With the surge of online shopping, discount-offering coupon websites have flourished in recent years.

Coupon-type websites not only help individuals avoid wasteful spending but also aggregate the most awesome deals and discounts in one convenient place, saving shoppers the trouble of searching the web or subscribing to a plethora of mailing lists to find out about upcoming sales and discounts. But how do coupon websites work?

Customers visiting coupon websites seek out discounts and deals that will help them save money, so such websites provide their visitors with the most up-to-date coupons available.

A visitor who clicks on one of these deals or discount codes will be routed to the merchant’s site via a unique affiliate link placed on the coupon website. Once the customer completes their purchase, the coupon website receives payment in the form of commissions from the merchants.

Every party benefits from this sales model: the store makes a sale, the customer saves money, and the coupon site earns a commission.

Coupon sites typically earn a commission ranging between 20-50% or more on every purchase completed. Some coupon websites also make money through membership subscriptions, sponsored advertisements, and affiliate partnerships with major brands, in addition to the more conventional commissions.

So, now you have a better idea of this lucrative business prospect. Still wondering how to start a coupon website? Don’t worry; here is a step-by-step guide to launching a successful coupon website to generate substantial income and achieve profitability in no time. 

1. Purchase a Website Domain

Pick a memorable, distinctive, and catchy name for the website’s domain, then register it with one of the top service providers.

When creating a domain name, including the word “coupon” can make it easier to recall and can also help with search engine optimization.

Various businesses offer domain registration services, some of the most well-known of which are GoDaddy, 1and1, HostGator, BigRock, and Namecheap.

2. Purchase the ClipMyDeals WordPress Theme

ClipMyDeals offers the most comprehensive WordPress coupon theme with plenty of features to provide your simple website with a professional coupon site look and help you start making money right from day one.

Let’s explore some of the great ones at your disposal:

• Android and iOS app integration- Engage the traffic generated from mobile devices through your own mobile app at a one-time cost. 
• Cashback Plugin- Our Cashback plugin allows you to integrate with any affiliate network in any nation so that you can reward your customers for making purchases on your website and encourage repeat visits.
• Coupon Feed Integrations- By utilizing their WordPress Plugin, CouponAPI.org can import coupons and deals from numerous affiliate networks to your site. Additionally, we offer pre-integration with LinkMyDeals coupon feeds, which aggregate discounts from a variety of online and offline merchants via banner ads, email newsletters, push notifications, social media, and more.
• Browser Extension- This will notify users immediately of the coupons, deals, and cashbacks when they visit an online store. Thus, you can maximize affiliate profits from purchases made on Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Edge.

Some other useful features offered include lifetime free support and updates, web push notifications feature, 1-click customization, and much more.

3. Buy a Hosting and Set up a ClipMyDeals Theme on it

Any of the hosting service providers will let you purchase WordPress hosting. Light and responsive, ClipMyDeals can work perfectly even in a shared hosting environment.

Many web hosting providers, like Bluehost, InMotion, Siteground, etc., offer WordPress hosting, so picking one is convenient. Browse the numerous plans until you find the one that works best for you.

Now, the next step is setting up the ClipMyDeals theme. Once you’ve purchased the theme, you’ll receive your login credentials on the registered email used while making the payment.

After logging in, you need to add your website domain name. Then, proceed with downloading the coupon theme, cashback plugin, and browser extension. 

All you need to do is go to your WordPress admin panel, paste the license key (which can be viewed in the Deals Dashboard) and install the downloaded theme (in the ZIP file format). 

Now, you are good to go with setting up website coupon layouts and basic configurations as suitable.

4. Sign Up for Affiliate Programs

Affiliate partners with direct stores like the Amazon Associate Affiliate Program are one of the two basic types of merchant collaborations.

The other is partnering with affiliate programs via third-party networks like Awin, CJ, Pepperjam and more.

Before accepting you into their network, these companies inspect your website. Therefore, you should ensure that your website features some interesting content. Also make sure to check our list of best affiliate programs for guidance.

5. Publish Coupons with Affiliate Links 

Firstly, set up your website’s store configurations, category settings, etc., and then publish deals and coupons.

All merchant links need to be changed to affiliate deep links after you have the coupons and promotions content up and running on your site, along with the affiliate network and direct merchant affiliate accounts.

Affiliate networks can only award commissions on completed sales that get tracked through these deep links.

6. Market Your Website

Here are some tips to promote your website:

• SEO- Implement a keyword-driven meta title and description. Identify keywords for your coupon website with low to medium competitiveness and a respectable level of volume, and then map the metadata to reflect that.
• Social Media Marketing- It’s a powerful tool to engage with your target audience in real time on the platforms they like, including Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc.  
• Email marketing- Gather email addresses from visitors to your site by including a newsletter subscription option on the website.
• Make use of free posting websites, directories and local forums. Check our our suggestions on top free posting websites.

Finally, use your affiliate account’s dashboard to keep tabs on visits, purchases, conversions, and revenue.

Conclusion

Every year, eCommerce brings millions of dollars in revenue, and the success of coupon websites is directly tied to this trend. So, leverage this opportunity to grow and scale up your business exponentially.