How to Become an Amazon Associate to Boost Your Income with the Amazon Affiliate Program
Written by Arvind Singh @arbind555kr
Amazon Associates, commonly known as "Amazon Affiliates," is a simple way to monetize your website or blog. Sign up, get approved right away, and start putting Amazon affiliate links on your site. You earn a commission when someone buys something on Amazon through one of your links – it's as simple as that.
But where do you begin? A step-by-step instruction to become an Amazon Affiliate is included below, along with screenshots. Whether you want to be an entrepreneur, establish your own business, or just have a little business side hustle, I think this guide will be a good place to start.What is the Amazon Affiliate program?
The Amazon Affiliate programme (also known as Amazon Associates) is a type of affiliate marketing. Becoming an Amazon Associate is completely free for website owners and bloggers. They use links to promote Amazon.com products on their websites. Customers earn referral fees when they click on the links and purchase things from Amazon.
Still, have questions about affiliate marketing and what it entails? Or are you unsure if it's right for you?
What is affiliate marketing and how does it work?
Affiliate marketing is a marketing strategy in which a speciality website owner is given the option to generate unique product links through an online store (called affiliate links). The website owners are required to advertise the link in exchange for a commission when someone clicks on the link and purchases something. You only earn money as an affiliate if your link is used in a purchase.
If you currently have a website or blog and your content allows for product references, affiliate marketing is for you. For example, if you run a cooking blog, you can add product ingredient links.
If you sell things directly on your website, it's not the greatest option for you.
How does the Amazon Affiliate program work?
Associates earn commissions through the Amazon Affiliate programme by establishing unique product links, marketing them on their website, and driving referral traffic back to Amazon. The following is how it works:
On the platform, website owners create an Amazon Affiliate account.
Each website owner is assigned a unique Associate ID by Amazon.
Associates can begin building affiliate links in their Amazon portal after their application has been accepted.
The links are then placed in blog posts or other portions of the website by the affiliates.
The associate earns commission when someone clicks on the link and makes a purchase.
How much does the Amazon Affiliate program pay?
Depending on how many Amazon recommendations you create, you can earn anywhere from $100 to $20,000 through the Amazon Affiliate programme. The Amazon Affiliate programme works on a commission basis, which means you'll get paid a percentage of every transaction you make.
Depending on the product type, the commission rate varies. For example, if you run an automotive blog, each sale can make you 4.50 percent. If you sell three $1,000 car parts in one day, you'll make $135.
transactions. You'd make $1,350 per month if you sold the same thing 30 times every month.
Because the figures can skew low at the start of your Amazon Associate adventure, make sure you have another source of income in addition to becoming an Amazon Associate.
It's critical to check the Amazon Affiliate program's commission rate by product category before signing up on the platform. That way, you can figure out how much money you could make based on the niche of your website.
Amazon Affiliate Program Rules and Requirements
You must disclose on your site or in your communication that you may be eligible to earn from your recommendations.
You must not make false or deceptive claims in your recommendations.
Avoid referring to prices (with some exceptions) since prices frequently change.
Do not use Amazon affiliate links in offline promotions, eBooks, or email.
Do not use link shorteners on affiliate links.
You can read Amazon's full policy here. Note: The Amazon Affiliate program is one of the most popular programs, but it isn’t the only one. There are other affiliate programs out there that are worth trying if you don’t qualify to become an Amazon Associate.
How to Become an Amazon Affiliate
Being an Amazon Associate is a terrific way to make extra money from your brand or to monetize passion projects. However, Amazon has criteria for associates to follow, so it's a good idea to familiarise yourself with them before diving in. If you don't follow the rules, you can get kicked out of the programme.
The majority of the restrictions are in place to ensure the ethical promotion and to discourage colleagues from taking advantage of the system. Here are a few of the most important to remember:
Make a website or start a blog.
To join Amazon Associates, go to the Amazon Associates homepage and click the "Sign Up" button.
Fill in your account details.
Enter the URL of your website.
Enter the ID of the store you want to visit.
Describe how you get people to visit your website.
Select a payment method.
Create affiliate links for Amazon.
1. Make a website or a blog.
You must have an active website, blog, app, or YouTube channel to become an Amazon Associate. It also helps if you've pre-populated that site with material so that it appears active and genuine to consumers and Amazon.
Remember that as part of the application process, you must be able to articulate the purpose of your website. So, know why you're making your site, who you're going to target, and how you're going to attract people to visit it.
2. Go to the Amazon Associates homepage and click the "Sign Up" button.
3. Enter your account information.
Enter your account info (including the name, address, and phone number of the payee).
4. Enter your website address.
Enter your website address(es), apps, YouTube channels, etc.
5. Enter your preferred store ID.
Enter your preferred store ID (usually the same as your primary website name), explain what your websites hope to accomplish, and select Amazon topics your links will likely target.
6. Explain how you drive traffic to your site.
Explain how you drive traffic to your websites, how you use your website or apps to generate income, how you usually build links, and how many visitors your site brings in each month.
7. Choose your payment method.
Choose whether to enter your payment (credit card) and tax ID information now or later. Then proceed to your dashboard.
8. Create Amazon Affiliate links.
Once you've created your account, you'll be sent to your personal Associate homepage. This is where you'll find your performance dashboard (including an earnings overview, monthly summary, and total clicks).
This dashboard is also where you'll search for relevant products to link to from your content. Here's how:
How to Create an Amazon Affiliate Link
Log in to your Amazon Associate account.
Click on Product Linking in the top banner and select Product Links.
Add the ASIN of the product OR search Amazon for the product in the bar they provide.
Click the Get Link button on the right side of the result.
Alternatively, you can use the Amazon Associates site stripe to generate Amazon Affiliate links directly from the product page.
Use the generated link on your site or other promotional materials according to Amazon's standards.
1. Log in to your Amazon Associate account.
Doing this ensures that the link text is generated in a way that associates the product you're promoting with your account.
2. Click on Product Linking in the top banner and select Product Links.
This will take you to a page that will prompt you to create your link.
5. Click the Get Link button on the right side.
This will copy your new Amazon Affiliate link to your clipboard, and you can now use that link in your promotions.
6. Alternatively, you can use the Amazon Associates SiteStripe to generate Amazon Affiliate links.
A simpler way to generate your Amazon Affiliate Links is by using the SiteStripe bar that shows up on product pages when you're logged in to your Amazon Affiliate Panel.
Just click the Text button in the Get Link selector. Then copy the generated link that is provided in the popup.
7. Use the generated link on your site or other promotional materials according to Amazon's standards.
Just remember that Amazon's guidelines prohibit the use of the link in offline promotions, email, and eBooks or PDFs. As with most marketing and sales, quality content is at the heart of success. Ensure you're attracting your audience with quality content and share relevant affiliate links with them on your site or YouTube channel.
Each link you generate will have a cookie that will then follow your website visitors after they click on the link. This is highly beneficial to you, because it increases the likelihood of you receiving commission for the sale. The only problem is that it only lasts for a limited amount of time.
How long does the Amazon Affiliate cookie last?
The Amazon Affiliate cookie lasts for 24 hours after a website visitor clicks on the affiliate link. The cookie stays in their browser for that entire length of time. That way, if they check out at any time in those 24 hours, the purchase will be credited to you.
The Amazon Affiliate cookie is just one of the ways that the Amazon Affiliate program can help you make money. But first, you must get visitors to click on the link — and to do that, you need visitors in the first place.
How to Make Money with the Amazon Affiliate Program
Generally speaking, applying for the Amazon Affiliate program and becoming an associate isn’t really the hard part. The problem is making enough sales so that you can turn your passion project into a source of income.
Here are a few tips on how to make money from the Amazon Affiliate program.
1. Choose a niche for your website.
To ensure you can make the most out of your affiliate partnership with Amazon, choose a single eCommerce niche for your website.
Whether that be paleo cooking or DIY educational activities for teachers, the niche must be of especial interest to you — something you can constantly write about without getting tired. This gives you plenty of opportunities to naturally insert product links without being overly salesy.
By choosing a niche, you also make your site look more authoritative to visitors because talking about one thing all the time makes you look like an expert. Touching upon a wide breadth of topics could make it seem like you’re writing content for the sake of writing content. You’ll also typically have less competition if you focus on a highly specific topic that not many others have touched upon.
2. Write product reviews and comparison posts.
One of the best ways to make money as an Amazon Associate is by writing product reviews and posts comparing two or more products. This gives you the opportunity to link to the products you’re reviewing.
The best part? These are usually high-intent posts, meaning that the person looking for a review is close to purchasing the product (if not ready to buy). After all, no one would look for a review of a product that they have no intention of buying.
Product comparison posts offer an even greater opportunity to sell because if the visitor decides one product isn’t for them, you’re offering them several alternatives to choose from. It’s a win-win all around and a sure way to drive more referrals toward Amazon.
3. Blog consistently.
At the core of a strong Amazon, Affiliate strategy is a blog that gives you plenty of opportunities to include product mentions and links. For that reason, I recommend blogging consistently.
Try to go for one blog post per week, but quality does matter more than quantity. If you write two well-researched posts per month, you may drive more qualified traffic to Amazon than if you wrote eight poorly-written posts.
Implement a content marketing strategy that will help you create blog posts that are topically relevant. You’ll want to learn SEO basics to make sure you’re optimizing your site for the online search.
4. Create a storefront on your website.
You don’t have to only rely on editorial mentions to drive referrals to Amazon. You can actually create a storefront that acts as an online store — the only difference is that every link points to Amazon instead of a checkout page on your website.
Storefronts are a great choice because they require minimal upkeep and content writing. Once visitors get to your site, it'll be simple and easy for them to browse through the products. Another benefit is that the links aren’t buried within other content.
The one thing you’ll need to do is check the links on a monthly basis to ensure your storefront drives referrals. Sometimes, product pages move, or products are removed entirely from Amazon. You want to make sure every product is still available on the retailer’s website.
5. Advertise your website on social media and search engines.
Without traffic, you won’t be able to drive referrals to Amazon and earn a commission. Writing good content, learning SEO, and creating a content marketing strategy will get you far. But you want to make sure you’re covering all your bases.
Invest in paid social ads, as well as pay-per-click ads on Google. While advertising may sound expensive, the investment can be quite affordable, especially if you’re using the PPC model. You only pay when someone clicks on your ads, and the best part is that you can set a budget so that you’re not overcharged. It’s an easy way to drive traffic to your site; all you need to do is create ad imagery with a tool such as Canva.
Here are some resources to get you started with paid ads:
The Ultimate Guide to Google Ads [Examples]
Guide to Instagram Ad Costs
How to Run Facebook Ads: A Step-by-Step Guide to Advertising on Facebook
How to Run LinkedIn Ad Campaigns: A Beginner's Guide
Getting Paid as an Amazon Associate
Now that you’ve created a strong strategy for getting your Amazon Affiliate website off the ground, it’s time to get paid.
How do Amazon Associates get paid?
Amazon Associates get paid by direct deposit. You’ll automatically receive the funds in your bank account. Alternatively, you can opt to receive an Amazon gift card or a check by mail.
When does Amazon Associates get paid?
Amazon Associates get paid monthly, but there’s a catch: you get paid 60 days after the end of the month you’re getting paid for. For instance, you’ll get paid at the end of March for the commission you earned in January.
When does commission get officially attributed to Amazon Associates?
Amazon Associates officially earn a commission when the order has shipped. If the customer cancels the order before it’s shipped, you won’t receive a commission. If the customer returns the product after purchase, the commission will be deducted from your earnings.
After applying to the Amazon Associates program, your account will be approved for 180 days. During that time, you must make at least one sale, or your account will be closed. That's why it's so important to have a strategy for your Amazon Affiliate endeavours. However, you can reapply for the Amazon Associate program after you've made adjustments to your site.
Get Started with the Amazon Affiliate Program Today
The Amazon Affiliate program is an excellent way to turn aside passion into a source of passive income. Choose a niche, write product-centric content, and include contextual affiliate links, and you’ll be sure to grow your Amazon Affiliate income to astronomical levels.
Five Reasons to Blog
You’ll Learn:
- Why a blog is still relevant
- How to make money from a blog
- The rewards of blogging
Why should you go through all this trouble of building a blog, creating content and driving traffic? Well, the following article covers five reasons why you should still start your own blog.
1. To Write
On your own blog, you can indulge your passion for writing, and do so regardless of guidelines and character limitations. Composing blog entries on a regular basis will exercise and quickly hone your writing skills. This not only makes blog writing easier but will also be of use to you in the world outside your website. People also often forget that writing a blog means building an extensive archive of articles that can later be re-used in a variety of ways.
2. To Network
With a blog, you can build your own community – a community that will read your articles, leave comments and in doing so, increase your standing in the online world. This often leads to befriending interesting and useful people, who can be helpful to you beyond the promotion of your blog. Lively exchange with your readers and other bloggers will not only serve as a source of motivation to you but will also provide knowledge and new ideas.
3. For Knowledge
While starting a blog is no longer all that difficult, it will still involve dabbling in new things, such as HTML. A pleasant side effect is that you will acquire a lot of technical know-how. And it won’t stop there: blogging will give you an opportunity to become versed in matters of self-organization, content creation, community management, marketing and many other subjects.
While starting a blog is no longer all that difficult, it will still involve dabbling in new things, such as HTML. A pleasant side effect is that you will acquire a lot of technical know-how. And it won’t stop there: blogging will give you an opportunity to become versed in matters of self-organization, content creation, community management, marketing and many other subjects.
Moreover, immersing yourself in your blog topic will increase your level of expertise in the subject, which can be useful online as well as offline.
4. To Make Money
We all have bills to pay, even – or especially – bloggers! And nowadays, it’s not so unusual for bloggers to not only manage to cover their costs, but even make a good deal extra on the side. Some can even live exclusively off blogging.
While these people may be the exception to the rule, those bloggers with perseverance and knowledge of the marketing side of the business have a better chance to succeed. From a business point of view, a blog can even be of indirect use to you. It can support your freelance career, or can be used to establish contact with companies that might then, for example, offer you products for testing.
5. To have fun
A blog will definitely require endurance, because keeping it going won’t always be easy, nor will it always be a positive experience. But it can prove to be rewarding in both a financial and personal sense.
More Reasons to Blog
Good content will always be important. If you manage to build yourself a high-quality blog that’s worth reading, you are guaranteed to attract a large and interested readership. Start today, and see where it takes you.
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