If you are into affiliate marketing, I am sure you should have heard of Amazon associates. The affiliate program of Amazon, Amazon Associates is, in fact, one of the pioneers of Affiliate marketing. It is one of the most popular and successful programs in the entire affiliate marketing ecosystem.

One of the reasons why Amazon’s affiliate program – Amazon Associates works is that Amazon is a well known and trustworthy brand. The online giant has something for everyone, and it converts really well. Depending on your niche, you can expect to earn significant commissions by referring several Amazon products.

Amazon Associates is really popular among several (affiliate) bloggers. Many bloggers claim to have made a significant amount in commissions from the Amazon Associates program. Darren Rowse of Problogger, for example, claims to have made more than $420,000 in last ten years of his blogging journey with the Amazon affiliate program.

Few other reasons why I think you should get started with the Amazon affiliate program;

• Easy to enroll: Amazon Associates is for everyone, and it’s really easy to get started (see the three steps walk-through below). You can be up and running in less than five minutes.
• Simple to Link: Linking to Amazon products is really easy. All you have to do is search for the products in your niche (that you want to recommend) and grab the link.
• Paid for Complete Orders: You don’t just get paid for the products that you refer to. You will earn commissions for the entire order someone makes within 24 hours period (affiliate window) of landing on Amazon from your link.

Amazon’s affiliate program, however, is criticized lately as being a complete waste of time. Few reasons that I repeatedly hear criticisms for the program include;

• Low Commissions: The commission rate ranges from only 4-8% depending on the product type and your performance (number of sales).
• Short Cookie Period: Your referrals need to make a purchase within 24 hours. (Items added to cart within the 24 hour period will still earn you commissions if the purchase is made within 89 days.)

You can take some time to research the program and see if it’s worth your time, but I recommend getting on board and slowly making your way if it fits your blog.

Amazon affiliate program is easy to get started, has wide range of products, and the integration is really simple.