Amazon is one of the most popular and trusted online retailers in the world. It offers millions of products across various categories, from books and electronics to clothing and groceries. And the best part is, you can earn money by promoting these products on your website or blog.
Affiliate marketing is a simple and effective way to monetize your online presence. You simply sign up for an affiliate program, get a unique link for the products you want to promote and share it with your audience. When someone clicks on your link and makes a purchase, you earn a commission.
But how do you start affiliate marketing with Amazon? What are the steps and best practices to follow? In this article, I’ll show you how to become an Amazon affiliate and make money from your website or blog.
Step 1: Create a Niche Website or Blog
The first step to start affiliate marketing with Amazon is to create a niche website or blog. A niche is a specific topic or category that you focus on, such as fitness, gardening, or travel. By choosing a niche, you can attract a targeted audience that is interested in your content and products.
To create a niche website or blog, you need to:
- Choose a domain name that is relevant to your niche and easy to remember. For example, if your niche is fitness, you can choose a domain name like fitnessfreaks.com or fitnesstips.net.
- Choose a web hosting service that is reliable, fast, and affordable. I recommend using [Bluehost], which is one of the best web hosting providers for beginners. It offers a free domain name, a one-click WordPress installation, and a 24/7 customer support. You can get started with Bluehost for as low as $2.95 per month.
- Install WordPress, which is the most popular and user-friendly platform for creating websites and blogs. WordPress is free, easy to use, and offers thousands of themes and plugins to customize your site. You can install WordPress on your Bluehost account in minutes with just a few clicks.
- Choose a theme that is suitable for your niche and matches your style. A theme is a template that defines the look and feel of your site. You can choose from thousands of free and premium themes on WordPress. Some of the best themes for affiliate marketing are [Astra], [GeneratePress], and [Divi].
- Create content that is valuable, engaging, and relevant to your niche and audience. Content is the king of affiliate marketing, as it helps you attract visitors, build trust, and generate sales. You can create different types of content, such as blog posts, reviews, guides, tutorials, videos, podcasts, etc. The key is to provide useful information, solve problems, and answer questions that your audience has.
Step 2: Sign Up for the Amazon Associates Program
The next step to start affiliate marketing with Amazon is to sign up for the Amazon Associates program. This is the official affiliate program of Amazon, which allows you to earn commissions by promoting any product on Amazon.
To sign up for the Amazon Associates program, you need to:
- Visit the [Amazon Associates homepage] and click on the “Join Now for Free” button.
- Log in with your existing Amazon account or create a new one.
- Fill out the application form with your personal and website details, such as your name, address, phone number, website name, website URL, website topic, etc.
- Verify your identity by entering your phone number and receiving a PIN code via a call or text message.
- Choose your preferred payment method, such as direct deposit, Amazon gift card, or check. You also need to provide your tax information, such as your Social Security Number or Employer Identification Number.
- Review and agree to the terms and conditions of the program and submit your application.
Once you submit your application, you will get access to your Amazon Associates dashboard, where you can find your unique affiliate links, track your performance, and manage your account. However, your application will be reviewed by Amazon within 180 days, and you need to make at least one sale during this period to get approved. If you fail to do so, your account will be closed and you will have to reapply.
Step 3: Choose the Products You Want to Promote
The third step to start affiliate marketing with Amazon is to choose the products you want to promote. Amazon offers millions of products across various categories and niches, so you have plenty of options to choose from. However, not all products are equally profitable or suitable for your audience.
To choose the best products for your niche and audience, you need to:
- Do keyword research to find out what your audience is searching for and what products they are interested in. You can use tools like [Google Keyword Planner], [SEMrush], or [Ahrefs] to find relevant and popular keywords in your niche. For example, if your niche is fitness, you can find keywords like “best fitness tracker”, “best yoga mat”, or “best protein powder”.
- Do competitor analysis to see what products your competitors are promoting and how they are doing it. You can use tools like [SimilarWeb] or [BuzzSumo] to find the most popular and successful websites and content in your niche. For example, if your niche is fitness, you can find websites like fitnessmagazine.com or bodybuilding.com and see what products they are recommending and how they are creating content around them.
- Do product research to find out the features, benefits, prices, ratings, reviews, and commissions of the products you want to promote. You can use the Amazon website or the Amazon Associates dashboard to browse and search for products in your niche. You can also use tools like [Jungle Scout] or [AMZScout] to find the best-selling and most profitable products on Amazon. For example, if your niche is fitness, you can find products like Fitbit, Manduka, or Optimum Nutrition and see how they perform on Amazon.
When choosing the products you want to promote, you should consider the following factors:
- Relevance: The products you choose should be relevant to your niche and audience. For example, if your niche is fitness, you should not promote products like kitchen appliances or gardening tools, as they are not related to your topic or audience.
- Quality: The products you choose should be of high quality and have positive ratings and reviews from customers. For example, if your niche is fitness, you should not promote products that are poorly made, have low ratings, or have negative feedback, as they will not satisfy your audience or generate sales.
- Price: The products you choose should have a reasonable price that matches your audience’s budget and expectations. For example, if your niche is fitness, you should not promote products that are too cheap or too expensive, as they will not appeal to your audience or convert well.
- Commission: The products you choose should have a decent commission rate that makes your efforts worthwhile. For example, if your niche is fitness, you should not promote products that have a very low commission rate, such as books or music, as they will not earn you much money.
The commission rate for Amazon products varies depending on the product category and the number of sales you make per month. You can find the latest commission rates on the [Amazon Associates Fee Schedule] page. Generally, the commission rate ranges from 1% to 10%, with an average of 4%. However, the commission rate can change at any time, so you should always check the current rate before promoting a product.
Step 4: Create and Share Your Affiliate Links
The fourth step to start affiliate marketing with Amazon is to create and share your affiliate links. An affiliate link is a unique URL that contains your affiliate ID and tracks the clicks and sales you generate. You can create and share your affiliate links in various ways, such as:
- Using the Amazon Associates dashboard: You can log in to your Amazon Associates dashboard and search for the products you want to promote. You can then click on the “Get link” button and copy the HTML code or the plain URL of your affiliate link. You can also customize your link by choosing the text, image, or widget option, and changing the color, size, or shape of your link.
- Using the Amazon SiteStripe toolbar: You can install the Amazon SiteStripe toolbar on your browser and access it whenever you visit the Amazon website. You can then click on the “Text”, “Image”, or “Text+Image” button and copy the HTML code or the plain URL of your affiliate link. You can also use the “Share” button to share your link on social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.
- Using the Amazon OneLink feature: You can use the Amazon OneLink feature to redirect your visitors to their local Amazon store and earn commissions from multiple countries. You can enable this feature on your Amazon Associates dashboard by linking your accounts from different Amazon marketplaces, such as Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.ca, etc. You can then use the same affiliate link for all the countries and let the OneLink feature automatically redirect your visitors to the right store.
Once you create your affiliate links, you need to share them with your audience and drive traffic to your website or blog. You can share your affiliate links in various places, such as:
- Your website or blog content: You can insert your affiliate links in your website or blog content, such as blog posts, reviews, guides, tutorials, videos, podcasts, etc. You can also use banners, widgets, or pop-ups to display your affiliate links on your site.
- Your email list: You can build an email list of your subscribers and send them newsletters, updates, offers, or promotions with your affiliate links. You can use tools like [Mailchimp], [ConvertKit], or [AWeber] to create and manage your email campaigns. You can also use lead magnets, such as ebooks, checklists, or courses, to entice your visitors to join your email list.
- Your social media platforms: You can leverage your social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, or Pinterest, to share your affiliate links with your followers. You can create and post engaging content, such as images, videos, stories, or live streams, that showcases the products you promote. You can also use hashtags, mentions, or tags to increase your reach and visibility.
- Your online communities: You can join and participate in online communities, such as forums, groups, or Q&A sites, that are related to your niche and audience. You can provide value, answer questions, share tips, or offer advice, and include your affiliate links in your signature, profile, or posts. However, you should not spam or be overly promotional, as this will damage your reputation and credibility.
Step 5: Track and Optimize Your Performance
The fifth and final step to start affiliate marketing with Amazon is to track and optimize your performance. You need to monitor and analyze your traffic, clicks, conversions, and earnings, and find out what works and what doesn’t. You can then make changes and improvements to your website, content, and strategy, and increase your results and revenue.
To track and optimize your performance, you need to:
- Use the Amazon Associates dashboard: You can log in to your Amazon Associates dashboard and access various reports and metrics, such as orders, earnings, clicks, conversion rate, etc. You can also filter and sort your data by date, product, category, link type, etc. You can use this information to see how your affiliate links are performing and which products are generating the most sales and commissions.
- Use Google Analytics: You can use Google Analytics, which is a free and powerful tool that tracks and analyzes your website traffic and behavior. You can use Google Analytics to see how many visitors you get, where they come from, how long they stay, what pages they visit, what actions they take, etc. You can also use Google Analytics to set up goals, track conversions, and measure your return on investment (ROI).
- Use split testing: You can use split testing, which is a method of comparing two or more versions of your website, content, or link, and seeing which one performs better. You can use tools like [Optimizely], [VWO], or [Google Optimize] to create and run split tests on your site. You can test different elements, such as headlines, images, colors, layouts, buttons, etc., and see which one generates more clicks, conversions, and sales.
By tracking and optimizing your performance, you can learn from your data, make data-driven decisions, and grow your affiliate marketing business with Amazon.
Conclusion
Affiliate marketing with Amazon is a great way to make money online. You can promote any product on Amazon and earn commissions for every sale you generate. However, you need to follow some steps and best practices to succeed in this business.
In this article, I showed you how to start affiliate marketing with Amazon in five simple steps:
- Create a niche website or blog
- Sign up for the Amazon Associates program
- Choose the products you want to promote
- Create and share your affiliate links
- Track and optimize your performance
I hope you found this article helpful and informative. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below. And if you’re ready to start your affiliate marketing journey with Amazon, click here to sign up for the Amazon Associates program and get started today.
