TripAdvisor is a popular travel website. The TripAdvisor affiliate program allows the affiliates to collaborate with TripAdvisor in providing reviews to travelers. Similarly, the affiliates offer content on their websites where they advertise TripAdvisor. In return, they are offered a commission of the websites’ earnings. Bloggers who write bulk content related to travel, tourism, and hospitality can use the TripAdvisor affiliate program to monetize their content. Here’s how…
How do you join the Tripadvisor affiliate program?
The TripAdvisor affiliate program has partnered with two affiliate networks- Awin and CJ Affiliate.
To join the program, you need to register through one of these networks. In addition, you need to have a website to be selected for the program. There is no minimum traffic requirement required during sign-up. Just make sure that your website looks clean, legitimate, and aligned with TripAdvisor’s brand to avoid rejection. If you do not have a website yet, you can learn how to do affiliate marketing without a website.
You’ll first need to sign up for free on the affiliate network of your choice. Then, it would be best if you considered the payment options before selecting a preferred affiliate network. We’ll discuss the two payment options later in this article.
Secondly, search for the TripAdvisor affiliate program on the network platform of your selected affiliate website. Then, apply to be part of the program. You will have to wait for them to review your website and get back to you. TripAdvisor gives no specific timeline. You will have to be patient as they get a ton of applications.
Once you get approved, use the links provided by the affiliate networks to create a personal link to TripAdvisor. You can then add the links to your site and begin to get commissions once your visitors click on the links. Both Awin and CJ have link-generating tools that make your work easy. Awin uses Deeplink builder and Convert-a-link tools, while CJ uses the Deeplink generator tool.
Who can join the Tripadvisor affiliate program?
Anyone can participate in this affiliate program. However, the program is assumed to be most suitable to travel bloggers. TripAdvisor doesn’t specify who its affiliate program is best for. They, however, are clear about who is not eligible to join. They include:
- Meta travel search engines including kayak, fly.com, Trivago, and Sidestep
- Hotel, airfare, or vacation rental content aggregator sites
- Any successor, employee, agent, or corporate affiliate of (1) and (2)
They have a $500,000 fine for ineligible parties who enrol in the program. TripAdvisor has not set specific criteria to join the program. However, it is without a doubt that your content should be related to travelling. Moreover, the content should be original and relevant; otherwise, you may get banned from the affiliate program.
Tripadvisor affiliate features
Some of the key features in the TripAdvisor affiliate program include:
You can only promote Hotels
Currently, you can only promote hotels listed on their website if you are a TripAdvisor affiliate. You cannot promote flights, cruises, car rentals, or experiences.
While this might be a limiting factor, you can earn more commissions as a travel blogger by promoting other affiliate programs. Their affiliate program is not exclusive. Use this to your advantage.
14-day cookie duration
The cookie duration for the affiliate program is 14 days. This means that if your referral clicks on your TripAdvisor link, then leave without booking anything, and then later comes back during the 14 day period to reserve something, you will get the commission. You will still earn a commission even if the visitor comes back using a different device or channel.
No hotel booking required
You can still get paid even if the visitor goes to a hotel’s website using your link and they do not make a purchase. TripAdvisor is not clear on how much they pay, but they guarantee your payment just by a user clicking on the link. Do not, however, be tempted to manipulate the system by clicking your own links or having your friends do that for you. They have a robust fraud monitoring system, and if they notice a huge number of clicks from your website that do not convert into bookings, they can kick you out of the program.
Languages available
TripAdvisor is an international website. This means that one can use different languages. Furthermore, this allows users to browse the website in languages that they prefer. This is important for non-native speakers as the booking is made easier.
Payment methods
Payment methods depend on the two affiliate networks. This is because the website is hosted on these two networks. For Awin and CJ, the payment methods are international wire transfer, direct deposit, and check. The table below shows a comparison between CJ affiliate and Awin in terms of payment.
Free to join
TripAdvisor affiliate program is free to join. However, to earn more money with the program, you have to learn the skills and tools to use to grow an audience.
How do you earn on the Tripadvisor affiliate program?
There are a couple of ways in which one can earn money. Here they are…
Commission for clicking links
TripAdvisor will pay you a 50% commission of the hotel revenue generated when your audience clicks your TripAdvisor links. In this case, no booking is required to get the commission. TripAdvisor offers the highest commission payout structures. Moreover, publishers can earn up to 80% commission if they have brought more referrals. The payout depends on several factors like seasonality, length of stay and booking, or hotel partner.
Commission for influence
In this case, you can earn a commission from users within a 14-day referral period. If the users come back in this duration and book something, you will be awarded.
Instant book commission structure
TripAdvisor also pays affiliates a 3% commission of the hotel booking value on any instant booking made by your referrals. The commission is paid 30 days after the check-in date to avoid giving commissions on cancelled bookings. Bookings made through the app are, however, not commissionable.
Incentive Programs
They offer incentive programs to affiliates who drive high traffic to their website. They occasionally provide quarterly incentives to affiliates who drive a certain level of traffic to the website.
The table below is a summary of ways you can earn through the TripAdvisor affiliate program:
| Commission structures | Description |
| Commission for clicking links | 50% when a user clicks your affiliate link. It can go up to 80% |
| Commission for influence | Commission for influencing a user’s decision |
| Instant book commission | 3% commission for an instant booking made by your referrals |
| Incentive programs | Commission for driving high-quality traffic to their website. |
Tripadvisor affiliate Ads tracking and reporting
TripAdvisor will give you a unique identifier to each ad or link placed on your site. This identifier will track all your activity in the affiliate program. Therefore, you don’t need to worry about someone deleting cookies on their computer, as this would not delete your commission.
Pros and cons of working with Tripadvisor affiliate program
This program has various benefits as well as challenges. The following is a summary of the pros and cons of the TripAdvisor Affiliate program.
Pros
- It is trusted by many since it’s a popular brand
- High commission rates
- Great affiliate portal which is easy to use
- Wide variety of products and services to promote as an affiliate
- Available in different languages
- 14-day cookie duration
- Many affiliate tools for you to promote your ads and links
- Affiliates from different countries can join
- Hosted on big and trusted affiliate networks like Awin and CJ
Cons
- High competition with other travel affiliate programs
- The cookie duration is short compared to other affiliate programs in different industries
- There’s an approval process to join it, which means that your application may be rejected
- Some affiliates have a hard time joining because it is only hosted on affiliate networks
Tripadvisor affiliate advertising options
Tripadvisor Affiliate links
These are unique links that take your audience to any page or offer listed on the TripAdvisor website. This allows them to track the people from your site and give you commissions from every referral.
Tripadvisor Banners
These are images that you can add to your site. These images will take people who click on them to the TripAdvisor website to make a booking. Through this, they can track the people who reserve using your link, and you can earn the commission.
Buttons
These are buttons that you can generate for specific services or offers. For example, you can write captivating text on the button to make your audience click on it, go to the TripAdvisor website, and book something.
Tripadvisor Search Widget
This is similar to the search box that people use on the TripAdvisor website to search for something. You can use this search box on your website to make it easier for your audience to search for what they need and then go to the TripAdvisor website to find more details or make a reservation.
Other advertising tools include badges and logos. Research shows that affiliate links are the best advertising tools. The audience is likely to engage with a link where they can go to get more information about the hotel or destination they’re reading about,
As soon as you’re accepted into the program, you’ll get access to all advertising tools. In addition, there is no limit to the number of Ads that you can place on your website. In fact, the more pages your site has, the more traffic you can send to TripAdvisor.
How does TripAdvisor affiliate compare with other travel affiliate programs?
If you are a travel blogger or looking to be one, you might also want to consider other travel affiliate programs to see which one is best for you. The table below shows how the TripAdvisor affiliate program compares to other travel affiliates like booking.com, Expedia, Hotels.com and Kayak.
Best practices when doing TripAdvisor affiliate marketing
TripAdvisor offers the most reliable and credible affiliate program. Because of its popularity, you won’t need to market what it offers to increase awareness about its services. It is one of the leading websites in the travel niche and is an authority in this area. To get the best out of this website, follow these best practices:
Post quality images on your social media platforms
When potential customers visit your social media platforms, they should get high-quality images. You are dealing with top-rated hotels and high-class vacation spots plus the high-quality services they offer, so the images you post must reflect a high level of sophistication. That’s the only way you’ll convince potential customers to visit the places. When downloading images online, make sure you seek permission from copyright owners unless they are royalty-free images.
Ensure each article targets a specific audience
Before you write an article, choose a particular audience to target. When you target the audience this way, they will share your articles with those in their circle sharing the same interest. This will enable you to reach a wider audience. Writing to a targeted audience will also enable you to write more articles than writing to the general audience.
Use Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Through Search Engine Optimization (SEO), your articles will rank highly on search engines like Google. This will help you get more traffic and a high conversion rate. You can optimize your articles by using the right keywords and placing them strategically in your articles. Many potential customers who want to buy services related to travel online will likely land on your page if you use SEO keywords.
Write Stories About Traveling
It helps a lot if you can publish traveling stories. People always think about traveling to their favorite destinations. Writing stories about traveling to these destinations will inspire them to travel. As you write, try to prick their emotions by choosing an inspirational tone and mentioning the best things they can do at those destinations. If you are not good at writing stories, you can work with a professional story writer.
Write Hotel Reviews
Writing reviews for hotels is a great way to attract people to your site. TripAdvisor is also known to promote hotels, so you need to do the same. Hotels offer a variety of services, charges, and discounts that you can write about. Ensure you mention bookings, facilities, availability of Wi-Fi, among others.
Why do you need an affiliate program on TripAdvisor?
TripAdvisor has several features that will help you as an affiliate. Here are some reasons why you need an affiliate program on TripAdvisor:
A variety of topics
TripAdvisor allows you to work on various topics. You can choose topics depending on your taste. For example, you can choose the lowest-range hotels, highest-range hotels, hotel rates, vacation spots, listings, airfares, things to do, etc. In addition, there are unlimited topics to write about.
TripAdvisor is Popular
TripAdvisor has about 50 websites spread across 49 countries all over the world. Depending on how exposed or informed you are, you can choose a vacation spot or country that works in your favor. TripAdvisor has a wide fan base that you can use to your advantage.
Partnership with CJ Affiliates
TripAdvisor now works with CJ Affiliates to manage its affiliate program. This means you’ll get your payment promptly without hitches. You’ll have peace of mind working with other CJ Affiliates as you promote TripAdvisor offers.
Why is it important to partner with TripAdvisor?
TripAdvisor holds significant weight in the hospitality and hospitality industries. Almost all tor-rated tourism and hotel operators are listed on TripAdvisor. Moreover, the website keeps updating its websites to ensure all new entrants in these two industries are included.
TripAdvisor is trusted because it provides accurate information about tourism, restaurants, and hotels so that those who want to visit or undertake tourism activities can make informed decisions.
Unlike physical (tangible) products, tourism and travel are intangible experiences, meaning users can try them before buying. TripAdvisor reviews will help users with this. They’ll see the photos/videos of your destination and read about what those who have visited the place/destination say. By partnering with TripAdvisor, you’ll benefit from the trust travelers have in this website.
How much can you earn from the TripAdvisor affiliate program?
It is impossible to say exactly how much one can earn because several factors come into play. You can earn as little as $10 or way over $2000 a month, depending on how your blog performs. Here is a simple table showing approximately how much you can make given the number of clicks you send to TripAdvisor.
How can you earn more commissions on TripAdvisor?
Do you want to maximize your earnings on TripAdvisor? You aren’t alone. Many people are looking for ways to do so. Luckily, TripAdvisor has several ways that allow affiliates to earn more. Here are some of the ways you can earn more commission on TripAdvisor:
Use TripAdvisor Incentive programs
Take advantage of TripAdvisor incentive campaigns to increase your commission from 50% to 80%. You can qualify for these incentives only if you maintain high quality and high volume.
Use both graphic and text ads
While hyperlinking using text or graphics, make sure you explain to readers what to expect. For example, if you know a hotel with the best Thai food, you can hyperlink “Thai food” to entice readers to click.
Use affiliate links only where relevant or necessary
When hyperlinking a location or event, make sure you provide enough details about the location or event. This will prevent your readers from researching elsewhere for more information. Also, make sure the hyperlink leads to the event’s or location’s page to increase your conversion rate.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the TripAdvisor affiliate program is lucrative as they offer various products and services to promote. Moreover, they give you tools to use in your advertisements to increase conversion rates. While there are various travel-related programs available, the TripAdvisor affiliate program has proven to be the best.
Can I earn money from Tripadvisor?
Yes. You can earn commissions when you drive traffic from your website to hotel websites. Cj affiliate provides a link generator that makes it easy to generate affiliate links.
What is the best travel affiliate program?
Among the best travel affiliate program include. Tripadvisor affiliate, Amazon, Expedia, hotels combined and Booking.com
How do I join my business on Tripadvisor?
One a representative from your business can request for listing on Tripadvisor or a tripadvisor user can leave a review of your business and eventually initiate the listing.