For many bloggers and niche affiliators, Amazon’s Affiliate program is a best platform to earn their livings. But as we know any affiliate program have rights to ban you anytime. So, Amazon also reserves the right to ban you any time.
If you break any of Amazon’s Terms of Service (ToS), all of the hard work you’ve put into your niche site could vanish in one second.
Today we are going to talk that how we can prevent our Amazon Affiliate account or Amazon Associate account banned.
If you are an amazon associate or any amazon affiliate account or want to become an amazon affiliate, then you should keep these points in mind always.
- Have affiliate disclosure on your blog
If you have any amazon affiliate website or any affiliate website, then always put affiliate disclosure on your website or blog. You can put it in your blog footer. You can also make a separate page as affiliate disclosure where you can mention that when anyone clicks on your links and purchase from that link, you will receive some commission. So, when you have an affiliate disclosure then neither affiliates will have any problem nor customers.
The best strategy is put one line in footer that you are earning commissions from the product you are promoting.
- Use right Amazon Affiliate buttons.
Sometimes happens that When anyone running amazon affiliate websites, many peoples uses amazon button with amazon logo. These cause to account ban. Don’t do this mistake. Instead this, Use text buttons like “click here to go to Amazon” or Buy on “Amazon”.
- Don’t Show price.
This is a common mistake. Mostly do it. Most people write the product price but amazon is fully against it. Because As you see, price on Amazon always keep fluctuating. When any sale happens, price goes down and when sale ends it goes up. So, amazon don’t want user to dissatisfy on that price which you shown on your website.
- Don’t link sexually, explicit or violent sites.
For seo sometimes, people get backlinks from such type of sites that have sexual content or hacks and cracks or illegal contents. In such case, there is a full chance of getting your amazon affiliate account banned. So always check your website’s backlink profile to find bad links. If found any, then disallow them.
- Don’t send your amazon affiliate links in Email or SMS.
Many people thinks that they have affiliate links and they will share that links to their friends, family, colleagues and when they will purchase, you will get commission. Sometimes they bribe them they will share the commission profit when they will purchase from their affiliate link. For this, they send the links through email, sms, whatsapp messages etc. which is totally wrong. So, never send amazon affiliate links directly to anyone. Instead this, send yor website url, review url etc. If you still want to make money from Amazon using email marketing, instead of sending traffic to Amazon, link to a page on your site that includes your Affiliate Links.
- Use only amazon url shortner services(Link Cloaking / Link Hiding)
Some people use bitly or other third-party URL shortner websites to shorten the link. This is wrong. Amazon has its own url shortner(Amzn.to). You can get it in Amazon associate strip on the header of the website after affiliate login. There are many options. There you have option to generate long URL or short URL.
- Don’t buy from your own affiliate links.
When you create an amazon affiliate link and share it to your family to buy or you buy yourself from your account, then your account will be banned. Amazon can track address. And if your family is using same wifi or internet to buy the product from your affiliate link, then amazon can also track your ip and if found same then your account can get ban.
- Don’t operate more than one Amazon Affiliate Account. (Use Multiple Tracking Ids)
It is advisable to not use multiple amazon affiliate account at one time. Instead this, you can make multiple tracking id’s and use them to separate. Otherwise your account may get ban.
- Don’t Violate Amazon Trademark policies.
Never use domains like amazon.buy.com or amazonsale.com or amazonoffers.com.
These domains are using Amazon Trademark name and these types of domains will be banned instantly. However, you can use trademarked name in your post permalink, as keyword in permalink is one of the on-Page SEO factors that help getting ranked in Google.
- Paid Search Placement Bids
Amazon Trademark names like kindle amazon prime, audible are not allowed to make bids with direct links on search engine. So, if you using amazon trademark keywords to bid and send the traffic direct to the amazon using that bid result, then your account will get banned. Instead this you can try to redirect that traffic to your website or blog first and then anyone clicks on your website and go to amazon to buy that product then you can earn commission.
- Don’t Use Amazon Customer Reviews without API.
Some people copy and paste the customer reviews given on any product on Amazon Website for their article or website. This is totally wrong. Use some API service to display those reviews. When any user will post any review on amazon then it will also show on your website using that API. This is legitimate way to show reviews. Otherwise your account will be get banned. You can’t use Amazon star rating reviews or other contents to copy paste and generate sales. I use user’s opinion and develop content accordingly. But I don’t copy them directly. I just take the opinion, and write of my own.
It’s Your Turn
For more information about all of these common pitfalls, and all of the other things that Amazon wants you to know about being an Affiliate, make sure to check out the full Amazon Affiliate’s agreement.
Have questions about any of the bannable offenses above?
The best thing to do is to contact Amazon.