Sharing Amazon Affiliate Links: A Step-by-Step Guide

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To share Amazon affiliate links effectively, you need to create a unique affiliate link. This link is generated through the Amazon Associates dashboard, which you can access by signing in to your Amazon affiliate account.

The unique affiliate link is then used to track referrals and earn commissions.

To create a unique affiliate link, navigate to the product detail page of the item you want to promote. From there, you can access the "Associate Tag" option, which will provide a shortened version of your affiliate link.

Getting Started

To join Amazon Associates, you need to have a website or blog where you can share affiliate links. Amazon offers a whopping 12 million options, so you're bound to spot some cool stuff to promote.

You can start browsing Amazon as if you were shopping yourself to find products to promote. Amazon's SiteStripe tool will help you generate affiliate links.

Amazon offers three options to display the product on your website: Text, Image, or Text and Image.

Introduction to Associates

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Amazon Associates is a fantastic opportunity for website owners, bloggers, and content creators to earn some serious cash.

You can earn a commission based on what your audience buys on Amazon, with a whopping 12 million products to choose from.

To get started, you'll need to sign up for the Amazon Associates program and create a personalized referral link.

This link can be slipped into your content, whether it's a blog article, video, or social media post.

Amazon's SiteStripe tool makes it super simple to generate affiliate links, allowing you to browse and find products to promote.

You can choose from text, image, or text and image options to display the product on your website.

With Pretty Links, you can trim and customize your Amazon affiliate links, making them short and memorable.

This can help increase your click-through rates and make your links more engaging for your audience.

It's also essential to disclose your affiliation with Amazon to your readers, as required by the FTC and Amazon's operating agreement.

You can use a simple statement like "I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, or link to any products or services from this website."

Sign Up

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To sign up for the Amazon Affiliate Program, start by clicking the "Sign up" button at the bottom of the Amazon Associates home page.

You'll then be prompted to log in using an Amazon account you already have. If you're not an Amazon customer, tap the "Create your Amazon account" button to register.

Head back to the Amazon Associates homepage after setting up your account to begin filling out your application for the affiliate program. Tap the "Next" button to move on to the Website and Mobile App List page.

Before finishing your application, take a moment to review the Associates Program Operating Agreement.

You can share your Amazon affiliate links on 10 different places online that will actually help you get clicks, sales, and therefore commissions.

One of those places is the Amazon platform itself, where you can share your links with your audience. You can also share them on social media platforms, but make sure you follow the guidelines.

You can't use link shorteners to hide your links, as this is against Amazon's Associates Program Participation Requirement. This means you should always use unmasked URLs.

Sharing your affiliate links on multiple platforms is a great way to increase your chances of getting clicks and sales.

Creating Content

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Content is an integral part of your affiliate marketing business, and it needs to be attractive and engaging to your target audience.

Some of the most popular content types for affiliate marketing are product reviews, listicles, tutorials, and comparisons.

Creating content only to add affiliate links can negatively affect your credibility, and fewer people will trust your opinions and recommendations.

Offer a variety of content to keep your audience interested, as this will help you stay ahead of your competitors.

Build Your Profile

To build your profile, you'll need to set up your Associates ID, which will also appear in your affiliate links. You can use your name or your website's name for this.

Start by going to the Profile page and filling out the Tell us about the content you create section with a couple of sentences that explain the essence of your content. This will give Amazon an insight into the kind of products you'll be promoting.

Next, you'll need to pick the option that best aligns with your content, such as being a dedicated blogger or someone who hunts down awesome deals and coupons for your site.

Create Site Content

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To create site content, you need to understand your target audience's preferences. Your content should cater to their needs, making it attractive and engaging. This will help you stand out from the competition.

Some of the most popular content types for affiliate marketing are product reviews, listicles, tutorials, and comparisons. These types of content work well for affiliate marketing.

To create effective content, focus on providing useful information to your audience. Don't create content solely to add affiliate links, as this can negatively affect your credibility.

Here are some popular content types for affiliate marketing:

  • Product reviews
  • Listicles
  • Tutorials
  • Comparisons

Gift guides and product comparison posts are also effective for affiliate marketing. They address a specific need or problem people have, and users are more likely to buy from you when they're looking for product recommendations.

Resource Pages or Libraries

Having a resource page or library is a great way to organize your affiliate links, especially from Amazon. It helps you to keep links organized and mention them when relevant.

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Bloggers and content creators who make thousands with affiliate sales tend to mention a product more than once, which reinforces their advocacy for the product. This can be seen in Instagram fashion content creators who have multiple links on their profile.

A resource page or library acts as a shop page of all your favorites, allowing you to include multiple products and categories with just one link to share. This makes it easier for your audience to find and click on that link.

Amazon Influencers get a shortcut to this feature, but unfortunately, it's not available to Amazon Affiliates. However, you can still create a similar page using Amazon links on your own website.

Having a resource page or library can help to guide your audience to find what they're looking for, making it easier for them to browse through your page.

Website Setup

To build a successful Amazon affiliate store, you must first know how to create a website.

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To create a website, you must first know how to create a website, as mentioned in the "6 Steps on How to Build an Amazon Affiliate Website" section. This is the foundation of any online business.

You can create a website using a website builder like WordPress, which is a popular choice among Amazon affiliates.

On a Website or Blog

To set up your website or blog for the Amazon Affiliate program, you'll need to have a qualifying website or social media influence. Your site should have at least 10 posts, with a handful of them freshly published within the last 60 days.

To get started, create an Amazon Associate account and navigate to the Account Information page to enter your personal details, including your name, address, and mobile phone number. You'll also need to list the web addresses you'll be using for promoting Amazon products.

Once you've set up your account, you'll need to build your profile, which includes providing details about your website(s), social platform(s), or mobile app(s). This is where you'll set up your Associates ID, which will also appear in your affiliate links.

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To monetize your traffic, you'll need to add affiliate links to your website. Amazon provides a tool to do so, and you can build customized text links, text and image links, or image-only links to Amazon products.

Some popular content types for affiliate marketing on your website or blog include product reviews, listicles, tutorials, and comparisons. The main focus is to provide useful information for your audience, not just to add affiliate links.

You can also create an Amazon 'Shop' page for all your favorite products, which can be organized into sections or by categories. To create this page, use Amazon Scratchpad to generate product images for free, or use a tool like Lasso to embed images.

6 Steps to Build a Website

To build a successful website, you must first create one.

The first step is to create a website, a crucial foundation for a successful Amazon affiliate store.

You can use a website builder like WordPress to create a website.

Choose a website builder that fits your needs and skill level.

Select a domain name that is easy to remember and relevant to your website's content.

Register your domain name through a registrar like GoDaddy or Namecheap.

Make sure to choose a reputable registrar to avoid any issues.

Site Creation Benefits

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Creating an Amazon affiliate site is a great way to monetize your content and jumpstart your online business.

Compared to other affiliate programs, Amazon has several advantages. One of the main benefits is that it has a vast product selection, offering millions of products to promote.

Having a vast product selection means you can cater to a wide range of interests and niches, making it easier to find products that resonate with your audience.

Amazon's reputation for reliability and trustworthiness is another significant advantage. This can help you build credibility with your audience and increase the likelihood of them clicking on your affiliate links.

Creating an Amazon affiliate site requires minimal setup and maintenance, making it a low-risk investment for those new to online business.

SiteStripe Images Update

Amazon has changed its policy regarding affiliate links and images. They no longer allow the use of their images for affiliate links.

To update your old affiliate code, you'll need to add affiliate links to your website manually. This can be done by creating a new link or by using a plugin that can help you generate affiliate links.

The SiteStripe Images Fix is a solution that allows you to add affiliate links to your website without using Amazon's images. This can be a good option if you want to keep your website looking the same as before.

Pricing Display Guidelines

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You're not allowed to display pricing information for Amazon products and direct your audience to an Amazon store through your affiliate link. However, there's an exception to this rule.

You can provide links with your affiliate tag if you use an Amazon API to access the current prices directly. This is because Amazon prices change constantly, and without an API, it would be impossible to keep track of the changing prices.

Here are the tools you'll need to generate essential policies for your website, according to Section 2 (b) of the Participation Requirements:

  • Privacy policy generator
  • Refund policy generator
  • Shipping policy generator
  • Terms and conditions generator

Commission and Disclosure

You need to let your readers know you're an affiliate, and it's easier than you think. Use plain language and mention that you get compensation for putting up affiliate links.

It's a good idea to include a disclaimer at the top of the article or page where you have affiliate links. Amazon requires you to identify yourself as an affiliate, and you can use their provided text to make it easy. Just copy and paste the following: "[Insert site name] 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 [insert applicable site name]."

You may earn a small commission for your endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, or link to any products or services from this website. This is a straightforward way to disclose your affiliation and avoid any potential issues.

Credit: youtube.com, Affiliate Link Disclosure Rules for FTC

You need to let your readers know you're an affiliate, and it's not just about slapping a disclaimer at the bottom of your site. Amazon requires you to identify yourself as an affiliate in your content.

Use plain language and mention that you get compensation for putting up the affiliate link. For example, "I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, or link to any products or services from this website."

You can also place an expanded version of the disclaimer at the bottom of the site or within your other legal pages to cover all aspects.

Don't try to hide or disguise Amazon affiliate links as something else. Use unmasked URLs and avoid link shortening tools that cloak the fact you're linking to an Amazon site. Amazon's operating agreement prohibits this, specifically in Sections 6 "v" and "w".

Do Not Embed in Digital Files

You can't just embed affiliate links in any digital file you create, unfortunately. Amazon has strict rules about this.

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Putting affiliate links in PDFs, eBooks, or emails is a big no-no. You can't share your affiliate links in private Facebook groups or as attachments to emails.

Amazon requires you to put affiliate links on your website, YouTube channel, or a public Facebook page. This is the only way to share them.

You can create an affiliate link to any product or page by clicking on the "Get Link Text" button on the SiteStripe. This is where the magic happens!

But don't even think about putting affiliate links in eBooks or as attachments to emails. It's not allowed.

If you want to share a link in an eBook, you can put a link to a website post with an affiliate tag instead. This is a clever workaround, but make sure you follow the rules!

Low Commissions

Low commissions on Amazon affiliate marketing can be a challenge, with rates relatively low compared to other affiliate programs. This means you shouldn't rely on it as your primary income source.

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Revenue from affiliate marketing is highly unpredictable, determined by various factors that might not always work in your favor. You may not get the expected revenue immediately, making it essential to have a backup plan.

Amazon's low commission rate can be a reality check, but it's not impossible to make money. You just need to set realistic expectations and be prepared for fluctuations in revenue.

Marketing and Optimization

Marketing and Optimization is key to successful Amazon affiliate marketing. You can use Amazon's built-in tracking tools to monitor your performance and optimize your marketing efforts.

Amazon's tracking cookies are valid for 24 hours, allowing you to track referrals even if the customer doesn't make a purchase immediately. This means you can still earn a commission if the customer buys the product within 24 hours of clicking your affiliate link.

To optimize your marketing, focus on promoting high-demand products with a low competition. According to Amazon's best-seller list, products in the Health and Personal Care category tend to have a high demand and relatively low competition.

10 Places to Share Online

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You can share your Amazon affiliate links online in 10 different places that can actually help you get clicks, sales, and commissions.

You can add Amazon affiliate links to any public social media profiles and posts, including public Instagram profiles, Facebook posts, and public Facebook groups where even non-members can see the posts.

Use a Linktree, LinkDolly, or other alternatives to add multiple links to your main profile, as most social media platforms only allow one link.

Public groups or forums are also a great place to promote Amazon affiliate links, but make sure to check out the group rules first.

You can start your own public Facebook group and share Amazon affiliate links there, or share them in other people's public groups.

When promoting Amazon affiliate links in groups or forums, it's best to offer value by answering questions and posting the Amazon product as a solution.

You can also track down posts where people ask for product recommendations on forum websites in specific niches, like Reddit and Quora.

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If a group or discussion is private, link to a blog post that answers the question instead of sharing the direct Amazon link.

The idea is not to just comment on every post, but to look out for targeted posts or questions and share relevant content.

If you don't have a lot of blog content yet, you can still lead people to your resource library, just make sure it's organized with recurring themes or categories.

Geo Targeted

Geo Targeted links work by redirecting visitors to the page most relevant for their geolocation, using their IP address to determine their location down to the country, state, or city.

This means you can link Canadian visitors to the Canadian version of Amazon from your site, and when a user from Canada visits the link, they will be redirected to Amazon.ca instead of Amazon.com.

Geo links don't take much time to load, so your users will have no idea that you are using Geo Targetly to redirect them dynamically.

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The experience will feel native, and your users will appreciate being directed to the version of the websites that work best for them.

By giving users more relevant links, you will also be more likely to receive the affiliate income behind the links you are posting.

If you're posting an Amazon link, but it's not to the right storefront, your visitor is much less likely to convert to a purchase based on that visit using your link.

Giving your users a seamless experience that appropriately matches where they are in the world is a great way to help ensure that they continue to visit your website and view your content.

Geo Targetly's link generation is fast, easy to manage, and accurate, making it a great tool for marketers and website owners.

Marketing Site Definition

An Amazon affiliate marketing site is a website that earns money by directing visitors to buy Amazon products through affiliate links.

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These links are easy to add to your website, thanks to Amazon's provided tool. Simply build customized text links, text and image links, or image-only links to Amazon products.

You can also add text links directly to your blog posts or create ad banners or dedicated product listings. This allows you to monetize your traffic in a variety of ways.

The Amazon Associates program offers different commission models depending on the product category, such as a fixed commission income rate of 20% for Amazon Games products.

Jennie Bechtelar

Senior Writer

Jennie Bechtelar is a seasoned writer with a passion for crafting informative and engaging content. With a keen eye for detail and a knack for distilling complex concepts into accessible language, Jennie has established herself as a go-to expert in the fields of important and industry-specific topics. Her writing portfolio showcases a depth of knowledge and expertise in standards and best practices, with a focus on helping readers navigate the intricacies of their chosen fields.

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