For anyone looking to start a profitable online business with little investment, affiliate marketing may be the way to go. Amazon, the largest online seller in the world, offers affiliate programs for which anyone can apply at no cost at all.
If you’re experienced in content writing and can write compelling copy, then learning how to become an Amazon affiliate is the next step in your career as an online entrepreneur. What’s more, if you’re particularly passionate about a niche, affiliate marketing won’t feel like a job because you’re creating content around products you like.
In this article, we’ll show you exactly how to sign up for the Amazon Affiliate program. More importantly, you’ll learn how to get an affiliate website for your online business. If this is what you’ve been looking for, continue reading.
What is the Amazon Affiliate Program?
If you’re familiar with affiliate marketing, you can guess what Amazon Affiliate Program is about.
Signing up for the Amazon Affiliate Program (or Amazon Associates) enables you to include links to Amazon’s products on your website. You can write blog posts and reviews and add an affiliate link to each product.
When readers click on one of the affiliate links, you’ve successfully driven some of your website traffic to Amazon, which gets more sales on its platform, and you get a commission from Amazon.
Sound great?
Good. Now, all you need to do is become an Amazon Associate.
Essential Amazon Affiliate Program Rules and Requirements
Before you sign up for the Amazon Affiliate Program, you should carefully consider Amazon’s guidelines for affiliates. These guidelines are strict. Should you fail to follow them, Amazon may ban you from their affiliate program.
In essence, Amazon doesn’t want you to take advantage of their program. They won’t allow you to get link clicks fraudulently. Here are some basic rules you should follow as an Amazon Associate.
- Put a disclosure on your site notifying users that you may profit if they click on your recommendations
- Generally, don’t include prices in your reviews since they change often
- Avoid using shortened links
- You need to obtain 3 sales within a 90 day period for your account to remain open. If you don’t get the required sales, you can open a new Amazon Associates account.
These three guidelines should get the idea across that you shouldn’t misuse the Affiliate Program in any way. For a complete overview of requirements, do check the entire Associates Program Policies.
How to Become an Amazon Affiliate
Now let’s get to the big question. As we mentioned earlier, anyone can become an Amazon affiliate so long as they follow Amazon’s rules. We’ll walk you through the whole process and show you exactly how to become an Amazon affiliate.
1. Create a Website
Logistically, you’ll need a website where you can post content and include affiliate links. Choose a niche for your blog and consider the readers you’ll target. Keep in mind that you’ll need to provide basic information about your website when applying for the Amazon Affiliate Program.
To create a website, you’ll need a domain, hosting, and a theme. Domain and hosting can cost you less than $100 per year if you find a good deal. As for themes, you can always use WordPress.
But if this whole website-creating thing seems confusing, we’ve got another solution. You can buy a ready-made website tailored to your needs. We’ll address this solution later in this article.
2. Applying to Amazon Associates
Once you’ve got the website set to go, you’re ready to apply for the Amazon Associates program. Here is a list of steps you need to take in the application process:
- Visit Amazon Associates.
- Click ‘Sign Up.’
- Use your existing account to log in to Amazon or create a new Amazon account.
- Once you’re logged in, you’ll be redirected to the ‘Creating Your Amazon Associates Account.’ Select the main contact for your account and click ‘Next.’
- Add site(s) that you want to use for affiliate marketing. Select ‘No’ if your website content is not aimed directly at children under 13.
- Enter your preferred Associates Store ID and describe what your websites are about. Then, choose the topics that best describe your websites. After this, select the type of products you want to sell (e.g., books, electronics, health, and beauty, etc.) and the type of website you’ll be using.
- Select how you drive traffic to your website and your link-building methods. Also, select how many unique visitors you have per month.
- Enter the Captcha, agree to the terms and conditions of Associates Program Operating Management, and click ‘Finish.’
- Choose how you want Amazon to pay you. Then, click ‘Now.’
- Enter your password and click ‘Sign-in.’
- Insert your phone number and click ‘Send OTP.’
- You’ll receive a text message with an OTP code. Enter the OTP code and click ‘Continue.’
- Select your desired payment method and click ‘Submit and Continue with Tax Information.’
- Choose your class classification. Select ‘Individual’ if you are a sole proprietor. Then, enter other personal information and click ‘Continue.’
- Select the location of services performed.
- Enter your full name and click ‘Save and Preview.’
- Scroll down and click ‘Submit form.’
- Click ‘Exit Interview.’
Success! You’ve become an Amazon Associate. Now it’s time to get those affiliate links for your website.
3. Create Amazon Affiliate Links
You’re now all set up to create affiliate links and post them on your website. But where, exactly, do you start?
- Once you’ve created your Amazon Associate account, you’ll automatically be redirected to your home page. If not, simply log in to your Amazon Associates account.
- Click on ‘Product Linking’ and select ‘Product Links.’ You’ll land on a page where you can begin creating an affiliate link for a product.
- If you’ve already found a specific product, enter its Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN) and click ‘Go.’ (Note: You’ll find ASIN in the product listing.)
- Click ‘Get Link.’
- Customize your link (text, image, background color).
- Copy an HMTL link or short link and paste it wherever you want.
This is the traditional method of getting links for a product. There is a quicker way as well. When you land on a product listing, click on the type of affiliate link you want in the ‘Get link’ section of the horizontal SiteStripe bar. Then, copy and paste that link where you want it to go.
FAQ
Now that you know how to become an Amazon affiliate and get affiliate links for your website, we’ll now address some common questions that beginning affiliate marketers have.
Does My Website Need to Be Published for Me to Become an Amazon Affiliate?
Yes. Your website needs to be available publicly for it to be accepted. You can’t become an Amazon Associate otherwise. What is more, Amazon will review your website and decide whether or not you’ll be approved as an Amazon Associate.
Can You Use the Amazon Affiliate Program on Social Media?
The answer is yes, but it’s not that simple. Generally speaking, you can use Amazon affiliate links on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. But you need to follow Amazon’s guidelines because posting affiliate links is considered advertising.
For instance, you can post affiliate links on your social media account only if you are both an Amazon Associate and the owner of that social media account. If you want to add affiliate links in your posts safely, include the URL of your social media account in Associates Central.
There are also other requirements. If you want to post affiliate links on Twitter, you need to have your account verified. Also, whenever you use an affiliate link, you need to add a disclosure to let users know you may benefit from them clicking on the link.
As for YouTube, you can put affiliate links in the video description. Typically, YouTubers who create reviews, tutorials, or comparison videos will include affiliate links in video descriptions. As with websites, be open about your content.
Viewers need to know that you are promoting a product, but this doesn’t have to cast it in a negative light. If you have enough credibility as a YouTuber, you’ll be promoting products because you personally think they are good and that your viewers should consider buying them as well.
Are International Websites’ Owners Eligible for the Amazon Affiliate Program?
Unfortunately, you can’t sign up for the Amazon Affiliate program from anywhere in the world. To become an Amazon Associate, you need to be located in one of these countries:
- United States
- Canada
- Mexico
- Brazil
- UK
- France
- Italy
- Spain
- Germany
- Netherlands
- Sweden
- India
- UAE
- Saudi Arabia
- Singapore
- Japan
- Australia
Why SEO Is the Secret to a Successful Amazon Affiliate Site?
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a set of practices that improve your website rankings in Google.
To put it simply, a good SEO ensures that your website appears above your competition when a user runs a search query. In this way, you drive more traffic to your website, which helps you maintain a healthy affiliate conversion rate.
Promoting your website on social media and through email marketing can only get you temporary traffic. With proper SEO, you ensure that you get a regular amount of traffic each month. The better your SEO, the more traffic you’ll get (which means you’ll earn more money as well).
Thus, here are essential SEO tips that every affiliate website owner needs to know:
1. Finding a Good Niche for Your Blog
Obviously, you won’t be the first Amazon affiliate on this planet. Established websites have been doing this for years. They contain reviews on products in almost any Amazon category. Competing with a well-established website can be difficult, but this doesn’t mean that succeeding as an affiliate marketer is impossible.
First, choose a niche about which you are passionate. There’s nothing worse than sitting down and writing about products you actually take no interest in. You’ll soon get demotivated and perhaps give up on the whole affiliate marketing business.
When finding the best niche for your website, you should also consider the commission rate for each product category. This will help you estimate your potential profits.
Also, check product prices. If the niche products you’ll include in your blog posts are very cheap, don’t expect to earn a lot for each commission. Still, people are more inclined to make an impulse purchase of less expensive products. Ideally, include affiliate links of products that are within the $30-300 price range.
2. Conducting Keyword Research
Whenever potential buyers are searching for a product on Google, they’ll insert specific keywords. Ideally, you want your content to appear when users enter relevant keywords. But to find your niche keywords, you’ll need to use a keyword research tool.
Google Keyword Planner and Ubersuggest are free tools that will give you some basic keyword metrics. For more in-depth research, consider purchasing keyword research tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs. In fact, you will get a complete SEO toolset for your website if you opt for one of these tools.
3. Long-Form Content
Forget about short 400-500 words articles. Today, it’s all about long-form content. Not only do you increase the chances of ranking for a keyword, but you also get to include more affiliate links in your content. Ideally, create blog posts longer than 2,000 words.
4. Use Backlinks From High Domain Authority Sites
When you link to a web page for reference, make sure that the website it belongs to has high domain authority.
What does this mean?
When you link to a site with high domain authority, you ensure that your backlink (i.e., link to another web page on your site) is of high quality. Web crawlers will know that your backlink is safe, which positively affects your SEO. To see the domain authority of any website, download the free MozBar plugin for your browser.
5. Internal Link Building
A strong internal link structure enables search engine bots to crawl and index your website more easily.
Internal link building means that you insert links from other articles on your website. For instance, if you’re writing a blog post about fish tanks and have an article about goldfish, you can link to that article in your fish tanks article.
Of course, should you hire a content writing service, they may not know what article to link to. Thus, if someone else is writing articles for you, try to link the article to another via anchor text once you receive your content.
6. UX/UI
User experience (UX) and user interface (UI) are keys to keeping readers on your website. This includes both ease of use and aesthetics. With a good UX/UI design, users can swiftly navigate your website, which ultimately reduces your bounce rate (i.e., when users leave your web page without interacting with it).
What’s the Difference Between an Amazon Seller and an Amazon Affiliate?
The difference between an Amazon seller and an Amazon affiliate is relatively straightforward. Amazon sellers only sell products. Their business revolves around finding adequate suppliers and selling their products on Amazon.
Or, sellers can manufacture or own the product and then sell it on Amazon. In addition to this, sellers need to pay certain fees, earning profit only from product sales.
As for Amazon affiliates, they don’t have to pay any fees but are required to have a website or some other online media where they’ll post affiliate links. Their goal is to promote products, and they don’t need to pay any fees.
When someone makes a purchase on Amazon within 24 hours after clicking on an affiliate link, the affiliate will get a commission for all their affiliate links. However, affiliates can’t post sponsored content on social media, while sellers can.
Recommendations
Now you have a clearer picture of how to become an Amazon affiliate. The process of signing up for the Amazon Associates program is simple, and all you need is a good website.
But what if you don’t have any experience with creating or managing a website?
Buy a Website
Don’t worry. You don’t have to create a website on your own to become an Amazon affiliate. Some companies sell websites just for these purposes.
Human Proof Designs
When starting an affiliate marketing business, a decent website is a must. Remember that when you’re signing up for the Amazon Associates program, Amazon will inspect your website. So, it may not be accepted in the review stage of your application process.
If there is one good company that sells high-quality websites, it’s Human Proof Designs (HPD). The company specializes in making a limited amount of website categories, one of which is affiliate websites.
By purchasing a website from HPD, you get a huge head start for your affiliate marketing business. More importantly, you avoid all the mistakes beginners make and get a ready-made website that Amazon will accept.
What sets Human Proof Designs apart from other companies in this niche is that they make their own websites. In this way, you are 100% sure that you won’t encounter any scam websites.
Another advantage of buying a website from HPD is that it will save you a lot of time. Setting up a website on your own and creating the first pieces of content can be so frustrating that you get demotivated and give up on the whole affiliate marketer business. With a site from HPD, you have a decent amount of traffic right from the beginning, which is also a requirement when signing up for the Amazon Associates program.
However, bear in mind that once you buy a website, you’ll need to manage it. Creating new content and maintaining its SEO will be your main tasks (though you’d do this with your own website as well, it would be a lot harder).
But does HPD provide a website for all niches?
HPD constantly updates their currently available ready-made sites. You may not find a website in your particular niche at the moment, but we’ll address the solution for this later. The reason for this is that HPD websites sell fast, so you’ve got to keep an eye on their offers and wait for the perfect opportunity.
FE International
Imagine a marketplace where people buy and sell websites. Well, that is what FE International is all about. Unlike HPD, FE International enables you to buy other people’s websites. You contact the seller directly rather than a company representative. Keep in mind that all websites for sale need to go through the valuation process first.
The only drawback for you as a beginning affiliate is that websites on FE International may not fit your budget. The prices range from thousands to millions of dollars. True, you do get a high-quality website with tons of traffic, but this may not be the most affordable solution for you.
Flippa
Similar to FE International, Flippa is an online marketplace for websites. Flippa is easy to use and offers different filtering options, so you’ll probably find a site suitable for your online business in no time. Another advantage of Flippa is that you can buy a website at literally any price. For new online entrepreneurs, affordability is key.
Still, ridiculously low prices can be a double-edged sword. Flippa doesn’t have the best valuation process. For this reason, you can encounter a lot of scams. If you’re not skilled enough in evaluating websites and identifying scams, Flippa may not be for you at this point.
Build a Website
An alternative to buying a website is having a team of professionals make a website from scratch just for you.
Human Proof Designs
Again, HPD excels when it comes to providing websites for small online businesses. If none of the niche sites they offer are to your liking, you can have a custom website made for your niche. The prices for custom websites start at $1298, significantly less than what you would pay for a ready-made website on website marketplaces outside HPD.
HPD has a team of SEO experts, content writers, and web developers who will make a website exactly how you want. Even if you don’t have a specific product category in mind, HPD will talk with you and help you find the most appropriate niche. In a nutshell, you can’t go wrong with HPD.
But remember, once you get your website, you’re in charge of it.
Start Small But Safe
One of the easiest ways to start an online business is by becoming an affiliate marketer. Amazon – the largest e-commerce website globally – offers its affiliate program to anyone who meets the requirements.
Since you now know how to become an Amazon affiliate, all you need is a high-quality website with a decent amount of traffic and content relevant to your niche.
Creating a website on your own is always the cheapest option, but it may not be the best. If you’re not versed in building a website from scratch, consider buying a website from HPD or, even better, have them create a custom website specifically for your online business.
