What is an Amazon affiliate link?

Get FREE Training Workshop from John Crestani

John Crestani has been recognized by Forbes, Business Insider, Entepreneur.com, and dozens of other publications for his success online. More importantly, he’s helped thousands of everyday people from around the world create success for themselves as well.

An Amazon affiliate link is a unique URL that allows Amazon Associates (affiliates) to earn a commission when someone clicks on the link and makes a purchase on Amazon. These links are created through the Amazon Associates Program, which is Amazon’s affiliate marketing program.

Key Features of an Amazon Affiliate Link:

Tracking ID: Every Amazon affiliate link contains a unique tracking ID or affiliate tag. This tag ensures that Amazon can track the sales made through that link and attribute them to the affiliate who generated the link.
Product-Specific: An Amazon affiliate link typically points to a specific product listing on Amazon. For example, if you’re promoting a book, the link will go directly to the book’s product page on Amazon.
Commission Generation: When someone clicks on an affiliate link and purchases a product (or sometimes when they take other qualifying actions like signing up for Amazon Prime), the affiliate earns a commission. The commission is a percentage of the sale price and is based on the specific product category.
Cookie Tracking: Amazon uses a cookie to track the purchase. When someone clicks on your affiliate link, a cookie is placed on their browser. If they complete a purchase within 24 hours, the affiliate gets credit for the sale (for most items; some items, like Kindle devices, have different cookie durations). If they purchase anything else on Amazon within that period, the affiliate can still earn a commission.
Link Types:
- Product Links: These are links directly to a specific product. For example, an affiliate might share a link to a camera or a book.
- Banner Ads: Amazon also offers pre-made banners that affiliates can use on their websites, which also contain affiliate tracking.
- Text Links: You can add simple text links to your site that point to Amazon products or categories.
- Native Shopping Ads: These are customizable ads that display Amazon products directly on your website.
Affiliate Dashboard: Affiliates can generate and track affiliate links through the Amazon Associates dashboard. The dashboard provides tools to create links to any Amazon product, category, or even search results.

How It Works:

Affiliate Generates the Link: The affiliate uses the Amazon Associates dashboard to create a unique affiliate link to a product or page.
Affiliate Shares the Link: The affiliate shares the link on their website, blog, social media, or other platforms.
Customer Clicks the Link: When a customer clicks the affiliate link, they are redirected to Amazon’s website.
Customer Makes a Purchase: If the customer buys the product (or qualifies for other specific actions), the affiliate earns a commission from Amazon.
Commission Paid: Amazon credits the affiliate’s account with a commission, which is paid out based on the affiliate’s earnings.

Example of an Amazon Affiliate Link:

A typical Amazon affiliate link might look like this:

The portion ?tag=youraffiliateID-20 is the unique tracking ID that Amazon uses to associate the sale with your affiliate account.

Key Points to Remember:

Disclosure: It’s mandatory to disclose that the link is an affiliate link, in compliance with the FTC’s guidelines.
Link Shortening: Amazon provides tools to shorten links, or you can use third-party services to create cleaner, shorter links.
Affiliate Earnings: Earnings depend on the product’s category and the volume of sales made through your links.

In essence, Amazon affiliate links are the primary tool that affiliates use to drive traffic to Amazon and earn commissions through the Amazon Associates Program. They allow affiliates to promote products from Amazon while earning a percentage of the sale when people buy through their link.