1. The short version
TechEarl is a single-author, independent blog. Writing and maintaining it takes time, and a small part of the running cost is offset by affiliate commissions. When I recommend a tool I genuinely use or have tested, the link to it is sometimes an affiliate link. If you click that link and later buy something, I may earn a commission. It does not cost you a cent more, and it never buys a recommendation.
2. FTC compliance
This disclosure exists to comply with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's guidelines on endorsements and affiliate relationships, and with the equivalent consumer-protection norms elsewhere. Wherever a financial relationship could reasonably affect how you read a recommendation, I disclose it.
3. How I am compensated
I may receive compensation when you click a link to a product or service featured on this website and subsequently sign up or make a purchase. The compensation is paid by the vendor's affiliate program, not by you. Pricing is identical whether you reach the vendor through one of my links or by typing their address directly.
4. Programs I participate in
The affiliate and referral relationships on this site fall into a few buckets:
- WordPress plugins and tools — for example the SEO plugin I recommend most often. These are the products I actually reach for in client work.
- Web hosting — managed WordPress hosts, VPS providers, and the budget hosts I compare in the hosting articles.
- Developer and infrastructure services — backup, security, CDN, and monitoring tools mentioned across the technical posts.
- Google AdSense and the Amazon Associates programme — covered in more detail in my privacy policy.
This list grows and shrinks over time as I sign up to or leave programs. The presence of a vendor in an article does not guarantee there is an affiliate link to it, and the absence of a link does not mean I was paid to leave it out.
5. What this means for you
- No additional cost. Affiliate links never raise the price you pay. Often the vendor's own promo pricing still applies on top.
- Editorial independence. I write the comparisons and recommendations first, then check whether an affiliate program exists, not the other way around. A product does not get recommended because it pays, and a better-paying competitor does not get bumped up the list. Where I think a paid tool is the wrong choice, I say so.
- Real experience. I link to things I have used or tested. If I am writing about something I have only read about, I tell you that in the text.
6. How affiliate links are marked
Affiliate links on this site are tagged with the rel="sponsored" attribute, which is the standard machine-readable signal to search engines that a link is a paid or commissioned placement. Some of these links are also routed through a short/go/ redirect so the destination stays clean and the click can be counted; the redirect simply forwards you to the vendor with my referral code attached. Regular, non-commercial links in the body of an article are ordinary links and carry no such tag.
7. Cookies and tracking
When you follow an affiliate link, the vendor's affiliate program typically sets a cookie on your device so it can attribute a later purchase to the referral. That cookie is governed by the vendor's own privacy policy, not mine. You can clear or block these cookies through your browser settings at any time without affecting your ability to use this site. See my privacy policy for how TechEarl itself handles data.
8. Endorsements and accuracy
Recommendations reflect my own opinion at the time of writing, and products change. Always verify current pricing, features, and terms directly with the vendor before you buy. I cannot guarantee that every detail stays accurate forever, which is part of why articles carry an "Updated" date.
9. Questions
If anything here is unclear, or you want to know whether a specific link is an affiliate link, email me at contact@techearl.com and I will tell you straight.