The Honest Wealthy Affiliate Review

As a long-term member, I am going to give you the honest Wealthy Affiliate review that some members may not agree with, but must be said. There are already many positive reviews online, I have even done a couple, but today I am going to expose some faults as well.

Is Wealthy Affiliate a Scam or Legitimate?

WA is a legit training opportunity

This is a question that many people ask and let me get this out of the way right now and give you the answer. NO! Wealthy Affiliate (WA) is NOT a scam. If it were, I guarantee you that I would not still be a member after seven happy years. Their legit training works!

Now there will be some former members that have said it is a scam. However they are basing that claim on the fact that they did not truly learn the training and apply it. Many times people will join thinking that they will make lots of money in a short easy period of time.

That is not how a profitable, sustainable business is built from the ground up and grown over time. It takes education, a solid work effort and a lot of patience. This is not a get-rich-quick scheme. If that is what you are looking for, you will not find it here at Wealthy Affiliate.

It is important to realize from the beginning that as a member of WA you will be starting your own online affiliate marketing business. This is a legitimate internet based business and like any business that you start, you have to treat it as such and work to make it a success.

My goal for this review is to not just explain to you the positives of being a WA Premium Member, but to also guide you away from some of the mistakes I see many new members making. Wealthy Affiliate is not perfect but they are still #1 in training beginners.

There is only ONE correct formula to earn income online

Even though there are many opportunistic ways to earn money on the internet, there is really only one correct path to achieving success. Oftentimes you will come across various internet marketing schemes that claim they have the easiest and best way to financial freedom.

However the only ones that will be depositing large sums of cash in their bank accounts are the owners or creators of that scheme you are buying into. Whereas you who are looking for that silver bullet of a system to bring you great wealth, will find it difficult and eventually quit.

This will always bring about a cycle of highs and lows. Perhaps you know people who make a living while working from home, maybe have seen videos of people making money while spending time with the family. Is any of this real? It has to be. Not everything is a scam.

You keep searching for something that sounds easy that will bring in lots of money with very little effort and time. Unfortunately for most people looking for this type of opportunity, they will soon find themselves on the losing end of the stick…AGAIN. You must use the correct formula.

What is this formula? I liken it to a tall building with each floor representing higher levels of income. Before one can achieve financial success you must first start at the bottom with a solid foundation. In a successful business that foundation is education and knowledge.

Education in how to correctly make money online is vital

Let me be honest and upfront right now. You absolutely need some form of education to correctly and successfully earn real income on the internet. There is no getting around this fact, especially when the opportunity can turn into a full time business of your own.

The WA training I’ve completed that you should too

There are some ways to make money from home that are fairly easy and require no real knowledge, but most times this will not make you enough to live off of. One such way I tried early on was MLM, Multi Level Marketing or Network Marketing. I didn’t like it.

This way of making money required a lot of team building and I didn’t want to rely on the efforts of others to earn my income. I wanted to be the sole owner and beneficiary of my own actions. I needed to find a way to earn an income that I could scale to bigger profits.

I soon realized that in order to reach that goal I first needed to identify the types of opportunities that I could directly benefit from. Self employment in ecommerce or eBay was an option, and I did do this which you can read about here, but then I found another opportunity.

Affiliate Marketing, though not a new concept, it was new to me. Like eBay this money making concept was simple and I could earn 24/7, but I lacked the knowledge in how to correctly implement it. No matter what legitimate job you wish to do, education will be needed.

Wealthy Affiliate (WA) is that All-In-One educational powerhouse

Once I found out that those who do affiliate marketing don’t have to actually find items to sell like on eBay, my curiosity in this very profitable opportunity peaked. It sounded like the process of dropshipping on eBay which I was doing, but needed no product or customer service.

Wow! Did I just discover a new way to earn income online that does not require me to sell any kind of products? The short answer to that question is YES! I did a Google search to see how I could learn everything about affiliate marketing, and that is when I found WA.

Wealthy Affiliate is not just an all-inclusive educational platform that teaches its members everything they need to know about affiliate marketing, it is also a website hosting platform and domain registrar. You do not have to go to any outside source for training and resources.

Wealthy Affiliate provides you with updated training every two years to match the occasional changes of digital marketing. In addition they also have a one hour live class every Friday evening followed by a live Q&A session. Below is an extensive listing of what you get at WA.

• You can become a Starter Member 100% FREE unless you live in these 7 countries
• All you need to join as a Starter Member is a name and a valid email address
• You get the following 10 Online Entrepreneur Certification Courses FOR FREE!

10 FREE Online Entrepreneur Certification Training Lessons

• One programmed-for-you WordPress website with hosting FOR FREE!
• A unique personalized affiliate link to promote WA and earn a commission
• You get the following 10 Affiliate Bootcamp Courses FOR FREE!

10 FREE Affiliate Bootcamp Training Lessons

Though the above 10 lessons of the Affiliate Bootcamp are very detailed and easy to follow, this course being available to free members is one of the problems I have with the WA training. I will explain why in further detail below in my “Things I do not like about WA” section.

• 24/7 help & support from owners Kyle & Carson and community via Live Chat (PMP)
• Personal 1-on-1 Coaching and Guidance FOR FREE (PMP)
• Network with all of the established marketers within the community (PMP)
• FREE access to the Site Rubix WordPress website builder program
• FREE 256-bit Encrypted Connection SSL Certificates
• FREE website security package including Spam Blocker & double hosting
• Fast hosting and website loading speed for better SEO rankings FOR FREE
• Botnet and DDos protection of your website FOR FREE
• Ability to earn WA commissions while still a Free Member & learning
• CHECK OUT THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FREE & PREMIUM BELOW
  (PMP) = Premium Member Perks, Only Available to Starter Members for 7-Days

As you can see above from my bullet point list and the comparison graphic image, you get a lot of value as a Free Starter Member at Wealthy Affiliate. This is why WA is the #1 Rated Affiliate Marketing Training Platform on the internet for online entrepreneurs to run their businesses.

What is Wealthy Affiliate Premium Membership?

Not only do you get a lot of resources and training for free as a Starter Member, but you also get 7 Full Days of Free Premium Membership Perks (PMP). This helps to not only build a website and learn how affiliate marketing works, but also gives a glimpse of what Premium will offer.

You may have noticed from the above comparison graph between Free Starter and Paid $49.00 per month Premium memberships, that there is a lot more offered to those who upgrade to Premium. Even though everything listed above is well worth the cost, you get MORE!

• 40 more Online Entrepreneur Certification course lessons
• 60 more Affiliate Bootcamp course lessons
• Access to the Live Friday night webinar classes with Live Q&A
• All Live Classes as well as the Live Q&A are archived for viewing at a later date
• 13 interactive classrooms including Email, Video, Local & PPC Marketing courses
• Thousands of additional member-created tutorials about online business tips & tools
• Specific training on what is a niche and the simple process of finding them
• Understanding niche markets and how to find specific profitable sub-niches
• Unlimited FREE use of the Jaxxy Keyword Research Tool
• In-depth lessons on what is Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and how to use it
• Training on how to write SEO content plus a content writing tool template
• Unlimited FREE use of the Site Rubix WordPress website builder program
• Hosting for up to 10 WordPress websites for NO additional cost
• Advanced techniques for website development and understanding WordPress
• Daily automatic backups of your entire website
• Hacking, Malware & Virus Protection as well as website health monitoring
• Though not necessary, ability to purchase your own dot com domain names in-house
• 100% higher commission payouts in the WA Affiliate Program
• Ability to earn Community Credits for requesting Feedback and Comments
• Ability to earn Cash Credits to be converted to real cash payments (More on this below)
• And SO MUCH MORE! Too much to list here.

What I like about the Wealthy Affiliate experience

There are so many things I like about being a member of Wealthy Affiliate for the past seven years. Not only is their training on becoming part of the 12+ BILLION dollar per year affiliate marketing industry easy to follow for beginners, but the community is extremely helpful.

WA Help & Support User Interface

Any question you have, will get answered quickly, most times within 10 minutes or even less when asking on Live Chat. All members are encouraged to immerse themselves into the training and to help when they know the answer or guide the person to the correct answer.

It is a form of giving back and helping everyone to succeed. This also helps to build friendships and encouragement between the members. I can truly say that I have developed friendships with other members from around the world that I even now follow on social media.

It is important for the growth of one’s online business when help can come from those who have gone before you. Being able to give guidance to others without expecting anything in return is truly a form of humility and the caring of your fellow marketers. This promotes prosperity.

Andre, profile name apache1, helps new members on Live Chat.

Another nice thing about the Wealthy Affiliate community is that it consists of people from almost every country in the world. With a membership of around One Million People, there is almost always someone on Live Chat to help you. For example, Andre (apache1) in the above image is in Australia.

Even though Wealthy Affiliate is considered the #1 destination for anyone looking to learn about affiliate marketing for the past 15 years, they do have some problems that can misguide some new members make the wrong decision. This leads me to my Wealthy Affiliate complaints.

The Wealthy Affiliate complaints -Things I do not like about WA

Not everyone is the same when it comes to making money online. Many still believe there is some magic-bullet formula to gaining wealth quickly and easily. Once they realize Wealthy Affiliate focuses on training, they either quit or take what they perceive as the easiest way.

Regardless of their reason or mindset when joining, these new members should realize that they will have to get educated in how affiliate marketing works. Wealthy Affiliate focuses on this within the first lesson. What they mention in the third lesson is my first complaint.

I see so many new members not fully understanding what a niche is. I don’t know why they cannot grasp the simplicity of it, but many do not. Perhaps it is a language thing when English is not their native tongue, or maybe it has to do with how it is explained to them.

Whatever the reason is the WA training is quick to say, “If you are REALLY STUCK at this point and you cannot decide on a niche, perhaps you may be interested in the make money/affiliate marketing niche.” This is when the training convinces people to promote Wealthy Affiliate.

I feel this is misleading. When new members cannot get a full understanding of what a niche really is, it should be explained to them from a different perspective. The training should not imply that promoting WA will be an easier approach to making money online.

What I do as a WA Ambassador to combat this misguided approach

I had no problems understanding what a niche is all about. When I joined I was passionate about two different kinds of niches, the natural health & wellness niche and the video games niche. A niche is nothing more than a product or experience enjoyed by many people.

Do you like Star Wars? Star Wars is a niche. Do you like baseball? Baseball is a niche. Do you like Apple iPhones? Apple iPhones are a niche. Do you like traveling? Traveling is a niche. Does this help you to better understand what a niche really is? It can be almost anything.

Within the WA platform I create training tutorials like this one here, that help members to better understand how to go about selecting a niche for their new online affiliate marketing business. I would rather them select a niche they have knowledge in than be guided to promote WA.

My WA Training explaining why a member should not do Bootcamp

Bootcamp or Certification Courses – Which to Choose First

Wealthy Affiliate has two main courses, Online Entrepreneur Certification Course which EVERY new member starts with, and Affiliate Bootcamp which new members are directed to when they cannot decide on a niche. My link above explains why they should NOT choose Bootcamp.

I feel it is wrong to suggest that new members should take the Bootcamp course for the promotion of WA. The Make Money Online (MMO) niche is a very competitive niche and subjecting a new member to it, I feel, will bring about failure quicker for that member.

Why is promoting your own niche better than Wealthy Affiliate?

One of the main reasons choosing your own niche is better has to do with the knowledge and/or interest you already have for it. If you had knowledge about what is the best gas grill on the market, would it not be easier to promote that grill than something you know nothing about?

Now I can understand why the Wealthy Affiliate training will guide people to the niche of promoting WA, so that new members do not waste too much time choosing their own niche. However telling new members that a niche will be chosen for them is a recipe to failure.

Learning how to start an online business should be based on an interest or passion of yours, not on the ambitions of someone else. An affiliate marketing website requires a lot of information. If you know nothing about that which you promote, how can you be effective?

Though there are several little things about Wealthy Affiliate that I do not like, this guiding of new members to promote WA is one of my two biggest complaints about the training platform. Those of you reading this that are thinking of joining, DO NOT choose Bootcamp to start with.

If you join WA through my affiliate link, I will work with you to select a niche you have an interest in that you may not realize is an actual profitable niche. Now there is one other big complaint I have about Wealthy Affiliate that every new member should avoid and that is Ambassadorship.

Do NOT fixate on becoming or remaining a WA Ambassador

Wealthy Affiliate has an internal ranking system that is used as a motivational tool to keep you engaged in the social side of the training platform. You are encouraged to help others seeking answers to their question and to guide new members to the proper training.

I totally get why Kyle & Carson do this entire concept, and it does make WA one of the most helpful training platforms in the industry. However it is a MAJOR distraction for those who are serious about just taking the training, building their websites, and earning income.

The more you interact with others, offer help on Live Chat, answer member questions, welcome new members, write blogs and write tutorials, the quicker you move up in the ranking system. The closer you get to rank #1 the more “prestige” you gain with members beneath you.

But that is all you get! Being a WA Ambassador is NOT going to make your website business rank higher in the search engine results nor will it earn you any money. With an exception of maybe 7 Ambassadors, most are there because they are helpful, not top earners.

However many new members see the Top 25 Ambassadors and think they got there because they know all about WA and their website businesses are making lots of money. NOT TRUE! The reality is that most WA Ambassadors are wasting their time instead of making money.

Wealthy Affiliate is not perfect but they are the best at what they do

I was once in the Top 25, actually I was #3 just under the owners Kyle & Carson for the first year and a half of my membership. I was starting to make money, but not enough to jump up and down in excitement for. It was certainly more than enough to pay for my membership.

It was only when I decided to stop wasting time being an Ambassador and became less active, putting more time into building my website business, that I saw a big jump in my earnings. The purpose of joining was to learn to make money online, not be a social butterfly.

The only interaction I now do within the community is help members who personally reach out to me with questions from my many training blogs and tutorials I have created over the years. I will also provide one-on-one coaching to all members who have joined through my affiliate links.

Even though the Wealthy Affiliate rankings can be a big morale booster, in most cases it is far more a distraction. I recommend that new members pay no attention to doing things to raise their internal rankings, for they will naturally increase and they do not help you succeed.

Wealthy Affiliate is not perfect, and I know of no other training program that is, but the WA training is the BEST in the affiliate marketing industry. Their training really does work but only if you do not rush through it, complete each step, work hard and have patience.

I still recommend WA to anyone looking to start their own internet business

Do not make the mistake of joining and thinking that the training is some sort of cookie cutter silver bullet approach to online success. I have seen a few negative reviews online by ex-Wealthy Affiliate members who wrongfully thought financial success would come quickly.

If you consider that there are a total of 50 courses in the Online Entrepreneur Certification course, that on average will take two hours to complete each, that is 100 hours to complete. Then add to that another 50 hours for content writing, you are at 150 hours.

Should you fully grasp the concept of keyword research and SEO, by the time you finish this course your website will be getting organic traffic. This traffic will lead to potential sales but only after putting 150 hours of hard work in studying and content creation.

Now you have to figure out how many hours each day you can devote to taking the training and building your website business. Most do at least three hours a day, divide 150 hours by 3 hours, and it should take you 50 days or a little more than one and a half months to complete.

Will you start making money by this point in time? It’s possible but I highly doubt it simply because you have to convince Google of your content authority and you cannot rush this process. Regardless of all these natural obstacles, I still highly recommend WA.

I will always be there to help you succeed

Before I finish this Wealthy Affiliate honest review I just want to make one thing clear. Even though I highly recommend anyone looking to start an online business of their own to join WA, I do not recommend you take the Affiliate Bootcamp course first just after starting.

Yes, I do promote Wealthy Affiliate and did take the Bootcamp course. However I only did this AFTER I completed the Online Entrepreneur Certification course and started making money from my two niche websites. Once I had knowledge in how WA works, I started to promote it.

Being that you can build, host and operate up to 10 website businesses on the Wealthy Affiliate platform for the same price as one, this alone is worth the cost of the Premium membership of $49.00 per month. This cost also covers every level of training both basic and advanced.

Unlike every other affiliate marketing training program on the internet, Wealthy Affiliate is the ONLY one that does not charge you upsells for more advanced training. There are the first 10 lessons and one website for FREE and all other lessons plus 9 more websites for $49 / month.

If you want to experience financial success then Join Me at WA Today and I will not only help you to get started, but I will also help you to select a niche based on your interests and not promoting WA. I will also guide you away from seeking Ambassadorship and focus on training.

Is Wealthy Affiliate a Legitimate Opportunity After 7 Years

You have multiple ways to earn money through WA

The link above is to a blog I wrote within the Wealthy Affiliate platform explaining my journey within my first 7 Years as a very happy member of WA. In this blog I not only motivate people to not give up and be patient, but I also explain the different ways a member can earn money.

Though the core and most lucrative way to earn an income is through your own website in your own chosen unique niche, there are other ways to make money from the training. Some can pay you more quicker than the website and some can pay you in smaller amounts over time.

I have always been the type of person to diversify my income streams and not have all of my money making eggs in one basket. It’s the best way to survive a bad economy. Being a Premium member of Wealthy Affiliate gives me this option as it does every member who thinks outside of the box.

There are a TON of good training, tools and resources here that can give you everything you need for success. All you have to do is take action, join for free, complete the setup of your WA profile, start taking the training, ask questions, apply what you learn, and never quit.

Many in this industry, including myself, will say that if you work hard in the beginning months, you can start seeing some monetary results after six to twelve months of growth. If you still have any questions about Wealthy Affiliate or this review, leave your questions below in the comments.