19 Quick and Simple Ways to Increase Amazon Affiliate Earnings [Updated]

During my online “career” I have built several sites monetized with Amazon Associates. In fact, 4 of the largest case studies I've done on my site here all involved building Amazon affiliate sites from scratch.

During my years of building these sites, I've picked up a few tactics and techniques to help me earn more in affiliate commissions from the Amazon affiliate program. Some of these strategies are simple on-page “hacks,” while others are bigger picture ways of thinking about your business.

I originally published this list a couple of years ago, and while many things haven't changed I thought I should share some additional strategies that are working.

As an Amazon associate, you need to realize that things will change. However, there are some strategies that will always help you thrive in the Amazon Associate program.

Let's talk about how you can maximize your Amazon affiliate earnings.

How To Make Money With Amazon Associates

Here's a short list of all the ways you can make more money with Amazon Associates. We go into depth on all of these in the post:

• Target buyer intent keywords
• Target long tail keywords
• Create awesome content
• Make buying guides and comparison charts
• Create “best” lists
• Localize links to get international commissions (this is HUGE)
• Use eye-catching comparison charts
• Personalize your recommendations using quizzes and email marketing
• Use images (but don't download them from Amazon)
• Increase your odds by using in-content links
• Use heat maps to see where people click… and monetize those areas

Use Eye-Catching Comparison Charts

When I first started my Niche Site Project 1, I wanted to make my site better than the others that were ranking at the top of Google. One of the ways that I decided to make my site stand out was by creating a comparison chart of the top survival knives on the market.

This produced great results for me not only in terms of quality content, but I found that more people starting buying as they compared using the chart I had created. Since then, I don't know if I started a bit of a trend, but nearly every Amazon affiliate site I see now uses many of the same comparison chart tactics.

There are many great WordPress plugins that allow you to create and customize charts to look the way you want. These look great, convert well, and stick out as great information/quality content in Google's eyes. 

Good comparison charts matter.

I've written an in-depth guide on how to create your own Amazon product comparison charts right here.

Table Labs

NichePursuits Rating

I created Table Labs to solve my own need: there was no good way to create Amazon Affiliate comparison tables. But now there is. You can use Table Labs to:

• Create fast and easy Amazon affiliate comparison tables
• Increase conversion rates by helping users make choices
• Build a better looking affiliate article and earn more

Click here to start earning more on your affiliate article with Table Labs

Use Table Labs to earn more with Amazon Associates

Personalize Your Recommendations

One strategy we've implemented this year on a site that currently makes over $3,000 per month is actually “quizzing” our visitors to find out what kind of product would suit them best.

By using Thrive Leads we set up a multi-step pop-up box that starts by asking a question about a problem that we know many of our visitors have.

If they say “yes” we then ask a couple more clarifying questions about their personal preferences. Then at the end we drop them on a landing page that delivers a personalized product recommendation (Amazon affiliate link) based on their answers.

While it sounds complicated, setting up a multi-step opt in is actually fairly simple with Thrive Leads.

The beautiful part about it is that you're also giving yourself a chance to not only get a click, but also convert better since you really are delivering value to the reader by showing them a product that can help.

Amazon Affiliate Email Marketing: The Follow-up via Email

While adding Amazon affiliate links directly into an email is a no-no, that doesn't mean you can't and shouldn't follow-up with your readers and drive them back to your blog (where you do have affiliate links).

We actually use this in tandem with the first strategy of quizzing our visitors and delivering personalized recommendations.

So at the end of our 3 question quiz, we ask people to put in their email address in order to see their results. When they do, we take them straight to a landing page, but we also use an email auto-responder to deliver an email.

The great thing is, you don't have to deliver a generic email because you do actually know a few things about your visitor and what they want. So you can send an email that says something like:

By doing that, you've got another opportunity to show products to that person who is a very targeted visitor.

If you don't already have an email service, click here to check out one of my favorites, ConvertKit.

Target “Buying” Keywords

When people shop online, they go through a process of general queries to more specific queries. You want to target phrases that people are searching for when they are closer to that buying stage.

For example, let's say you have a site about sleeping bags. Instead of targeting phrases that are more general like “sleeping bags” or “what is a sleeping bag,” you should target phrases where you know people are likely shopping.

Examples like:

• Best sleeping bags
• Sleeping bags under $100
• Sleeping bags for tall people
• Best arctic sleeping bags

These searchers are clearly looking for more information in order to make a purchase decision. You will get a much higher conversion rate (commissions!) when you get this kind of traffic on your site.

As a member of the Amazon affiliate program, you could put together a really in-depth comparison of the camera features on each of these leading smartphones and then simply link over to Amazon for whichever one they choose to buy.  

Again, if a searcher has already narrowed it down between a couple of different products – that usually means they are ready to make a purchase.

If you can get them on your website to compare the key features, that might just end up with some more money in your pocket!

Target Long Tail Keywords… Even with Low Search Volume

Yes, this is similar to the first point; however, it's important to take this one step further. Don't just stop at “best sleeping bags” or “sleeping bag reviews”! You should target phrases that are even longer tailed, which could mean going after keywords with very low search volume.  I do that here on Niche Pursuits and every blog or website I build.

That's okay!

For example, we could be targeting “best sleeping bags under $100” or “cheap sleeping bags for toddlers”. These are some excellent long tail phrases that people would be using that are close to a buying decisions.

Your conversion rate for these keywords is going to be HUGE.

Also, if you listened to my podcast with Claire Smith, you will know that she does VERY well (over $10k per month) by targeting these very long tail, very low volume type of keywords.

These keywords takes less links to rank for because there is just so much less competition.

As an FYI, I used Long Tail Pro to find these long tail phrases in this sleeping bag example. 

Don't Miss International Commissions

If you are using only the standard Amazon US affiliate link, then you're missing out on potential commissions when you get clicks from international visitors from countries like Canada, the U.K, and many more.

Fortunately, the Amazon affiliate program has their own free version of this link localization called “Amazon One Link. ” While it’s pretty straightforward to install, I know of some people who question how well the official Amazon plugin actually works. 

Unfortunately, there are multiple examples over the past few years of the Amazon affiliate income from OneLink disappearing for weeks or months for no reason. Then suddenly with no obvious changes it just starts tracking international sales again.

While this isn't the norm, it happens often enough that it's worth paying attention to.

Either way, it’s certainly something you could try and then go with a paid option like GeniusLinks if it isn’t working well on your blog.

By using these services, your affiliate links will automatically change based on the location of your visitor. So a Canadian reader will click your link and end up on Amazon. ca, and you can still earn a commission if they purchase.

My old employee Jake actually used this for one of his sites when he discovered that he was getting about 14% of his visits from the UK and Canada:

I know Jake also uses Genius Link on his site and just by signing up for Amazon Associates UK and Canada he has made hundreds of dollars that would have been completely missed.

Note: You do have to sign up for each country's Associates program individually, so it might not make sense to do every single country/region you get visits from.

However, check out your Geo Location report in Google Analytics and you just might find that you are leaving big money on the table.

Affiliate Link to Images

A simple but often overlooked tactic to improve you Amazon affiliate sales is to link to Amazon using all the images in your post.

When people are reading your product review articles, they will very often click on the image. If the image link simply pulls up the image file on your site, that's potentially one less visitor you could have sent to Amazon.

However, if your image is actually an Amazon affiliate link, you increase the chances that more people will end up on Amazon looking for products to buy. The more clicks you send to Amazon, the more buyers you will end up with.

If you have ever tried to upload images, position them, label them, and then add an Amazon affiliate link, you know how time consuming this can be. It's worth it. However, luckily there are many tools that make adding Amazon affiliate image links much easier.

I used EasyAzon for a few years, but there haven't been many updates to it since I wrote this article years ago! Now I use a combination of AAWP and Amalinks Pro on my sites.

Both make the process of adding links to images, making gorgeous showcase boxes, and adding buttons much easier.

So, if you want to add images that already have your affiliate link in-place, I highly recommend that you try out one of these tools.

Use In-Content Links

Similar to using affiliate links for your images, you can send more people to Amazon by using in-content links on your niche site. In fact, these in-content links are the most likely links to get clicked!

Unfortunately, many people think that just inserting an amazon banner or an image link will be enough to make decent sales; however, this is not the case. If you are writing useful content, then people will actually read it and will click on your links within your content.

In the past, it was much easier to use a paid plugin to add links. But Amazon has done some work on their end and made it very easy to pull links straight from Amazon to insert in your posts.

First, go to Amazon and sign in to your associates account. Find the item you want to link to, and at the top of your screen you will see “Amazon Associates Sitestripe.“

You can click where it says “Get Link” and click “Text.” Amazon gives you a shortcode that you can insert into any content on your website.

Use Heat Maps To See Where People Click

Heat maps are a tool that show you very clearly where people click when they are on your website. Something that stuck with me from a conference I attended last year was a speaker who was talking about heat maps and said “I guarantee people are clicking on things that aren't clickable.”

Your heat map will start tracking clicks on a given page and then you can check out the results like this:

Whether it's making your images clickable like I mentioned earlier, or even just getting a sense of what might be the best place to put your ads and comparison tables, it certainly won't hurt to have this knowledge.

There are a number of solutions out there, but an easy one I've used is from SumoMe. (They also have some other cool tools for your website.)

Amazon Affiliate 90 Day Cookie: Test Using “Add to Cart” Option

Did you know that you can get a 90 day cookie when you send someone to Amazon through your affiliate link? When you use a regular affiliate link, the cookie is just 24 hours.

However, if you create a special link that automatically adds the product to someone's Amazon cart when they go through your affiliate link, Amazon will lengthen your cookie to 90 days! (If they buy in 90 days, you still get the commission).

Now, I would like to clarify that I think you should test this option. It may or may not work better in your niche. Each market and website is different, so this option may or may not be the best for you.

To be honest, I don't know how to create an affiliate link that auto-adds a product to someone's cart without using a tool. This is just a simple option in AmalinksPro that you can turn on or off.

Here's a screenshot of several of the options in Amalinks Pro; including the Add to Cart Option:

Produce Quality Content

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the fact that if you produce great content for your niche site, not only will you rank better in Google, but more people will actually buy from you.

This is an entire process in and of itself. Here's a few ideas on creating content that engages and converts.

Some of this can be done through highly targeted content and research; but part of it also just comes with seeing what your competitors are doing and deciding what you can do better.

A couple of simple areas that you can often do better than your competitors is creating comparison charts and best seller lists. This is even more helpful if you are updating content that already ranks in Google.

Since it's already ranking, you know that Google and readers like the content. Now you just have to make it even better!

To do this on Niche Pursuits (like I'm doing with this post), I use a keyword research tool like Long Tail Pro. I like to see what my competitors are ranking for and then insert more of those keywords on my post.

Sometimes this involves creating deep, new content on posts. If I'm trying to rank for the word “protein” and my competitor has a whole section on carbs and fats, then I want to add something similar and better on my site.

Create Fair Comparisons

Another long tail keyword we like to use is Brand A vs. Brand B or doing articles on which type of product you should choose. When you write those, do your best to be very fair and honest with your readers.

Trust is a big part of conversion, so the more people feel like they can believe what you say, the better your chances are that they'll actually make a purchase based on a recommendation.

Most people understand that products aren't perfect, so don't be afraid to make a list of “cons” or things that could be improved about a product when you're review it or comparing to another model.

Even if you gain sales in the short term by being dishonest, you lose sales in the long term! Customers never come back, never trust you, leave your email list, and avoid your site like the plague.

You will make more sales and more money by being honest than by acting like every product is a gift from heaven.

This can lead to great quality content opportunities when writing your blog post. If you find a popular brand for a specific product that is well-known but ranks terribly, make a section about it without affiliate links.

By pointing out the flaws and common consumer complaints, you gain trust with your reader. When they see that, read an honest review, and then you have a product link to a better product they are very likely to click and buy!

Create Best Seller Lists

Another way to increase your amazon affiliate earnings is to create best seller lists within your blog posts. This is a bit different than a comparison chart. A comparison chart might only focus on survival knives under a certain price point for example.

A best seller list will focus on the products that sell the most in your given category.

For example, let's say I wanted to create a list of the top 5 selling point and shoot digital cameras on Amazon.

One option is to go to Amazon.com/BestSellers and select the correct category to start creating your best seller list. This is the current list of best selling point and shoot digital cameras:

You would then have to take the information from each of those products and insert some kind of list on your site. This could get time consuming.

I could create a much more comprehensive best sellers list or change up how the links act.

But overall, I was able to quickly create a list of the best selling products on Amazon for my chosen category, and they are immediately inserted into the post with my affiliate link.

The best way to do this is through a table. Table Labs or Amalinks Pro are my favorite picks for tables.

Cash in on Competition

As you may know, one of past my affiliate sites  made some of its money by promoting my own brand of products sold via Amazon FBA. However, we don't hesitate to talk about and even recommend some of our top competitors on Amazon.

Why?

So in addition to having articles that feature our own products, we also have articles where our product really isn't a good fit based on the topic. In those cases, we don't hesitate to recommend different products on Amazon via our affiliate link.

Hey, if someone wants to buy from a competitor I'd rather get 7 or 8% of that money than 0%.

So if you also sell products on Amazon in addition to using Amazon Associates, don't get stuck only writing about/promoting your own products.

Being an affiliate for your competitors and selling your own product also helps to diversify your income. You'll make more money and be a little safer.

Curate Deals

There are some big time sites out there like Dealnews.com that pretty much do nothing other than scouring the internet for discounts and deals. Then list them out for their readers. In most cases, they are affiliates of those sites so when people purchase, they make money as well.

So you can do a smaller version of the same thing by checking out Amazon on a weekly or monthly basis and finding products that fit your niche which are being sold below retail price.

You can even have a dedicated “deals” page on your website in your navigation menu so visitors can easily find it.

Plus, sending a regular deal alert email using an auto-responder service to make sure the people on your list get used to coming back to your site on a regular basis to find the best deals on products they're interested in.

Don't Forget the Small Fish

While most people spend their time focusing on higher dollar products, it's also important to not forget about the ‘smaller fish' low dollar products that people buy.

It's true that Amazon changed its commission structure awhile back. Instead of basing your commission rate on the number of items you sell, it's now based on the category of the item sold. This can make it so selling certain small items makes sense. 

If you think about it, most of the big competitors are targeting people who are buying expensive things like electronics, appliances, etc.

While the individual commission on an $8 product isn't much, if you sell a few hundred $5 – $10 products per month in addition to the big money items, your overall commission goes up.

Often there are very easy keywords to be found with the low dollar products. One specific product might only make you 30 cents but if you sell 400 of those a month, and find hundreds of keywords like that, it adds up to some serious affiliate payouts.

So be sure to have a nice mix of products, both low and high dollar so you can maximize both volume and commissions.

Amazon Affiliate Commission Rate: Know Thy Category

Amazon shook up the affiliate world in a big way in 2017 when they changed their commission rate structure. Virtually every affiliate was affected in a negative way – some much worse than others. 

Annual changes in certain tiers have been the norm in Amazon's affiliate program since then. If you're going to be an Amazon affiliate marketer getting used to changes is part of the game. 

There was another huge shakeup in the spring of 2020.

Here's the current Amazon Affiliate commission rate chart updated after the massive spring 2020 changes: 

Before this update of the Amazon affiliate marketing program there were multiple product categories at 5.5%, 6%, 7%, 7.5%, and even 8%. These were mostly wiped out and all dropped to 1%, 2%, or 3%. 

If you want to double check the affiliate sale rate in the Amazon Associates program (never a bad idea) click on the link HERE.

Commissions change over time, as even these tiers came into effect in the mid-2010s seeing as how Amazon's affiliate structure used to be based on number of total items sold, meaning if you sold enough each month, you got 8.5% on everything.

This isn't the last time the Amazon Associates program is likely to change their payouts.

There are still thousands of websites making serious affiliate income mostly or solely from Amazon.

What's the solution? 

Quite simply, the quickest solution is to now think about the category of your product before you decide to create content. If you already have a blog, then it might be a matter of pivoting slightly to add a category of content that you didn't have before. 

You don't want to work in a category with a 0% or 1% commission. That's a lot of work for an Amazon affiliate site that simply won't be able to pay you back.

Consider other styles of monetization, as well. Whether that's mixing up Amazon links with another affiliate network or looking at display ads – you have options.

If you can get traffic, you have options.

The possibilities are really endless, it just takes a little creative thinking and perhaps evaluating competitors to get fresh ideas for your content.  

What If I'm Brand New? 

If you’re just picking a niche and about to start a website, then how does the Amazon affiliate commission structure affect you?

Clearly, you’re better off going in a direction where you can still earn a higher commission.

There are certainly many ways to monetize a website beyond the Amazon affiliate program like pay-per-click ads, physical products, non-Amazon affiliate programs, and much more.

So don’t let a low Amazon advertising fee be the sole reason you move away from a particular niche. But do take it into consideration. Maybe you are passionate about video games ( 1-2%), but maybe you're also passionate about music (5%). 

I'm not saying to avoid a niche due to the commission rates, but you may do well by looking at more than one of your passions.

Focus On High Converting Products 

In the Amazon associates program, you only get paid actual money when you make sales – not just drive traffic.

That’s a somewhat obvious, but very important distinction.

While you don’t want to be overly salesy on your website and really push people into purchasing, you can control which products you give the prime real estate to on your website.

If an item is a best seller, you know that it’s popular and people are more likely to buy it than a product that has a very low sales rank on Amazon (meaning it doesn’t sell well).

How Do I Find High Converting Products?

There’s a browser extension you can add called Jungle Scout  which will show you approximate sales data for any product on Amazon.

Let’s say for some strange reason you decided to compare the best fidget spinners on your website.

You could go search “fidget spinners” on Amazon, click the Jungle Scout button in your browser and see this:

Notice that Jungle Scout takes the sales rank in the category and shows you which products are currently selling the best, and even gives you an approximate sales revenue number.

All else being equal, you want to send your visitors to the products that are performing best on Amazon so you can make sure that when they arrive at Amazon, they are viewing a top product that they are most likely to buy.

Jungle Scout is also my preferred tool for my Amazon FBA research. You can the Jungle Scout Review.

Other Signs Of High Converting Products

While Jungle Scout gives you some estimated numbers to go on, there are some other things you should look for when deciding which Amazon products to feature on your affiliate website:

1. High Quality Images. Images sell. That's on Amazon and just about every other ecommerce website. So if you see a product that only has one or two images and they are low quality, that is typically going to hurt their conversion rate. Look for competitors who have professional photography. 
2. Prime Shipping. Amazon Prime members spend almost double of what non-Prime customers do in a given year. They also love and prefer to buy things with Prime shipping, so use that to your advantage and avoid seller fulfilled items as an affiliate when possible. 
3. Review History. Amazon reviews matter to buyers. So if you're featuring products that have no reviews, or worse – really poor reviews – you're losing out on affiliate commissions. Stick to products that have lots of reviews, that are mostly positive when at all possible. 

A Word of Warning about Amazon Associates

I've heard stories of different marketers who have had their Amazon Associates accounts banned because of violating terms of service.

While I've done my best to ensure this guide is up to date and all of my tips are in compliance with their latest requirements for the Amazon affiliate program, here are a couple of excellent articles to check out that help clear up some of the mistakes people make (sometimes unknowingly) that result in a banned account:

• Marketing With Sara – Anchor Text and Link Cloaking
• Marketever – 16 Common Mistakes That Get People Banned

Amazon does a great job working with you if something puts your Amazon Associates account at risk. Assuming the violation was not flagrant spam.

But they are willing to swing the ban hammer if your account is too far out of line. So take these rules seriously if you plan on building an Amazon affiliate site.

Amazon Affiliate FAQ

While we’ve talked about some strategies for boosting your Amazon affiliate earnings, I want to start wrapping up by covering some common questions we hear from members of the Amazon Associates program (both new and old).

Are Amazon Associates and Amazon Affiliates the same thing?

Yes. The program is officially called “Amazon Associates” but when people refer to the Amazon affiliate program – they are talking about the same thing.

What is an Amazon affiliate?

If this is all new to you, then I’ll simplify by saying that an Amazon affiliate is someone who earns money from Amazon by referring people to Amazon who buy end up buying stuff.

How Does Amazon Affiliate Work?

Amazon Affiliate works by allowing you to link to products on Amazon. When you link to a product and a customer follows your link to Amazon, you earn a percentage of everything the customer buys within 24 hours. 

This is one of the reasons that the Amazon Affiliate program is so powerful: you can earn commission on products you don't recommend.

How Do Amazon Affiliate Links Work?

You can get Amazon Affiliate links through paid tools (like Amalinks Pro, AAWP, or Table Labs). Or you can get the links through Amazon itself. The paid tools make the links look a lot prettier, but Amazon can give you plenty of links for free.

Sign in to your Amazon Affiliate account and search for the product you want. When you've found the product that you want to link to, go to the top left side of your screen where it says “Site Stripe”.

You can choose to get a text, image, or text+image link. In my sites, I like to just use Text and Image.

And a word to the wise: the image is pretty small. Always choose the large.

What is the Amazon affiliate commission rate now?

The commission rate is based on category – so there isn’t a single rate for all affiliates. The range is from 0% – 10% depending on what people actually buy. Here is a picture of the most recent Amazon Affiliate commission rate.

This is up to date as of this writing but if in doubt here's the link to get specific product commission rates straight from the horse's mouth.

How Much Does Amazon Affiliate Pay Per Click?

Amazon pays per action. You will be paid when someone buys a product through your link, not when they click. If you convert your audience well, you could be making several dollars per click.

Can you put Amazon affiliate links on Facebook?

This is a little complicated, because you’ve got 2 different terms of service to deal with: Facebook and Amazon. Generally speaking you CAN use your Amazon affiliate link on Facebook as long as it’s not a paid ad/boosted post.

For example, if you have a page for your brand and you want to recommend a product that sells on Amazon, you can post your affiliate link to that product.

That said, you should be disclosing that your link is an affiliate link, so people know you could be compensated when they buy something. Read more about affiliate marketing on Facebook here.

You also want to do research on any social media before posting an affiliate link.

Can you put Amazon Affiliate links on YouTube?

Yes, again using the same disclosure rules we mentioned for Facebook where you tell people that the link is an affiliate link. As long as you disclose it, you should be in the clear for adding an Amazon affiliate link on YouTube. 

Amazon affiliate cookie – how long does it last?

The Amazon affiliate cookie means how long do I have after a person clicks my link to earn a commission? The simple answer is 24 hours. So anything that person buys on Amazon in the next 24 hours you are eligible to earn a commission on.

The one exception to this is the 90 day cookie we discussed earlier when you use the “add to cart” link as your affiliate link. This doesn’t mean you get a commission on everything that person buys in the next 90 days, just a 90 day cookie on that particular product.

For myself, I usually just stick to the normal Amazon affiliate link that comes with a 24 hour cookie.

Can Amazon affiliates make money from the Amazon Bounty Program?

Yes! The bounty program can be an interesting revenue source for niches where people consume a lot of books and music.

Amazon’s Bounty Program will pay you a flat rate for getting people to sign up for all kinds of Amazon services like a free trial of Kindle Unlimited, Prime Unlimited Music, and many, many others.

Usually you can earn $3 for each person that takes the free trial, but certain actions can earn you even more. Click here to see the full bounty program breakdown.

Can you be an Amazon affiliate if you're already an Amazon seller?

Yes. This gives you another way to make money selling for Amazon, though the two should complement or supplement each other. You're not going to earn extra from using affiliate links to your own products.

However, this gives you more options for selling other product or building affiliate sites.

Can you put Amazon links in social media?

Each social media site is different. Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, Twitter, and others all have their own rules. Make sure you follow the rules of each platform and you should be fine.

A Few Closing Thoughts…

Overall, hopefully some of these tips that I've shared can help you increase your affiliate commissions on Amazon. These little tactics can ensure that you send the greatest number of people to Amazon.

Amazon has such huge brand awareness and trust that once you get people to the Amazon page, you just let Amazon do the rest.

In addition to the tactics and strategies I've mentioned, I do think a tool like Amalinks Pro can be quite valuable in speeding up the process of implementing lots of these strategies. I have been using Amalinks Pro on my Niche Site Project 4 and it's worked great.

As always, I'd love to hear any comments or questions that you might have in regards to increasing affiliate commissions on Amazon.

Do you have any other tactics that you use that I haven't mentioned here? Let us all know!

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