Amazon Affiliates Guide: Set Up Your Account to Start Earning Commissions
Becoming an Amazon affiliate by setting up an Amazon Associates account allows you to earn commissions from Amazon on qualifying purchases made by visitors to your website. It’s a great way to monetize a website and earn passive affiliate income.
Getting started with the Amazon Associates program is straightforward – follow these steps to set up your account properly and get approved to start promoting products.
Preparing for Signup: Amazon Affiliates Guide
Before you begin the signup process, take some time to get your website and account details in order. This will make the application process smoother.
Have Your Website Information Ready
You’ll need to provide the URL, title, description, and category details about your website during the application. Make sure you have this website information on hand:
– Your website domain name (URL)
– A brief 2-3 sentence description of your website topic and content
– Details on any other affiliate programs you already promote through your site
This information helps Amazon understand your website’s focus and audience. It allows them to review if your site is a good fit for the kinds of products you plan to promote.
Create an Amazon Account
You can use your existing Amazon customer account for the Associates program. However, it’s best to create a separate account solely for your affiliate activities. This keeps your affiliate earnings and reporting separate.
To create a new Amazon account:
– Go to Amazon.com and click on “Create your Amazon account” in the top right corner.
– Enter your name, email address, and password, and click “Create your Amazon account”.
– Amazon will send a verification code to your email. Enter the code, and you now have a new Amazon account.
Use this new affiliate-focused account during the Associates application process.
The Amazon Associates Guide: Program Signup Process
With your website details and Amazon account ready, you can apply to become an affiliate. Here is the step-by-step signup process:
1. Go to Amazon.com and scroll to the bottom “Make Money With Us” section. Click on the “Become an Affiliate” link.
2. On the next page, click the orange “Join Now for Free” button to begin the application.
3. Sign in using your email and password for the Amazon account you want to use. Click “Secure Server Sign In”.
4. Enter Your Account Information
– This collects your payout details. Enter the name, mailing address, phone number, and tax information for the person receiving the affiliate commissions.
5. Identify Your Website
– Enter your website URL along with a title and brief description.
– You can add up to 50 affiliated websites to one account, but provide your leading site for now.
6. Select Your Website Category
– Choose 1-2 categories that best describe your website content from the list.
– For example, “Books” or “Software Downloads.” This helps match products to promote.
7. Select Product Types to Promote
– Check all the product categories you may potentially promote as an affiliate for your site’s audience.
8. Identify Your Website Type
– Select 1-2 categories that describe your website, like “Blog” or “Review Site.”
9. Provide Traffic and Monetization Details
– Select all your website’s traffic sources – social media, SEO, paid ads, etc.
– Note any other existing monetization like Google AdSense.
10. Enter Keyword and Link Building Details
– Provide info on how you optimize content and build backlinks. This shows your SEO expertise.
11. Note Website Visitors and Goals
– List your monthly website traffic and primary goal for joining the program.
12. Accept the Associates Operating Agreement
– Check the box to agree to the program terms and conditions.
13. Verify Your Identity
– Complete the online identity verification process. This checks your identity to prevent fraud.
14. Click “Finish” to complete the application!
Within a few days, Amazon will review your application and send an approval email if accepted. Then, you can sign into your Associates account and start using affiliate links!
Creating Affiliate Content That Converts: Amazon Affiliates Guide
Once approved for the Amazon Associates program, focus on creating high-quality affiliate content centered around specific product recommendations.
Optimize your content for converting site visitors into buyers to maximize your commissions. Follow these guidelines:
Target Profitable Keywords
Research keywords used by people interested in buying the types of products you will promote. Target these “buying keywords” in your content.
Types of profitable keywords:
– Exact product names like “Garmin GPS” or “Vitamix 5200 Blender”.
– Brand names like “Sony headphones” or “Puma sneakers.”
– Buying phrases like “best budget laptop” or “top-rated robot vacuum.”
Optimizing for these product-focused keywords will attract potential buyers to search for what you promote.
Create Helpful, Engaging Content
Your goal is to provide value through content while encouraging clicks to Amazon. Include:
– Detailed reviews of products you recommend, including pros/cons, key features, and how they meet buyer needs.
– Comparisons of the best products in a category to help buyers choose – for example, “Best Portable Hard Drives for Mac.”
– Tutorial articles like “10 Tips for Choosing the Right Fitness Tracker”.
– Buying guides like “Laptop Buying Guide for Students”.
Make sure your keywords naturally fit within your content. Don’t just add them randomly, or your page will read unnaturally. Provide real value!
Include Pricing Tables and Images
Add visually appealing pricing tables that list the products you recommend along with the current price on Amazon.
For example, in a “Best Budget Digital Cameras” article, create a pricing table showing each camera, image, name, and current price.
These tables invite clicks to Amazon while letting readers quickly compare products.
Create Long-Form, In-Depth Content
Aim for long-form content between 2,000 – 4,000 words, especially for comparison articles and buying guides.
Google favors longer, in-depth pages that thoroughly cover a topic. Well-researched long-form content will rank higher in search results.
It also keeps visitors on your page longer, establishing you as an authority site.
Use Multiple Product Comparison Posts
One of the most effective affiliate content formats is comparison posts that review 3 to 5 of the leading products in a category.
For example, “The Best Ergonomic Office Chairs” or “Top Rated Gaming Keyboards Compared.”
These allow you to provide in-depth information about multiple products in one long piece of content.
Following these guidelines will help you create high-quality affiliate content optimized to earn Amazon commissions.
Need More Amazon Affiliates Guide Content? Here are a few more selections:
5 BIG How To Become An Amazon Affiliate Tips!
Winning Strategies for Amazon Niche Research *
Beginners Guide to the Amazon Affiliate Program: 16 EASY Tips!
Driving Targeted Traffic to Your Affiliate Site: Amazon Affiliates Guide
Creating great content is only half the battle. You also need targeted website traffic to deliver that content to potential buyers.
Here are effective strategies for driving traffic to your Amazon affiliate site:
Leverage Buying and Long-Tail Keywords
As discussed above, “buying keywords” are targeted at capturing purchase intent. Here are some additional tips:
– Go beyond single keywords. Target long-tail keyword phrases like “quiet portable air conditioner for bedroom.”
– Check Google Keyword Planner and SEMrush to discover new, low-competition buying keywords.
– Include a variety of keyword phrases throughout your content, not just in titles.
– Update old content with new keywords to keep it ranking well.
Create “Best Of” Roundup Articles
Roundup posts like “25 Best Selling Toys for 5-Year-Old Boys” perform extremely well.
These drive traffic by targeting various related keywords around popular product themes.
Everyone searching for ideas around that topic could end up on your page and clicking your affiliate links.
Utilize Social Media
Promote your affiliate content on social media channels to drive traffic. Here are some tips:
– Share your new posts in relevant Facebook Groups related to the product category.
– Engage your own niche-specific Facebook Page and Twitter followers.
– Run occasional social promotions like gifting a relevant product to a follower.
– Promote giveaways and contests that require visiting your site.
Social can significantly amplify your organic and paid traffic efforts.
Leverage Amazon’s Native Shopping Ads
Amazon’s Native Shopping Ads let you easily showcase relevant products to your readers without added work:
– Recommendation Ads – Shows products based on your content.
– Search Ads – Displays products matching user search queries.
– Custom Ads – Hand-pick products to advertise.
These contextual ads appear in line with your content. You copy a code snippet, and Amazon handles the rest.
Another advantage is these ads work on both desktop and mobile seamlessly.
Closing up our coverage of getting started with the Amazon Affiliates Guide:
Implementing these guidelines for creating optimized affiliate content and driving targeted traffic will equip you for success with the Amazon Associates program.
Focus on providing genuine value to readers through your website and content. When you help visitors, commissions will follow.