How Common are Amazon Associate Suspensions?
Amazon Associates is a program that allows bloggers and website owners to provide links to Amazon.com on their blog or website. When a visitor clicks through to Amazon and makes a purchase, the Amazon Associate member earns a portion of the visitor’s purchase. Though the average blogger does not make a fortune through Amazon Associates, it is a convenient way to implement affiliate marketing and make money off the referral fees.
Amazon Associates is not like selling on the Amazon marketplace. However, members of this program must abide by Amazon’s strict rules and regulations just like marketplace sellers. Amazon Associate suspensions happen quite often – and according to those who have been suspended from the associates program, the team over in Seattle is ruthless when it comes to reinstatement.
Suspensions for Amazon marketplace sellers are very often the result of sheer carelessness and lack of attention to detail when it comes to the rules and regulations. The majority of Amazon Associates members bypass the Operating Agreement and other important notes in the fine print, which is a major root cause of Amazon Associates suspensions. Additionally, reinstatement for associates is no small feat – those who have been suspended from the associates program say that it is far more difficult to handle an associate suspension than it is to handle a seller account suspension.
Avoiding an Amazon Associate Suspension
There are measures that can be taken to avoid being suspended from the associates program – first of all, read the operating agreement! This is where you will learn exactly what to do (and what not to do) as an Amazon Associate. Once you are familiar with the regulations, keep these standards in mind for optimal success with affiliate marketing through Amazon.
- Only Use Affiliate Links on a Website or Blog You Own. Never place your affiliate link on a third party website or blog. Amazon Associates is meant to generate income via referrals from your own site only – placing your links elsewhere is a surefire way to get banned.
- Do Not Use Affiliate Links in Emails or Newsletters. This one may come as a surprise, even to seasoned Amazon pros – but it’s true, you cannot use your Amazon Associates links in email blasts, personal emails, or any other form of electronic communication. Do not use affiliate links in a downloadable PDF or Kindle publication. In plain English – don’t use your links on anything except your own website or blog.
- Operate Only One Account. As with marketplace sellers, you may only operate one Amazon Associates account. Anything more than that will get you suspended, and likely banned permanently. Amazon’s technology for detecting duplicate accounts is becoming more advanced and accurate every day, and having more than one account is a massive risk. Keep one account in good standing and you will not have any issues in this area.
- Avoid Shortening URLs. Services like tinyurl and bit.ly are common practices for bloggers and social media managers – but when it comes to Amazon, keep the URL intact. The linking requirements document for Amazon associates states the following: “You must not use a link shortening service in a manner that makes it unclear that you are linking to an Amazon Site.”
Overall, Amazon Associate suspensions may occur more often than users realize – and with this program, the rules are even more intricate than the rules for marketplace sellers. But as long as you do your homework and read all the literature provided by Amazon, using the affiliate program is a great way to generate income through your personal blog or website.