Amazon is one of the most popular online discount stores. You can find almost anything on Amazon and often at some of the lowest available prices. With a solid reputation among online stores and a large offering of reputable used items, Amazon is a well-trusted company to try an affiliate program with. The application process is very simple, although there is a few day wait while they review your website for acceptance.
Pros: The biggest benefit of Amazon’s affiliate program is that it is very customizable. You can choose the specific items you want to advertise, you have options in what the links look like, and you can even create your own “mini-store” interface with Amazon products. I really enjoyed that I had complete control over exactly what was being advertised and what the advertising looked like. I also enjoyed the customization options available for aesthetics on the links and even the in the store interface. Also, Amazon offers a pretty hefty advertising rate averaging four to fifteen percent of purchases made. Amazon also has such a wide range of available products to choose from, so no matter what topic your site is on you can typically find applicable products.
Cons: The most notable downside to Amazon affiliate program is that you are not able to use this service if you reside in Colorado, North Carolina or Rhode Island due to applicable local laws. Also, Amazon provides required scripting to be placed on your website to clearly identify that you are part of the affiliate program. It can require minimal maintenance to make sure your ad and link content is still the correct products, but it is not a burdensome amount of maintenance.
How does it stack up against the competition? Compared to other available affiliate programs, Amazon has a higher percentage return and more customizable ad options and layouts. Google Affiliate programs that I have tried only have a single banner ad option, whereas Amazon allows you to embed a text link which is often far more effective.
I have used Amazon Affiliate programs because of the ability to choose specific products along with the very popular and well known name of Amazon. Because I had a niche site and did a lot of book reviews, Amazon had the best selection of products.
Is it worth it? If the ads are applicable and look tasteful on your website layout, absolutely. Like any source of passive income, it isn’t guaranteed to make you a fortune overnight but it is something that will work for you even when you’re sleeping. That’s just what we want! The more content you build, the more links you have and the more traffic you drive to your site the better you will do. Time will help, as with any other type of affiliate or passive income.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I am a starting up blogger and I would like to know what amount of traffic is required for a blog to make at least a couple of hundreds of USD from Amazon affiliate program?
I understand that this number varies from blog to blog because it depends on couple of different things but I would like to know what are your experiences in this field.
Thanks.
Affiliate Program Chaser, as you say it depends. It is better to go for expencive item.
But when Amazon product links use to hav a click ratio betwen 8- 15 %, so do have to have less clicks than many other program
I prefer the option of using Amazon because of the variety of products that you can promote on niche websites. I use Amazon for ideas for niche sites because it helps to get an idea of what exists and how popular it may be. It also helps to find related items if you’re trying to build a website for profit.
Also, as stated in the post, Amazon is one of the few programs that give you options for how to promote their products. You can link directly to a product by link, image, review, etc. You’re not limited by just the category.
A great example of someone that is making Amazon niche sites work is Chris Guthrie. He has sold over $937,337.25 of products on Amazon!!