How to Easily Create a Profitable Coupon Website With WordPress (2023 Guide)
Are you looking to start an online business that helps people save money while earning you affiliate income? Building a coupon website is a great way to do just that!
Coupon and deal sites have exploded in popularity as more consumers hunt for discounts when shopping online. By curating and promoting the best coupons from around the web, you can provide a valuable service and monetize your site through affiliate partnerships.
The best part is, launching a coupon website is easier and more affordable than you might think thanks to WordPress. In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll walk you through the exact steps to get your coupon site up and running quickly, even if you have zero technical or design skills.
But first, let‘s cover the basics…
What Is a Coupon Website (And How Does It Make Money)?
A coupon website is a site that aggregates and promotes coupons, promo codes, deals and discounts for various online retailers and service providers. The goal is to help visitors save money when buying products or subscribing to services.
Coupon sites make money primarily through affiliate marketing. When a user clicks an affiliate link and makes a purchase using a coupon code, the site owner earns a commission on that sale. Coupon sites may also profit from advertising, sponsorships, or exclusive deals with partner brands.
Some examples of successful coupon sites include:
- RetailMeNot
- Groupon
- Slickdeals
- Brad‘s Deals
- DealNews
The coupon and deal industry has seen massive growth as online shopping becomes the norm. More consumers than ever search for discounts before purchasing. Having a dedicated coupon site that delivers the best, verified deals in one place attracts loyal users and positions you to earn steady affiliate income.
So how do you get started? First, you‘ll need a few key things:
What You Need to Start Your Coupon Website
- Domain name
- Web hosting account
- WordPress software
- Coupon affiliate plugins and tools
Let‘s break these down…
Your domain name is your website‘s address on the internet. It‘s what people will type into their browsers to find your site (e.g. PennySaverDeals.com). Your domain should be memorable, easy to spell, and relevant to your coupon or deals niche.
Web hosting is a service that powers your website and makes it accessible to visitors 24/7. Choosing a reliable host is critical for your site speed, security, and performance. We recommend using Bluehost which is optimized for WordPress. They offer a free domain, SSL certificate, and easy WordPress installation starting at just $2.75/month.
Once you have hosting, you can install the WordPress software in just a few clicks and log into your site dashboard. WordPress is a popular content management system that will serve as the foundation of your coupon site. It‘s free, user-friendly, and infinitely customizable.
Finally, you‘ll want a few coupon affiliate tools and plugins to enhance your WordPress site with must-have features. Some essential plugins include:
- WP Coupons – to create and display coupons
- Pretty Links – to cloak and manage affiliate links
- MonsterInsights – to track traffic and conversions
- OptinMonster – to promote deals and grow your email list
We‘ll go into more detail on these later. But first, let‘s walk through setting up the basics of your coupon site in WordPress!
Step 1: Install WordPress and Choose a Theme
Once you‘ve signed up for Bluehost and logged into your hosting dashboard, you can install WordPress in one click. Bluehost will prompt you to select a free theme during this process.
Your WordPress theme provides the basic design and layout of your site. Pick a clean, professional-looking theme that will make your coupons and deals the focus. You can always customize your theme later.
After installation, your WordPress site is live! Log into your admin dashboard to start configuring your site.
Step 2: Add Coupon Functionality With Plugins
To turn your basic WordPress site into a coupon powerhouse, you‘ll need the right plugins. The most important is WP Coupons, a free plugin that lets you easily create and manage coupons from your dashboard.
To use this plugin:
- Go to Plugins > Add New
- Search for "WP Coupons"
- Install and activate the plugin
- Go to Coupons > Add New to create your first coupon
For each coupon, you‘ll enter key details like:
- Coupon title and description
- Coupon type (coupon code, sale, free shipping)
- Coupon code
- Expiration date
- Affiliate link
- Image
Repeat this process to add more coupons to your site. WP Coupons will automatically generate a coupon archive page that displays all active deals. You can override this by embedding a shortcode like [wp_coupons] on any page.
You can also feature single coupons within blog posts to promote specific deals. Simply grab the shortcode for the individual coupon from your Coupons list.
In addition to WP Coupons, you may want to add:
- Pretty Links for link cloaking and tracking
- MonsterInsights for Google Analytics and conversion data
- Elementor or SeedProd to customize your coupon pages
- RafflePress to run viral giveaways
Step 3: Monetize With Affiliate Programs
As you build out your coupon content, you‘ll need to join affiliate programs to generate your unique tracking links and coupon codes.
Look for affiliate programs with top brands and retailers in your niche. Some popular affiliate networks to find merchant programs include:
- ShareASale
- CJ Affiliate
- Rakuten
- Impact Radius
- Awin
- FlexOffers
Additionally, check if your favorite retailers and brands run their own affiliate programs that you can join directly.
When evaluating affiliate programs, look at metrics like:
- Commission rates
- Cookie lengths
- Competitor coupons and deals
- Product/brand fit and relevance
- Affiliate customer support
Keep a spreadsheet of the programs you join, so when you get new affiliate links and coupon codes you can add them to your WordPress site right away.
Step 4: Create Outstanding Coupon Content
A successful coupon site needs more than just a list of coupon codes. You‘ll want to create content that attracts your target audience and entices them to use your affiliate links.
Types of content to consider for your coupon site:
- Blog posts reviewing products/services
- In-depth buying guides
- Seasonal shopping tips
- Listicles like "10 best deals of the week"
- Video reviews and unboxings
- Store sales previews
- Coupon stacking tutorials
Your goal is to be genuinely helpful to visitors. Instead of just offering a coupon code, provide context on if the deal is worthwhile and how it compares to other available offers. Share personal insights or hands-on experience to build trust.
You‘ll also want to mix evergreen content with timely, seasonal posts. Cover major shopping holidays like Black Friday or Back to School. But also maintain steady affiliate income by promoting year-round deals and discounts.
Step 5: Promote Your Coupons to Maximize Conversions
It‘s not enough to simply post coupons on your site. You need a solid promotional strategy to drive traffic, encourage sales, and grow your audience. Some ways to market your coupon site:
Email Marketing
Build an email list from day one. Encourage visitors to sign up for your newsletter to get the hottest deals delivered straight to their inbox. You can even offer a "subscribers only" coupon as a bonus.
Tools like OptinMonster can help you quickly grow your list with exit-intent popups, coupon wheels, countdown timers and more.
Social Media
Share your best coupons and deals on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social platforms where your target audience hangs out. Consider doing live videos featuring deal roundups or product reviews.
Many coupon affiliates see great results on image-heavy platforms like Instagram and Pinterest. Get creative with fun coupon graphics and lifestyle shots to stop the scroll.
Paid Ads
Experiment with paid advertising on Google, Facebook, Pinterest, etc. to expand your reach. Just be sure to target deal-seeking keywords and audiences to keep your campaign ROI-positive.
Retargeting can help you bring back people who visited your site without buying. And look for opportunities to partner with other coupon or deal sites to cross-promote to their audiences.
Search Engine Optimization
Coupons and deals are highly searched online. Optimize your site and affiliate content for target keywords to attract organic search traffic. Some SEO tips:
- Do keyword research on what coupons/deals your audience is searching
- Optimize page titles and meta descriptions
- Use proper heading tags
- Include target keywords naturally throughout content
- Build high-quality backlinks to your coupon pages
- Speed up your site and ensure mobile-friendliness
By ranking your coupon pages in search, you can enjoy hands-off traffic and affiliate income over time.
Step 6: Maintain and Grow Your Coupon Site
Your work isn‘t done after launching your coupon site. You‘ll need to maintain it by:
- Regularly adding new, updated coupons and deals
- Removing expired offers
- Testing coupon codes to ensure they work
- Tracking affiliate commissions and top-performing deals
- Analyzing traffic sources and visitor behavior
- Split testing coupon copy and calls-to-action
- Surveying your audience on what they want
- Networking with affiliate managers
- Expanding into new verticals and programs
Like any affiliate business, your coupon site will require continuous optimization and experimentation. Pay attention to the data to see what types of deals resonate with your audience.
Over time, you can grow your site into a recognizable brand and coupon destination in your industry. You may even land exclusive partnerships with retailers or secure special discounts just for your users.
Get Started on Your Coupon Site Today
Building a profitable coupon website is an achievable goal for affiliate marketers and online entrepreneurs of all levels. WordPress makes it simple to launch your MVP coupon site quickly and start monetizing right away.
By investing in the right tools, creating standout content, and mastering the art of coupon promotion, you can develop a thriving affiliate income stream.
Use this guide as your roadmap to coupon site success. For more help getting started, check out our hand-picked list of the best web hosting services. And don‘t forget to bookmark our ultimate guide to making money online for additional revenue ideas.
