Can You Really Learn Affiliate Marketing for Free? Yes! Most so-called “free” courses are really marketing tactics designed to upsell expensive programs. But we’ve curated 7 Best Free Affiliate Marketing Courses for Beginners in 2025 that provide quality training with no hidden fees or charges.
What You’ll Learn from all this:
- How to choose the best affiliate programs for beginners based on your niche and target audience to maximize your earnings potential.
- Tried and proven ways of generating free traffic using SEO, social media, and content marketing.
- Tactics for converting clicks into actual commissions and achieving your highest earnings potential. Plus, discover how the right affiliate tracking software can help you monitor performance and optimize conversions.
7 Best 100% Free Affiliate Marketing Courses (2025)
1. Udemy Free Affiliate Marketing Course for Beginners
Platform: Udemy
Duration: Self-paced
Cost: Completely free with no additional fee.
What You’ll Learn with Udemy:
✔️Affiliate Marketing Basics: Learn how affiliate marketing works and why it’s a great way to earn passive income.
✔️Choosing the Right Niche & Affiliate Programs: Learn to select a profitable niche and find affiliate programs that fit your content.
✔️Building a Basic Affiliate Site: Discover how to build a website or blog optimized for affiliate marketing step-by-step.
✔️Traffic Generation: Learn how to use SEO, content marketing, and paid ads along with these free affiliate marketing tools to boost your affiliate success.
Udemy Course Breakdown:
| Module | Lesson | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Module 1: Affiliate Marketing Basics | What is Affiliate Marketing? | 23 min |
| Module 2: Building Your Website | How to Build a Website for Affiliate Marketing | 42 min |
| Module 3: Strategies for Success | Review the Best Strategy for High Profits | 17 min |
| Module 4: Niche Selection | Choosing a Niche for Your Affiliate Marketing Business | 17 min |
| Module 5: Affiliate Programs | Affiliate Programs and Networks | 26 min |
| Bonus Content | Bonus Lectures | 13 min |
2. Affiliate Marketing Course for Beginners by Great Learning
Platform: Great Learning
Duration: Self-paced
Cost: Completely free upon sign-up.
Skills you’ll Learn from this course:
✔️Affiliate Programs
✔️Affiliate Marketing Networks
✔️Affiliate Marketing Techniques
✔️Finding a Niche Market
✔️Adopting best practices of Affiliate Marketing
Great Learning Course Breakdown:
| Module | Lesson |
|---|---|
| Module 1: Introduction to Affiliate Marketing | What is Affiliate Marketing? |
| Module 2: Benefits and Networks | Benefits of Affiliate Marketing |
| Module 3: Affiliate Networks | Affiliate Marketing Networks |
| Module 4: Techniques and Strategies | Different Techniques used for Affiliate Marketing |
| Module 5: Niche Selection | How to Choose a Niche? |
| Module 6: Website Creation | Main Components to Create an Affiliate Marketing Website |
| Module 7: Traffic Generation | Strategies Used for Getting Traffic |
| Module 8: Mistakes and Best Practices | Common Mistakes Done by Beginners |
| Module 9: Best Practices | Best Practices in Affiliate Marketing |
3. Affiliate Marketing Course for Beginners by Ahrefs
Platform: Ahrefs Academy
Duration: ~2 hours
Cost: Totally free with no hidden fees.
What You’ll Learn:
✔️An understanding of affiliate marketing and its operational mechanisms.
✔️Key components that contribute to a successful affiliate website.
✔️Guidelines for selecting an appropriate niche.
✔️Top affiliate programs and networks applicable to various niches.
✔️A comprehensive framework for developing an effective affiliate marketing strategy.
✔️Methods for conducting keyword research specific to affiliate marketing.
✔️Templates designed for crafting affiliate content.
✔️Strategies for building links for affiliate websites.
Ahrefs Course Breakdown:
| Module | Lesson | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Module 1: Affiliate Marketing Basics | What is Affiliate Marketing and How Does it Work? | 1:46 |
| What You Need to Get Started with Affiliate Marketing | 2:33 | |
| How to Make Money with Affiliate Marketing | 1:56 | |
| Blueprint to Start Your Affiliate Marketing Website | 4:17 | |
| Module 2: Affiliate Niches and Programs | Keys to Choosing the Right Affiliate Marketing Niche | 6:00 |
| How to Find the Perfect Niche for an Affiliate Marketing Site | 12:03 | |
| Best Affiliate Marketing Programs for Any Niche | 10:21 | |
| Module 3: Planning Your Affiliate Site | Designing a Winning Affiliate Marketing Strategy | 3:56 |
| Keyword Research for Affiliate Marketing Sites | 10:22 | |
| Content Strategy for Affiliate Marketing Sites | 10:15 | |
| Planning Your Affiliate Site’s Homepage and Navigation | 6:29 | |
| Module 4: Creating Affiliate Content | Affiliate Content Ratio: Balancing Informational vs. Commercial Content | 4:12 |
| Blog Post Templates to Write Money-Making Affiliate Content | 10:10 | |
| How to Write Informational Content for an Affiliate Site | 12:29 | |
| Module 5: Link Building for Affiliate Sites | Easy Affiliate Link Building Strategy | 4:25 |
| Proven Affiliate Link Building Tactics for Beginners | 8:33 |
4. Affiliate and Partnership Industry Fundamentals by Impact
Platform: Impact Academy
Duration: Self-paced
Cost: Free access when you sign up.
What You’ll Learn:
✔️ Acquire multiple digital marketing models and pricing mechanisms – Understand how several online business models function, including how firms set prices.
✔️Acquire key players in partnership marketing – Get to know the four most significant participants in the partnership and affiliate space and how they collaborate to fulfill customers.
✔️Acquire knowledge on why partnerships lead to business success – Witness how strategic partnerships propel companies’ growth and development of more revenue.
✔️Analyze different payment systems and monitoring methods – Find out how affiliates are compensated for commissions and how businesses monitor performance.
✔️Observe how other sectors use partnerships – Find out how business categories can thrive through affiliate marketing and set fair commission rates.
✔️Get an overview of the partnership process – Find out about the whole partnership process, from installation to viable success.
Impact Course Details:
✔️8 Lessons
✔️16 Videos
✔️1 Final Exam
✔️Total Duration: 60 Minutes
Impact Free Course Breakdown:
| # | Lesson | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Digital Marketing Channels and Pricing Models | 10 min |
| 2 | The Power of Partnerships in Driving Business Growth | 3 min |
| 3 | Affiliate Marketing Players and Attribution Models | 3 min |
| 4 | Partnership Payment Types | 2 min |
| 5 | Affiliate Marketing Verticals and Examples | 4 min |
| 6 | Affiliate KPIs | 3 min |
| 7 | Affiliate and Partnerships Goal Setting | 3 min |
| 8 | High-Level Overview of the Partnerships Life Cycle | 3 min |
| Exam: Affiliate and Partnerships Industry – Fundamentals Certification Exam | 30 min | |
5. Fundamentals of Digital Marketing by Google
Platform: Google Digital Garage
Duration: ~40 hours
Cost: 100% free with certification.
What You’ll Learn:
✔️SEO + Google Ads Strategies for Affiliate Success: Discover ways to use search engine optimization (SEO) and Google Ads to develop repeated traffic.
✔️Driving Traffic & Growing Your Affiliate Business: Discover content marketing, paid ads, and email marketing to grow your audience.
✔️FREE Certification on Completion!: Stand out by obtaining an official Google certification, proving your digital marketing expertise.
6. Content Marketing Certification Course by HubSpot
Platform: HubSpot Academy
Duration: ~8 hours
Cost: Free with certification included.
What You’ll Learn:
✔️Creating High-Converting Content for Affiliate Sales: Discover the art of creating engaging, informative, and compelling content that gets people to buy.
✔️Content Distribution Strategies: Learn how to promote your content across different channels, including social media, email, and forums.
✔️Measuring Content Performance & Improving Results: Find out about analytics tools like Google Analytics and how to make your content more conversion-friendly.
7. Affiliate Marketing Course by Coursera
Platform: Coursera
Duration: Varies
Cost: Free to audit, but payment is required for certification.
What You’ll Learn:
✔️Learn the Basics – Know how affiliate marketing works, like key players, tracking methods, and commission models.???? Choose the Top Platforms – Discover top affiliate networks like Amazon Associates and ShareASale to maximize your earnings.
✔️Build Profitable Partnerships – Learn how to network with brands, affiliate networks, and platforms to boost your income streams.
✔️Promote Products Effectively – Learn to use email marketing, social media, and blogging to drive traffic and increase conversions.
✔️Track and Optimize Performance – Learn how to track affiliate links, read statistics, and optimize your results for higher earnings.
✔️Stay Ahead of the Curve – Learn about new trends and methods to keep your affiliate business growing in a competitive market.
Coursera Course Details
✔️ 2 In-Depth Modules
✔️ Beginner Level – No Experience Required
✔️ Flexible Learning – 3 Hours in Total (1 Hour/Week for 3 Weeks)
✔️ Self-Paced – Learn at Your Own Pace
✔️ 1 Assignment to Test Your Knowledge
| Module | Lesson | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Module 1: Introduction to Affiliate Marketing | Learning Objectives | 1 min |
| What Is Affiliate Marketing | 3 min | |
| How It Works | 6 min | |
| Key Takeaways | 2 min | |
| Module 2: Affiliate Marketing Platforms & Partnerships | Learning Objectives | 0 min |
| Different Affiliate Marketing Platforms | 3 min | |
| Associate with Affiliate Websites | 11 min | |
| Connect with Affiliate Partners | 7 min | |
| Module 3: Earning with Affiliate Marketing | Learning Objectives | 1 min |
| Different Methods to Earn an Affiliate Income | 0 min | |
| 5 min | ||
| Social Media | 2 min | |
| Website or Blog | 1 min | |
| Discussion Forum and Communities | 3 min | |
| Decide Suitable Platforms for Promotion | 2 min | |
| Module 4: Tracking & Analyzing Affiliate Performance | Learning Objectives | 1 min |
| Affiliate Link Creation Process | 8 min | |
| Analyze the Data Tracked | 2 min | |
| Affiliate Partner Platform Data Analysis | 3 min | |
| Affiliate Income Payout Process | 2 min | |
| Future of Affiliate Marketing | 0 min | |
| Key Takeaways | 1 min | |
| Additional Readings | Introduction to Affiliate Marketing | 10 min |
| Affiliate Marketing Basics to Earn Online | 10 min | |
| Affiliate Marketing Platforms and Promotion | 10 min | |
| Affiliate Data Tracking and Analysis | 10 min | |
Final Thoughts
Learning affiliate marketing on the cheap isn’t just a possibility it’s a smart decision! These seven courses give you the basic knowledge needed to begin earning money without spending a dime. From the novice who wants to understand the basics to the enthusiast who would like to refine your skills, these courses educate you on everything from choosing profitable affiliate programs to generating traffic and maximizing commissions.
Google and HubSpot’s courses aren’t strictly about affiliate marketing but teach essential skills like SEO, content marketing, and digital ads to help grow your affiliate business. Google’s program makes you proficient in organic and paid traffic techniques, while HubSpot’s program teaches you to write compelling copy that converts, something every affiliate marketer needs.
Finally, learning is step one, and the rest of the success lies in action. So choose a course, start implementing techniques, and get things done because your journey to affiliate marketing greatness is starting today!
