Starting an Amazon affiliate website is one of the most proven ways to earn money online. With over 200 million customers, Amazon offers unrivaled opportunity to profit as an affiliate marketer.
In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll show you step-by-step how to create a successful Amazon affiliate site from scratch using WordPress.
After 15 years as a webmaster, I‘ve built multiple 6-figure/year affiliate sites, so I‘ll share my best tips for boosting your earnings over time.
Let‘s get started!
Contents
Why Create an Amazon Affiliate Website?
Here are some key reasons why building an Amazon affiliate site is a great way to start earning money online:
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Trusted Brand: Amazon is one of the most trusted brands globally. Customers feel confident buying through Amazon affiliate links knowing Amazon handles the transactions.
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Massive Reach: Amazon has over 197 million active customer accounts worldwide. Their massive reach means more potential to convert visitors into buyers.
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Wide Selection: Amazon offers over 12 million products covering every category imaginable. No matter your niche, you‘ll find relevant products to promote.
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Stable Commissions: Amazon pays reliably on qualified purchases. Commission rates range from 1-10% based on product category. In 2020, they paid out $8.9 billion to affiliates!
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Low Barrier to Entry: It‘s free and easy to join the Amazon Associates program and start earning. No need for your own products or inventory.
Clearly, Amazon provides an immense opportunity to earn steady commissions in the trillion-dollar ecommerce industry.
Next, let‘s go through the step-by-step process…
Step 1: Sign Up for the Amazon Associates Program
To access Amazon affiliate links to earn commissions, you first need to join their Associates program. Here‘s how:
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Go to Amazon Services and click "Join Now For Free".
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Sign in using your current Amazon account credentials or create a new account.
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Follow the application steps providing accurate details about your website and business. Amazon will want to verify and approve your account.
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Once approved, you will gain access to your unique Associate ID and tracking links.
Pro Tip: I recommend creating a dedicated account just for your affiliate business separate from your personal Amazon account. Keep things properly organized.
It‘s free and easy to apply. Amazon approves everyone who meets their program policies.
Take your time providing the details – it‘s important to get this right upfront to avoid issues later.
Once approved, you can access all the resources through your Associates account to start generating links and earning commissions.
Next, we‘ll set up your affiliate website…
Step 2: Set Up Your Website with WordPress
To showcase your Amazon affiliate links, you need a website. I recommend using WordPress – it powers over 43% of all sites online for good reason.
Here‘s how to set up a fast, secure WordPress website:
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Purchase a Domain: Choose a domain name for your affiliate site. Short, brandable domains work best like
smartkitchens.com. Expect to pay $10-15 per year. -
Get Web Hosting: You‘ll need fast, shared web hosting to run WordPress. I recommend SiteGround or Bluehost. Plans start at $3-10 per month.
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Install WordPress: Use your hosting control panel or the famous one-click WordPress installer. Enter your site details.
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Pick a Theme: Choose an elegant theme that highlights products well. I like Astra and GeneratePress. Both have free and paid versions.
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Install Plugins: Useful plugins include Yoast SEO, Google Analytics, OptinMonster, and MonsterInsights. Optimize performance.
Pro Tip: Take the time upfront to properly set up and configure your site for speed and security. This will pay dividends down the road.
Following best practices here will give you a solid foundation to start building your affiliate site.
Next, it‘s time to integrate Amazon affiliate links into your site…
Step 3: Add Amazon Affiliate Links
Now that your WordPress site is ready, you can start adding Amazon affiliate links to earn commissions.
There are a few excellent ways to add Amazon affiliate links:
Affiliate Link Plugins
Plugins like Amazon Auto Links make it easy to insert affiliate links into your content.
Just install the plugin, connect it to your Amazon Associates account, and add links through shortcodes or automatic insertion.
Some popular options include:
I recommend testing a few to find the one that best fits your needs.
WooCommerce Integration
If you‘re running a WooCommerce store, you can seamlessly integrate to add Amazon affiliate products.
Plugins like WooCommerce Amazon Affiliates automatically import products for you to showcase and earn commissions on.
Manual Linking
You can manually link to Amazon products in your content by copying the URL from your Associates account and adding text links or images.
Be sure to add your affiliate ID tag to the URLs so you get credit for sales.
The key is to insert contextual, natural links into content that provide value for readers while earning commissions.
Step 4: Promote Your Affiliate Site
Now for the fun part – driving traffic to your new affiliate site to start earning!
Here are some of my top tips for promoting an Amazon affiliate site:
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Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Optimizing your content and site for keywords is critical for free organic search traffic. Read my in-depth guide to affiliate SEO.
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Content Marketing: Build an audience by consistently publishing high-quality, in-depth content on your niche and promoting it through social media.
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Email Marketing: Collect emails with lead magnets and send promotions, deals, and content to subscribers. Email converts very well.
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Paid Ads: Facebook, Google, Instagram ads can drive targeted visitors to affiliate offers. Start small to test ROI potential.
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Affiliate Marketing: Join relevant affiliate programs in your niche and cross-promote related products to earn more commissions.
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Social Media: Share your content and deals across platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube etc. Engage your followers.
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Backlinking: Build backlinks from other authoritative sites to boost your rankings and referral traffic.
Pro Tip: Diversify your promotion strategies. Relying solely on one traffic source is risky. Find a healthy mix of free and paid acquisition channels.
The most successful affiliate marketers continually test and optimize their traffic generation, doubling down on what converts.
Next I‘ll explain how to monitor performance…
Step 5: Track Conversions and Optimize
It‘s crucial to closely monitor your affiliate site‘s performance using analytics tools. This allows you to identify what‘s working well and what needs improvement.
I recommend installing Google Analytics and integrating it with WordPress.
Pay attention to:
- Traffic sources driving the most conversions
- Top converting keywords and content
- Highest earning products
- Pages with high exit rates
- Pages that rank well vs. poorly
Use these insights to optimize your affiliate approach over time. Make data-driven decisions to increase conversions and boost earnings.
For example, you may find Facebook ads are your top driver of sales. In that case, increase your Facebook ad budget to get more traffic.
Or maybe a certain content piece is converting really well. Consider creating a series of content around that topic to capitalize.
Continual testing and optimization based on performance data is key for long term affiliate success.
So there you have it – a proven, step-by-step blueprint for building a profitable Amazon affiliate site with WordPress.
The opportunities are immense. With over 197 million customers, Amazon offers unmatched earning potential through affiliate marketing.
I hope you found this guide helpful. Let me know if you have any other questions as you build your successful affiliate site!
