Last week I told you the truth about building two affiliate websites in a week. This week I have an update. It is not the update I was hoping for, but it is an honest one.
The Affiliate Approval Scoreboard
Two approvals. Out of more than ten applications across both sites.
Rank Math — the SEO plugin I use on both sites — came through first. Then Bluehost, the hosting platform both of my sites run on, approved me this week.
That second one matters. Bluehost is the first thing anyone needs to start an affiliate site — domain, hosting, WordPress installation, all in one place. Having a legitimate affiliate relationship with a product I actually use and pay for feels like the right way to start.
FanDuel, BetMGM, Underdog Fantasy, PrizePicks — still pending. The sportsbook programs are taking their time. That’s expected for newer sites.
The Other Site
If you’re curious about the sports betting side of this experiment, SituationalBets.com is live and publishing daily. The concept is systematic handicapping — using data, situational angles, and market inefficiencies to find edges instead of just picking winners on gut feeling. The MLB season just started and the model is already running. Check it out if that’s your thing. Fair warning: it’s a real betting analysis site, not a “here are my picks, trust me” operation.
What I Did Instead of Waiting
Since I can’t do much about affiliate approvals, I focused on what I could control: SEO. I went page by page on TiredButHustling and optimized each one using RankMath — focus keywords, meta descriptions, title tags, keyword density. Tedious work that nobody sees but Google.
The analytics are showing 20 users in the first week. All direct traffic. No organic search yet. That’s expected — new sites typically take 3-6 months before Google starts sending meaningful traffic.
The Honest Take on Week Two
Week two of building an affiliate site feels a lot like planting seeds and then staring at the dirt. Nothing is visibly happening. But the work compounds — every optimized page, every published post, every day Google’s crawlers index the site builds toward something.
I knew going in this was a slow build. That doesn’t make the waiting easier.
One approval down. A lot more to go. I’ll keep you posted.
Want to start your own affiliate site? I use Bluehost for hosting — both of my sites run on it. → GET BLUEHOST HOSTING
If you are interested, check out my affiliate site SituationalBets.com.
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