Affiliate Marketing Case Study Week 1: From Idea to First Blog Posts
Smart Online Journey contains affiliate links and is a member of the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you make a purchase using one of these affiliate links, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you. See my Disclaimer to learn more.
Starting something new always feels exciting (and slightly terrifying). Week 1 of the Affiliate Bootcamp set the tone for this 15-week case study. My mission? Take Smart Online Journey from a blank slate to a functioning affiliate marketing website that’s ready to grow.
Here’s how Week 1 shaped up – the tasks I had to check off, how I tackled them, and a few bumps (and laughs) along the way.
The Week 1 Task List
- Create your brand
- Choose a domain name & register it
- Design logo and brand kit
- Set up hosting + WordPress
- Create foundational core pages & framework of your site
- Create a starter Wealthy Affiliate review post
- Creating your first Calls To Action (CTA’s)
- Write and publish first blog posts
Designing My Logo & Brand Kit
Bootcamp made it clear: your site needs a recognizable brand from the start. And while I love a good DIY project, I wasn’t about to fumble around in Canva for three days straight trying to make a squiggly line look “professional.”
Instead, I used DsgnPop Studio (Wealthy Affiliate’s built-in design tool) to whip up my first logo and basic brand kit. It gave me a polished look in minutes – fonts, colors, and a logo I could actually stand behind.
Will I tweak it down the road? Maybe. But for now, the goal wasn’t perfection. The goal was a brand identity I could put on my site and start building trust with visitors. Done.
Choosing a Domain Name
One of the first (and most fun) tasks was picking a name. The name has to work for readers, search engines, and you – because you’ll be staring at it every day.
When brainstorming a name, think about:
- Clarity: Does it immediately suggest what your site is about?
- Simplicity: Easy to spell, easy to type, no tongue-twisters.
- Longevity: Will it still fit as your business grows?
- Tone: Do you want professional, playful, or quirky?
I tested names out loud in the car, said them to my neighbor’s dog, and even typed them backwards just to see if they’d spell something weird. Eventually I landed on Smart Online Journey. You’ve got to do this stuff to avoid choosing a total loser by accident.
Does your name need to suggest what your site is about? It depends. We all know big brands or sites that have silly, ridiculous names, right? Ever heard of Google or Yahoo? Yep, exactly. Or how about some of the doozy names on this list? So in reality, a site can be successful even with a silly name.
The thing is, you’re not starting out as a big brand on Day 1, so you might want a name that somewhat reflects what your site is about. That’s your choice. In the end, it’s all about getting eyeballs to your site, and once you do – having the right content on it to satisfy your visitors.
What I Did
- I brainstormed ideas, tested them out loud (because some just sound ridiculous when spoken).
- Checked that they weren’t trademarked or tied to negative connotations online.
- Verified availability for both the domain and social handles.
A Handy Tool
I used Namegenuity, a nifty tool inside Wealthy Affiliate that makes this whole process less painful. Type in your ideas, and it will tell you what’s available.
Checking For Trademarks & Hidden Pitfalls
This is where many beginners trip up. Before you choose and register a domain name:
- Search USPTO.gov (or your local trademark office) to make sure your chosen name isn’t protected.
- Google it: see if the name is associated with anything unsavory. (Pro tip: always click to page 2 of search results—you’d be surprised what lurks there.)
- Check Urban Dictionary: yes, seriously. A clever word mashup might mean something completely different online.
- Check the Wayback Machine web archive to make sure the domain hasn’t previously been registered for some unsavory purpose.
Skipping these steps could cost you later if you have to rebrand.
My Case Study Example
When I started brainstorming names, I went through more rejects than a Netflix pilot season. And yes, I was close to choosing each one of these for a bit. ClickAndRoam sounded like I was selling discount luggage. PunchOut9to5 was funny, but did I really want to say that out loud every time I introduced myself on video? (Imagine: “Hi, I’m Mary from PunchOut9to5” – instant eye roll.) WisePlanB made me sound like your accountant, and KeyboardNomad felt too narrow for where I wanted to take things.
After running ideas through NameGenuity , I landed on something that felt right: Smart Online Journey. I thought it worked because it’s broad enough for all the directions this site may go, but clear enough that a visitor instantly knows what it’s about. Bonus? It looks good as a logo, too. Something that isn’t always the case.
For Smart Online Journey (SOJ), here are the exact steps I took to come up with the name.
- Brainstormed broad names/ideas using ChatGPT
- Used Namegenuity next with a description of my business/site to see what it came up with.
- Created a final list of 5-10 possibilities with available .com domains.
- Checked for existing trademarks and potential issues – nothing kills your momentum like a cease-and-desist order if you commit trademark infringement.
- Checked for bad connotations – I Googled each name to make sure I wasn’t accidentally branding myself after a scam site.
- Checked my final domain choice in the Wayback Machine. This is the web archive. It allows you to see if a domain has been registered in the past. A good thing to check just to make sure it wasn’t previously a bad, naughty, sleazy, or otherwise scammy site!
- Registered the winning domain: SmartOnlineJourney.com.
That’s how I landed on Smart Online Journey. Clear, clean, and no legal issues that I’m aware of. Why so many steps just to get the domain name registered? Because your domain is your brand foundation. Get it right, and you’re building on solid ground. Get it wrong, and you’ll be rebranding before your first blog post.
Setting Up Hosting & WordPress
No affiliate site exists without a place to live. Enter web hosting and WordPress.
What I Did
- Registered my domain directly inside WA.
- Set up hosting (no scary tech involved, a few clicks and done) – Hosting is actually included for members of Wealthy Affiliate.
- Installed WordPress and picked a clean starter theme.
Why It Matters
Think of it like moving into a house: WA gave me the land, the foundation, and even the keys. All I had to do was figure out where to put the couch.
My Case Study Example
This site uses Kadence theme (premium version) because it’s fast, flexible, and plays nicely with customization. I currently have 2 go-to WordPress themes. But I’m using Kadence here.
Creating Foundational Pages
Week 1 also meant putting up the “essentials” that every site needs:
- About page – To build trust and let readers know who’s behind the curtain.
- Contact page – Because Google (and real people) like to know you can be reached.
- Terms/Privacy page – The borin, not-fun but necessary stuff for credibility.
My Case Study Example
These weren’t glamorous, but they gave SOJ the structure Google needs to even start considering indexing the site. Think of them like hanging curtains before you invite people in – nobody raves about the curtains, but it sure looks weird without them.
Why These Pages Matter for SEO
Search engines look for these pages to confirm your site is legitimate. They want to see that you’re a real entity. This is part of what Google calls E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness). Without them, your site can look flimsy – even if you have great posts.
Creating My First CTAs
Another Week 1 milestone was getting calls-to-action (CTAs) in place. These are the buttons and links that guide visitors to actually do something – in my case, check out Wealthy Affiliate.
For me, this meant writing the short but hopefully powerful button text that shows up throughout the site. Instead of the boring “Click Here,” I tested friendlier options like:
- “Get Your Free Wealthy Affiliate starter account”
- “See How WA Works”
- “Try It Free Today”
They’re small words, but they matter. Because a well-placed button can be the difference between someone browsing… and someone starting their own journey. For now, I’m using a very basic CTA on this site, because I know much more is coming in the next few weeks on proper CTA’s and how to word them.
Writing First Blog Posts
Finally, I had to start filling the house with content. No one sticks around an empty website.
What I Did
- Drafted posts around beginner-friendly topics (affiliate marketing basics, side income ideas).
- Made sure each had an intro, headings, and clear takeaways.
- Focused on being helpful, not perfect. (Pro tip: perfection is the enemy of publishing – just get it published.)
My Case Study Example
This was also where I had my “wait, Amazon can pay ME?!” moment. Instead of just buying my third set of reading glasses (guilty), I learned how affiliate links mean Amazon could actually send me a commission. That little lightbulb moment made all the writing feel worth it.
For Smart Online Journey, here are the first blog posts I wrote and published within the first week or so of creating the site.
- Online Business Basics
- What Is Affiliate Marketing?
- The Truth About Making Money Online (What No One Tells You)
- AI Tools For Beginners – How Smart Tools Can Jumpstart Your Online Journey
- Side Hustle Ideas For Women: 15 Flexible Ways To Earn
- Why A Side Income After 50 Can Be A Game Changer
- Freelance Writing For Beginners
- 5 Essential Online Tools Every Beginner Needs
- Wealthy Affiliate Review 2025 – Is It the Smartest Way To Start Online?
Notice something? These aren’t exactly groundbreaking. Were they perfect? Not even close. But they’re clear, useful, and perhaps more importantly, they give Google a very clear understanding of what my site is about.
In addition to the above, I’ve also published the Case Study page + a post detailing the Affiliate Bootcamp and how I’m using the site as a case study.
Extra Credit: Going Beyond the Bootcamp
The official Bootcamp checklist didn’t mention it, but I knew from experience that picking a domain name is only half the battle. The last thing you want is a shiny new site name for which you can’t get the social media user names for.
So before I locked in my domain, I checked availability of usernames across the major platforms. If I thought I might ever use it, I registered it. That way, no one else can snag the handle while I’m still building.
Here’s where Smart Online Journey is already secured:
- Facebook Page
- TikTok
- Bluesky
- YouTube
Now, are all of these going to be active tomorrow? Nope. But future-proofing matters. Even if I don’t use TikTok right away (and let’s be honest, my dance career probably peaked in 1975), at least the name is mine if I need it later.
The bottom line here – even if you don’t intend to use the social platform, you don’t want anyone else using it in your name either.
Week 1 Recap – What I Actually Accomplished
By the end of Week 1, I had a site, a name I could live with, and my first posts published. My coffee intake tripled, my to-do list shrank, and for once, Google actually knew I existed. Not a bad start.
Here’s what got checked off my Bootcamp Week 1 list (plus some bonus wins):
- Created my brand identity and chose a domain name (after discarding a few hilariously bad options).
- Designed a starter logo and brand kit using DsgnPop inside Wealthy Affiliate.
- Purchased my domain name and installed WordPress.
- Built out my site’s foundational pages (About, Contact, Start Here, Reviews).
- Wrote and published my first Wealthy Affiliate review.
- Added my first CTAs – simple buttons to guide visitors toward WA.
- Wrote and published my first blog posts to kick things off.
- Bonus task: secured my social handles across multiple platforms so they’re ready when I am.
My site is now indexed by Google. Not bad for seven days of work. Not everything went perfectly – but the momentum is real. Onward to Week 2. And remember, this isn’t about being flawless, it’s about building momentum.
What’s Next
Week 2 brings bigger challenges: dialing in branding, adding structure, and continuing to grow the content base. Stay tuned — and if you want to follow along step by step, check out the full Case Study Hub.
Your Turn: Thinking of starting your own site? Wealthy Affiliate’s free Starter membership gives you hosting, tools, and training to get your first site live in 24 hours. If I can do it in a week, so can you.
