Learning how to become an Amazon affiliate is the easy part. The hard part is getting people to your website or blog, and then convincing them to click on your Amazon links and adverts without breaking any of the solicitation rules. Luckily for new website owners, signing up for Amazon affiliates is far easier than with most other affiliate programs because they are far more accepting of newbies. Here is how you become an Amazon affiliate.
How Does the Amazon Affiliate Program Work
When you are an Amazon affiliate, you put trackable links and adverts on your website, blog, YouTube channel or app. These links can be in the form of linked text, images, or movies. You click on them, and they take you to an Amazon page.
Let's say you have a pair of shoes that you want to promote on your platform, then you add a link to the shoes on Amazon so that people can buy them there. If you are an Amazon affiliate, you use affiliate links to link to such products on Amazon. Amazon affiliate links are like normal links, but they have added features that can track the clicker. If the clicker uses your affiliate link and actually buys the product, Amazon pays you a small commission. These commissions add up over the months, and you may withdraw the money you have earned once it goes over a certain amount.
How to Become an Amazon Affiliate
1. Create a Website, Blog, or YouTube Channel
The first step on how to become an Amazon affiliate is creating something where you may add Amazon affiliate links. You can start a professional website with the WordPress CMS if you wish. You will require a bit of technical skill, but there are hundreds of tutorial videos and articles online to help you.
Companies like BlueHost and GoDaddy have special products you can buy which allow you to more easily set up a WordPress website. Alternatively, you can get a completely free website with BlogSpot/Blogger where you get everything and pay nothing, but it is not a WordPress website and so its functions are a little more limited. Nevertheless, if you grow your Blogger website, then you can add Amazon affiliate links and Google Adverts too.
Some people sell through Amazon affiliate links using their YouTube channel. They may be seen wearing their shoes on YouTube and offer a link in the YouTube description to the shoes they bought. If their watchers buy the shoes, then the YouTube channel owner gets some affiliate commission.
2. Build your Amazon Associates Profile
To get started as an Amazon affiliate, visit the homepage of the Amazon Affiliate Program and click ‘Sign up'. Figuring out how to create an Amazon affiliate account is pretty easy because the company then walks you through it by simply having you fill out forms online.
However, before delving into a little more detail, this article is not suggesting that you lie, but perhaps that you give them your most optimistic overview. Here is a quick idea of what they are going to ask.
Your account information
They will want to know your name, address, phone number, and your other basic statistics. If you are self-employed and do not have a business premise, you can use your home address.
Your Website Address
This may be your website address or addresses if you have more than one website. This may also be your blog or your YouTube channel. Be wary if you are trying to add your Facebook profile because Amazon will put your account under review after you submit the forms.
Your Preferred Store ID
This is where you enter your website's name, and then offer up details about your website. This includes your website topics, what your website is about and so forth. There is a similar process if you are trying to add affiliate links to a mobile app you made/own.
Explain Your Traffic Acquisition Methods
The answer “I don't have any” is not a good one in this case. Try to pick as many relevant methods as possible. This is possibly one of the areas where you may wish to exaggerate a little, or at least try to put a positive spin on things.
Enter Your Phone Number
This is where you enter your phone number, they send you a pin, you verify your pin, and then click the box to agree to the operating agreement. You may then click “Finish” and that is how to sign up for Amazon affiliate.
3. Creating Amazon Links
There is a multitude of ways to create Amazon links and adverts. Once your account is up and running, there is an advert creator that allows you to specify the sorts of adverts you wish to add, the types of things you wish to promote, and there are a series of widgets that you can insert/embed directly into your website or blog.
You can find the creator by logging into the Amazon Associates homepage, clicking Product Linking and Product Links. Here you can search Amazon products and categories, apply additional filters or search for model numbers, brands, specific keywords or ISBNs. Choose what you'd like to promote and generate the link you want to use: Image link (with a hyperlink embedded), a Text link or a Text and Image link.
Another easy way to create the same type of links is using the SiteStripe. Simply log into Amazon and search for the category or product you want to display on your platform. Then use the SiteStripe tool in the top left corner to generate the affiliate link.
Becoming an Amazon Affiliate: Six Months Later
If your website, blog, or YouTube channel has taken off, then you are fine. However, if you have learned how to start affiliate marketing with Amazon, and your adverts/links are online, but you have not received any clicks or sales, then there may be a problem. You are probably going to have to have somebody make a purchase through your Amazon links because Amazon will close you down.
If you have not made any affiliate sales in six months, then Amazon will send you a warning saying that you have X number of days to make a sale or they will close your Amazon affiliate account. Again, simply have a friend make a purchase through your affiliate links and you will be fine. Also, when the sale is made, it is a good chance for you to test your affiliate links. For example, if your friend makes a purchase, but it doesn't show up in your account, then there may be a problem with your affiliate links.
Excellent points explained here.
Yes you are right, Amazon affiliate users simply insert links to Amazon products on their site, and when a customer makes a purchase via one of their links, the user receives a commission.