Display Ads vs Affiliate Earnings Calculator
Instantly compare potential revenue streams for your website based on traffic volume, niche RPM, and affiliate conversion metrics.
Estimate Your Revenue Potential
Enter your monthly traffic and performance metrics. The calculator instantly projects estimated display ad earnings versus affiliate marketing revenue to help you optimise your monetization strategy.
Monetization Revenue Estimator
See how passive display income compares to performance-based affiliate revenue.
Understanding the Metrics
Key factors that influence website monetization performance
RPM (Revenue Per Mille)
Your estimated earnings per 1,000 pageviews. This fluctuates based on niche, visitor geography, ad placement, and seasonality (e.g., Q4 holiday spikes).
Click-Through Rate (CTR)
The percentage of visitors who click on your affiliate links. Contextual, in-content links typically achieve 1%–5% CTR, while sidebar banners often perform much lower.
Conversion Rate (CVR)
The percentage of affiliate clicks that result in a completed action (sale, lead, or signup). Highly targeted review content yields the highest CVR.
EPC (Earnings Per Click)
A vital affiliate metric calculated as (Total Earnings / Total Clicks). It helps you compare the true value of different affiliate programs beyond just the commission percentage.
Typical Earnings Metrics by Niche
Generalised industry averages for display RPM and affiliate commissions. Actual results vary based on content quality, SEO, and audience intent.
| Website Niche | Avg. Display RPM | Avg. Affiliate Commission | Best Primary Strategy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal Finance | £25 – £45+ | £50 – £150+ | Hybrid (Heavy Affiliate) |
| Tech & Software | £15 – £30 | £30 – £100 (or recurring) | Hybrid (SaaS Affiliate) |
| Travel | £12 – £20 | £20 – £60 | Affiliate (Bookings) |
| Lifestyle & Fashion | £8 – £15 | £10 – £30 | Hybrid (Volume Display) |
| News & Entertainment | £4 – £10 | £2 – £10 | Display Ads (Volume) |
Monetization Calculator FAQ
Answers to the most frequently asked questions about website monetization, display advertising, and affiliate marketing.
It depends on your traffic quality and niche. Affiliate marketing often yields higher earnings per visitor in high-intent niches (like finance or software), while display ads provide more consistent, passive income for high-traffic, broad-audience sites (like news or entertainment).
A ‘good’ RPM (Revenue Per Mille, or per 1,000 pageviews) varies wildly by niche. General lifestyle blogs might see £5–£15 RPM, while highly competitive niches like personal finance, insurance, or B2B software can command £25–£50+ RPM.
Yes, and it is highly recommended. This is known as a hybrid monetization strategy. Display ads capture passive revenue from all visitors, while affiliate links capitalize on high-intent users who are ready to make a purchase, maximizing your overall RPM.
The average affiliate conversion rate across all industries is typically between 1% and 3%. However, highly targeted, review-based content in specific niches can achieve conversion rates of 5% to 10% or higher.
Most new websites take 6 to 12 months of consistent, SEO-optimized content creation before seeing significant organic traffic. Meaningful revenue (e.g., £500–£1,000/month) typically follows once a site reaches 10,000–30,000 monthly pageviews with proper monetization in place.