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I set up an affiliate link with Amazon-

by domainscience
11 replies
and within 7 days, I had someone place a real order as a test only to have amazon.com send me an email saying that my website really brought no value to their website due to not enough content. (Per Amazon stats, it had over 1750 clicks)

But hey, it was good enough to take the customers that I sent them.

Let me get this straight, I am suppose to work my A$$ off for a 4 percent commission.

Thank God that I only paid $10 to a guy I found on Fiverr.com to make the website.

I know their are people here who say they make good money as Amazon.com affiliates, but I am starting to question what "good money" actually means.
#affiliate #amazon #link #set
  • Profile picture of the author TelZilla
    I personally know people who make six figures promoting Amazon and their products.

    Your results are dependent on the amount of effort you put into it. There is a lot more to creating a good amazon affiliate site than just putting up a site with products in it.

    BTW, your candle site, is interesting....but honestly your product descriptions are kinda weird. Almost like you had someone write press releases for some of the products and put that in the descriptions. Strange. That in itself would keep me from buying.

    " No more baking cookies for a good smell"

    That line is on a Eucalyptus candle...

    Seriously, you need to have someone look at this.
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    • Profile picture of the author domainscience
      Originally Posted by TelZilla View Post

      I personally know people who make six figures promoting Amazon and their products.

      Your results are dependent on the amount of effort you put into it. There is a lot more to creating a good amazon affiliate site than just putting up a site with products in it.

      BTW, your candle site, is interesting....but honestly your product descriptions are kinda weird. Almost like you had someone write press releases for some of the products and put that in the descriptions. Strange. That in itself would keep me from buying.

      " No more baking cookies for a good smell"

      That line is on a Eucalyptus candle...

      Seriously, you need to have someone look at this.

      Thanks for your honesty on the candle site. I appreciate it and I am working on better descriptions.

      As far as Amazon, I am happy that there are people making six figures as affiliates. But to be honest, I think, just like most other things, those are the extreme exceptions.

      I am not a pessimist by any stretch of the imagination, but I often wonder what is kept away by the very same people who claim to be making all this money.

      Let's face it, they spend a lot of money to attract people to their websites (unless they own very valuable domain names) and don't tell you the cost per acquisition.

      Thanks again for your honesty on the candle website/
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      • Profile picture of the author TelZilla
        Originally Posted by domainscience View Post

        Thanks for your honesty on the candle site. I appreciate it and I am working on better descriptions.
        No problem. It's not a bad site, or a bad product line. The prices seem about right for a quality product. It's just the descriptions...

        As far as Amazon, I am happy that there are people making six figures as affiliates. But to be honest, I think, just like most other things, those are the extreme exceptions.

        I am not a pessimist by any stretch of the imagination, but I often wonder what is kept away by the very same people who claim to be making all this money.

        Let's face it, they spend a lot of money to attract people to their websites (unless they own very valuable domain names) and don't tell you the cost per acquisition.
        I have some amazon sites that have been consistent earners for over 3 years with very little effort on my part after the first 6 to 9 months. My cost per acquistion at this point is practically $0. I host the sites on my own servers, I get organic traffic from google, youtube, and several other sites. I don't pay for traffic at all. I do add a few articles and links each month, but the cost for this is minimal.

        Anyway, I did the math one day out of curiosity and the result was negligible.
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        • Profile picture of the author dana67
          Amazon and AdSense both seem to be somewhat picky about site or blog content. If you can add some more quality content, it may help you with Amazon and keep the sales coming in. Adding content on a regular basis can still help with SEO as well.

          Just a thought.

          TelZilla is right. There are people making really good money with the Amazon program.
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          • Profile picture of the author domainscience
            Originally Posted by dana67 View Post

            Amazon and AdSense both seem to be somewhat picky about site or blog content. If you can add some more quality content, it may help you with Amazon and keep the sales coming in. Adding content on a regular basis can still help with SEO as well.

            Just a thought.

            TelZilla is right. There are people making really good money with the Amazon program.
            I obviously don't have the time. I am just wondering if it is worth it to pay a virtual assistant.
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            • Profile picture of the author wtatlas
              You should listen to Amazon; they are kinda successful, you know!

              Seriously, what Amazon has said in their email about the site not giving value to their visitors applies to all of your visitors. People who know nothing about candles will want to know about the different types of candles that are available, sizes, shapes, waxes used and so on. Adding a few articles giving visitors this information will give your site more authority and credibility as well as providing valuable information. It also helps people to decide whether or not to buy from you.

              Your About Us page is an example of what I'm talking about. It gives some information about your candles and this is good. Why not expand on this and say why a particular wax or scent is used? What ingredients go into the scents? How to use candles for special occasions? All of these topics could make a good article and add value to your visitors' experience.

              On a more positive note I think the site looks attractive, it's not cluttered up with adverts, and it's easy to navigate. I agree with TelZilla above that the product descriptions are a little odd and, if it were my site, I would rewrite these.

              Amazon might well have done you a favour by getting you to think more about your site's content. As I said earlier, what applies to an Amazon site with regard to content applies no matter what monetization method you are using.

              Finally, I understand your comment on lack of time. However, if you want to earn from a website, then you have to invest either time or money into it. Internet buyers have a lot of choice regarding what they spend their money on and who they spend it with.
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        • Profile picture of the author domainscience
          Originally Posted by TelZilla View Post

          No problem. It's not a bad site, or a bad product line. The prices seem about right for a quality product. It's just the descriptions...



          I have some amazon sites that have been consistent earners for over 3 years with very little effort on my part after the first 6 to 9 months. My cost per acquistion at this point is practically $0. I host the sites on my own servers, I get organic traffic from google, youtube, and several other sites. I don't pay for traffic at all. I do add a few articles and links each month, but the cost for this is minimal.

          Anyway, I did the math one day out of curiosity and the result was negligible.
          I am happy that you are making money from them. At the end, that's what it's all about.
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  • Profile picture of the author webmonopoly
    Your saying thank god you paid someone on fiverr $10 to make your site, that was probably the reason for your issues. You need to treat your amazon affiliate business like a real biz and you will se results, stay away from the cheap easy route.
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    • Profile picture of the author domainscience
      Originally Posted by webmonopoly View Post

      Your saying thank god you paid someone on fiverr $10 to make your site, that was probably the reason for your issues. You need to treat your amazon affiliate business like a real biz and you will se results, stay away from the cheap easy route.
      Well, Amazon did not exactly block visitors from the website that I paid someone to set up.

      What difference does it make what my website looks like???

      My point is that if I were to spend time setting it up, and "value" and whatever else they are asking for, my time is worth a heck of a lot more then just 4 percent.

      Remember, the trade off for 4 percent is that they are Amazon, that people trust them and suppose to be easy to sell.

      However, if I were to actually spend the time that they seem to be looking for, I'll go to the affiliate that pays 75%.

      I know people look at amazon in the longer term, but, hey, google changed its algorithrm, so why won't amazon do the same?
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      • Profile picture of the author wolfmmiii
        Originally Posted by domainscience View Post

        However, if I were to actually spend the time that they seem to be looking for, I'll go to the affiliate that pays 75%.
        What reputable online merchant offers 75% on physical products? I don't know of any. You are getting hung up on 4%. If you sit down and do the math, 4% can be significant. Not to mention, it actually goes to 8% if you are good at what you do.

        You sound irritated that Amazon won't let you take shortcuts:confused:
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  • Profile picture of the author raffman999
    They probably thought your buyer was suspicious in someway if you bought it from Fiverr.
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