Amazon doesn't allow Paid Search Traffic

Brujah · 04-06-2009, 04:37 AM

Did you get this email?

Quote:

After careful review of how we are investing our advertising resources, we have made the decision to no longer pay referral fees to Associates who send users to www.amazon.com, www.amazon.ca, or www.endless.com through keyword bidding and other paid search on Google, Yahoo, MSN, and other search engines, and their extended search networks.

https://affiliate-program.amazon.com...omo/paidsearch

***SpareDomains*** · 04-06-2009, 05:46 AM

got it as well, I can understand banning paid traffic on pay per click pages but banning pages that pay out only if a sale is made seems odd, maybe they are worried from google adwords current case where advertisers have been advertising on trademarked brand names and wanna eliminate that to avoid a case of their own or just wanna crush it so anytime you search for something it's their own ad leading you to amazon which will make the ad cheaper for them as there will be no competition and no affiliate payout as well.

**enlytend** · 04-06-2009, 07:28 AM

I have to wonder if it could possibly also have something to do with the sales tax legislation pending or already passed in the US (Connecticut, California, Hawaii, Minnesota, Tennessee, North Carolina and most recently Maryland) regarding sales tax on internet purchases through affiliates based in those states - like the one in NY last summer, which prompted a number of merchants to drop all their NY affiliates. How do these laws affect direct paid search not specifically EXCLUDING customers in those states?
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/affiliate-talk/573022-amazon-doesnt-allow-paid-search-traffic.html

If it was strictly bid pricing there are other ways to address that. Maybe this was the easiest way out for them - who knows? Perhaps they're tired of affiliates outbidding them. Sometimes a ban on direct paid search is just a ban on direct paid search!

Anyway, sounds like indirect paid search is still OK ... quoting their FAQ:

Quote:

Q: If my paid search advertisement directs a user first to an interstitial page, then to www.amazon.com, www.endless.com, or www.amazon.ca, will I earn referral fees?
A: No. However, if you place paid search advertisements to send users to your own website, and then your website displays links to www.amazon.com, www.endless.com, or www.amazon.ca in accordance with the Operating Agreement, you may earn referral fees for qualifying purchases made by users who click on your paid search ad, click through to your site, then click through to an Amazon site.

I'll go out on a limb here and say based on that statement (with the caveat that I haven't read all the fine print in their latest operating agreement yet) that if my ad was for "find the best green widgets" and I directed them to a landing page on my site with some information about green widgets and some "buy now" links which happened to include Amazon.com, that would probably be OK.

dag · 04-06-2009, 11:10 AM

Originally Posted by enlytend

I'll go out on a limb here and say based on that statement (with the caveat that I haven't read all the fine print in their latest operating agreement yet) that if my ad was for "find the best green widgets" and I directed them to a landing page on my site with some information about green widgets and some "buy now" links which happened to include Amazon.com, that would probably be OK.

That's exactly how I read it, and yes, I think it's still fine to do paid search to direct them to your own site first.

scott bannon · 04-06-2009, 02:13 PM

Originally Posted by enlytend

I'll go out on a limb here and say based on that statement (with the caveat that I haven't read all the fine print in their latest operating agreement yet) that if my ad was for "find the best green widgets" and I directed them to a landing page on my site with some information about green widgets and some "buy now" links which happened to include Amazon.com, that would probably be OK.

That's how I understand it too, which is cool with me because I seem to do better with PPC when sending traffic to a "reviews" style landing page with 3 product options than I ever do sending them direct to a single product page, so no big deal as I see it.
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=573022

I'm sure some others who have found "buying longtails" to target with PPC will feel differently though. Sucks for them.

MJ · 04-06-2009, 11:12 PM

Well although the news is sad... I dont think its that bad... you get like what, 6.5% from amazon? Paying 50 cents per click and when they buy a 50$ shirt you make 3$ if they buy it... not a very good payout imo. I have never had much luck with amazon

JimPatterson · 04-08-2009, 02:00 PM

It makes sense from the standpoint that Amazon is mostly looking for their affiliates to promote from their own webpages. I gave it two seconds of thought and realized I had no problem...

MT Domains · 04-08-2009, 04:09 PM

Pretty sure you guys are right, that it's perfectly fine to buy ads directing people to your site, which has links to amazon... Here's what Amazon replied to the guys over at Associate-O-Matic:

"The e-mail we sent means that if a customer clicks on an ad on a search engine which takes them directly to amazon without going to an Associate site first to click a link, no referral fees will be paid out."

So people who buy ads on Google for their own sites which are just amazon affiliate stores, or have links to amazon on their site, are perfectly fine.

The thread I got this from is here:

http://www.associate-o-matic.com/for...php?f=2&t=2911

casinoslot · 04-13-2009, 11:04 PM

I occasionally get a small direct deposit from them.

Who hasn't heard of Amazon anyway.

A wordpress plugin lets you add some Amazon 'filler' product pages to your blog.

It's like domain names, you need experience and dedication to make it pay off.

mcpeak8562 · 04-14-2009, 12:48 AM

I have this same e-mail and wonder if it is not basis for anti-trust lawsuit, basically they want to eliminate any competition within the paid search market.

They only pay Google 1 cent per click so I don't know why they are doing this. I can see a nice chunk of their revenues dropping off short term.

**enlytend** · 04-14-2009, 04:34 AM

A lot of affiliate programs don't allow direct paid search.

They're not eliminating their competition - you can still promote them with paid search, just not in that manner.

evirtual1 · 05-05-2009, 02:45 AM

to fully understand this may i ask does this mean if i own a website that pays for search traffic via google and so on , if someone clicked on a amazon item at my site i would not get paid ???? sorry to sound dumb just trying to fully understand what's happening

**enlytend** · 05-05-2009, 04:35 AM

Clicking on a link on YOUR site is fine. What they don't want is people using Adwords to send people DIRECTLY to a page on Amazon.

BTW, eBay's implementing the same restriction ... eBay Partner Network Blog | eBay Affiliate Program News » Blog Archive » Updated: Changes to Accepted Business Models

04-06-2009, 11:12 PM	#6 (permalink)
MJ Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Tucson AZ Posts: 1,242	Well although the news is sad... I dont think its that bad... you get like what, 6.5% from amazon? Paying 50 cents per click and when they buy a 50$ shirt you make 3$ if they buy it... not a very good payout imo. I have never had much luck with amazon __________________ Wii Sucks - Wii Fansite Tucson Dog Training San Angelo TX

04-13-2009, 11:04 PM	#9 (permalink)
casinoslot First Time Poster! Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Green Bay Posts: 1	I occasionally get a small direct deposit from them. Who hasn't heard of Amazon anyway. A wordpress plugin lets you add some Amazon 'filler' product pages to your blog. It's like domain names, you need experience and dedication to make it pay off. __________________ Casino slot games and the best wagering sites with Las Vegas or bust and Atlantic City casino hotels.

04-14-2009, 12:48 AM	#10 (permalink)
mcpeak8562 New Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 6	I have this same e-mail and wonder if it is not basis for anti-trust lawsuit, basically they want to eliminate any competition within the paid search market. They only pay Google 1 cent per click so I don't know why they are doing this. I can see a nice chunk of their revenues dropping off short term. __________________ Attention Affiliate Marketers: If you did not make an easy $500 to $5,000 profit last month, here's how to

04-14-2009, 04:34 AM	#11 (permalink)
enlytend Forum Moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: USA Posts: 2,041 Follow @enlytend	A lot of affiliate programs don't allow direct paid search. They're not eliminating their competition - you can still promote them with paid search, just not in that manner. __________________ Enlytend Solutions - Internet marketing and web development, specializing in local search optimization Was my advice helpful? Please consider a small donation to the National Canine Cancer Foundation - a tax deductible 501(c)(3)that directly funds cancer research

05-05-2009, 02:45 AM	#12 (permalink)
evirtual1 NamePros Expert Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: VampireHire.Com Posts: 6,808	to fully understand this may i ask does this mean if i own a website that pays for search traffic via google and so on , if someone clicked on a amazon item at my site i would not get paid ???? sorry to sound dumb just trying to fully understand what's happening __________________ Domain Name Investors Ebook ...perfect gift for the newbies Business Show Watch The Domainers Song Seeking serious offers .. F-X-T.com = Forex Trading

04-06-2009, 05:46 AM	#2 (permalink)
*SpareDomains* Business Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 2,450	got it as well, I can understand banning paid traffic on pay per click pages but banning pages that pay out only if a sale is made seems odd, maybe they are worried from google adwords current case where advertisers have been advertising on trademarked brand names and wanna eliminate that to avoid a case of their own or just wanna crush it so anytime you search for something it's their own ad leading you to amazon which will make the ad cheaper for them as there will be no competition and no affiliate payout as well.

04-08-2009, 02:00 PM	#7 (permalink)
JimPatterson New Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 4	It makes sense from the standpoint that Amazon is mostly looking for their affiliates to promote from their own webpages. I gave it two seconds of thought and realized I had no problem...

04-08-2009, 04:09 PM	#8 (permalink)
MT Domains NamePros Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 35	Pretty sure you guys are right, that it's perfectly fine to buy ads directing people to your site, which has links to amazon... Here's what Amazon replied to the guys over at Associate-O-Matic: "The e-mail we sent means that if a customer clicks on an ad on a search engine which takes them directly to amazon without going to an Associate site first to click a link, no referral fees will be paid out." So people who buy ads on Google for their own sites which are just amazon affiliate stores, or have links to amazon on their site, are perfectly fine. The thread I got this from is here: http://www.associate-o-matic.com/for...php?f=2&t=2911

05-05-2009, 04:35 AM	#13 (permalink)
enlytend Forum Moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: USA Posts: 2,041 Follow @enlytend	Clicking on a link on YOUR site is fine. What they don't want is people using Adwords to send people DIRECTLY to a page on Amazon. BTW, eBay's implementing the same restriction ... eBay Partner Network Blog \| eBay Affiliate Program News » Blog Archive » Updated: Changes to Accepted Business Models __________________ Enlytend Solutions - Internet marketing and web development, specializing in local search optimization Was my advice helpful? Please consider a small donation to the National Canine Cancer Foundation - a tax deductible 501(c)(3)that directly funds cancer research

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