Finding optimal platforms for E-commerce, affiliate marketing, online dales, and digital products is going to help with maximizing your online success and create a much better experience for you as an entrepreneur and for your customers.
There are many ways to make money online and getting started as a beginner can be confusing to say the least. Some ways to make money online using the platforms include, dropshipping, selling your own digital products, print on demand products, physical products, sharing affiliate links, blogging, etc…
Creating an online presence that encompasses e-commerce, affiliate marketing, blogging, and digital product sales requires a platform that is versatile and adaptable to diverse needs. Here are some platforms that cater to these requirements:
1. Shopify:
 E-commerce: Shopify is renowned for its ease of use in setting up and managing online stores, making it a great choice for selling physical and digital products.
I started my first business venture using Shopify for a dropshipping store I started as a way to learn how to build a website with a simple to use platform and tutorials to help you learn.
I was able to learn so much using this platform because it guided me through the process. Dropshipping was not my most successful venture, but I still liked that I started with something that was low risk so I could learn the basics of E-commerce and designing my website which I really enjoy!
 Affiliate Marketing: You can integrate affiliate marketing apps to track and manage affiliate sales. Affiliate marketing is essentially sharing links to products that you promote. The products I recommend promoting are products you use so that you gain the trust of your audience.
You don’t want to promote a product that is trash because you will make a large commission. You will probably lose sales and possible never make it as an affiliate once the word gets out that you are just promoting products this way.
I use platforms like Share A Sale, Impact.com, Authority Hacker, and a few others. Click bank is a really popular one for some reason, but I honestly don’t find many products that align with my niche or interest.
Another way to find affiliate programs is to Google search using your “niche” and “affiliate programs”. You can, also, go to websites of products you love and see if they have an affiliate program. Look at the bottom of the website page and the affiliate program should be listed there if they offer one.
Blog Site: Shopify includes built-in blogging features, allowing you to create engaging content alongside your products. I have never used shopify to write blogs, but it’s great that you can leverage a blog to write articles that will resonate with your customers. There are lots of opportunities with blog writing to help you market to potential customers.
2. WordPress with WooCommerce:
E-commerce: WooCommerce, a WordPress plugin, turns your WordPress site into a powerful e-commerce store. I use WordPress for my blog and I have a shop that I plan to fill with digital products I create and other affiliate offers that I promote. The thing I like about WordPress is that I don’t pay taxes on the current.
 Affiliate Marketing: Numerous affiliate marketing plugins are available for WordPress, providing options for seamless integration. This is great if you use Amazon for affiliate links because they recently changed how this is done and there are website plug-ins that simplify the process of sharing links. You can read more about affiliate marketing in my other blog post here.
 Blog Site: WordPress is the most popular blogging platform globally, offering a wide range of themes and plugins for content creation. I use WordPress for posting blog articles and I share affiliate links inside these articles I write. It is a slow process, but I have learned that Pinterest is my best friend when it comes to marketing. You can read my blog post about Pinterest HERE.
3. Wix:
E-commerce: Wix provides an intuitive drag-and-drop website builder with e-commerce capabilities.
Affiliate Marketing: Wix allows you to integrate affiliate marketing elements into your site.
Blog Site: Wix includes blogging features, allowing you to create and manage blog content.
I don’t use Wix, but I have explored it and it seems very user friendly.
4. Squarespace:
E-commerce: Squarespace offers an all-in-one platform for building websites with integrated e-commerce functionality.
 Affiliate Marketing: While Squarespace does not have native affiliate marketing features, you can manually incorporate affiliate links into your content .
 Blog Site: Squarespace is known for its elegant design and includes blogging features.
**I don’t use Squarespace, but I know that it has a good record for ease of use and it has a good reputation.
5. BigCommerce:
 E-commerce: BigCommerce is a comprehensive e-commerce platform suitable for businesses of all sizes.
Affiliate Marketing: You can integrate affiliate marketing programs into your BigCommerce store.
 Blog Site: While not as robust as dedicated blogging platforms, BigCommerce does provide basic blogging functionality.
**I have never used this platform, but wanted to leave it here to give you options to check into for personal preference.
7. Kajabi:
 E-commerce: Kajabi is geared towards digital product sales, offering a platform for selling online courses, memberships, and digital downloads.
 Affiliate Marketing: Kajabi includes built-in affiliate program features for promoting your digital products.
 Blog Site: Kajabi supports blog creation alongside its focus on digital product delivery.
**I don’t own and account with Kajabi, but I am a member of a program that uses it and have high recommendations. The creators of the Roapmap 2.0 created their new community and mini courses on this platforms.
8. Weebly:
 E-commerce: Weebly is a website builder with integrated e-commerce features, suitable for small businesses.
 Affiliate Marketing: You can manually incorporate affiliate marketing links into your content.
 Blog Site: Weebly includes blogging functionality for content creation.
**This is another platform I don’t use, but have heard good things about. I put it in the article for completion sake. So, you may want to do further research before picking the one you want to use.
Selecting the optimal platform for e-commerce depends on your specific needs, technical expertise, and the scale of your operations. Consider factors such as ease of use, scalability, and the integration of features necessary for e-commerce, affiliate marketing, blogging, and digital product sales when choosing the platform that best fits your requirements.