This affiliate disclosure explains how YardTally makes money and how that does, and doesn’t, affect what you read here. In short: some links on this site are affiliate links, and if you buy something through one of them, YardTally may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
What Affiliate Links Are
An affiliate link is a regular product link with a tracking code attached. If you click it and make a purchase, the store pays a small commission for the referral. The price you pay is exactly the same as if you’d gone to the store on your own. You never pay more because you used an affiliate link. Amazon also doesn’t tell YardTally who you are or what else you bought. The commission is simply credited for the referral, and your shopping works the same as it always does.
The Affiliate Program YardTally Uses
YardTally is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
If YardTally joins another affiliate program in the future, it will be listed on this page.
How Products Are Chosen
Affiliate links only go in a guide when a product genuinely helps with the job the guide covers, like a caulk gun in a guide about sealing gaps or a fuel stabilizer in a guide about winterizing a mower. Before a product gets linked, it has to pass a simple check:
- It has a solid track record, with at least 500 customer reviews
- It carries a badge like Amazon’s Choice or Best Seller
- It doesn’t carry a “Frequently Returned Item” warning
If a product starts getting bad reviews or is pulled from sale, the link gets replaced. I never list static prices, since prices change constantly and an old price would mislead you.
What Affiliate Links Never Change
Three rules keep YardTally honest:
- Calculator results are never affected. The math is the math, whether or not a calculator page has affiliate links on it.
- The advice comes first. Guides are built on real experience and trusted sources like university extension services and government agencies, and products are added afterward only where they help.
- Free options get mentioned. When a job can be done with something you already own, the guide says so.
How Affiliate Links Are Labeled
Every article that contains affiliate links has a short notice near the top that says so and links back to this affiliate disclosure. Affiliate links are also marked in the page code as sponsored, which tells search engines they’re paid links. This follows the FTC’s Endorsement Guides, which require clear disclosure of any financial relationship.
Advertising
YardTally may also show display ads from advertising partners. Ads are kept separate from the guides and calculators, and advertisers have no say in what gets written or recommended here.
Why YardTally Uses Affiliate Links
Affiliate income helps cover the cost of running YardTally, including hosting and the time it takes to build calculators and write guides, so the whole site can stay free with no signup and no paywall. If a guide or calculator saved you a trip to the store, using an affiliate link is an easy way to support the site at no cost to you.
Questions
If you have any questions about this affiliate disclosure or a specific product recommendation, email hello@yardtally.com or use the contact page. You can also read more about who runs the site on the About page, or browse every guide on the All Guides page.