A popular way to get started online is to build Amazon Affiliate Websites (examples), and for good reason because there is an endless amount of products to promote and we all know what a good reputation Amazon has when it comes to their products and services.
On the surface it is an attractive way to make money and relatively an easy method too, but are they really worth the effort? Is it possible to build a lucrative business using this method, or is it just another dead end?
Amazon Associates Central
This is Amazons affiliate program and is open to those that want to promote their products and earn a commission for doing so, which means if you have a website, then you can make money using this program. You can even make use of Amazon to pick your niche by searching through their many products, then build your website around the niche and products you choose.
The actual concept is simple, you build a website and write about the products you have chosen, then you link to those products within your content. When someone clicks through to Amazon via your links, you are eligible for a commission, but only if they make a purchase, so not everyone that reads your content is going to buy anything.
You can link to Amazon via banners and widgets too, they even have a store feature called the astore which allows you to build your own online store.
The Amazon Positives
The most positive thing is that they are a prestigious online company and are known for good products and good service. This means that when you send someone to their website you have peace of mind that they will get looked after well.
There is an endless supply of products to choose from, so no matter what niche you choose, the chances are you will find something to promote using this platform.
Amazon is one of the biggest players online and they have fine tuned their sales process, they will promote similar products, show you what other people bought, and persuade any customer to buy more than what they may of first intended.
You will get a commission on other products bought, meaning if you send someone to Amazon to buy a set of kitchen knives,and they also end up buying a food blender, then you will get a commission for both products. This can increase your earnings considerably.
Finally it is pretty easy to join the Associates program, all you need is a website, but do be aware that it will be checked by Amazon before you get approval. This means you do need to add some good quality content before you submit your application. Do not just throw up a website with one or two posts on it and expect them to give you the green light, spend some time first getting your website looking good and with a decent amount of content on it.
The Amazon Negatives
The biggest one is money, the commission rate is pretty low, especially when you first start, its a tiny 4% that increases as you sell more products. To get above that small percentage you have to sell more than 6 products in any given month, but don’t get excited, even when you sell well over 3000 products you will only get 8.5% commission rate.
Here are the Amazon Commission Rates
These will vary slightly depending on the Product Category, some products will give a better percentage than others.
You have to wait for your commission too, as they pay you every two months, which is fine once you are selling products every month, when you make your first sales it seems like you are waiting forever to get paid.
Is It Worth The Effort?
There are many people that are making very good money with the Amazon Affiliate Platform, but it does take a lot of effort, and it will take some time to make it work. It is easy enough to build the websites, but to get any results you will need a lot of traffic and that does take time to build.
I do like working with Amazon, but there are other affiliate platforms like Clickbank that can bring in more money for your effort because they have much higher commission rates. The one thing you will not find with other affiliate platforms though is the sheer amount of products that Amazon has to offer, which gives you more choice.
I think it is worth the effort as long as you do have some other streams of income too, this will make sure you are not relying on just one place to make your money. To get started you will need to first build a website and the best way to do that is the same way I did by going to the experts at Wealthy Affiliate.
Once you have your website up with some good quality content, then you can apply to Amazon Associates Program to get your website approved and start promoting their products. By getting the right start you will make the whole process a lot quicker because you will learn the right way to build the best foundation for your website and business.
I think the Amazon Affiliate Program is a great platform to make money as long as it is not your only source of income.