If you're looking to start earning commission from promoting other people's products and services on the internet then perhaps one of the best ways is by creating a website for this purpose. You get paid when someone clicks through to your site and buys something that they wouldn't necessarily buy otherwise - so it's a win-win situation! But what if you don't want to use WordPress or any other CMS (content management system) because you feel it will take too long to build out your own site? Or do you simply not know enough about HTML/CSS to even attempt building such a thing yourself? Well fear no more because we'll show you exactly how to set up your very own profitable Amazon affiliate website using Squarespace.
A few years ago there were only two ways to earn income with websites: either sell advertising space directly on your site, or become an affiliate marketer and promote other peoples' goods and services via links placed on your site. Both are great ways to generate revenue but both also come with their drawbacks. The first option means you won't see any return unless you've got enough traffic coming to your site which isn't always guaranteed, whereas the second option requires you to spend lots of time managing all the different affiliates linking back to your site plus writing new content for them each month. If you're like most business owners though, you probably prefer having full control over everything rather than being tied down to a monthly schedule and spending hours every week updating pages and adding fresh content.
So many businesses these days offer some form of affiliate marketing program where you can earn extra cash by referring customers to their product or service. And while it may seem daunting trying to find and join hundreds of affiliate programs, it doesn't actually have to be. There are plenty of free tools available online today which allow you to quickly and easily search for the right companies offering affiliate commissions without needing to register anywhere. We used one called Affilorama before which had its pros and cons but now there’s another tool called Clickbank that’s gaining popularity thanks to its ease of use and user friendly interface. This allows anyone who has basic knowledge of computers to quickly set up their account and begin searching around for relevant offers.
In order to receive payment once you've referred someone to purchase a particular item, you typically need to follow a number of steps including signing up to affiliate tracking software and getting approval from the company selling the product. Then after you refer a customer or client, they will usually send you a unique code that you enter into your affiliate tracking software along with details of the amount they spent on whatever it was you recommended. The process can sometimes be confusing especially if you aren't familiar with affiliate sales techniques but thankfully these days there are numerous resources available online to help clear things up for beginners. One particularly useful resource is How To Make Money With Google AdSense & Affiliate Marketing For Beginners written by Michael Arrington. It goes into detail explaining what kind of information you need to provide to various companies, why you might want to become an affiliate and lists the top five reasons to consider becoming an affiliate.
The article above mentions a couple of popular methods of generating passive income through affiliate marketing namely Google AdSense and ClickBank. In fact, ClickBank is owned by eBay, meaning if you're already registered with ClickBank then you could potentially double dip by registering with both ClickBank and eBay. However, since ClickBank is an easier platform to navigate compared to eBay, we recommend starting off here instead.
Many affiliate marketers choose to go the DIY route and opt for self hosted solutions such as WordPress or Wix. While these platforms are easy to use and often require minimal coding experience, there is still a learning curve involved which means it takes longer to achieve success. If you're comfortable with the web design industry and enjoy working with CSS, HTML, JavaScript etc., then you may well find that using a drag and drop website builder like Squarespace makes sense.
However, if you'd prefer a simpler solution and don't mind paying a little bit more upfront then you could try out a premium membership package such as Bluehost or Hostgator. These types of packages include unlimited bandwidth, email hosting and domain registration amongst other features which can significantly reduce the overall costs associated with setting up a website. They also provide additional functionality such as ecommerce shopping carts, security certificates and analytics tools.
We mentioned earlier that you would typically need to pay a fee to register with certain affiliate networks however there are several sites across the net which claim to have found "secret" affiliate codes which enable you to bypass this step altogether. Check out our list below for a selection of the most trusted ones:
ClickBank – $49 per year
Amazon Associates – Free
ShareASale – $39 /year
Commission Junction – $29 /month
Clicksor – Free
Affiliates Depot – Free
ShopStyle – Free
All four of these sites are completely free to use although Clicksor charges a small percentage of each sale made within its network.
Once you've decided upon a suitable platform for your website, the next thing to do is decide whether you're going to manually write articles or automate the whole process. Many people think that writing original content is the way forward however this method is incredibly time consuming and expensive. Instead, you could hire freelance writers to churn out high quality articles for you or alternatively use existing material from elsewhere on the internet and repurpose it for your purposes. Another alternative is to employ an automation tool like HubPages which enables you to post prewritten articles straight onto your blog automatically.
You'll soon notice that there are loads of affiliate opportunities available out there to suit everyone's needs. Whether you want to work part time from home or run a lucrative global enterprise based solely online, there is likely to be a niche somewhere waiting to meet you. So grab hold of your mouse and let’s explore the world of Amazon affiliate marketing together...
Amazon is one of the most popular ways for people to sell products on the internet, and there are many different types of websites that allow users to advertise their own product or service through links placed throughout the site.
However, if you want to start selling your own items using this method then you will first need to set up some kind of storefront where potential customers can come online and find out about what you’ve got available. This could either be something you build yourself from scratch, or you might consider buying an existing ecommerce platform which has been designed specifically to help other businesses market their goods. The good news is that both options involve relatively little technical know-how so anyone should be able to get started without too much trouble.
If you're looking to learn more about starting an Amazon business then we've put together everything you'll ever need into our comprehensive guide to building a successful Amazon store. It covers every aspect of getting set up with Amazon including setting up your account, listing products, creating listings, adding reviews and managing orders. You also discover how to use Amazon's Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) system, which means you don't even have to worry about shipping and handling!
There are lots of platforms out there that offer very similar functionality to Amazon, but they all require you to pay monthly subscription fees. These can range anywhere between $10 - $100 per month and often include additional features such as access to advanced reporting tools, or the ability to automatically ship purchased goods directly to customers' homes. If these sounds like something you'd prefer over having to keep track of everything manually, then check out our comparison chart below to see which services best suit your needs.
However, if you only plan on running a simple single-product shop then you may not actually need any sort of payment gateway or fulfillment center. In fact, you might well be better off simply sticking to Amazon itself since its interface makes it easy enough to list anything you want straight away. So whether you’d rather go down the self hosted route, or the hosted option, here’s everything you need to know…
One way to set up your own Amazon store is to buy a prebuilt website template which includes a shopping cart system already installed. There are plenty of these available for purchase online, ranging from around $20 to several hundred dollars depending upon the level of customization included. However, if you opt to do things manually instead then you’ll still end up needing somewhere to host your website files once you’ve finished designing them. The easiest solution to choose would probably be WordPress, thanks to the large amount of third party plugins available.
To begin with, head to Google and search for “WordPress hosting plans”. Once you’ve found a suitable provider you can register to become a client, after which you can install the software onto your web server. Once done you’ll need to connect your domain name to your new blog via cPanel before being allowed to log in and edit your content pages. To save time and effort you could always look to hire someone else to take care of all of this work for you – although this isn’t necessarily recommended unless you really know what you’re doing.
Once you’re ready to publish your first post then you’ll need to decide exactly how you intend to promote your site. One of the simplest methods is to place links within each page to Amazon’s main landing page. Doing this is completely free however, and you won’t earn commission until somebody purchases something from your store. On top of that, you’ll need to wait 24 hours before you receive credit for sales made during that period.
Another approach involves placing an Amazon affiliate code on your home page, which will generate income whenever visitors click through to Amazon. The downside to this method is that you won’t receive any commission until the customer buys a product from Amazon themselves. And again, you’ll lose out on commissions received for sales generated during the initial 24 hour window.
You can also try promoting your own products directly within the body text of articles published elsewhere on the internet, though this does mean spending time writing original content. Alternatively you could write sponsored posts for blogs based upon topics related to your niche, though these aren’t as likely to result in sales.
Finally you could join another company who specializes in generating traffic to Amazon stores, offering to provide targeted advertising campaigns to drive interested parties towards particular brands. Again, this requires regular maintenance costs and ongoing payments.
This type of setup works in a similar manner to the previous example, except that now you’re trying to convince shoppers to purchase a specific item instead of linking through to Amazon’s homepage. As long as you can prove that your chosen product offers genuine value to buyers, then you should be able to earn a percentage of sales revenue.
It’s important that you avoid misleading claims when producing promotional material, otherwise you could face legal action from those companies whose trademarks you’ve infringed upon. Also ensure that you clearly disclose any affiliation with Amazon, and follow whatever rules and regulations the marketplace lays down regarding the display of affiliate codes.
In addition to providing targeted promotion to certain keywords, you can also try joining programs which will reward affiliates for referring others to buy products listed on Amazon.com. For instance, you’ll be given points for signing up interested customers and sending them to Amazon, plus you’ll earn extra rewards for referring friends to the platform. When you reach a specified threshold of referral credits then you can cash in by receiving payment bonuses.
While you certainly don’t need your own online store to participate in the Amazon Associates Program, it’s worth noting that the vast majority of sites using the system operate under the banner of a larger brand. Typically these are established merchants who have decided to integrate their branding and merchandise offerings across multiple channels, allowing visitors to browse the full selection regardless of whether they ultimately make a purchase.
As such, Amazon doesn’t technically prohibit you from operating your own small scale operation as part of its network. But if you were to attempt to do so, you’d risk losing access to thousands of valuable keyword phrases which are used regularly by marketers seeking to boost rankings.
On the flip side, it’s possible to run an independent affiliate site alongside Amazon, provided you maintain strict separation between the two entities. Your goal would be to attract visitors to your site from outside sources while simultaneously driving sales to your Amazon storefront.
For instance, you could partner up with bloggers who already enjoy high visibility among readers eager to find information relating to your niche. Or perhaps you could contact local businesses willing to place ads on your site. Either way, you’ll be required to sign up for a separate membership scheme, paying annual subscription fees in exchange for the right to leverage Amazon’s powerful infrastructure.
Before you launch your own affiliate campaign you’ll ideally need to spend some quality time researching your target audience and crafting compelling copy for your website. That said, there are numerous resources available today which aim to simplify the process of setting up a website entirely free of charge.
Perhaps the best known of these is Squarespace, a leading cloud-based platform aimed primarily at beginners who wish to create professional looking static sites. A premium version is offered for a yearly fee, but if you’re happy to settle for the standard edition then you can easily design a stylish website without breaking the bank.
Alternatively, you could try Wix, another cloud-based website creator which allows you to drag and drop elements into place to quickly develop a visually appealing layout. Unlike Squarespace, Wix offers no limit on the number of pages that can be created, meaning you could potentially produce hundreds of unique pages on your own.
Whatever platform you choose, remember to focus on delivering useful, engaging content that keeps visitors coming back. After all, you wouldn’t expect to make a fortune overnight, so why would anybody expect you to succeed instantly?
It’s not hard to see why people are getting into the world of internet marketing and eCommerce – there is a whole host of ways that you could potentially earn some extra cash from home or even change careers completely by starting your own business. However, when it comes to building a successful brand and monetizing this new found knowledge we have all picked up over the past few years, one area often overlooked is becoming an Amazon affiliate.
One way around this might be creating a blog which focuses primarily on promoting products through their affiliates but you may also need to build your own website if you want to go down this route. This article will give you everything you need to know about adding websites to Amazon affiliate programs so you can decide whether this is something you would like to try out yourself.
To start with, let's look more specifically at what exactly is meant by ‘affiliate links’. Affiliate links allow publishers (in our case, you) to sell other companies' goods directly via your site. If someone clicks on these links then they get taken off to another page where they can buy whatever product has been featured. The main benefit here is that you don't actually physically have to ship anything to anyone - instead you simply collect commission payments for selling other peoples products!
Amazon allows its affiliates to place banners, buttons, text links and images throughout their sites, allowing them both to promote the brands within their network and to receive commissions for referring customers who click on those links. So yes, you can absolutely use affiliate links on any kind of website you'd like including blogs, landing pages, social media accounts etc., however it is worth noting that you should avoid placing too many of these links on your website as visitors won't always appreciate being bombarded with sales messages and it can also affect your search engine rankings negatively.
The best option is probably to stick to using the standard Amazon banner ads rather than trying to squeeze additional revenue onto every single webpage. You can still use Amazon widgets on your site though and these can help drive traffic back to Amazon itself while helping increase conversions.
You'll notice that each time you visit an Amazon page, there are three different types of advertisements displayed across the top of the screen. These are the Sponsored Products section, Product Ads and Advertorials. While the first two require a separate ad space on your website, Advertorials are designed to work seamlessly alongside your existing content. They are basically mini-websites embedded inside your website which contain information and reviews for specific products and feature sponsored links to either the store themselves or to third party retailers such as eBay or AliExpress.
If you're looking to set up an Amazon affiliate account then you will indeed need to register a website before you can begin earning commissions. It's important to note that although registering your domain name doesn't necessarily mean you've got to pay upfront for hosting it, most hosting providers will charge monthly fees regardless of whether you choose to purchase a premium plan or not.
This means that you cannot claim a free trial period for hosting packages unless you already have a website registered somewhere else. In addition, because you will likely end up paying for hosting anyway, it makes sense to consider signing up for a paid service that offers unlimited data transfers and includes tools such as email support. Hosting services include Bluehost, DreamHost, GoDaddy and SiteGround among others.
Once you've signed up to a hosting package it's easy enough to install WordPress and configure your website so that you can easily launch your own Amazon affiliate shop. All you really need to do is copy and paste a couple of lines of code into your theme files and you're ready to start selling on Amazon.
As mentioned above, you'll need to register a domain name before you can start making money. Once you've done this, head over to wpbeginner.com/domains/free-domain-name/. There are lots of great names available for free but if none of them suit you then you can opt for a premium domain name instead which usually costs between $1-$5 per year depending on length.
In order to display Amazon logos on your website you will need to sign up for a merchant ID number and once you've added your details you will also be given access to a URL shortener called bit.ly which helps Amazon track how much traffic your webpages generate. You will also need to log into Seller Central and enable 'Website Links'. This step does take a little longer to complete but it ensures your website displays properly on Amazon.
Next you will need to grab a suitable template for your website. There are plenty of prebuilt themes available but if you prefer to design your own WordPress template you can find loads of useful resources on the Internet. For example, Wix provides tons of free templates ranging from minimalist designs to full blown multi-page layouts. Just keep in mind that if you intend to publish multiple versions of your website (e.g. mobile vs desktop version), you will need to tweak each layout slightly differently otherwise you risk confusing readers with inconsistent formatting.
Finally, you will need to upload your customised HTML file to your server along with your.css stylesheet. Uploading files isn't difficult but it's certainly not quick. Depending on the size of your website, you could spend anywhere between 10 minutes and several hours uploading content.
After this you'll need to login to Seller Central again and enter your payment details. Then you're good to go! Now you can sit back and wait to watch your earnings roll in...
While setting up your very own website is ideal, if you're unable to afford or lack the technical skills necessary to build your own website, it is possible to become an Amazon affiliate without needing to establish a presence on the Web. Instead, you can simply write articles based on the products you wish to promote, submit them to directories such as EzineArticles, Squidoo and HubPages and hope that someone reads them and decides to follow through with a purchase.
For example, you could write hundreds of articles about various health supplements, submitting them to a variety of niche forums and directories until you reach a critical mass. As long as you continue writing relevant pieces which appeal to potential buyers then eventually you will hit upon a subject matter that generates significant interest. At that point, you can focus exclusively on promoting only the items that fall under that category.
Alternatively, you could pick a single topic and write a series of related articles to provide further value to your audience. Either way, remember that quality content attracts readers and ultimately leads to sales!
There are numerous ways to incorporate an Amazon link into your website, but the easiest method is to simply cut & paste the following line of code wherever you want it to appear:
Clickbank [link] /go/your_product_id
Where [link] corresponds to your Amazon Associates Account Number, and your product id refers to the unique identifier associated with your product(s).
Keep in mind that Amazon doesn't permit affiliates to automatically redirect users away from the original source of merchandise. Therefore, if someone purchases your item directly from Amazon then you must ensure that they never leave the website altogether. Otherwise, you run the risk of losing valuable referral income.
Another thing to bear in mind is that whenever you refer someone to Amazon you are essentially giving them permission to view certain parts of your website, including your product listings, pricing tables and descriptions. Obviously, if you're concerned about privacy issues then you should opt for a self hosted solution and remove all sensitive information from your website.
On the flip side, if you feel comfortable sharing confidential information about your company, clients and employees then you may wish to reconsider having an Amazon affiliate link at all. Remember that you are effectively advertising a competitor's product, so think carefully before proceeding.
Just follow our battle-tested guidelines and rake in the profits.