Affiliate Disclosure
Some links on this site earn me a commission. Here's exactly which ones, how much, and why it doesn't change what I recommend.
Everything on this site is free. That has to be paid for somehow, and a large part of how is affiliate commission — when you buy hosting or a plugin through one of my links, the company pays me a percentage.
That arrangement only works if you can trust the recommendation. So here is the whole thing, without the usual vagueness.
How affiliate links work
When you click an affiliate link, the merchant stores a cookie in your browser that identifies me as the person who sent you. If you buy something within that cookie's lifetime — anywhere from a day to a few months, depending on the company — I receive a percentage of the sale.
It costs you nothing. The price is identical to what you'd pay going direct. In some cases it's lower, because affiliate partners are sometimes given a discount code to pass on.
Which links are affiliate links
Typically these categories:
- Hosting companies — the largest share of affiliate income by far, because hosting pays the highest commissions in this industry.
- Premium plugins and themes — page builders, SEO tools, backup plugins and similar.
- Software and services — email marketing platforms, AI tools and design tools used in the builds.
- Occasional hardware — recording equipment mentioned in behind-the-scenes content.
Not everything is an affiliate link. Links to documentation, to WordPress.org, to free plugins and to other people's tutorials earn me nothing.
The rules I hold myself to
These are non-negotiable, and they predate any of the commission arrangements:
- I only recommend things I actually use. If it isn't running on one of my own sites or in my own workflow, it doesn't get a link.
- Commission rate never decides the recommendation. When a cheaper option is better, the cheaper option is what I tell you to buy — including when it pays me nothing at all.
- Free beats paid when free is enough. Plenty of tutorials tell you not to buy the Pro version, because you don't need it.
- Drawbacks get said out loud. Every tool has them. Hiding them to protect a commission would be the fastest way to lose the audience that makes the commission possible.
- I'll drop a partner over their product. If a company I earn from gets materially worse, the recommendation goes, and so does the income.
The business reason, not just the ethical one
One bad recommendation costs more trust than a year of commissions is worth — and trust is the only reason anyone clicks the link in the first place. Being honest here isn't self-denial; it's the only version of this that works long-term.
Other ways the site earns
So you have the full picture:
- YouTube ad revenue — a share of the ads YouTube places on the videos.
- Sponsorships — occasionally a video is sponsored. When that happens it is stated clearly in the video itself and in the description, not buried here.
- Affiliate commission — as described above.
There is no paid course, no membership and no premium tier. The tutorials are the product and they're free.
How disclosure is handled
Affiliate relationships are disclosed in video descriptions, on pages containing affiliate links, and here. This is required under EU consumer protection rules and the US FTC endorsement guidelines, but I'd do it anyway — an undisclosed recommendation isn't worth much to you.
If you'd rather not use them
Go direct. Type the company's address into your browser instead of following the link, and no cookie is set and no commission is paid. The tutorials work exactly the same either way, and I'd genuinely rather you got the right tool than the tracked click.
If you'd like to support the work without buying anything: watch the videos through to the end, subscribe, and tell someone who's stuck. That's worth more than most commissions.
Questions
If you want to know whether a specific link is an affiliate link, or what a particular company pays, email hello@ferdy.com and I'll tell you. I've never had a reason not to.
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