How to start an affiliate site in 2025 (without any tricks)

Every profitable affiliate site we've launched started with one thing: a niche small enough to dominate, but large enough to matter. Here's the six-step playbook we use… 1. Pick a niche you'd read yourself. 2. Cluster the top 25 buyer-intent keywords. 3. Write the money pages first, not the blog. 4. Add trust: disclosures, a real About Me, and a founder photo. 5. Build 3-5 backlinks/month with digital-PR angles. 6. Layer a newsletter to compound results.