Affiliate Marketing is one of the easiest and fastest ways that Bloggers can make money. However, sometimes we get a little lost on the tutorials for how to actually implement the affiliate into our blogs. It’s understandable, not all of us Bloggers are fluent in code speak. The Amazon Affiliate Program is a really good one to join when you’re starting. There is quite a bit of information out there for you to research why Affiliate marketing is a great idea, why you should be using it to monetize your blog and even this great article from my friend Candis over at Smart Mom Blogger on 5 Ridiculously Easy Ways Mom Bloggers can make money with Affiliates.
How to Add an Amazon Affiliate Link
This post answers a specific question brought up in one of my Blogging Facebook Groups today. A Blogger just recently became an Amazon Affiliate and did not fully understand how to implement the links into her blog. There was a confusion between URLs and HTML formats. So, here I am with my nifty pink arrows again… you know the drill…
Become an Amazon Affiliate
If you are not already an Amazon Affiliate, you should sign up. It is FREE and all Bloggers can find something to Blog about on Amazon. Here is the LINK to sign up for the Amazon Associates Program.
Step 1: Get your URL Short Link
Once you’re an Affiliate {or Associate, same thing} your Amazon Screen will look like this: There will be an additional task bar above allowing you to choose the type of link you want for the current product on your screen. If you intend to hyperlink the product {make a link from the word within your content} with a URL Short Link, select the TEXT option. It will give you a Short Link. Highlight it and copy it.
Step 2: Hyperlink the Word
Whatever you’re blogging about that you want to add your link to, highlight it in your content. It will usually be the name of the product or a general category if you’re sending people to a whole page.
Next, click on the Hyperlink Icon in your task bar.
Step 3: Insert Link
A box will appear. Put your cursor in the box and Ctrl-V to paste your Short Link into the box. Click the Blue Arrow and you’re done. Bonus: Go into the Settings Wheel to the right and check the box that says “Open in New Window” so that readers don’t lose your blog after they link around the interwebs, shopping.
Adding Image HTML Code
Perhaps you want to add the product image into your post and not just a shortcode, hyperlink. This is where the confusion came in this morning. For an image code, you’re now getting into HTML land, not URL land. An HTML code will not work as a hyperlink. You must actually code it into your content. This step can be a tiny bit tricky but you’ll catch on quick.
Step 1: Get your HTML Code
Back on your Amazon Screen, on your same product page, now select that you want an Image. A code will appear. Highlight it, copy it.
Step 2: Insert your HTML Code
Now, this is the tricky part. On the far right side of your posting dashboard, there are 2 options for writing a post format, Visual and Text. Click on the TEXT format. You may notice your font change to a bit more old school tech. Find the location throughout your content where you want the image to appear. Type this: <code>
then, immediately paste your HTML. There is in fact, a little code icon on your taskbar, but sometimes it gets lost in the scrolling to find your location and it always just drops it into the bottom of your content, so I just started typing my own.
Step 3: Adjusting
Once you have inserted your HTML code, click back to the VISUAL format and you’ll see it. Then you’re done! From here you can even click on and drag your image to new locations.
*This post doesn’t actually contain any affiliate links if you can believe it! 😉
Also Read
How to Start A Blog in 5 Steps
My Mommy Money Blogging Adventure
Affiliate Disclaimer: My blog is heavily monetized with numerous affiliate links throughout. If you click on these links and make a purchase I earn a small commission. THANK YOU for helping me build the boys’ college savings accounts! Please feel free to visit all of our affiliates and read the entire disclosure/disclaimer HERE
This was so helpful! I was having the hardest time figuring out how to add in an affiliate link to my new blog, but this post made it so clear and easy! Thank you so much Kandice!
I’m so glad it helped you!
This was a great post! I’ve been searching for an easy to understand guide to this! I so so appreciate it! Thank you!!!
You’re so welcome!
First of all, your blog name! Best ever. Secondly, thanks for taking the time to post this, super easy and helpful 🙂
Ha! Thank y ou! And you’re welcome! It came up in one of my Facebook groups so I thought it might be helpful!
Thank you for this. I wish I would have found your page yesterday. I spent forever trying to figure this out.
Thank you for this information! It is still as relevant and helpful today as it was when you posted it back in 2017! Question for you – do you happen to know how to retroactively update links in posts prior to becoming an Amazon Affiliate? I have quite a few posts that I’ve already published with links to Amazon. Do I have to go back and manually update all my links? I am hoping for a short cut! Thank you!!!
Hi there! I’m so glad it was helpful! Unfortunately, you will have to go in and manually change your Amazon links to affiliate links on every post as I assume they all link to individual products. If you’re working in WordPress there is this awesome new feature for a “Reusable Block” which I’m using for all my footers. You can put one generic Amazon Search Ad there and then it repeats across all posts where you’ve used the Reusable Block. So that is nifty! But the link all goes to the same one place.
That was really helpful, I have been struggling with it a lot, thank you 🙂
Thank you for the helpful breakdown, imagine if a group of us women got together just like that Reddit stock group, and proceeded to dominate and take names, how powerful we would be 😉 -M