Google is one of the most recognized brands in the world.
But not many know they also have an affiliate program where affiliates can promote Google Workspace products and earn surprisingly high commissions.
I’ve studied over 400+ affiliate programs on this website, so it’s going to be interesting to see how well the behemoth known as Google fares against other affiliate programs.
So today, I’m bringing you my Google affiliate program review and we’ll go through the following:
- What is Google’s affiliate program all about
- What can you promote as a Google affiliate
- How to promote their affiliate program
- How much money can you make
- Who can become an affiliate (& should you?)
After reading this review, you should have a good understanding of what they’re offering and what they’re expecting from affiliates, and of course, if you can make any money with their program.
Let’s dive in and find out what’s it all about!
What Is The Google Affiliate Program?
The Google Affiliate Program allows affiliates to earn money by promoting Google Workspace.
And if you’re not sure what Google Workspace is;
Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) is a collection of cloud-based productivity and collaboration tools for businesses of all sizes.
The purpose of the Google Affiliate Program is to help promote these tools and increase sales. It’s a win-win situation for both Google and affiliates like you. Affiliates can earn money by promoting a product they believe in and Google can increase its customer base and revenue.
The program is free to join but comes with requirements which I’ll talk more about further below.
What Can You Promote As A Google Affiliate?
As a Google Affiliate, you’re promoting Google Workspace which comes with multiple products.
This means you have many angles you could focus on in your marketing campaigns.
For example, you could solely promote the Gmail business email accounts or you could highlight the security features included in Google Workspace, such as advanced encryption protocols that keep data safe and secure.
Below are the pricing plans for Google Workspace:
- Business Starter – $6/user/month
- Business Standard – $12/user/month
- Business Plus – $18/user/month
All Google Workspace plans come with the whole collection of business tools listed below:
Gmail Business Email Accounts
Gmail Business Email Accounts is a great way to manage your email and stay organized.
The paid version comes with a custom-branded email (@yourcompany.com), unlimited group email addresses, more storage space for your emails, no ads, and more.
It’s easy to set up and comes with 24/7 email, chat, and phone support.
Google Drive: Sheets, Docs, & Slides
Google Drive is a cloud-based storage solution that allows you to store and share files with others.
The business version comes with more storage space and shared drives for your team. You also get more support with the paid version.
Google Meet
Google Meet is a video conferencing tool that allows you to connect with others remotely.
With the paid version, you can have more people attend video meetings, and depending on the plan; recording, attendance tracking, and noise cancellation become available too.
Google Calendar
Google Calendar is a scheduling tool that helps you manage your time and stay on top of your schedule.
The paid plan includes shared calendars with your team, appointment booking pages, and browsing & reserving conference rooms.
Google Forms, Sites, & Jamboard
Google Forms, Sites, and Jamboard are other tools that you can use to create surveys, websites, and digital whiteboards.
Google Workspace comes with many more tools which I didn’t include in this list. The above ones are some of their more popular products.
How Much Does The Google Affiliate Program Pay?
As an affiliate, one of the most important things you need to know is how much you can earn from a particular affiliate program.
If you’re considering joining the Google Affiliate Program, you’ll be happy to know the commission rates are quite competitive.
The commission rates vary by country, but for the US folks they are as follows:
- Business Starter – $9 commission per user
- Business Standard – $18 commission per user
- Business Plus – $27 commission per user
So, instead of the popular percentage-based commissions – the Google affiliate program pays you flat-rate commissions for every user you refer.
This is an interesting approach and I believe the flat-rate structure is more beneficial for affiliates in this case.
Your target audience will be businesses, so they’re expected to have multiple team members in most cases. This means you have a high chance of earning a flat-rate commission for each team member, which can amount to worthwhile commissions.
Let’s say a small company gets a “Business Plus” plan for its 5 team members.
This would already amount to $135 in commissions for you. So if you’re after higher commissions, you may want to target companies with a high team member count.
The only downside I see in this flat-rate commission structure is the lack of recurring commissions. Therefore, you have to constantly find new customers to keep your income numbers up.
Lastly, the cookie duration for Google’s affiliate program is 30 days which is not bad.
It means that if someone clicks on your affiliate link and makes a purchase within 30 days, you’ll still earn a commission even if the purchase doesn’t happen straight away.
How Do You Get Paid As A Google Affiliate?
Google’s affiliate program is hosted on the CJ Affiliate platform which handles payments (more about CJ Affiliate further below).
Regardless, you can get paid by wire transfer or PayPal depending on which you prefer. The minimum payout threshold is $100, and payments are made once a month.
How To Promote The Google Affiliate Program
So, how do you promote the Google Affiliate Program effectively?
I’d say one key element is getting in front of audiences consisting of business owners since Google Workspace is made for them.
The easiest way to promote it is if you already have such an audience waiting for you somewhere. But if not, there are multiple ways you could start growing one.
Below are some worthwhile methods you could use to grow an audience of business owners and promote Google Workspace to them:
Websites
Having your own website is one of the best ways to build an audience and do affiliate marketing.
You can use content marketing and search engine optimization (SEO) to drive organic traffic to your site and promote your affiliate links. This route means you’ll be writing helpful blog posts and product reviews that highlight the benefits of the products you’re promoting.
You could create helpful content around Google Workspace products or other areas that business owners would be interested in.
YouTube
YouTube is another great platform for promoting the Google Affiliate Program.
For example, you could create educational videos on how to create branded business email addresses or how to prepare and do video meetings/presentations.
Then you would include your affiliate links in the video description and mention it in the video. You can also use YouTube advertising to reach a wider audience and drive traffic to your website if you have one.
Social Media
Social media is a powerful tool for promoting affiliate products when done right.
Share valuable information and engage with your followers to build trust and credibility. Then add affiliate links to your social media profiles and/or pitch the affiliate offers directly to your followers in DMs.
Most social media platforms also allow you to advertise to specific audiences which you can take advantage of. You could grow your email list or drive traffic to your website.
Paid Ads & Email
Finally, paid advertising can be a highly effective way to grow your email list and promote the Google Affiliate Program.
Google Ads, in particular, can help you reach a large audience and drive targeted traffic to your website or email capture page. Just be sure to follow Google’s advertising policies and guidelines to avoid any issues.
With these strategies, you can effectively promote the Google Affiliate Program and earn commissions. Just remember that no matter which route you take, it’s going to require time and effort before you see the fruit of your labor.
How Much Money Can You Make With The Google Affiliate Program?
It’s hard to say how much you can make without knowing more details.
But what I can say is that Google’s affiliate program doesn’t have any limits on how many people you can refer their way (except for their referral program which I’ll discuss soon).
So, the amount of money you can make depends on several factors.
The number of users you refer is one factor and the quality of your leads can also impact your earnings.
Let’s say you have a website that gets 1,000 visitors a month and you convert 1% of them into paying Google customers. This equals 10 people a month. We also assume those 10 people are small business owners with 2 team members each, and they buy a “Business Plus” plan ($27 commission per user for you).
You get a commission for all 3 users per team = 30 users in total = $810 in commissions.
And remember, this was just 1,000 visitors/month with a 1% conversion rate which is very conservative. The numbers could be much higher in reality and the businesses could have way larger teams than just 2 members.
If you were to get 1,000 visitors a day instead of a month (& we keep the other numbers the same), your potential commissions could be $810 in a single day.
The numbers don’t lie.
With the right strategy and effort, you can potentially make a significant amount of money by promoting Google’s affiliate program.
Who Can Join The Google Affiliate Program?
Google’s affiliate program comes with a few requirements for affiliates.
For starters, the program is available only for affiliates based in the following 41 countries.
You also need a Google AdSense account.
Next, there are actually two options depending on your situation:
- The Referral Program (You can refer up to 99 users only)
- The Affiliate Program (You need to be able to refer at least 100 users annually)
This means you need an existing audience if you want to get accepted into the affiliate program. When you apply to the affiliate program, they will also evaluate your performance, content quality, content relevance, and aesthetics.
If you’re a blogger, freelancer, or digital agency, you might be wondering if you’re eligible to join Google’s Affiliate Program.
The answer is yes, as long as you meet certain criteria.
If you’re a blogger, you can join the Google Affiliate Program as long as you have a website that meets Google’s quality guidelines.
Your website should have original content, be easy to navigate, and not violate any of Google’s policies. You must also be at least 18 years old and have a valid tax identification number to participate in the program.
The same goes for freelancers and agencies. Although the referral program might be a better fit for them since they tend to have smaller audiences.
How To Sign Up To The Google Affiliate Program
Applying for the Google affiliate program is easy and straightforward.
Here’s how to do it:
- Go to the CJ Affiliate sign-up page to register a free account.
- Fill out the application form with your personal information.
- Read and agree to the terms and conditions.
- Activate your account by completing CJ’s onboarding checklist (company details, tax forms, & payment information)
- Your application will be automatically submitted for review
Once you’ve submitted your application, it will be reviewed by their dedicated affiliate team. If your application is approved, you’ll receive an email with instructions on how to get started.
It may take a few days or even weeks before it is processed.
Should You Become A Google Affiliate?
Overall, Google is a fantastic brand to partner with (if you can get accepted).
But as with any affiliate program, there are both benefits and drawbacks.
On the plus side; Google is a well-known and trusted brand. This means you can leverage this trust factor so your audience is more likely to trust and click on your affiliate links. The commission rates are competitive too. As long as you have a fitting audience (business owners), you have the potential to earn high commissions.
On the downside; Google’s Affiliate Program is highly competitive, so you will need to work hard to stand out from the crowd. They have high standards and evaluating processes on who can become an affiliate. Google also has strict rules about how you can promote their products; you will need to be careful to follow their guidelines.
And to answer the initial question if you can make any money with Google’s affiliate program; the answer is a simple yes.
If you’d like to learn more about Google’s affiliate program, you can do so here.
I wish you the best of luck if someday you want to become an affiliate for Google.
In the meantime, you can start growing your audience with this great (free) guide on how to build simple affiliate websites.
