Apple has shrunk its Affiliate Program commission from 7% to 2.5%.
This makes business sense for Apple 1: Affiliates most likely don’t generate the kind of revenue that Apple would like. It also doesn’t bring as much traffic to its App Stores 2.
But even so, it it’s a move that’s going to hurt many indie Apple bloggers who rely on affiliates for a source of income. While you cannot make a whole lot of money through affiliate linking, it does help keep the lights on.
As Brett Terpstra writes:
Most people don’t make significant income off affiliate linking…But there are many sites whose business model is built on affiliate linking, in part or in whole. And it works. Well, it used to. I’m guessing some sites you read are going to be showing you a few more ads. Some may shut down completely. I won’t be one of them, but I’ll be going out to eat less often until I replace the revenue.
Let’s hope that guys like Brett and sites like MacStories continue to find ways to make their bacon 3 doing what they love.
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