My Personal Experience and Review of Wealthy Affiliate 2023

Hi, my name is Jonathan. I am so glad that you stumbled upon my review. I have been a member of Wealthy Affiliate for seven years and counting. I am going to fill you in on all the details of the program. 

What it is all about, is it a scam, is it legit? You name it, I am going to go over it. All the positive, negative reviews, complaints, everything. 

What is Wealthy Affiliate, And What is it Not?

You may have been searching for ways to make money online. I was in your shoes once, many years ago. There is A LOT of people making a living online. You can be one of them too. Why not? All you need is the training to do it. 

That’s what Wealthy Affiliate provides; the training. There is in depth training on how to make money online. It is a step by step program, designed to take you by the hand to help you start an online business. 

Completing a course at Wealthy Affiliate will make you proficient in the art of making money online. The method that WA teaches for generating revenue online is blogging and affiliate marketing. In a nutshell, affiliate marketing is when you earn commissions off of helping other companies generate sales. All kinds of companies such as Walmart, Amazon, or Best Buy to name a few. Then you implement this method of monetization into your blog, or website.

What Wealthy Affiliate is NOT?

Wealthy Affiliate is not a get rich quick scheme. Do not join if you are looking to get rich quick, or make thousands over night, or even in your first month. If fact, it is safe to say any program or person that tells you this is a scam

images showing if a program online promises you riches it is probably a scam

Stuff like that just does not exist online. Don’t waste your time on even looking. It just doesn’t. Making money online is just like owning a business. It may not be profitable your first year, and it will take a lot of time investment. 

Do something now, that you will be happy with later. That is the definition of wisdom. Building a business now for your future, is the idea you want to adopt. You can keep chasing dreams, or you can build your success. 

As with any business, you will need to put in the work. No one is going to do it for you. Unless you pay them too of course. You will spend countless hours on building your business. You will need to invest into it along the way to help it grow. 

How Do I Know That Wealthy Affiliate is Not a Scam?

The reason I know that WA is not a scam is simply because it offers a free Starter Membership. For the life of me, I cannot understand why all companies out there just don’t offer a free version of their product. 

How can anyone feel comfortable spending $10s, $100s, even $1,000s without even seeing what they are buying. That is one of the big problems with all of the other companies out there. 

Making money online is not a secret potion. If they are hiding details of the program, stay away!

With Wealthy Affiliate, you can spend as long as you want exploring the platform, and really see what they have to offer before you even decide to spend a dime. 

Jump ahead, and start your free Starter Membership here.

You do have to enter your email address to gain access to the system. If you are worried about spam, I could put you at ease about that. On your member’s dashboard, you go into settings, and customize what emails you receive from WA. 

You really are not taking any risks, and because of this I know this system is not a scam, and can bring you success. I am sure you are familiar with Warren Buffett, the world’s most successful stock market investor. He says, the trick is to minimize or eliminate risks. That is how you aim for success. I agree. 

Who is Wealthy Affiliate For?

WA is for someone who wants to learn how to build a business from scratch. You do not need any tech knowledge or experience. Kyle, WA’s co-owner and lead trainer, literally walks you through setting up the foundation of your website step by step. 

He actually does this within the free Starter Membership. You really have nothing to lose. 

I know you want to make money online, but you have got to have a mindshift. It looks too easy watching others do it, and so many people are misleading you just to get you into their program. 

illusion of success is like the tip of an iceberg, no one sees all the hard work that is needed.

I too, would love it if you join Wealthy Affiliate because I will earn a commission off of it, but it is not the reason I want you to join. I want you to gain all the information necessary through this review so that you can make an informed and wise decision on your own. 

It’s kind of like when you watch a movie, or try a product you just purchased, or one that you have owned for many years. If you love the product, you will recommend it to others. Most times, you recommend it for free. How great would it be if you earn a commission for it. 

If you want to learn what it takes to make money online, and build a business that will generate a full time income in the long run, then Wealthy Affiliate is for you. 

You almost have to want it as a career choice. Once you reach a full time income, you just keep going and growing. You can then outsource your responsibilities, freeing up more of your time. 

This would be a business that you can operate from the comfort of your own home. Most internet marketers do. Really, anywhere that has an internet connection. You can do this all the way up to retirement, and even sell your businesses after that. 

I have seen websites sell for $100s of thousands of dollars. 

My Biggest Take-aways from Wealthy Affiliate

1. What I love the most about Wealthy Affiliate is that it is a community of internet marketers. There is so much positive vibes going through the community, and coming from the trainers. 

2. You get trained from veterans in this field. People who are already achieving the success you are aiming for. There are live video trainings going on a few times during the week. 

images of video clips from live training at Wealthy Affiliate

The people hosting them are Wealthy Affiliate’s own members. Most of them started with little to no knowledge of making money online, and are now experts in this field. They teach things that you need to know such as SEO, Niche Marketing, Keyword Research, etc. 

3. The Keyword Research tool is included in the Premium Membership. I love that! That is $20-$100 per month that you can save on your business. 

4. The website hosting is superior. Not only can you trust that your website will be up and running 99% of the time, any time you need support or have an issue with your website, Site Support is there to assist you immediately. 

I have had my website with them for so many years, and they have yet to fail me. 

5. I also like that they have an online writing platform to write your content right there on the platform. I used to use Google Docs, but it is so convenient with their Site Content platform. 

You simply write you content, then publish it right to your website. It’s pretty seamless. Speaking of that, everything you need to operate your business is all in one place. I like that a lot! 

Without Wealthy Affiliate, you would be going to a place like Bluehost for hosting. You would probably use a word processor to write your content. Then going to WordPress to publish your content. Then you would need to subscribe somewhere that offers a keyword tool. 

It’s good to have everything in one place. Easier on your mind, and you can set your mind on other things, like your business.

The Training, Tools, & Support at Wealthy Affiliate

In the next few subsections I am going to go over all the material at Wealthy Affiliate, so that you can make an educated decision on your next steps. This will included the training, the writing tool, the keyword research tool, the comment engagement tool, and the support. 

Here are the training courses offered at Wealthy Affilaite: 

  • Online Entrepreneur Certification – 5 Courses, 50 Lessons
  • Affiliate Bootcamp – 7 Courses, 70 Lessons
screenshot of Levels 1-3 Entrepreneur Certification Training at Wealthy Affiliate
Levels 4-5 of the Entrepreneur Certification Training at Wealthy Affiliate
screenshot of Levels 1-3 of the Affiliate Bootcamp training at Wealthy Affiliate
screenshot of Levels 4-7 of the Affiliate Bootcamp training at Wealthy Affiliate

The free version, or the free Starter Membership at Wealthy Affiliate includes Course 1 of both courses. Within Course 1, you will build your online business foundation, and learn what it really takes to make money online. 

Each lesson in the courses will include a few tasks to perform to make sure you understand each lesson and give you the chance to apply what you have learned. The lessons are both text and videos. Kyle, co-owner and lead trainer at Wealthy Affiliate, hosts all of the video training in these courses. 

Training HQ & Live Classes

In Training HQ, you will find tons of training. From the owners, other experts, whom are also community members, all have contributed to the training available. You choose one of the categories, or type in the search field what you are looking to hone your skills on, and more than likely, there’s is a bunch of training on it. 

Check out this image, where I typed in “Youtube Marketing”, in the search field. Loads of training are available on the topic. Whether you are looking to learn something new, or sharpen your skills, there is a lot of value here. 

screenshot of Training HQ at Wealthy Affiliate

Remember there are 100s thousands of members at Wealthy Affiliate. We are all experts in a sense. That is if you are learning and practicing your business. If you learn how to do something effectively, such as Facebook Marketing, you could go in and create some training on it, to share with others. Pretty cool right!?

Live Classes

This is my favorite part about WA. Every week, new live training is being posted from one of our experts in on the platform. These classes are so helpful, because as you grow into an effective internet marketer, you keep learning new things, and wanting to sharpen your skills. 

Some of these experts have over a decade of experience. You are essentially looking over their shoulder in how they do things. As you can imagine, this can help you tremendously. 

You don’t have to do this alone. There is so much help. People who care, and willing to help. After each live class, they have a live Q&A, which you can submit your questions too. 

Here is a screenshot of my most recent Viewing History at Wealthy Affiliate:

screenshot of live video classes at Wealthy Affiliate

I watch them during my leisure time, and they can be so informational. That’s another great thing. If you miss the live class, they always have the replay for you to go and watch it when it’s most convenient for you. 

Wealthy Affiliate’s AMAZING Keyword Tool

Wealthy Affiliate has a keyword tool called Jaaxy. You can actually get Jaaxy as a product alone, but it is included with each of the memberships at Wealthy Affiliate. 

The free starter Membership at Wealthy Affiliate includes Jaaxy Starter, which gives you 30 monthly searches for free. This is yet an another amazing product created by the owners of Wealthy Affiliate. which includes a free version. 

I think the owners, Kyle and Carson, just get it. Like they really know, how hard it is out here on the internet. Trying to find a reputable, and legit business that we can invest into to achieve our goals. They offer a free version to their products. 

I don’t know of anywhere else in the market that offers that. If you happen to know of another place that does this, please let me know in the comments. I would love to check it out. Maybe even create a review on it. 🙂

The Premium Membership includes Jaaxy Lite, which has unlimited keyword searches. This is truly a winner in my book. You will need a good keyword tool such as this in your tool box. 

I tried one once, which was Google Planner, but boy was it complicated, and it didn’t quite give me the metrics I was looking for. It is free to use, so I didn’t lose anything by trying it. 

I did a whole review on Jaaxy a while back, you can check out if you want to take a closer look. 

screenshot of Jaaxy Keyword Tool at Wealthy Affiliate
There is a method for searching and choosing the right keyword phrases that you will target, which will enable you to rank, drive traffic, and generate revenue. You can learn how to use this tool at Wealthy Affiliate, or check out my full review on Jaaxy here.

The Premium Plus Membership includes Jaaxy Enterprise. This is the best Jaaxy has too offer. Just about everything that Jaaxy Lite offers, but a lot faster, and more information to measure. Such as Site Rank, which allows you to check the first 20 pages of Google to see where you are ranking at. 

That is very helpful because if you know that you are on page 3 or 4 of Google. You can do a couple of things to try and push you to page 1. 

The whole idea, is you want to be on Page 1 of Google for any items that you are promoting. Most people don’t go to Page 2 and so on, when they are searching things. 

Kind of like when you are shopping on Amazon or Ebay. You check the listings on the first page. You typically don’t go to Page 2. 

If you are unfamiliar with Keyword Research, I wrote a blog post about it, that you could read here. Basically, when you write content, you want to aim for certain keywords because without it, you won’t reach anyone. 

That goes for organic traffic, or free traffic such as ranking your web page on the first page of Google, Yahoo, or Bing. These are the 3 main search engines, with Google dominating about 90% of the market. 

You could always use Paid Ads, but that is a whole other ball game. Good news is, it is covered in the training at WA. It’s in the main course material, as well as other training from experts, and community members. 

Paying for ads can be costly, so we all aim to get free traffic. You may not understand this fully just yet, but you will eventually if you are looking to make money online and start a business in this program. I wrote a blog post on the topic of Pay Per Click (PPC) as well, that you can read here

Wealthy Affiliate Hosting Review

infographic of what web hosting is. A web host stores the files from your website to make them accessible to the world wide web.

Having experienced hosting elsewhere, I can say Wealthy Affiliate far out beats the competition. Most companies out there such as Bluehost, will get you 99% up time. So that is not the concern. The concern comes to the support that you need when your website is down. 

The Support I have received from Wealthy Affiliate’s Site Support has been phenomenal. They are always quick to respond. I believe they are up like 24/7. Anytime I have had any issues, maybe a few times within the six years I have been there, they always get right on it. 

They track down the problem within minutes, and have you back up and running in no time. I can sincerely say that they have not let me down once. 

It feels good to know, when your business and livelihood is on the line, they care and they are always there. If I can suggest an improvement at Site Support, it would be to provide details of what the problem was. 

When they fix my issues, they always respond, “Ok, you’re all set.” They don’t ever elaborate on what or why the issue was present, or how to fix. Personally, I like to know becuase I am the type of person who likes to be self reliant. 

If I know what the issues are, or were, I can fix it myself next time. It is just something minor in my book though.

Wealthy Affiliate Support – A Few Avenues

I have probably mentioned this a few times already, the support available at Wealthy Affiliate, is in my opinion what makes the whole thing worth it. I don’t care too check out any other place out there on the internet because Wealthy Affiliate is so efficient. 

A few avenues that you can take to seek support are: 

  • Asking the Community
  • Private Messaging
  • Live Chat 
  • Site Support

It is easy to underestimate the help the community has to offer, but I would encourage you not to make that mistake. Here is an image that shows how I asked the community for help, and in less than one minute someone responded; which totally solved my problem.

screenshot of a question I asked the Wealthy Affiliate community

It’s hard to explain the value that I received in that moment. I was frustrated while trying to publish my content, not knowing how to complete a task at hand. Which in this case was to create a table of contents. It was a relief to refresh my page, and see that my cry for help was answered almost instantly; which solved my problem.

This allowed me to move on with publishing my content. This type of support is priceless in this business. Shout out to AbieAJ at Wealthy Affiliate! Always there to help. Along with many others.

As a Premium member you can private message anyone on the platform, including the owners. I have personally messaged both Kyle and Carson (the owners), a few times. They always get back to me, and are always so helpful. 

They provide suggestions, their expert opinions and insights on the issue at hand. I think we can agree, that is so valuable. How great is it to get the opinion of someone who is already obtaining massive success in the the online world?

Live Chat is pretty cool. It’s open 24/7. A lot of folks use it to converse about their businesses, and things of that sort. If you are having any trouble with your website, or looking for a quick answer to something, it’s always good to check in there as well. 

I always see newbies asking questions in there, and a lot of the more seasoned members helping out, including myself. I personally don’t use Live Chat much, unless I see someone ask a question that I have the answer too. 

Site Support, I mentioned briefly earlier. If you are having any issues whatsoever, with plugins, updates, backup, you name it. Things to do with your website, they are there for it. 

screenshot of Wealthy Affiliate's Site Support

Other Cool Tools at Wealthy Affiliate – Site Content, Site Comments, and Site Feedback

I like Site Content a lot. It brings forth much more efficiency within your online business. It came out a few years ago, and has made things simpler to manage within you business, as far as publishing content goes. 

I really like wordpress, which is the content management system you will most likely use to publish content on your website. With all of the updates that has happened over the past few years, it is hard to keep up with the changes. They are pretty advanced. 

I kind of like to keep things simple. The old wordpress was easy to use, as far as writing content. Even though they have a plugin that you can use the classic editor, it still is just not the same. 

And so I started using SiteContent. Not only that, but Google hit me with a, “you are reaching your storage limit” message, so I can no longer use Google Docs. Well I can, but not worth the hassle. 

I believe it’s only a couple of bucks a month, to expand your storage at Google. Just not necessary, when you have a tool like Site Content. 

It’s so easy to use. There are already stored templates that you can use to write your content. It has a words counter that is handy so that you can keep track of how many words you are using. You many not know it now, but Google loves long content. 

screenshot for Wealthy Affiliate's Site Content platform

 

What if I Am Not a Writer?

Take this with a grain of salt, I don’t want you to become hesitant or afraid of writing. Some people think they are not a writer, but really it’s not like that. You are not writing a novel here. You are simply putting your thoughts on paper, so to speak. 

For example when someone asks you about something that you are knowledgeable about, I am sure you can be long winded about it. Same as blogging, or writing content, you are just typing them on the computer screen. 

Great thing about it is, there is spell check, and grammar check, so that you can check these things before you publish your content. 

What is Site Comments?

Site Comments is a pretty awesome tool to use for your website. You see Google likes reader engagement. If they see people commenting on your blog posts, they will think that you must be writing quality content. Therefore helping your rankings within the search engine. 

Site Comments is a pay it forward system. You need to comment on others websites before you request comments. I believe it’s two comments offered, for one comment request. 

It’s not bad, it’s actually nice to see what other people are doing, and how they are writing their content. You just follow a link to their website, read their content or article, then comment on it. 

Once you earn two credits you can request a comment. Neat thing is, if you don’t like the comment, or you think it’s not useful, you can decline the comment. This does not affect the other person too much. As long as they don’t continuously offer less valuable comments. 

screenshot of wealthy affiliate's site comments request comments platform

What About Site Feedback?

Site Feedback used to be my favorite, and I know it will be yours too. You can go on here to request feedback on your website. You can ask for feedback on certain blog posts, or certain areas of your website, or just the whole website in general. 

The systems works similar to Site Comments, in that you must offer feedback on two other websites before requesting to have yours done. It actually works off of credits. You earn one credit for each comment or feedback that you leave. Then each one you request costs two credits. 

You could buy credits if you choose to do so. Then you wouldn’t have to actually spend the time leaving comments or feedback. Personally, I have never purchased credits, but it’s not so bad just paying it forward. 

Again, you gain some experience looking at other people’s websites. You might see something you like and want to implement it on your own. 

All of these things, Site Content, Site Comments, and Site Feedback are very valuable when you are just starting out. It keeps you going on the right foot. I think the best way to learn is to ask a lot of questions, and get a lot of feedback. It helped me out a lot. 

How Much Does Wealty Affiliate Cost?

Wealthy Affiliate has three membership options: 

Starter – $0

Premium – $49/month

Premium Plus – $99/month

When I first started back in 2015, there were only two memberships, the Starter, and Premium. I have got to say though, Premium Plus has been an excellent addition to the Membership lineup. 

I just went Premium Plus this year, this past black friday. I am ecstatic about the value that I get from that membership. I was a Starter Member for like two weeks or less, then I went Premium. 

The Premium Plus Membership was just added like two years ago, in 2019.

screenshot of membership packages at wealthy affiliate

Here goes the price breakdown for all three memberships and what they offer: 

Starter Membership – $0

The Starter membership is free, and will always stay free should you choose to join at the free membership, which most people do. 

You can be a Starter Member for as long as you want too. Most people utilize this membership just to see what Wealthy Affiliate is all about. It truly is risk-free. No credit card is asked for at the time of creating your account, which I love. 

Should you want to move forward with your online business, you will want to go Premium to continue with the training. The Starter Membership includes: 

  • A free website
  • Jaaxy Starter, Keyword tool (limited use)
  • free hosting
  • Website Support (limited)
  • Level 1 of the Entrepreneur Certification Training
  • Level 1 of the Affiliate Bootcamp

Premium Membership –

$49/month

Yearly Premium Membership – $495 (comes out to like two free months)

I paid monthly for my first six months, then I decided to go yearly to get the savings. When you know, this is what you want to do. Which is too make money online, and you know Wealthy Affiliate is going to be the vehicle to take you there, you do not mind spending the money. 

If you put it into perpective, the yearly membership price comes out to $41 per month. That is close to nothing to have as overhead within your business. I used to have an offline business, and paid $1,000/month in rent and utilites. 

Here is what you get with the Premium Membership: 

  • 3 websites
  • Hosting Included 
  • Full Course of the Certification Training
  • Full Course of the Affiliate Bootcamp
  • Jaaxy Lite, Keyword Tool – Unlimited searches
  • Unlimited Access to Support
  • Private Messaging 
  • Live Chat
  • Weekly Live Class

Premium Plus Membership –

$99/month

Premium Plus’s Yearly Membership Rate – $697

This is the Mack Daddy of all the memberships. What makes it different from the Premium Membership is that you get access to a few exclusive classes weekly. Which are hosted by our very own members of Wealthy Affiliate members, who have reached higher levels of success within this field. 

There are so many good classes. Some of the latest classes were about YouTube Marketing, Pay Per Click Marketing, Mindset Hacks, and Building your Business in 2022. About how the internet has been emerging over the years, and how we should move forward within our businesses. 

What you get with Premium Plus: 

  • 10 websites
  • Enhanced Hosting
  • Jaaxy Enterprise, Enhanced Keyword Tool 
  • Priority Support
  • 3-4 live classes per week

These lists that I have provided are not exhaustive lists, but just a brief summary of all the benefits that come with each membership. 

If I Change My Mind, How Easy is it to Cancel?

screenshot of cancelling subscription in settings at wealthy affiliate

If you want to cancel your membership at anytime, here are a few things you should know. It’s pretty easy to cancel, all you do is: 

  1. Click on your profile picture
  2. Go to Account Settings
  3. Go to Subscription
  4. Scroll down and click on Cancel Billing 

By doing this, you will no longer be billed for your membership. One of the things you should know is once you go Premium, you can no longer downgrade to Starter, or the free membership. If you were to cancel, you lose complete access to the platform. 

Should you choose to take your websites with you, I believe you have 30 days to move them. 

You are allowed to downgrade from Premium Plus though. So if you want to go back down to Premium, then you can do that. 

There Are No Refunds

I have never tried to get one, but I have read the policy, and it says so. You can stop billing, but you will have access until the end of your billing cycle. They will not return any funds.

The great thing about Wealthy Affiliate, is that you will never be pressured into upgrading your memberships. You are able to do so at your own convenience. When you feel comfortable in doing so, and when you are ready. Once you feel well educated and informed on the decision, you can go ahead with it; no one will be pushing you. 

That’s another thing that I have loved about Wealthy Affiliate, and has led me to stay with them for so many years. I have not found that treatment anywhere else. Everywhere else, there is just too much pressure. I am not one to fall into the pressure tactics, but it gets annoying. 

custom image stating do not ignore the red flags of push salespeople pushing their products. Take a time out and think about your decision.

Before You Join Wealthy Affiliate, You Should Know 

As far as I as know, there are two types of people who stumble across Wealthy Affiliate. Those are: 

1. People who are searching for ways to make money online

2. People who are looking for an affiliate marketing course

If you are the second group of people, I don’t have much to say to you in this section, except give it a try. There is no risk involved with the free Starter Membership. You can skip to the next section if you would like. 

To my first group of people, there may be a number of things that made you start thinking, how do I make money online. Including but not limited too: 

  • Just curious
  • Know that others are making money online and you want to know how
  • tired of your job, or hate your job
  • laid off, or terminated from your job
  • looking for work, and like the idea of working online
  • not making enough money, and want to make more
  • looking for a part time job
  • looking for more time freedom, and financial freedom
  • want to travel 

It makes sense that you would like to learn how to make money online, because it is true, there are millions of people making a lot of money online. 

There is however, a big misconception of making money online. It looks too easy, and though it is not hard, it’s not what it looks like. 

To make money online, is to run a business online. To run a business, you have to start one. In most cases, from scratch. When you build a business from the ground up, you are facing a lot of work. 

In order to make money online, substantial amounts of money at least, that you can pay your bills with, you have to build a website. This is where the training at Wealthy Affiliate comes in. They will teach you to start a website in a few easy steps. 

Sorry I could not make this video with sound. I have my kids in the background which were being very loud, and I just needed to get this video to you quickly. Note: in this video, these are the steps that create just the framework of your new website. You will need to fill in the content.

If you follow the training, they will walk you through the steps of filling in the content, making the menus for navigation, and so on. 

How Do You Make Money at Wealthy Affiliate?

Wealthy Affiliate is going to teach you how to build a website and generate money from it. You monetize your website by joining affiliate programs. An affiliate program is an agreement you make with other companies to help them promote their products, and then you earn commissions off of your sales. 

Believe it or not, there are millions of affiliate programs out there. Major companies such as Apple, Walmart, Amazon or Best Buy use them too. It’s free to join affiliate programs. You just need to know who to implement your affiliate links within your content to make it work for you. 

There are over 5 billion people online these days, and this number is growing. Guess what most people are doing, shopping. There are other ways to make money online, but affiliate programs are the most popular. Another way to make money online is by displaying ads on your website. 

Have you noticed, while scrolling through content on the internet you see relevant ads to what you are interested in purchasing? Google does this by using a program called Adsense. You can add Adsense to your website once you start getting traffic. 

How do you get traffic? Glad you asked, this will be tied into my next section. 

How Long Does it Take to Make Money Online?

trust the process is like planting a fruit plant. It starts with planting a seed, then watering it, giving it sunlight, then it starts sprouting, and then with regular upkeep, it provides fruit.

It is a process, all I can say is trust the process. Not sure if you have heard that before. The process goes like this:

1) You build the website. 

What to build? Quite simple, others refer to this as niche marketing. You choose a niche. Which one? One that you will be passionate about. 

Let’s go back to, what is a niche? A niche is simply an audience, so you choose an audience that you want to speak too. For example: 

  • Moms to be
  • Baseball players
  • sneaker heads
  • People who love to travel
  • Families who love to travel

These are just some examples of different types of audiences. You choose an audience, or a niche, then you get your website. You website is like real estate on the internet. It’s your own space. You will need hosting, or a host, who is going to host your website on the internet. All of this is included at Wealthy Affiliate. 

Choose a title for your website, relevant to your niche. Once you have the title of your website, and your hosting available, you can choose a background theme, and then simply launch the website. It’s pretty easy as I mentioned before, if you use the website builder at Wealthy Affiliate. 

2) Create Content

With the exception of a few housekeeping things you will need to take care of on your first initial set up, which the training at Wealthy Affiliate will walk you through, you can then begin to create content. You create content by blogging or making videos. 

It’s not hard to write about things when you are interested in it. It’s like this review about Wealthy Affiliate, you see how long it is, but there is just so much to talk about, so I keep writing. And you will too. 

3) Rank

Screenshot of Jaaxy's Site Rank tool.
Screenshot of Jaaxy’s Site Rank tool. It shows how I rank for the search term, a.k.a. keyword, “how to work online”. I am on the 1st page and position 3, on Bing.com.

You have to get your website ranking in the search engines. Without this, there just is no use to even doing this. Let’s talk about this for a minute. 

Take Google for example. Google actually takes up the majority of the market share. 90% of users online are using Google to search for content. 

When you search something on Google, you usually go with one the results on the first page. You will want to get your website ranking on the first page of Google, so that you get traffic. 

Let’s say you write a blog post, like this one, and 1000 people are searching the term, “Wealthy Affiliate Review”. If you are on the first page of Google, you can probably count on at least 100 of those people coming to your website every month. 

“Wealthy Affiliate Review” is a keyword, or the search phrase. You will be using keywords to rank in the search engines. There are tools, such as Jaaxy, a keyword tool to help you find these keywords. 

There are certain measures you want to use in choosing keywords, and again you will learn all of this at Wealthy Affiliate. This is why I said before, everything you need is in one place. You really don’t have to go anywhere else. 

I log onto Wealthy Affiliate every day, and I do my work. I use Jaaxy, to find my keywords. I use Site Content to write my blog posts, and publish them. I go to Site Comments, and get some comments. I usually don’t go anywhere else, unless I am doing some research on certain products on the internet. 

This is the process. You write content and rank it. Get traffic, promote products, earn commissions. You can do this. Once you have it down packed, it’s just too easy once you understand it. 

Five step process that they teach to earn money online at Wealthy Affiliate. Write content, rank in Google, Get Traffic, Promote Products, and Generate Revenue.

At first it can certainly seem like a lot. There will be a lot of training involved. With the training at Wealthy Affiliate, you cannot go wrong. They take you by the hand and walk your through it, step by step. Then there is so much support to help you along the way, whenever you have questions. 

How Much Money Will I Make With Wealthy Affiliate?

Once you go through the process I mentioned in the previous section, and you begin getting traffic, your success comes with according to what you put forth. 

It will take you some time to start ranking in the search engines, some take a couple of months, some six, some a year or more. You have got to create a lot of content, and land some awesome keywords. 

Let say you have written 100 blog posts. Out of those, you have 10 which are ranking and getting around 1000 people to your website every month. Out of those, you have 100 people make purchases. That is about a 10% conversion ratio. 

If you are apart of an affiliate program like Wealthy Affiliate’s, you will get $23.50 per month for people who purchase the premium membership. You can do this if you take advantage of their affiliate program. 

Have you done the math? That is $2,350 per month. I am not saying these are my personal results, but they are realistic. Some people make less, some make more. There are members who are earning over $10k per month. Especially over Black Friday sales. 

You don’t have to choose too promote Wealthy Affiliate. This is just an example. Another example could be bass fishing. You can have a bass fishing website, and promote products from Bass Pro Shops. Do you get the idea? If not, please leave a comment in the comment section, and I’ll answer all of your questions. 

You can make money in any niche, as I mentioned before there are millions of affiliate programs out there in different niches. Amazon is one of the most popular affiliate programs for which affiliate marketers use. As you know, there are millions of different products on it. 

A list of different niches you can choose from. Around 50 examples in categories such as Health, Fitness, Financial, Family, and Success.

Last I checked Amazon has a 4-10% commission rate on any sales you generate there. With an affiliate program like Amazon, there is an outstanding number of niches you can choose from. Which niche are you going to choose? Let me know in the comment section!

What Are Others Saying About Wealthy Affiliate?

I took a look at all the other results on the first page of Google, from which were showing for the Wealthy Affiliate Review. Surprisingly, a lot of them were saying that the training material at there was outdated, and that the training doesn’t work. 

Keep this in mind, every time a person has said this, they end up recommending a different product at the end. You have to understand this is just how the system works. You are making money off of products that you promote. 

I think it is natural for others to dog another product, just to promote their own. I get it. Not something I would do, but I get it. I think the only real way for you to see if Wealthy Affiliate is worth it, is just to try it. 

I found one of the products that one of the person’s were promoting who was dogging Wealthy Affiliate, and it would not even mention the price. Listen, if people won’t even tell you the price of a product up front, what does that say about the company? 

You should know, that they are probably hiding it because it is way too high, and the only way to get you to buy, is they are going to need to try and sell you, and it might end up being one of those hard sells. Which I hate

Keep in mind, Wealthy Affiliate offers a free Starter Membership with no credit card required. That gives you access to the Members Area, and to test out the training material, before you even decide to stay and purchase a subscription. They don’t do that anywhere else.

Are There Any Negative Reviews About Wealthy Affiliate?

Most reviews, even the negative ones you will find to contain a lot of positivity in it. It’s only right, when you have such a legit product like Wealthy Affiliate. 

The reason why it is hard to find a negative review about Wealthy Affiliate, is because there are so many positive ones. Some people who like to hate, say we consume most of the search engine, when it comes to Wealthy Affiliate reviews with our positive reviews, only because we promote it. 

As you can imagine, I disagree. We promote it because we are affiliate marketers, and our niche is in the make money online niche. I have to recommend the best product I have found for you to learn the business. 

I would not be a member of Wealthy Affiliate for the past six years, if I did not love it. This is the only logical explanation. Why would anyone write a positive review about something if they really didn’t think it was so great. 

As a matter of fact, maybe I should take that back. I have seen instances businesses offer compensation for a positive review. I am sorry that a lot of people take advantage of this, and steer honest people like you and I in the wrong direction. I personally have never done that. 

As a matter of fact fact, I have turned a couple of businesses down because they wanted the review posted immediately after my purchase, and I had to decline it. I said the only way I can post a 5 star review is if I try it out for a month and see if it truly is worth it. 

What About the Reviews From BBB, And TrustPilot? 

BBB gives Wealthy Affiliate an A+ rating, and Truspilot has 469 reviews to date averaging a 4.9 rating. There are only a couple of people out there who have posted complaints, and you have got to take those with a grain of salt. There is always a couple of people who just seem to be unreasonable. 

screenshot of bbb website A+ rating for Wealthy Affiliate, two 5 star reviews, and 16 years in business

Trust Pilot is pretty legit. At first I did not know about the program, but it turns out they are a leading review network on the the internet that provides reviews from all types of companies and products.

You can literally go on there and leave a review about a product or service that you have tried yourself. I like it because I feel that it is very un-biased.

I recently purchased some phone insurance for my phone from a third party company called Worth Ave Group. I later received an email from Trust Pilot requesting me to review the product.

I really liked that they said, if it is not possible to review the product because I just purchased it and needed some time to experience it first, feel free to come back when you are ready. And that’s what I did; I left a review about a month later.

How it usually works, is a company can claim their business on there. Then they can request Trust Pilot to send emails to all of its users to request a personal review on their product or service.

There is no compensation provided for positive reviews. So many people cannot be wrong about Wealthy Affiliate.

screenshot of trustpilot website and wealthy affiliate reviews. 4.9/5 raiting average out of 469 reviews

Do I Think Wealthy Affiliate is Perfect?

No, I don’t. There are some downfalls, and I will fill you in on them from my entire experience with them. In the beginning. It seemed like too much information hitting you at once. 

Everyone wanting you start the training, and looking at the training, that is not a one day event. It will take you some time; several weeks even. 

In the beginning, I was looking for a push button system. As I mentioned previously, it looks so easy when you’re looking at other people doing it. The truth is it’s not. It takes time. 

The whole misconception of not treating it as a business throws everyone off. Think about it though, don’t you think if there was something that you can put in a couple of hours a day, and make thousands of dollars a month, everyone would be doing it. It just is not realistic. 

You can stop searching for secrets. There is just pure ethical business operating, and tactful strategizing that you will need to succeed online. 

2) The second thing, I did not want to spend any money to learn this information. I guess I wanted all the information for free, and though you can probably find it all online, it would take too long to put it together. 

Within the training at Wealthy Affiliate, it is all laid out for you in a learning course. 

3) The third thing, too many people inside the community. Sometimes, I don’t want help from all the people in the community. I wanted help from the owners. You can get help from the owners, but it takes 24-48 hours for them to get back to you. 

I guess you can’t really expect them to get back to you instantly. There are thousands of members. Most people have gone through the training and can answer your questions. Trust the community, they have never steered me wrong. 

4) People griping. I don’t like to hear complaining. I am all about fixing problems, and solutions. Let’s talk about solutions. I can’t expect that from everybody. I just choose who I want to affiliate myself with, that’s all. 

5) The money does not come fast enough. If you are in this for the right reasons, you will understand that you have to go through the process. 

6) Even though the Support Team solves your problems within minutes, when there are errors on your website, they do not explain it. They just fix it, and move on. 

I am just a self sufficient person, I would like an explanation for these things. I just like to know why things happened, just in case it ever happens again, I know what to do. 

Luckily though, I have never had the same problem twice. So I guess that wouldn’t be more beneficial. Ha!

Success Stories From Wealthy Affiliate!

I am going to share with you several success stories that I think you will like, and will be helpful in assisting you with making a decision on moving forward with Wealthy Affiliate.

I am familiar with the term, results may vary, or these results are not ordinary, but I choose to disagree. These results are common and ordinary, for those who put in the work.

It is the common denominator. Hard work pays off! Also, stay faithful to the process. It is not rocket science. It is pretty logic. Practice makes perfect, and success favors preparation.

Without further ado, here are a handful of success stories that I picked out to share with you. Feel free to click on any of the images to read the full story. Trust that there are many many more, however, I have got to wrap up this blog post at some point. Lol 🙂

wealthy affiliate success story, $9,800 in July

wealthy affiliate success story, $700 while sleeping

wealthy affiliate success story, $500+ in January

wealthy affiliate success story, $1,163 profit in November

wealthy affiliate success story, travel website success $1,000 in sales

wealthy affiliate success story, made $300 building a website

wealthy affiliate success story, $1070 profit in one day

The #1 Thing You Need to Succeed

The #1 reason that will enable you to succeed at making money online, is making it a long term goal. Do not put a deadline on it. Just set the outcome. “I am not going to stop until I succeed.”

This is the mindset you need to succeed at this. If you give yourself a month, or a year. You may not make it, and will be set to failure. 

People who decide they are going to succeed online are: 

  • When you realize this is a business
  • Do whatever it takes to make your business succeed
  • Learn from your failures
  • Do not set a deadline on your success, give yourself all the time in the world

This is a business, that when done right provides a lucrative income, the freedom of being your own boss. You get to choose when you work and when you don’t. And you can access your business anywhere in the world. Anywhere with an internet connection. 

If this is the type of business that you want, then you have made the right decision to make money online. Wealthy Affiliate can take you there, and stand beside you through the years. Through all of your failures and successes. 

Making money online is not like a job. You get a job, and they promise you 40 hours a week at $12/hour. Then you know, you will be making $480 per week. 

This business is not a job. You are starting a business. As you know businesses fail all the time. Hence the reason, many people do not start businesses. However, with an online business, there is very little risk. That is why I recommend it to everyone. 

These are the reasons why you would join Wealthy Affiliate. 

Can’t I Make Money Online With No Money or For Free?

ways to make money online poster, building a website, or create your own YouTube channel are the only worthwhile ways

The answer is yes, but it really is not a lot. A lot of people choose to fill out online surveys, but those pay pennies. You usually spend 20-30 minutes on a survey, just too earn a $1. It’s just not worth it. 

As I mentioned before, if you want to make money online in significant amounts, like $100s-$1,000s per month, you have got to manage an online business. And sure you can start a business for free online (i.e. with Wealthy Affiliate’s free Starter Membership), but eventually you are going to need to invest in it. 

Investing in it like paying a monthly subscription, or yearly, or domain names. A domain name is the name you choose for your website, with the .com on the end. These usually go for $13-$14/ per year. 

Why do you have to pay a monthly subscription? You have to pay for the education. The reason why I still do, is because even though I completed the Certification Training course within the first six months. I still learn things til this day. 

I like to sharpen up on my skills. I like to see what others are doing. I use the hosting; you will have to pay for hosting somewhere. I use the keyword tool; this is also an additional expense you would have to take on on your own. 

There is too much value to be had not too. I will continue to pay for my membership. Actually, my membership pays for itself. You can learn how to take advantage of their referral program, and then you can do that too. 

I haven’t paid for my subscription since six months in. I have been getting referrals since then. They will show you how to do this inside Wealthy Affiliate as well. 

If you really want to start a business online, Wealthy Affiliate is the way to go. 

I think most people know this but get misdirected, you cannot have a business for free. If you know of any businesses that are running for free, let us all know, in the comments. I would really like to know. 

offline business vs online business. one you can start with no money, the ladder. Both require a lot of time investment.

Final Thoughts About Wealthy Affiliate

You were probably just like me, I hated my job and I was looking for a way out. I have had several jobs before, but none of them were cutting it for me. 

I see people making money online, and I wanted to know how too as well. I learned everything I wrote down in this blog post from Wealthy Affiliate. 

I learned how to optimize my blogs for the search engine. I have had plenty of blog posts on Page 1. I have already gotten traffic. I have converted much of that traffic into sales. 

The training works. You have just got to learn how to do this business. Then once you know, it’s all in your hands. You make it grow with the amount of work you put in. 

You can choose to put the work in, or simply hang it up, and find another venture to take. However, if you want to make money online, this is the way. You will inevitably need to be trained. A surgeon cannot go into the hospital and perform surgery without the proper education and training. 

It works similarly to internet marketing. Just get the training. I am sure you will be glad you did. If you have any questions, be sure to post them down below. I will be more than happy to assist with. 

If you choose to register your free account at Wealthy Affiliate, I’ll be in touch with you. I can help you with anything you may need help with along the way. I will look forward to it. 

Create Your Free Account Here! 

FAQ

How much does Wealthy Affiliate Cost?

It costs nothing to register your free account and do the first course of training. 

Will I start making money right away?

Most people don’t. Most people see their first sale after month 1. 

What if I don’t like Wealthy Affiliate and want to cancel?

There is no pressure in staying at WA. You can simply go to your setting and cancel your membership. If you just have the free Starter Membership, no need to cancel anything. You will never be charged. They do not ask for your credit card information to join, so they will not have it. 

How do I know if Wealthy Affiliate works?

There are so many success stories within the community, for which you will see. Your first success story will be getting your website indexed in Google. That is great feeling and milestone. Eventually you will see one of you blog posts on Page 1 of Google, as it has happened for many others. 

What do you do at Wealthy Affiliate?

You start a training course, and by the time you finish it, you will be very proficient in search engine optimization, blogging, keyword research, pay per click advertising, and in social media. You will be an SEO specialist.

58 thoughts on “My Personal Experience and Review of Wealthy Affiliate 2023”

  1. Very informative! It’s hard to believe that it’s all for free – even if only for seven days. But, even for seven days, that will give me enough time to review it myself. Thank you for the info. At least this won’t cost anything to give it a try!

    Reply
    • Yes Toni, I too thought it was hard to believe. What you get for free on this platform is nothing short of amazing to say the least. My advice for everyone who joins is to take advantage of those 7 days free of Premium. It’s really unbelievable what you have access too with it. There are literally no limitations. To give my advice a little further, would be to spend a week on Premium, and when the week’s up, if you see the value in the premium membership, which I know you will, take advantage of the bonus discount to get it for the full 30 days. Then after 30 days you will be able to see its true value, and then you can make a decision to keep going from there. That’s just about how I did it. The value that you get out of the Premium Membership is like no other on the internet. I am 99.99% sure of it! Then again, if you want to just keep going with your free starter membership for life you could! I just want to see you grow and have all the necessary resources to succeed. 🙂

      Reply
  2. Great post! That’s the kind of thing I really like to read on the internet. If someone is seeking for such a community this is the place to be i guess.To start for free is very powerful. I join this community! See you there. Good luck, Kit

    Reply
    • Thanks Kit, yes what makes Wealthy Affiliate the most unique is the community. I have never seen such a multitude of people (10,000s) that work together in making the dream of earning money online a reality. You can ask questions, and in minutes you will have multiple answers from fellow members. People want to see you succeed just as much they want too. It’s overwhelming at first when you first join and see how many people are there, but through time the community becomes your leverage. I remember it was like that for me. Thank you for you comment Kit.

      Reply
    • Hey Michelle, You’re welcome! The best I could do is give you all the information up front and allow you to make a decision from there. I wish every platform on making money online were like this. To provide you with all the information up front. I hate those places that make you pay something before actually telling you what it is that they will provide for you. Oh I despise that! Then when you get in everything they promised you was a lie. They under deliver every time! I can say with all of my heart, that Wealthy Affiliate has over delivered on its promises with every aspect. The best part about it, is you can start it for FREE! You don’t have to take my word for it. Thanks for stopping by.

      Reply
  3. great review Jonathan, Definitely Wealthy Affiliate is the best program to start building an online business, for those who really want to start an online business and are looking for help this is the right way. regards!

    Reply
    • Ibhar, I agree with you 100%! I’ve been online for so many years and for the past couple years I’ve been searching for a place to learn about making money online. Let alone include an awesome compensation plan. I really like Wealthy Affiliate and I don’t ever want to leave. I know of members making thousands of dollars a month so I know I can make a living right here. Not to mention they’ve got an awesome Las Vegas incentive for members who reach 300 sales annually.

      I think everyone can benefit from WA. Not only do they allow you to join and test drive the platform for free but they also offer you support like you’ve never seen. I’ve told others how the owner of WA helped me once with the speed of my website. We resolved my issues within 2-3 hours. I have a speedy website now. Hey thanks for stopping by and I appreciate ya!

      Cheers
      Jonathan

      Reply
  4. Hi Jonathan
    I am currently looking into this business and have one question. I was hoping you wil be able to help me with. The prices that are quoted to join, are they in US Dollars. I am in Australia,so if I was to join, it would become a bit more expensive after the rate conversion.

    David

    Reply
    • Hi David, thank for inquiring. Yes, I suppose it would be slightly more expensive as the prices quoted on the review are in USD. I’m happy to hear you’re interested and from Canada, as a lot of members from our community are Canadian. As a matter of fact, so are the owners! I believe they live in British Columbia, if I’m not mistaken.

      Go ahead and try the Starter Membership as it’s free, if it would make you more comfortable. It truly is no risk. 🙂

      Thanks again,
      Jonathan

      Reply
  5. Hi Jonathan,
    My brother who lives in Sri-Lanka is very interested in this. Is it possible to do this from Sri-Lanka? I believe it should be since he has internet connection.
    At the moment, he is in Germany, visiting my sister, and he is having difficulty to get connected to Wealthy Affiliate. Could it be it’s just internet issue, or is it an access issue from different countries?
    Dona

    Reply
    • Dona, sorry for the late reply. I’m not sure why he is having an issue connecting. It may be that Sri-Lanka is a part of the countries where Wealthy Affiliate does not offer the free membership at. Here is a list of all the countries:

      Bangladesh
      Egypt
      India
      Kenya
      Nigeria
      Pakistan
      Philippines
      Vietnam

      According to the owner, Kyle, there are a lot of fraud and spam coming out of these countries. To protect the community inside WA, the above countries are excluded currently.However, people from these countries are able to join WA as premium members directly (no discount on the first month) if they are really serious about learning from WA.

      If I can be of any more assistance, please let me know.

      Thanks,
      Jonathan

      Reply
  6. Wealthy Affiliate is full of nothing but lies!
    You are getting ripped off, don’t you realize that…Damn I feel sorry for you.
    Man… I truly hope you get wise to their BS! They also have you pay for a year’s membership after you are paying monthly, by sending you email after email, and than after 3 months, they revoke your privileges, so you pay for a year to get only 3 months, unless you are making BIG money for the company, they might let you stay on! That’s why they have the NO refund policy! They promote bullying by allowing it to happen, they don’t respond back, even when you ask them nicely to put a stop to the person cyber bullying! They use a little spam button the bully or anyone can use to click on 10 times on comments or posts if they don’t like you or a post or comment, even if it’s NOT spam! A button does the work for them! All you need is 10 spam clicks, according to Carson one of the owners, and your privileges are revoked! Than they don’t email you back so you can find out why! They are under investigation at the moment, so just a friendly warning! My friend overdosed once over this, and now she just did it again with more pills! All because of the cyberbuyyling of the two nicknames @Rich and MozMary!

    Reply
    • Hey thanks for your concern but I need to respectfully disagree. I have had a pleasant experience up to now and I’ve paid the yearly subscription twice already. As you know I promote the product as well, and not only does the affiliate commission pay for my membership entirely but it also supplements my income with a few hundred dollars a month.

      I’m not special or more advanced by a long shot and I’ve accomplished this. I truly feel that anyone can accomplish this. Everyone must understand that this business takes time to grow. Also, it is in everyone’s best interest to pay for yearly. You save nearly 50% as opposed to paying monthly. Doesn’t that make the best financial sense?

      I don’t feed into the pressure, which I might add is minimal compared to other companies, to upgrade. As a matter of fact, I was a free member for several months before I upgraded to monthly. Then for another 6 months before I upgraded to yearly. You have to do what’s best for you.

      About the no spam policy, they are very strict about that. I think this is for everyone’s protection. The last thing anyone needs while trying to learn is somebody harrassing them. Not that that applies to you. I’m sorry that you got restricted. I don’t know your personal situation.

      About the bullying, I’ve never experienced it, but I don’t doubt that it exists. I’m sorry that you and your friend had to suffer with that. I can’t imagine how difficult it can be to deal with. I’ve seen the two people you mentioned in your comment around the community, but I’ve only seen them helping other people though. Again, not trying to discredit what you said. Cyber bullying is a serious crime and should be dealt with seriously.

      I don’t know what else to say bud, but don’t give up on internet marketing and continue to pursue your wishes. May god bless you and your friend that both of you can overcome this and succeed 10x more than you can ever had before. I believe it, and you should too!

      Reply
  7. I would stay away from WA, they are very unethical in the way their business is run. They have a lot of good information but it is structured in a way to prevent you from becoming successful. They keep you in the loop with promises and free bonuses so you will renew annually. They have an annual retreat rewarding the member,as an affiliate, who are able to sign up 100 new recruits on an annual basis. With the thousands of members they are only able to fill a large boardroom with qualifying members. Their success history is very disappointing to say the least. Their reviews are another unethical practice that WA has become very good at exploiting. They knock SBI, MLM, and any one that will help the affiliate to make a sale. Their reviews are very believable but if you were to do any serious investigation you would soon discover how dishonest these people are. Stay away from WA!! Go SBI!!!

    Reply
    • Hey Mac, thank you for the look out, but I’m doing quite well buddy. I’ve been with WA for around two years and satisfied with my success thus far. SBI! is not so bad as well. I actually have a review coming out on it soon. I’m sorry you feel like everyone from WA is dogging other products. I can assure you this is not the case. It just kind of looks that way. It’s more like a, “we have the best, and forget the rest” type attitude that shows in much of our work. Especially towards products such as SBI! or mlms.

      I like WA better because it looks newer; more modern. I like the technology used and user friendly platform. I find it very easy to use and grow in the internet marketing field. The training is nothing less than outstanding. Are there any other reasons why you feel the product is not good? Have you tried the free membership? If you are serious about the business, why anyone would not want to go yearly, is beyond me. There are too much savings to be had.

      Everyone has the opportunity to have a free membership to test the waters. Also, you can take your sweet time. There is no time limit on the free membership. Currently WA has close to 1 million members since its establishment. I don’t think it got that way by having a bad product. I’d love to discuss this more with you.

      Reply
      • Your website doesn’t even rank on Alexa, so stop with all this BS. Take out a yearly membership and try getting a refund if you happen to cancel midterm. Try doing a legit review without bashing someone. How much money are you making with your websites through WA?? Proof baby Proof.

        Reply
        • Wow Mac, I didn’t expect that from you. I thought you were a nice guy. Hey I gave a written response to the owner of SBI! who made that review about Wealthy Affiliate. I didn’t mean to start anything with you. Was there anything inaccurate about my review? Hey like I said, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Make your own review and talk about SBI! vs Wealthy Affiliate. Proof? My word should be enough. Feel free to post yours though? If I have the time, I might, but honestly I have bigger fish to fry.

          Again, didn’t mean to stir things up with you. Hope we can agree to disagree. Wish the best with your online business. Do you mind sharing your website with us?

          Catch ya later,
          Jonathan

          Reply
  8. Your reply is as watered down as a rainy day in Vancouver. Address some of my concerns as outlined in my previous email, like trying to get a refund in midterm of a cancellation.
    I was a member of WA for a number of years with little success. From the members in the forum very few ever shared any of their successes. If they had any success it was the equivalent of buying a latte at Starbucks. How many affiliates qualified to go on the annual retreat? Enough to fill a small boardroom.
    Now that is what I call success considering that WA has how many members?? In your reply do the math.
    Where you one of the few that sat in the boardroom? Do you work with the new people that you sign up to achieve any level of success or are you only interested in making the commission? Enjoy your latte!!

    Reply
    • Mac, I don’t think it would be fair to any business owner to give a refund after you’ve consumed half of the product. Is that what you mean by midterm; using six months of the year and asking for a refund? That is not common. Even Walmart has a 90 day return policy. My condolences for all the monies you spent on years of membership at WA with no return. I can imagine how frustrating that is. I’m curious though, did you not gain anything?

      I am a private person when it comes to my finances so I never understood why some people demand to see money successes or proof. I feel like it’s asking me for my pay rate. I’m sure I’m not the only one that feels that way. I’ll give you this much, I have not made over $400 a month yet. I’m still working on it.

      I am happy to all of those members who made it to the las vegas retreat. I can’t help but feel a little jealousy but I want to be happy for them because I’m sure they busted their ass to be there. I haven’t had the honor of making the retreat yet, but I’m not focused on that either. When I get there, I’ll enjoy it. However, my real goal is too reach financial independence to where I can quit my day job.

      I don’t know how many members are active at WA; I would guess around 18,000. In addition, I don’t know how many promote WA. You know, many people choose their own niches. I would guess 10% promote the product; so 1800. Now if only 20 people make the las vegas retreat, I’d say that was good. Is it not? Internet marketing is not easy. Look at multi level marketing? Usually, less than 1% of thousands of members make a living with the products. It’s not uncommon too have only a few reach the top. As you know, much is based on the effort you put in. The strategies you apply; the training you receive. It’s not easy.

      I help my referrals to the best of my abilities. I enjoy the commissions but my interest in their success is much higher. I won’t lie to anyone to make a dollar. It’s just not me. Now, would you share a little about yourself?

      – Jonathan

      Reply
  9. I apologize if I sounded bitter. I had a paid up yearly membership and decided not to renew. They do not give you the option of “not renewing”. The only choice they give you is to cancel your membership. The reason I cancelled on Nov.26 is because WA will renew automatically before the due date. My membership did not expire till the 29th so I still had 3 days to transfer my website. When they cancelled on the 26th the only way, according to Kyle, was to renew my subscription in order for me to transfer my website. This is a form of blackmail forcing me to renew my subscription. I had 3 days left on my membership so why did they not leave the membership expire? There have been a number of complaints regarding this situation. Also, if I decided to cancel my yearly subscription half way through the term why would I not be entitled to a prorated refund for the unused balance?
    If they do not give refunds when cancelling a yearly subscription this should be clearly outlined when the person originally signs up. They do not give you a choice of not renewing but they also do not make it clear that there are no refunds. I don’t know about you but to me this sounds like a scam. They encourage you to take out a yearly membership because you save money but they do not tell you that if you cancel there are no refunds.
    You have a great website except when you mentioned people are making ten thousand dollars a month. There are only a small minority making this kind of dollars and we shouldn’t make it feel like anyone can do this just by simply signing up with WA.
    You also mentioned that there have been no complaints and this is not true. There have been a number of complaints regarding the cancellation policy. They have also been severely criticized for their reviews which is nothing short of being slanderous. I also understand, from what I have read on the internet, that WA is being sued for their marketing practices.
    Their memberships or subscriptions are a lot more than 18,000. The affiliates that have gone on these retreats, many of them use the technique of slamming the competition along with any organization that meets their needs. One such organization is the MLM industry. They refer to it as a pyramid scheme which is a total fabrication. They use misrepresentation skillfully in order for them to entice new recruits to sign up with the promise of untold riches.
    I certainly learned a lot from WA but somehow it always fell short of going to the next level of making money. I too wanted to make enough money from internet marketing to be able to retire comfortably.
    Many of the high rollers use the PPC method to get instant results. To get listed on the front page doing it organically is almost impossible unless you are a seasoned pro.
    With WA I went to level 3 starting level 4 before calling it quits. I am going to try SBI for one year to see if I can get more positive results.
    I did like your website and applaud you for your determination as without it you would not have lasted this long.
    I want to thank you for taking the time to listen and lets stay in touch.
    Mel

    Reply
    • Hey Mel, thank you for sharing that with me. I will probably go ahead and remove that part about no complaints with the cancellation policy. I was implying more about those other programs that scam you out of your money by not getting back to you when you try to cancel. They tell you can cancel in 30 days, and it’s risk free, but then when you try and cancel it becomes really difficult. For example, they tell you you have to cancel by email and then no never get back to you. Leaving some people with no other option but to close out their debit or credit card in order to stop the billing. I like the feature that WA has that you can simply log into your account settings and switch off the billing.

      I may have heard of someone else having a similar problem as yours. The one thing that I took dislike too was that I could not revert back to the free membership once going premium. It may have been for my own good though because if I know myself, I’ll take a break and never come back. It forced me to keep going and not allow quitting to be an option. I’ve heard that once you cancel you have 30 days to move your website. I’m not sure how yours worked out that way, but makes me want to look into it. Update: here is what I found about leaving WA.

      I am with you when it comes to the opportunity that multi level marketing (mlm) provides. I do not think they are pyramid schemes. If people want to talk about pyramid schemes, lets call our 9 to 5 jobs that. Think about it. The CEO is at the top, and makes all the money, while a multitude of people are at the bottom and we’re just scraping the barrel so to speak. It is nerve wrecking but we do need to work to survive so until we make it big online or within our other businesses, we’ve need to hang in there. Good luck with your mlm business, and I hope you can excel with SBI. They have some pretty good marketing techniques, as I almost made the shift to go there but decided to stay with WA.

      Either way, I hope you can make it. Don’t ever give up, and seek out all the training you can get. We have got to get serious about deepening our knowledge in business; any business for that matter to ensure success in the long term. The big rigs at the top are the ones who have been there for the long haul. We can certainly get there in due time. The way I see it is within 5-7 years you should have mastered your product and reached top tier income levels.

      Jonathan

      Reply
  10. I have been ripped off by way too many programs online and I have jumped into more MLM’s than I would like
    to share, but I feel confident in sharing that I have been a member for a few months of Wealthy Affiliate. I have
    a niche website up and running, I am indexed by all the major search engines, and I am seeing some rankings
    and some traffic.

    This is the foundation for what my business will become and I am proud of what I have created so far. I can’t
    wait for what the future brings! Two thumbs up for WA, I wouldn’t be where I am at without them.

    Reply
    • Hi Jessie! Thanks so much for your comment. It will sure help someone who is on the fence about joining, take the plunge. Like you, I have tried so many other things, and failed. It was pretty easy to for me to make a decision about joining Wealthy Affiliate though, because of the free Starter Membership.

      You mentioned what I think is one of the most important things, a foundation. Building a foundation for your business. I feel like this is so important. I think of an analogy of a house, and how it needs a strong foundation. If not, a storm can come and blow it down, or destroy it.

      I feel pretty strong that Wealthy Affiliate has helped me build a solid foundation with my website. It was not that hard either. There are some pretty simple laid out steps set out. Along with easy to understand lessons and tasks. Thank you for the reminder of how valuable WA has been for me and my online business!

      – Jonathan

      Reply
    • David, I know what you mean. It is pretty bad, how many scams there are out there. Check out my surefire way to identify a scam on the internet.

      When I first looked to the internet, I had the wrong idea of making money online. I thought that you could make money really easy with not much effort. I was wrong!

      There are so many scams out there who prey on people such as myself. They know how vulnerable and ignorant we are to making money online, and they build a business to scam people out of their money.

      My business online focuses on identifying much of these scammers by looking into their products and shining light on it for people to understand what they are getting into before they spend their money.

      I have also found the best product, I believe, to help people learn the basics of earning money online; this Wealthy Affiliate. I have been a member for over four years. I don’t make a ton of money online, but I understand the concept, and also offer help to others who want to understand as well.

      If you want to make money online, the best way is to start an online business. A website that offers a product or service to people. Have you ever wanted to start your own business? Well here you can, with $0 start up costs.

      You have to grow your business if you want to make money. I have not had much time to spend on my business, therefore it has not grown as fast as I would have liked it too. However, I plan on spending more time on it in the near future to be able to reach my goals.

      I am glad you landed on my review, and I am here if you have any more questions.

      Thank you!

      Reply
  11. Hey thanks for this article! It really answers all the questions one would have before starting an online business. I can agree with all of what you have mentioned about wealthy affiliate program.

    Online business is one of the best way to become financially free and like you have stated you have to put in the work!

    Reply
    • Hi Sariyah, thanks for commenting. I am glad you agree with me that Wealthy Affiliate is great program. Hope your business is successful, and I look forward to seeing your around in the community. 

      Reply
  12. My personal experience with wealthy affiliate has been nothing short of amazing. I have started making money and I could not have been happier. I would one hundred percent recommend to anyone who is searching for a source of income. It is a bit difficult to make money from the beginning though so be prepared to work 

    Reply
    • Aubin, this is perfect, thank you! I love how you set up my readers for what to expect. I never want to steer someone in the wrong direction and make them believe that this will be easy. 

      This will take a whole lot of time and dedication to make it work. Consistency. That will be the key. 

      Reply
  13. Loved your detailed post, and love WA. Personally, it is the best thing to apply on WA if you want to make side hustle, or even make a full time. Great community, research, web hosting… If you consider what you get for the money, it is simply a bargain. Also, training with every level gets more and more interesting. One question, is it worth taking the Affiliate BootCamp training (considering that you’ve passed standard already)?

    Reply
    • Ivan, that is a question I would not be able to answer. I have yet to complete the other. I completed the affiliate bootcamp. It was super informative. 

      Maybe browse through it and see it there were any subjects not discussed in the Entrepreneur Certification training. 

      I am with you, WA is a bargain. I have been paying the yearly membership for so many years, but really it pays for itself. 

      Reply
  14. This was a great read Jonathan and if I wasn’t already a convert I would join you right now. It was great to hear about your journey and you have a lot of wisdom to share. This is such an honest review of Wealthy Affiliate and I’m not surprised that you started converting people after a month. The education that you receive at WA is the best around that I could find after doing 6 weeks of research and now after 2 years I still think the same. As you said the community and support are totally above par.

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Wishing you even more success.

    Reply
    • My gosh Lily, that really means a lot to me, thank you! I am happy to hear you have been apart of the community for a couple of years. 

      Myself, I have been apart of the community for six years, and I still feel like the first day I joined. I love it! 

      As you mentioned, the community, love them. They are just so alive, and jubilant. Love being around positive people, who care, and always want to help. 

      Cheers, to you as well

      Reply
  15. Hi Jonathan,

    That’s a very detailed review of the Wealthy Affiliate platform. I think that WA, like every other training platform, can only take people so far and then it’s down to the individual to put in the hard work to get to where they want to be, so I think you make great points at the start of the review when you say that WA is not a “get rich quick” scheme and that effort and commitment will be needed in order to succeed.

    To succeed in affiliate marketing you need to learn how to do quite a few things – so physically create a website, research relevant keywords, produce quality content etc, and whereas there is a lot of information to take in when learning these ideas, the fact that WA breaks them down into ordered chunks is a great way to learn. 

    I really think that the free starter account is a fantastic tool/offer as it allows someone to have a proper look around without any obligation or payment or spamming whatsoever, so I would completely encourage everyone to jump in and see what it’s all about – It can’t do any harm to take a look!

    Best wishes

    John

    Reply
    • John, thank you for your comment. You are right, Wealthy Affiliate is like the vehicle that is going to take you there,  but it doesn’t drive itself. You will have to put gas in it, drive it, and take care of it. 

      The hardest thing is waiting for results, but one has to understand that it is a business. You have to build it, and add value, in order to drive traffic. Once you get the traffic, you should be golden. 

      You would think that with the free starter membership available, people take advantage of it all the time. However, I think people are tire of being misguided, so even though it is free, they are still reluctant to try it. 

      Kind of like giving your email out these days. More and more people must be terrified to give their email out, because they know they are going to just receive the spam. 

      That’s why you have to get an email account, strictly for spam. 😉

      Reply
  16. I think your article is spot on. There are so many things to say about WA but you already wrote about most of them. I want to focus only in two things that WA win me over. First of all their honesty in everything they say. They don’t promise riches or success stories. They will show you the way for success, they will provide the tools but what you will do after is entirely up to you. And the second is they offer a free account. There is so much to be experienced that only by trying it yourself you can understand the value.

    Reply
    • Stratos K, thank you for your comment. It says something about Wealthy Affiliate’s character that they do not promote the get rich quick scheme. 

      When I first joined, everywhere I turned on the internet, someone was pitching that. I was let down more than once. I first realized that WA was valuable, when I finally realized they were the only people suggesting that building a business and a substantial amount of income online would take hard work and dedication. 

      Ever since then, I have never looked back. Over time, I have reviewed other products out there and see that there are still people promoting the get rich quick schemes. I want to help people find Wealthy Affiliate, so that they don’t waste their time and money on those things. 

      Reply
  17. Thank you very much for giving us this honest review about Wealthy Affiliate. I like that you enter into a lot of depth in it. I have always wanted to work from home. And it has been difficult because I have come across a couple of scams that have discouraged me. But Wealthy Affiliate seems to be different. I like that it has this community behind it and that makes enduring easier.

    Reply
    • Abel, I was in your shoes once. I realized the only way to find the true freedom I was looking for was to build a business online, and that Wealthy Affiliate was going to help me achieve that. 

      I once got this online job and thought it was going to be the very best thing ever to happen for me. I was so wrong. It turned out to be not much different than a regular 9 to 5. I was obligated to working so many hours, and penalized when I violated a policy. 

      Whether that was missing a day, or saying the wrong thing to a customer over the phone. It was not fun at all! 

      I think when people realize that you have to build this online business to fulfill your dreams, that is when you have gotten yourself on the right track. 

      Reply
  18. I believe that Wealthy Affiliate has one of the best platforms out there, the online world is full of so many scams but Wealthy Affiliate is the real, I have been a part of the community for a few years now and have seen how the training at Wealthy Affiliate is so amazing. For anyone no matter the age who wants to learn about how to have online success, this community is the place to get your training.

    Reply
    • Norman, thank your for sharing your experience. I agree, I have been within the online world, and have yet to find another place like Wealthy Affiliate. 

      It boggles my mind sometimes when I see other internet marketers promoting other things, that have little value, and they only do it for the commission check. I cannot understand why they do it. 

      I cannot bring myself to promote something that does not actually deliver. It is very misleading and I think it shows a lack of integrity. 

      Good luck to you. I see you are chiseling away at success for your business. 

      Cheers

      Reply
  19. This is a very helpful and informative review of Wealthy Affiliate. I joined Wealthy Affiliate just over two years ago, and I agree with you, you will be provided with world class training. The additional live classes, that are available as replays, are a huge help, as well as the additional training that other members publish on the platform. 

    I love working in Site Content, and always create my content in there, rather than WordPress, as I find Site Content easier to navigate. I originally joined Wealthy Affiliate under the free starter membership, but upgraded after the 7 days as Icould already see the value that wealthy Affiliate was providing. 

    I would certainly recommend Wealthy Affiliate to anybody who wants to learn how to build an online business. 

    Reply
    • LineCowley, that is perfect, thank you for sharing! 

      I like Site Content a lot as well. I think the idea that I can accomplish things in less steps is most attractive to me. I can simply log onto Wealthy Affiliate, go to Site Content, write, search and upload images right from their platform, then publish it. 

      Things work seamlessly, and it makes my life easier. I am happy to hear you have been with WA for a couple of years. Similar to you, I take advantage of the up to date live video training weekly. Well usually just catch the replay. 😉

      Reply
  20. Wow, what a very great in depth review of wealthy affiliate. I have been in the program for two months now and have already accomplished so much. I know one day I will get the chance to get people to sign up after me. I am still learning and so far have learned so much. I think everyone should be a part of wealthy affiliate. Especially if wanting to make a website and share knowledge to the world. Thanks for this great review. 

    Reply
    • Kiersti, I am so glad you have found Wealthy Affiliate. This is truly the place to be. As you have seen, you will grow and learn so much and become efficient in your online business. 

      Keep up the spirit and ambition, and you can achieve your dreams. As you know, there is so much opportunity online. 

      WA will not steer you in the wrong direction. Good luck with everything, and if you ever need a hand with anything, feel free to ask. 🙂

      Reply
  21. Personally, I think that the review was a crazy good one. I mean, the amount of detail and insight from every possible angle that you provided – that was awesome. Also, I think it will be genuinely helpful to anyone encountering the program for the first time.

    But what I loved the most was kind of the inner mental game that you illustrated that needs to happen.

    Because that’s so true. You just can’t approach it with a mindset that you’ll do it for a few months and if you’re not a millionaire by the end of them, then you’ll move on. Nothing in life works that way. If you really want this, you have to give this the time. And it doesn’t matter how long it will be. You just have to keep learning and inexhaustively do your best to move forward.

    Also, I loved that you didn’t shy away from the potential negative aspects. That you kind of tackled them head-on instead of trying to downplay them or not mention them at all.

    Reply
    • Matiss, you feedback means a lot to me! Thank you so much! 

      I am glad you enjoyed the review. After being in this business for so many years, I feel that is the number one hurdle and stepping block one has to overcome. The mindset. I am glad you agreed with me. 

      Also, it was hard to come up with negative things to say about Wealthy Affiliate, but nonetheless there were some. I don’t think there is a product out there that is perfect, and that you cannot expect some shortcomings. 

      However, as I mentioned in my review, the ones that one would encounter at Wealthy Affiliate, are definitely ones that you can work through.  

      Reply
  22. I must congratulate you — your review is one of the most complete I’ve read. You have provided so much information. It seems to me it would be a good idea for one signing for the free membership to print out your review and keep it by the computer. You have answered so many questions that folks just starting might have. Good work reviewing a winning program! I’m convinced!

    Reply
    • Fran, I am flattered, thank you! I must say, I was once a newbie at Wealthy Affiliate, and I just listed down everything I have learned. And also everything I think someone should know when they embark on this incredible journey to make money online, and to build a sustainable online business. 

      Thanks again for the complement!

      – Jonathan 

      Reply
  23. Hello and thank you for all the current details about the wealthy affiliate program (which you obviously feel strongly about)! It’s great to have all the details behind the program to help evaluate it and compare it to similar programs. Looks like you get a lot with WA including a great keyword research tool. Thanks for sharing all the relevant info!

    Reply
    • Hi Aly, I do feel strongly about Wealthy Affiliate. Mainly because it has been around for 16 years and counting, it does not feel spammy at all, and it has all the tools I need to do the job. 

      I feel like other programs are constantly trying to get you to upgrade, and I guess WA does do the same thing to an extent. However, there are only two other Premium options, and they are very much affordable. 

      Just thinking about it, I did the $49/month plan for around six months. By that point I was getting referrals to the program (using methods that I learned from Wealthy Affiliate). These actually began to pay for my subscription. Ever since then, the program has paid for itself. 

      I did upgrade to the Premium Plus option, at $499 year (I took advantage of the Black Friday special). This membership is also being paid by itself. I really don’t spend any money out of pocket, on my business. 

      If you look at it in that aspect, then I am actually running a business online for free. The whole idea is that you want to generate a full time income online. You must agree with me though, if you can make $100/month online, then you can make $1,000s, if you keep putting in the work?

      Reply
  24. Wealthy Affiliate is an awesome program to join. You will learn valuable skills that many people do not know about and the great part of all is that you can make money while learning these new skills online. When I first heard about Wealthy Affiliate, I thought it was a scam. But then I question myself, how can I call it a scam when I never tried them out. That is is why I gave them a shot and I love that choice ever since. If you want to be successful online, Wealthy Affiliate is the first step to be successful.

    Reply
    • Bernard, thank you for that affirmation. I think it is easy to think Wealthy Affiliate is a scam. Because at first they are not selling you anything, which is different since most companies are trying to get you to fork over some cash from the beginning. Some even charge $1,000s, but even spending $47 up front is a gamble. 

      As you mentioned, WA offers the free Starter Membership. How can you go wrong? If you really want to know if it is legit, try it risk free, right? 

      I am glad that you have seen the value Wealthy Affiliate brings, and are currently a member there. I will see you on the inside. Looking forward to seeing your progress. 

      Reply
  25. Thank you Jonathan for a very informative and detailed article on Wealthy Affiliate and for your honesty about the product.
    As an older guy, I have been around and seen many of the scams that exist out there. I can tell you from personal experience ( a couple that got pretty expensive loss wise) that the “little if any work yields thousands of dollars” is a pipe dream. It doesn’t exist except for maybe the scammer (yes, dishonesty and no honor/ integrity are sometimes rewarded, but how do you live with yourself?)
    To everyone out there, create a product, believe in it, support it and be committed to its success.
    After reading your article a couple times now, I will give Wealthy Affiliate a try. I just needed the tools and education to do this online work and I believe Wealthy Affiliate will provide me that. I will provide the time, commitment, energy and patience.
    Thanks again and best wishes to you for continued success.

    Cal

    Reply
    • Cal, I feel honored that you found my article so helpful. And I am glad that it assisted you with the product review you needed to make an informed decision on joining Wealthy Affiliate.

      Thank you for the wise words, and I agree 100%. I wish everyone could do their due diligence in researching these online programs that promise to deliver the information you need to make money online. I have heard of too many occasions where folks lose out on their heard earned money.

      I am very thankful for Wealthy Affiliate, because they have provided the tools, education and training to succeed in this business. I have been with them for so many years. I know you will enjoy your membership with them. If you ever get stuck and need some assistance, reach out to me within the community there.

      Take care,
      Jonathan

      Reply
  26. Hi Jonathan.

    Thank you for the informative post. I am an artist, I find this incredibly stressful to try to succeed. I create but I am not born a saleswoman. Recently my art has grown locally. I was able to pay myself a salary 2 months, I have hit a plateau, it is really hard. I have to say that is only on Facebook though. I did have a website before but I crashed and burnt. From reading your post, you mention affiliate ads to you website, how does it work with an artistic website? I have so far checked some websites and so far I don’t see any. Nevermind I think the promise of a free website is too good to be true, so I will have a try and see how it goes? If all is well, I might try the premium as I need a lot of training. Thank you

    Reply
    • Regina, your business nor mine is an easy one. As you know. It takes a lot! Such as the time and effort to get your product out there.

      Wealthy Affiliate will show you how to do this effectively. However, remember this will take time.

      It is definitely a dream to work on and achieve. Not something to substitute what you’re doing now to generate income, or a job.

      Once you get to a point where you have a lot of traffic to your website and making sales, then you can do this solely. That is if you are independent.

      To answer your question, placing ads on your website will be relatively easy. You will learn this within the training at WA. There will be so much help available there. Plus I can help you, one on one.

      Reply

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