Today’s article is quite special. We’ll dedicate more than a few words to talking about testing websites, a remote work that is more and more popular every day that goes by. There are multiple aspects of this business we need to address in order to make things clearer as possible.

Understanding the importance of user experience and usability tests have to be the first step. You cannot properly perform in testing websites when you don’t have the main facts straight.

Work from home part-time jobs aren’t easy to find but when we do the needed research and knock on the right doors, opportunities like testing websites may appear in front of us, ready to be used in our absolute benefit.
Let’s wait no more and get into the details we are interested about.
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​                                                                                                                                                                                 User Experience: What Is It?

The concept of user experience goes beyond websites and has a broader scope. Nevertheless, it’s necessary to understand what it means in order to be capable of testing websites at a certain level.

When we talk about user experience, we are referring to the users’ attitudes when using a product or service. What affects the UX, how it’s also called, are the offered degrees of practicability, efficiency, and convenience. Because of this, we understand that a digital product, like an interactive webpage, that has bugs or visual flaws, will cause discomfort to the user. In the industry, this is simply considered as poor user experience.

Another important thing to have in consideration is that user experience change with time. If we compare a modern website to the ones we had ten years ago, we will find that they latter were terribly inefficient and represented a painful experience. Nevertheless, we were happy with those websites back then.

The same happens with other technologies, like digital interfaces and gadgets. It also applies to regular, non-digital product and services. These are constantly becoming better and more innovative, significantly raising the bar in terms of standards.
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For companies, optimizing the user experience of their products and services is fundamental to achieve high levels of satisfaction among customers. Without a single doubt, poor UX will lead the customers straight to the competition. Here is where you can recognize its importance.
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​Why Pay for Usability Tests?

As we mentioned before, the success of companies basically depends on a positive, satisfying user experience. Without it, the customers are not likely to stick with the brand. This is fundamental for the satisfaction the product or service can project in the market, as casting a shadow regarding quality.
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Here is where you come in. Reliable people for testing websites are always demanded. New companies are born and innovative products are being launched into the market. With all these events, a website is probably being created as well.

The user experience of this website will be key to provide a positive good impression about the company. It’s a reality of today’s business world that potential customers will judge the company or brand superficially, so first impressions are key to success.

And because companies care a lot about the impression they give, they prefer to invest in testing websites before making harm to their image. At this point, you can profit if you want. You are a potential customer in so many different niches. Because of this, you are fit to provide a solid review about user experience and report anything that could be wrong.
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​Do I Have to Be a Programmer or a Web Designer?

The big question most people have is about the technical requirements for these work from home part-time jobs. It’s natural to think that having some education in programming or web designing is necessary to actually be testing websites.

The truth is that the ones who need this are those who will be responsible for fixing the bugs and improving the experience. As a remote worker, the only duty you have in this matter is putting in the shoes of the potential customer, identifying those errors, and reporting them in a clear, comprehensive way.

In your reviews about the websites in question, no programming background will be needed. You have to be clearer as possible regarding your explanation and avoid any terms or concepts you don’t actually understand. This could lead to misconceptions and mistakes from the people in charge when the time of making changes comes.
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​Now it’s time to talk about our options when it comes to working in testing websites. Fortunately, we have three solid ones and we’re going to expose them in the following lines.

Please, have in consideration that these sites have some popularity online because of a good amount of reviews from other sites and workers. Also, these platforms are being used by US-based companies and start-ups that require low-cost service to get their sites properly running. Because of these two reasons and many others, we have good foundations to believe what these platforms are offering us regarding testing websites and getting paid for it.

Let’s begin with the brief reviews.
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​1. MyCrowd

While MyCrowd falls into the same category of testing website gigs, it uses a very different business model. The whole platform is a competitive stage where the most contributing members will be the ones that earn the highest numbers. There are many users that define MyCrowd as a gamified business, which is a good way to do so.

Usability tests in MyCrowd are executed by whole crowds of users, as the name may suggest it. But they aren’t only testing websites but software as well. This means that they may be, from time to time, more work to participate in.

The paid campaigns for work are called Bug Hunts. During these so-called hunts, all workers participate trying the website or software, trying to identify the possible bugs and errors. How much money MyCrowd pays depends on the severity of the bug. Small bugs can reward the user with $2 or $3, while more serious bugs that could represent a crash for the software, are rewarded with $18.

The main challenge during these Bug Hunts is not finding problems but finding them first than the other workers. Here is where most people fail and go home empty handed. Because of this, being hasty and paying a lot of attention is paramount to be first during Bug Hunts.
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If you have a smartphone at hand, either Android or iOS, you will have access to more work because many of the software that needs to be tested are apps for these devices. Also, some of the Bug Hunts are very specific about the technical requirements, giving leverage to those who are fit for the job. 
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​Reliability

MyCrowd is not a highly popular website that everybody knows. Because of this, it is hard to find reviews out there, posted online. Nevertheless, what we can actually find are articles pointing out who this website can be an opportunity for remote workers, especially for those who like to be competitive.

Pros
-Depending on the size of the bugs, the rewards may go from $2 to $18.
-A competitive platform that adds extra emotion to the assignments.
-More opportunities to work, mainly because the Bug Hunts also comprehends PC software and smartphone apps.

​Cons
-Only the first person to find the bug will get pay, so inexperienced users may have problems to generate any revenue during the first work sessions.
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​2. Userlytics

Userlytics take testing websites to a whole new level. The previous two options we talked about before requiring a considerable effort from users when the time of providing feedback comes. But this platform requires the most engagement from the worker.

There are other sites that are similar to Userlytics, mainly because they demand the worker to provide its feedback through a microphone, something that helps webmasters to gather more valuable information for them to make changes and improvements, based on rich reviews made vocally.

Nevertheless, like we said before, Userlytics take things further. This platform requires the workers to also have a webcam. Why? Webmasters are going to watch your recordings in order to interpret your facial expressions when using the websites. For them, this means a unique level of engagement and feedback.

These tests require around 20 minutes of your time but we can say that are well paid, around $10 each. Unfortunately, it’s unlikely to have work every single day. Invitations are sent by Userlytics depending on criteria we don’t know nor control.
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​Pros
-Every single test pays $10.
-This is one of the most professional testing websites available.
-Using a microphone and webcam translate into easier, more comprehensive reviews.

​Cons
-This site is not viable for shy people.
-There are not enough assignments to create a steady workflow.
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​3.  StartUpLift

StartUpLift is a fairly popular platform for testing websites. As the name may suggest, it is ideal for start-ups to publish their websites and get reviews that can help them to enhance the user experience exponentially. Let’s remember that start-ups are constantly A/B testing everything, more frequently than well-established companies. This means that there is a lot of work to do.

This platform has been online since 2010 and the business model has been almost the same since the very beginning. Companies offer $5 rewards to workers for testing websites and provide a comprehensive, highly detailed review.

We have seen that some companies in StartUpLift do not offer the reward and leave it to chance, telling the workers that there is a slight chance of paying something if the review is satisfying enough. We find this as a serious problem to consider. Nevertheless, most start-ups do offer the reward in question, often increasing it up to $10.
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But to really profit from StartUpLift, it’s paramount to be committed with every single review you write. Mediocre, poorly detailed feedback doesn’t provide the value the company needs. Because of this, no one is willing to pay for it. Long, properly structured reviews are the ones that generate the most results. The quality of visuals, potential bugs, and loading times are some of the factors these start-ups care about.

What StartUpLift wants is that workers make things easy for companies, allowing them to save the most time possible when modifying and improving the websites in question. And with limited five reviews per day, we are almost forced to dedicate enough time when writing each review.
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Reliability
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When it comes to work from home part-time jobs, StartUpLift has demonstrated its value. There are solid proofs online about its reliability. This company pays using PayPal and make all the transfers exclusively on Mondays.
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Regarding the income, we can say that for someone who is truly committed and provides highly comprehensive reviews, earnings can be around $100-150 per week. Of course, it necessary to make all five reviews per day and be serious about it. Also, it’s paramount to choose wisely the companies we will assist.

Pros
-A minimum $5 reward is reasonable for the work done.
-Providing feedback to these companies allows raising the bar in terms of quality standards and optimum user experience.
-There are abundant proofs of its reliability when the paying time comes.
-Helping start-ups mean that we are contributing with a key element of the globalized economy.
-Uses simplified payments through PayPal.

​Cons
-Reviews are limited to five per day.
-Start-ups pay only to the winning review, which is the one that provides the most comprehensive information about the website in question.

​The Bottom Line
Good work from home part-time jobs aren't easy to find. In fact, these are really scarce. However, here you have three options that are willing to pay you money in exchange for your opinion.
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StartUpLift, MyCrowd, and Userlytics are really different from each other and answer to different types of workers. That’s why the one you choose will exclusively depend on your personal preferences and your work plans for the future.

Since the very moment the Internet became a thriving business environment, multiple new ways to do marketing and establish brands have emerged. Many companies identified the opportunity to reach an unprecedented number of potential customers all around the world, forcing them to invest record highs in marketing. But companies alone weren't capable of handling the entire process. At this point, affiliate marketing was born.
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The Basics

​In the simplest terms possible, we can answer the question of what is affiliate marketing by saying that it's a performance-based methodology that allows companies to directly reward the results made by independent affiliates on the Internet, which advertise products and services from other companies under this agreement.
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This means that online publishers, that can be basically anyone these days, have the opportunity to profit from third-party products and services. The way to achieve such a thing is through digital marketing efforts, establishing websites and working on their efficient exposure.
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Affiliate marketing works thanks to the involvement of three main parties. These are the following:

• The Advertiser
• The Publisher
• The Consumer

First, we have the advertiser, which is the individual professional or company that wants to get its product or service published at different spaces online in an inexpensive way. Imagine that you developed an innovating online platform for team project management. You need to get more paid subscribers but the budget for marketing is simply too tight. What you do, as the advertiser, is to include your product in an affiliate network where publishers all around the world can find it. When they advertise it and accomplish to drive new clients into your business, the network automatically generates a commission for them.

The publisher, of course, is the party devoted to investing in digital marketing, creating websites, promoting content, building audiences, interacting with social platforms, and finally promoting different products and services in its defined niche. This party is what makes affiliate marketing actually possible, working as middlemen between companies and customers.

To close the cycle, we have the consumer, our final party. The consumer is the main target for both the advertiser and publisher, being the one that finally makes the purchase. In any marketing methodology, making the consumer to formalize a purchase represents the big goal and affiliate marketing is not the exception.
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What Does This Means for You?

Affiliate marketing may have two different faces depending to which party you do belong. As an independent provider or company, you can always make good use of affiliate networks in order to boost your marketing efforts and reach more public through publishers.

This is always good for business but it’s necessary to have in mind that a small share of the sale goes to the publisher, which is basically a middleman that makes the purchase possible.

On the other hand, you can become a publisher by working online and distributing persuasive ads about a product or service available through affiliate networks, finally earning money with every successful sale.
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Either way, when we ask what is affiliate marketing, we can always answer by saying that it’s a great opportunity, especially for companies with tight budgets and digital workers wanting to make a solid income online.

We have been responding to “what is affiliate marketing?” for multiple decades. Even today, companies that make important investments in digital marketing ignore the very basics about this highly productive strategy.

This same ignorance about affiliate marketing led to dangerous misconceptions that hurt both advertisers and publishers with little experience in the subject. In the following lines, we will make a great effort in order to explain a few things about this type of marketing that put in risk the parties involved.
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Quantity Doesn’t Mean Anything

​Businesses that decide to go with affiliate marketing actually think that the more affiliate they have, higher their profits will be. This is a terrible misconception that may lead to a waste of valuable time and money.

As an advertiser, which is the company actually producing and selling something, the right move is to be selective with the publishing affiliates when possible. Having countless affiliates will not necessarily translate into good results. Because of this, quality must become paramount.

Craft a list of possible affiliates for your business and choose only those with notable performance. The other way around, you will achieve nothing.
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Truth be told, affiliate marketing’ results are heavily dependent on the publisher’s performance. If a company mostly have ineffective affiliates, results will be really poor.

We see how marketing world in general tries to sell us affiliates as they are invaluable elements of your strategy, creating at the same time the misconception that affiliate programs are simply foolproof.

While it’s true that affiliate marketing can do wonders in terms of business' growth, success isn't in any way guaranteed. This misconception is highly risky for companies with upfront costs and tight budgets.
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Focusing Exclusively on Very Popular Niches Is Wrong

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​In the case of publishers, who are the ones dedicated to building the audience and promoting different business online, problems are also around the corner. If you do your research, you will notice how it seems like there are niches with absurd competition while other are simply neglected by affiliates.

The appearance of a very popular niche may lead affiliates to think that everyone can earn tons of money by simply applying the basics. This is a common mistake that causes abundant problems to publishers, who may be working in vain.
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At the same time, small niches are being ignored. These shy markets are windows to the opportunity that no one is actually exploiting. Because of this, the mindset towards small niches must change. This would positively affect many unattended businesses and disappointed publishers out there.
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The Bottom Line

​Every time someone asks “what is affiliate marketing?”, there is a great need to explain that things aren’t easy as they seem at first sight. For many years, online popular culture has presented affiliate marketing as a foolproof strategy that benefits all the involved parties.

While it remains as a great opportunity, only when things are done properly, there are many challenges that we must recognize since the very first moment.

​For many remote workers, affiliate marketing is the right way to go. This is a highly profitable business with huge possibilities. At the end, it will depend on how much hard work we invest in promoting the chosen products and actually closing deals for those companies.

If we go back again to answer the “what is affiliate marketing” question, we always end up with the simple explanation: the earnings come as commissions for each sale we achieve through all our affiliate efforts.
In the following lines, we’ll give you some handy tips to get better results in your affiliate marketing venture.
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Focus on a Small Group of Great Products

​While there are affiliate web pages that offer a wide array of products, they aren’t probably making big profits of it. In fact, most of the time it’s exactly the opposite.

The affiliates that report the biggest earnings are those who choose a small set of products and invest heavily in them. This allows the marketer to know better the product, putting more accurate efforts on each one.
Always Be Updated with Fresh Techniques.

While technology and the Internet are constantly changing, so is affiliate marketing. That’s why it is your duty to always be updated, studying the latest trends and techniques, ensuring that everything goes smoothly and making the most from fresh strategies to get results.
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Choose Several Traffic Sources

​Why choosing one or two traffic sources when we have so many of them? Today’s affiliate marketing is totally compatible with SEM techniques and social media, for example.

A smart marketer chooses the most sources he or she can actually handle, maximizing traffic and, in consequence, boosting affiliate sales.
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Be Sure About the Demand

​Please, don’t make the same mistake that many affiliates are making out there: offering a product with zero demand. This is a common mistake that ultimately leads to massive losses in both time and money.

There are many tools on the Internet that allow us to analyze the potential demand that sectors and products actually have.
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Track and Measure All Your Efforts

​Is your affiliate marketing campaign being successful? How and why? While our perception of things can be deceiving, numbers do not lie.

Be always aware of the performance your affiliate marketing efforts have. Take care of the statistics and data all your activities online generate and analyze them. Be curious and determine what is going well and what isn’t.
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Study the Brands and the Merchants

​Many affiliates seem to forget that they are recommending companies to their audience. Because of this, we need to be responsible for our words and bits of advice.

Be aware of this and pay attention who is running the brand you are recommending. Is that merchant reliable enough? Don’t drive your visitors into a deception.

​One of the most important elements in affiliate marketing is the program we choose to start working with. This will be highly relevant to the final results, mainly because the program or network chosen represent the very base of the whole strategy, besides paying us at the end of the funnel.

In the following lines, we will talk about four of the most popular affiliates programs out there. All of them are excellent, so you can comfortably choose the one you like the most.
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1. CJ  Affiliate

​Previously known as Commission Junction, CJ Affiliate is one of the biggest programs we can possibly choose, having countless retailers with worldwide recognition.

Because of this same popularity, what we can expect from CJ Affiliate is complete reliability and support, offering all kinds of sizes and formats for affiliate advertising to use on our sites. Even when working with so many retailers, CJ Affiliate achieves to make things easy for the users.

Nevertheless, we consider that there still is a highly pronounced learning curve, complicating things for the very beginners.

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​2. ShareASale

​Here is an interesting fact for you to have in consideration: ShareASale reports about 4,000 different merchants listed in their network, around 25 percent of those being exclusive of this program.

ShareASale is one of our favorites because it’s a very transparent program, trying to deliver all the possible data to the affiliates. This program publishes all kinds of information about the network’s performance, including offer comparisons, something that comes really handy before making any decision.
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The downside is how these reports are being presented, quite outdated in design terms.
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​3. Amazon Associates

​Most beginners in affiliate marketing start with Amazon Associates for many different reasons. The first one is the popularity of this program, being closely linked to the e-Commerce platform we all know already. Another reason may be how easy this program is to operate and make work.

In the case of more experienced marketers and affiliates, Amazon Associates still offers big perks, like APIs and custom resources.

Nevertheless, we dare to say that Amazon Associates has a big problem: the commission structure. Unfortunately, we see how other affiliate programs pay a lot more money to low-traffic affiliates.

While it’s true that high-traffic affiliates can earn up to 9-percent commissions, for low-traffic affiliates, the story is quite different, dropping that number way down.
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4. Rakuten LinkShare

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​Our final entry is about one of the oldest affiliate programs on the Internet. Rakuten LinkShare has a solid reputation among experienced marketers but the new generations seem to ignore it.

Nevertheless, Rakuten LinkShare remains as an extraordinary program for us to make the most. For example, this platform allows us to rotate on-site banners, totally automatically and according to performance. This feature alone can make a big different for affiliates.

If we had to point out a disadvantage about this network, it would be the reduced number of partners, around 1,000. While this is not a small amount, it may seem when compared to other rival programs.