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How can affiliates track their Amazon earnings?
Affiliates can track their Amazon earnings through several built-in tools and reporting features provided by Amazon’s Affiliate Program (Amazon Associates). Here’s how to effectively track your Amazon earnings:
1. Amazon Associates Dashboard
- Login to the Dashboard: After logging into your Amazon Associates account, the dashboard provides an overview of your earnings, clicks, and conversions.
- Key Metrics: The dashboard displays the following:
- Earnings: Total earnings for the selected period.
- Clicks: The number of times users clicked on your affiliate links.
- Conversion Rate: Percentage of clicks that resulted in a purchase.
- Items Ordered: The number of items purchased through your affiliate links, even if they are not the product you specifically promoted.
- Commission Breakdown: Detailed information on how much you’ve earned from each product category.
2. Reports in Amazon Associates
- Earnings Reports: You can view detailed earnings reports by clicking on the “Reports” section within the Amazon Associates dashboard. This will show data on clicks, ordered items, shipped items, earnings, and the products purchased.
- Date Range: Choose a custom date range or select preset options like today, yesterday, or monthly earnings to see how well your affiliate links are performing over time.
- Link Type Report: This shows how different types of links (text links, image links, native shopping ads, etc.) are performing. This can help you identify which link formats are driving the most clicks and conversions.
3. Payment Reports
- Payment Overview: In the “Payments” section, you can track when payments are made, the status of payments (pending or processed), and view your earnings history. Amazon processes payments approximately 60 days after the end of a given month.
- Payment Methods: You can also update your payment preferences in this section, choosing between direct deposit, gift cards, or checks.
4. Affiliate Link Performance
- Link Tracking IDs: Amazon allows you to create different tracking IDs for different websites, pages, or campaigns. This lets you track how each affiliate link performs across multiple platforms. For example, you can use separate tracking IDs for your blog, YouTube channel, or social media profiles.
- Custom Link Builder: Use Amazon’s Link Builder tool to create customized affiliate links and track their performance individually, allowing you to monitor which channels and strategies are working best.
5. Conversion Tracking
- Advanced Reports: The “Advanced Reports” section offers detailed data on how visitors are interacting with your affiliate links, including how long it took after clicking the link for the customer to make a purchase. This helps you analyze conversion times and improve the overall performance of your affiliate marketing efforts.
6. Use Third-Party Tracking Tools
- Google Analytics: You can integrate Google Analytics with your website to track traffic sources and user interactions. While you can’t track affiliate commissions directly through Google Analytics, you can monitor how much traffic is going to your Amazon affiliate links, and correlate that with earnings data from the Amazon dashboard.
- Affiliate Management Software: There are several third-party tools that allow for more detailed tracking, including:
- ThirstyAffiliates: A popular affiliate link management tool that can help you organize, cloak, and track your affiliate links more efficiently.
- Pretty Links: Another link management tool that helps with tracking and creating branded links, making it easier to analyze affiliate link performance.
7. Mobile App for Amazon Associates
- Mobile Tracking: Amazon also offers a mobile app for Amazon Associates, which provides a quick overview of your earnings, clicks, and performance. You can check your account stats while on the go and get immediate feedback on your affiliate marketing progress.
8. Regular Notifications
- Email Alerts: Amazon Associates sends regular email updates regarding your earnings, performance, and any changes in commission rates or program policies. Make sure these notifications are enabled to stay updated on your progress.
9. Data Export
- Downloadable Reports: For more detailed analysis, you can download your earnings and performance reports in CSV format. This allows you to manipulate the data and create custom charts or calculations, which may be useful for advanced tracking or tax purposes.
By using these various tools and reports, affiliates can gain a clear picture of their earnings, optimize their marketing strategies, and maximize their potential income from Amazon’s affiliate program.
