That's a question many beginners seem to ask and some people will say absolutely but that's not always the case. I recommend that as an affiliate marketer, that it's certainly a good idea to have your own website but there are other options.

For example, you can use a third-party, which are classified as Web 2.0 platforms that allow you to promote products. Examples include Weebly, Zujava, and Hub Pages. These sites are relatively easy to use and can help you make a profit in affiliate marketing.

You can also get hosting for a free blog. For example, BlogSpot allows you to create a free blog where you can promote products. Just remember that with these sites you must strictly abide by their rules and terms. And the rules may change at any time and your blog might disappear or your pages may become obsolete. You just don't have much control over your business when you choose the third-party options. In fact, you can have that business you've worked so hard to build get deleted in an instant.

Take Control

The best way to guarantee that you have control over your business is to have your own website. You can purchase a domain and hosting inexpensively and feel more at ease knowing that you'll have control over your own blog.

We recommend GoDaddy for securing your domain name and either Host Gator, or 1&1 for your web hosting service.

It's very simple to set up a blog on your own site and you don't have to worry about conforming to anyone else's rules about what can and can't be done on it. You can then use third-party platforms as a support mechanism and even to drive traffic to your blog.

These platforms can help supplement what you're doing while allowing you to have more control over your business. If the bulk of your income comes from your own website, you won't have to worry about what happens if the rules change on third-party sites.

The best part is that you'll find it doesn't cost as much as you might think to have your own site in your chosen niche and truly be the master of your own affiliate marketing business. This small investment (of roughly $10 a year for a domain and less than $10 a month in hosting) can bring big payoffs and is worth your efforts. So yes it is true that as an affiliate marketer you don't have to have your own website, but building your business dependent on third-party platforms alone can be a risky decision. The best option is to have your own website and take advantage of third-party platforms to supplement what you're doing on your own site.

This way you get the best of both worlds and have multiple streams of income to support your affiliate marketing career.