Last Updated on October 17, 2019 by Learn Digital Marketing
You have probably heard about the large sums of money you could potentially earn as an Amazon affiliate. When you become an affiliate marketer, you receive commissions on each sale you make on the Amazon website. What’s more, you do not need to expend your energy marketing unproven products. If you are good at carrying out research, it is possible for you to build your affiliate website around third-party products which have a proven track record.
You could have set up your own website, tested it out, and in a short time after getting it all up and running, you could find a few bucks trickling in. Based on the experience of seasoned Amazon affiliates, the following are the best ways to make some serious cash with your Amazon affiliate site:
- Learn the Basics Of HTML.
To lower your costs and still get exactly what you want from your affiliate business, you need to learn HTML. Even if your website’s basic layout is already done for you, you will still need to know how to place images, insert your links and carry out the basic formatting of text.
- Select A Niche.
Since you will be writing product reviews and offering recommendations, you should pick a topic you know something about and enjoy discussing. If you are not passionate about a topic, it will show, and you will be unable to hold your interest. Select a niche that is narrow enough to be distinct such as bands within your city, or books touching on arts, religion or a business segment that you have experience in.
- Choose A Domain Name.
Your domain name is important, but there is one simple rule that will help your conversions: make the name keyword-rich, but not clever. Always keep in mind that people will look for what you are selling in search engines and pick an appropriate domain name.
4. Register the Domain Name.
If you do not have a technical inclination, register your domain with the same company that sets up your hosting. Otherwise, it is possible to save a few dollars by opting for one of the many low-cost providers. This might not be a big deal for one or two websites, but the savings can add up if you have 10 or 20 sites. Besides price, the service provider needs to be reputable and offer excellent domain management tools and should have a great reputation.
- Set Up Web Hosting.
Web hosting is one area where most Amazon affiliates get burned. In order to market products on Amazon, you do not need to spend $10 per month. There are hosting packages that are as low as $4 per month and allow you to host unlimited domains on the cheap.
- Install WordPress.
Is blogging really necessary? Yes, it is! Having a WordPress site will offer you a structured layout to your site, plus it will make it easy for you to post new content quickly. While there are several open source content management systems available, WordPress is the easiest to install and use, offers powerful tools and has a host of SEO add-ons that will make marketing your website a breeze. Most web hosting companies offer a one-step WordPress installation or, if you are so inclined, you can download and install it yourself.
- Make it Pretty.
The look of your website makes a big impression on your visitors and could be the difference between them making a purchase or moving on. One of the best things about content management systems like WordPress is that they have a large variety of pre-built templates and they let you change the look and feel of your website in an instant.
- Set Up Your Categories.
Finding something you want in a cluttered website is one of the biggest turn-offs for an online shopper. A good content management system will let you arrange your affiliate links into categories to make it easier for customers to browse your website and narrow down to their specific interests.
- Create A Blog Full of Useful Information.
Most people looking to buy stuff online do not go straight to Amazon. They will first carry out some research on the type of product they need and look for recommendations. If you are able to build up a website or blog related to the products features or the problem that it solves, you will be halfway to selling the item.
- SEO and link-building
Similar to any other online business, growing your Amazon affiliate business requires extensive search engine optimization (SEO) and link building. Most website owners or bloggers place their focus on keywords that show high buyer intent. Although this is a good and proven strategy, it does present some risks. Foremost among these is the need to have diversity in your keywords. When you rely too heavily on one or two keywords, you could end up being penalized by search engines. When you build your anchor links, make sure that you vary the anchor text.
- Amazon FBA
Did you know that there is a new way to earn money on Amazon.com which does not require you to ship goods directly to your customers? It is known as Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA). If you have goods that you want to sell on Amazon, you send your inventory directly to Amazon, who will store it in their warehouses and ship to your customers once accepted and listed. Getting started with FBA is easy: You can start by sending in stuff that you no longer use or look for interesting items that people may want to buy from thrift stores or yard sales.
The Final Word
By following the steps outlined above, you should be able to build up an ironclad online business that can bring in significant income, or could be sold off in the future, if you wish to. However, you need to keep in mind that although the marketing strategies outlined above may be effective, they still require a long-term commitment from you. There are no shortcuts.