Interested in making money with the Amazon Associates affiliate program in 2024? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
In this article, we’ll break down everything you need to know about Amazon Associates — from signing up and choosing the right niche to optimizing your site for maximum earnings. You'll discover tips from successful affiliates, learn how to avoid common pitfalls, and find out just how much you can realistically make. Let's get started!
Amazon Associates basics
Amazon Associates is Amazon's affiliate program.
Once you sign up, you'll find a special toolbar at the top of Amazon.com.
Use this to create affiliate links for almost any product sold on Amazon. Share these links on your website or social media platforms like YouTube, TikTok, or Pinterest. When someone clicks on your link, they get tracked using cookies.
You earn a small commission on whatever they buy within the next 24 hours.
The key to making a significant income is recommending the right products to the right people. If you do this through a blog or website, you can start earning passively.
Who will click on your affiliate links?
Making money by recommending products sounds great, but who will you recommend them to? If no one clicks, you won’t make any money. Avoid spamming friends and family — that’s a quick way to get banned from the program.
Instead, start a blog about a topic you’re passionate about. For example, Kevin from Epic Gardening writes about the best water chillers for hydroponics, and Josh from Expert Photography covers the best Nikon cameras.
By writing high-quality, keyword-targeted content, Kevin and Josh attract hundreds of thousands of readers monthly.
This didn’t happen overnight. In the early days, Kevin had less than 100 daily readers. Amazon isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme, but with hard work, it can be a lucrative online business.
How much can you make with the Amazon affiliate program?
The commission rates vary by product category:
While they may seem small, the Amazon affiliate program has several advantages. You earn a referral fee for everything people buy within 24 hours of clicking your link, even if they purchase unrelated items. With millions of Amazon Prime members, the sales volume can be high.
How much does a website make from Amazon Associates?
A small sports site recently made $1,687.72 from Amazon in a month, with 65,572 visitors.
This translates to around $25.73 per thousand visitors. While not earth-shattering, this represents less than half of the site’s total earnings, as it’s also monetized through other affiliate programs and ads. In the same time period, the site made $2,007 from ads.
When you build a website, consider other revenue streams. Additionally, websites can be sold for around 40 times their monthly earnings. The Wire Cutter, for example, was acquired by The New York Times for $30 million.
Amazon’s history of slashing commission rates
Many businesses have a love/hate relationship with Amazon, and affiliates are no exception. Amazon has cut commission rates significantly twice, leading some to question its profitability.
Is Amazon Associates still profitable in 2024?
Yes, it is. Artur made $1,500 per month from Amazon after a year, and Baber made over $2,100 per month after just 10 months.
While the changes have pushed many websites to seek alternatives, Amazon remains a solid starting point.
Think of Amazon Associates as your “everything else” affiliate program. As your site grows, start testing different affiliate programs. Focus on growing traffic now and optimizing monetization later.
By leveraging Amazon Associates and other high-paying programs, you can maximize your earnings in 2024.
Step-by-step guide to making money with the Amazon affiliate program
Amazon Associates isn't a get-rich-quick scheme, but with time and effort, you can make significant money. The best approach is to build an affiliate website around a single niche. Here’s a detailed guide to help you get started.
Step 1: Choose a niche that works for Amazon Associates
The key to choosing a profitable niche is to "follow the money." This doesn’t mean you need to start a site reviewing Rolex watches. Instead, ensure that the niche is commercially viable — that other people are making money in it.
Many beginners try to find a niche that no one else has discovered, but this is the wrong approach. If money can be made, someone has already figured it out. Use this to your advantage:
- Check writer job boards: Sites like the ProBlogger Jobs Board list job openings in various niches. Generally, businesses only hire when they're making money, making this a surefire way to validate a niche.
- Scout website for sale listings: Websites like Flippa and Empire Flippers list sites for sale, indicating profitable niches.
However, money isn’t everything. Choose a niche where you can create high-quality content. For example, if you’re a dog trainer, consider the pet niche. Validate your niche by ensuring there are smaller or newer sites ranking for competitive keywords. Avoid niches dominated by giant media companies.
Step 2: Build your affiliate site
In 2024, you can build an affiliate site with zero design or coding skills. You’ll need a .com domain and a hosting company. SiteGround is a great choice, with hosting starting at $6.99 per month.
Choose the WordPress platform for your Amazon Associates site. It’s free, user-friendly, and built into SiteGround. Setting it up is as easy as clicking a few buttons.
- Use free themes: GeneratePress and Kadence offer free and premium WordPress themes that work well for Amazon Associates sites.
- Pick a color scheme: Use the Coolors website to pick an awesome color scheme.
- Select modern fonts: Use Fontjoy to select modern fonts. Both Coolors and Fontjoy are free.
- Create a logo: Use the free version of Canva to make your own logo with zero design skills.
Step 3: Sign up for Amazon Associates
Signing up for Amazon Associates is fast and free. Head to the website, click “Sign up,” and create an Amazon account if you don’t already have one.
Enter your address details and your website URL.
Select “No” if your website is not aimed at children, in compliance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
Create a unique store ID and provide a short description of your website.
Choose appropriate topics and products you plan to promote, along with your traffic-driving methods.
After signing up, you have 180 days to make 3 sales. Once you do, Amazon will manually review your website. Ensure you include the Amazon disclaimer on every page: “As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.”
Step 4: Publish commercial content
Commercial content reviews and promotes affiliate products. Focus on specific products to attract readers interested in making a purchase.
- Avoid high competition: Large publications target higher-priced products with bigger commissions. Instead, go for more obscure keywords.
- Write "vs Articles": Compare one product to another, as these have a higher chance of ranking well.
- Engage with Multimedia: Embed YouTube videos to make your content more engaging.
Examples of commercial content include alternatives posts, roundup reviews, and single product reviews.
Step 5: Insert Amazon Associates links
After writing commercial content, add your Amazon Associates affiliate links. Log into Amazon Associates Central, navigate to Amazon.com, and use the SiteStrip bar to generate links.
- Full links: Always use the “Full Link” rather than the shortened link.
- Insert links: Place links at the start and end of the article, with images, and whenever you mention a new product or alternative.
Step 6: Use SEO to promote your site
Once you’ve published content, start building links to your site. Search engines view links from other sites as a form of endorsement. The more high-quality links you have, the better.
- Use HARO (help a reporter out): Sign up for HARO to get daily emails with queries from journalists. They look like this:
Respond to relevant queries to get links:
- Build links: Stack this approach with other link-building tactics such as guest posting and skyscraper link building.
Link building takes time, but it’s crucial for generating traffic from search engines. This is how you build an Amazon Associates business that can provide real passive income.
Step 7: The core formula
The key to making money with Amazon Associates is to provide value through your content, attract visitors with SEO, and monetize using Amazon affiliate links. Additionally, explore other monetization methods that complement Amazon Associates.
There are no shortcuts; it takes time and effort to start and grow an Amazon affiliate website. Most people won’t do it, but if you’re determined to succeed, get started today. The first step is always the hardest, but the rewards are worth it.
