members…
“Is Wealthy Affiliate a scam? If you're looking to get rich quick then yes Wealthy Affiliate is a scam …….
If you're willing to work hard on your website, learn with the exceptional training and get involved with the wonderful community then no Wealthy Affiliate is not a scam!
If you are just now signing up with WA then get involved, Have a real good look around and you will see that this is absolutely the best place to be to learn how to generate a legit income online.
The reason that some feel that WA is a scam is because they sign up and don't show up – It is easy to sign up and to not do anything then to make themselves feel better they simply say that it's a scam.“
“One year ago, this same time I was searching all over Google.. “Is wealthy affiliate a scam”..yes, I was skeptical.. we all do that, it's one of our common tendency to doubt opportunities even before trying it out.
Words cannot express the gratitude I feel for this amazing community for what it has given to me.
I borrowed one year fee from my father last year and this year I have already paid it back and resubmitting would only take a month's earning of mine that too with a lot to spare.“
– Hari S Nair @ Wealthy Affiliate
“If you’re wondering if Wealthy Affiliate is a scam, I can tell you it’s certainly far, far from it.
I’ve been a member of the community for about 3 years. I started a COMPLETE newbie, but took the training and built my own online business.
The amazing part is that unlike every other “make money online” program out there, WA actually includes everything you need to create a business online – from the support, help, training, tools AND web hosting!
There’s no upsells or hidden costs, period.”
– Wendy @ SurvivingAfterCollege.com
“With every new business opportunity online you have to assess the risk verses the reward. Wealthy Affiliate is no different.
So whats the risk of joining Wealthy Affiliate?
Well at the moment – it’s a big fat zero – why – because its free.
What’s the reward, ummm financial independence, freedom to do what you want, when you want, to become your own boss, to live the life of your dreams.“
The Wealthy Affiliate complaints
There are so many positive Wealthy Affiliate reviews and Wealthy Affiliate success stories online, that in the interests of fairness I wanted to share with you some of the complaints about Wealthy Affiliate.
There's a small corner of the web that thinks Kyle & Carson teach members to write negative reviews about other make money online programs so they can promote Wealthy Affiliate and make money.
This is not true.
But I think I know why people think this…
I've already shown you how you can learn to set up a website based around any topic or niche and learn how to make money from it and this is exactly what you learn in the 5 phases of the Online Certification course (recommended).
But for many starting out, they struggle to think about what topic to start a blog and write about so they naturally divert to the Wealthy Affiliate Bootcamp training where they learn how to start a make money online niche website.
Some members launch their websites and start writing reviews on other work from home programs just as you would with any affiliate website. I have a language learning website where I write review on online language courses. There's nothing wrong with that.
However, when you're writing reviews you should always give a fair and balanced opinion based on the facts, data and your own personal experience. That's exactly what I do.
But sometimes inexperienced members will automatically write negtive reviews about every other program except Wealthy Affiliate. This is not what Wealthy Affiliate teaches at all but it's true that some members do that unfortunately.
My advice?
When you start the online training and get to the point where you choose the topic you're going to build a website about, don't pick the make money online niche.
It's very crowded, very competitive and full of internet marketers who have been building niche websites for years.
Instead, choose a passion or interest you have, a hobby you enjoy in your spare time or a subject you're particularly knowledgeable in.
Virtual reality games, camera drone photography, men's footwear, bodybuilding at home… it could be anything with related products you can promote.
Do it this way and you'll start seeing results and making money a lot quicker.
This website wasn't the first one I built. How can I help you learn how to make money online if I haven't done it myself? It was only after building 2 very successful and profitable affiliate niche websites and was already earning $6,000+ a month that I decided to start showing others how to do the same.
Free Starter Membership – What's the catch?
You can join Wealthy Affiliate, get instant access to the first phase of the Online Certification course as a free Starter member.
All you need is your name and email address and you're in!
You'll be able to interact with the helpful Wealthy Affiliate community, start your make money online training and have access to the SiteRubix website building platform where you can built two affiliate websites of your very own and start making money.
That's pretty awesome!
I know lots of Starter members who have built thriving businesses for themselves using the free membership alone.
So where's the catch? Well, there is none, you can stay a Starter member indefinitely if you like. Though, many members choose to upgrade to a Premium membership.
There are quite a few differences between the Starter and Premium memberships but the main thing about upgrading is you get access to 6 more phases of training (10 lessons in each), you can host up to 50 website inside Wealthy Affiliate.
Premium is $49 a month, though there's a Wealthy Affiliate discount if you upgrade within 7 days. It's completely your choice and there's never any pressure on you to go to Premium, but it's a good option when you're ready to take it up a notch.
I upgraded after 3-4 days and I've been a Premium member for over 3 years now and I never plan on leaving! 🙂
After a year at Wealthy Affiliate I was already earning more money online than I was at the office job so I finally quit and moved from the UK to Thailand where I live and work as a volunteer working in children's homes and slums.
In the last 3 years I've built up a portfolio of affiliate website businesses that earn me over $6,000 a month all because I listened to the training, worked hard and refused to give up.
Is Wealthy Affiliate for real?
I can tell you from personal experience that it is!
But you know what? You don't even have to believe me! Test drive Wealthy Affiliate for yourself, create your profile, introduce yourself to the community and immerse yourself in the training – it could be the best thing you've ever done.
Do you have any experience with Wealthy Affiliate? I'd love to hear from you! If you have any questions at all about getting started, send me your comments below and I'll be more than happy to help you anyway I can.
To your online success!
Simon Crowe is on a mission to help as many people as possible kiss their bosses goodbye.
Take the free Wealthy Affiliate test drive to discover how to smash your online income goals and make your dream business a reality.
Thanks for sharing about Wealthy Affiliate. Nowadays there are many fake sites conveying about quick earnings, and many of us get trapped. Here you have shared a genuine program which can be considered and appreciated.
Just checked this Wealthy Affiliate site and looks good.
you recommend starting with the Certification course and not the Affiliate Bootcamp, but looks like that Bootcamp has 2 more Levels.
Is Bootcamp more difficult?
BTW, happy to read a review about a site that teaches how to make money online and tell the readers they’ll have to work hard. No easy money overnight.
Hey Carlos,
Yes there are 5 phases in the Online Certification Course and 7 phases in the Wealthy Affiliate Bootcamp training. Bootcampt startes with the premis you’e already got your website up and running so you’ll want to start with the Certification course first.
Yeah to me it’s important I say it is for anyone thinking about the Wealthy Affiliate opportunity as a route to earning money online that they have the right expectations going into it, not only so you can make an informed decision whether this is right for you or not, but you’re more likely to stick it out and make something of it if you’re realistic and know what you’re getting into.
Thanks Carlos, if there’s any other questions just let me know and I’ll try and answer best I can!
Simon
I would be the first one to testify that Wealthy Affiliate is for real. I have been a member for a while and I have seen the system and the community grow and improve all the time. Wealthy Affiliate has been around for 12 years and has over 800.000 members. No other internet training site can equal this. I would say that for someone starting out, Wealthy Affiliate is the best internet training platform available.
Thanks for sharing Jojo! It’s true – they’re always innovating and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. 2017 has seen so many huge leaps forward in terms of user experience, website building tools and interaction already and it’s only getting better all the time.
Hi Simon,
You say that you earned money after a year and you worked hard to achieve your goals. But I do not have much time to spend because of my job. I think that my free time is 2-3 hours per day. How many hours should I work per day when I am a beginner?
You have to work around your timetable right? Most of us have other responsibiltiies we can’t just switch off.
If you can put 2-3 hours a day into your goal of working from home I think that’s fantastic and after 12 months you will definitely be in a much better position financially.
If I were you, use your job as motivation, everytime you have to leave the house and go to an office you don’t want to be in, let it fuel your goals and drive you to action. That’s what I did with the call centre jobs.
I hope to hear about your success story 12 months from now! Let me know and I’ll be happy to help in any way. All the best!
Thanks Simon – I am still learning about affiliate marketing and this is really helpful. To be honest I’ve read only good things about Wealthy Affiliate in the research I have done so far so I found your ‘What Wealthy Affiliate is NOT’ section really helpful.
The main thing I take away from this is to pick something you are interested in or knowledgeable about rather than just think about making money, is that right?
If Wealthy Affiliate are prepared to offer a free starter membership then they must be confident in what they are doing – that is what makes me think it is worth a try at least as I have nothing to lose.
Hey Steve,
Ideally you’d pick a niche website topic that you’re both interested in and that’s profitable. Failing that, yes, pick a niche you’re passionate about because you’re going to be coming up with content about this and you’re essentially going to be the driving force behind growing and building your internet business.
Yes I like that too, in fact it’s the reason I joined. I thought “Well I might as well give it a try” and now I’m hooked 🙂
All the best to you!
Hello Simon,
First of all thank you for your detailed article here and overview of the Wealthy Affiliate program. In the past I have also fallen for some scams and I must admit I was very gullible. The promises of fast cash and easy money are very tempting for most and it took me a long time to realize there are no shortcuts, only common-sense business approaches.
I read your story and a few other ages on your website and watched the other videos and after listening to their Wealthy Affiliate success stories I am ready to give it a try. I joined your free email course (which is awesome by the way) and I already picked my niche! Signing up to Wealthy Affiliate tonight because I am ready to jump in and make it happen. I understand that building a business will require time and effort but and I’m ready to invest as much time and effort as possible.
Thank you for helping me make this decision. Gaurav
I am really happy you enjoyed the success stories and reviews Gaurav and feel confident enough to take this step.
As you mentioned, success does in fact require a lot of work and patience since it doesn’t come overnight. I am happy you’re willing to work hard to achieve it. See you inside WA, don’t forget to pass by my profile to say hi ?
Simon
I just Want to say you “Thank You”.
Wealthy Affiliate sounds like good training to get if you want to start your own online business. There are so many scams out there but Wealthy Affiliate looks to be a solid place to get a full training package.
What is your favorite part of the training?
Is It hard to build a website if you have no experience?
Thanks,
Mitch
Hey Mitch, it’s the real deal! 🙂
My favourite part of the training is IT WORKS! I’ve seen the results first hand and so have hundreds, if not thousands of other members. In fact, I recently put together 7 inspiring Wealthy Affiliate success stories where I share my own personal and honest experience with Wealthy Affiliate and the impact it’s had on my life.
What they’re teaching is a sound business model and the interactive lessons, live weekly webinars with Q&A, live chat and other comments areas all make it a very interactive learning environment.
But if I had to pick one thing about the training that stands out for me, it’s the fact you put into practice what you’re learning as you go through the course. I don’t know about you but that’s how I learn the best. Obviously my first website was a steep learning curve but my 2nd, 3rd and 4th websites were a lot quicker and easier because I had already done it once.
So don’t worry – everything is laid out for you in a very simple and easy to understand way. The training courses are ideal for absolute beginners so you’ll be in good company. I also find the community is a healthy mix of total newbies and more experienced marketers so you can get the answers you need when you need them.
Of course, if you have any issues or things you’re unsure of at any point, be sure to let me know and I’ll do anythig I can to help you!
To your online success!
Simon
Simon, this is a great review of Wealthy Affiliate, I’m always skeptical about these types of programs because there are so many scammers out there. However, in this review you listed some of the success stories and some of the complaints. So is there anything that you dislike about the Wealthy Affiliate program?
It’s true and I don’t blame anyone for going into Wealthy Affiliate at least a little bit cautious, I know I did. I think that’s why they give you the free Starter options so you can see everything the training program and community have to offer, it’s full transparency.
What do I dislike about Wealthy Affiliate? Erm I guess I dislike it when some members write unfair reviews about other affiliate marketing training programs. But honestly, I don’t know if they’re unfair or not. I would hope when anyone is writing reviews or even generally as a blogger – always be honest and fair, write from your own experiences. Definitely don’t put another product down to make more money promoting Wealthy Affiliate. If it’s good, say it’s good.
I love the fact Wealthy Affiliate are always improving and innovating. 2017 has seen some awesome developments so far in regards to SIteSpeed and SSL. There’s a lot more on the way. and tomorrow they’re releasing a revamp of both the Online Certification courses and Bootcamp courses.
Hope this answers your question! Wishing you every success.