Project X An Affiliate Journey (part One)

Let’s get one thing clear upfront: this isn’t another “how I made $10K in 30 days” post. This isn’t a blueprint, a masterclass, or some carefully packaged funnel to sell you a dream. This is a real-time, brutally honest series about building an affiliate site in 2025 using nothing more than WordPress, a few plugins, elbow grease, and the odd AI assist.

None of this malarkey:

• No ebooks.
• No upsells.
• No grift.

Just a bloke trying to make something work.

Not Exactly a Fresh Start

Technically, I’m not starting from scratch. The domain I’m using for this project isn’t new—it’s been around the block. From 2018 to 2022, it pulled in a bit of traffic and made some modest affiliate earnings. Then life happened, priorities shifted, and the site sat gathering digital dust.

A few months ago, I wiped it clean. No backups, no redirects, no hangover content. Just a fresh WordPress install on top of a URL with some history. That’s where we begin.

And I want to be honest about that—because pretending this is some shiny new build wouldn’t sit right. If this domain gives me a slight edge, so be it. I’ll share it all, wins and losses included.

Affiliate Earnings Breakdown (Historical)

Between November 2018 and April 2022, the site pulled in a total of £743.78 through affiliate advertising fees. Not massive, but considering it ran without any serious effort or content strategy, it’s proof that even minimal setup and a half-decent domain can generate real income over time.

The earnings came in consistently month-to-month, with regular Amazon gift card payouts resetting the balance. Check out the peaks and troughs below:

It’s a classic case of “set-and-forget”—a lazy approach that somehow still made money. But let’s not kid ourselves: £743.78 over nearly four years is hardly the stuff of legends. It is, however, an honest reflection of minimal input and a solid baseline to build upon.

Why Share This?

I’m sharing this because transparency matters. Too often, affiliate marketing stories gloss over the gritty realities. The “passive income” dream sells well, but the truth is messier and far more interesting. It involves testing, failing, iterating, and yes—earning small sums along the way.

So here’s what this series promises:

• Real updates on what’s working and what isn’t.
• Transparent financial breakdowns—every penny accounted for.
• An unfiltered look at the practical side of running a WordPress-powered affiliate site.

Tools I’m Using (Coming Soon)

I’m not going to list every tool, plugin, or service just yet. That’s coming in the next post. I want to properly explain why I picked them, how they’re helping (or not), and whether they’re worth your time or cash.

Spoiler: some of them are great, some I regret already.

Regular Updates (Kind Of)

I will be posting updates on how this rebuild is going—what’s working, what’s flopping, and what I’m learning the hard way. But here’s the deal: I’m not going to commit to a strict posting schedule. If you want to get notified when the next post drops, pop your email in the box below. No spam, no fluff—just real updates when they’re ready.

You’ll be the first to know. Promise. No hype. Just genuine, useful insights. If that sounds good, stick around. It’s going to be a ride. Subscribe below for updates 👇😁