This is a common question for those looking to start an Amazon affiliate store. Amazon’s affiliate program pays commissions to website owners and bloggers who refer customers to Amazon. Commissions are paid on qualifying purchases and can range from 1% to 10% depending on the products. So how much can you actually make with an Amazon affiliate store?
What is an Amazon affiliate store?
An Amazon affiliate store is a website or blog that promotes Amazon products and earns commissions through Amazon’s affiliate program. Here’s how it works:
- You create a website or blog and fill it with content related to the Amazon products you want to promote. This content helps attract an audience interested in those products.
- You join Amazon’s affiliate program and get a custom tracking ID.
- You add links and product recommendations to your website that connect to Amazon using your tracking ID.
- When a visitor clicks your link and buys a product on Amazon, you earn a commission.
Affiliate commissions typically range from 1-10%. But most products earn 4-8.5%. With each sale, Amazon pays you a percentage of the total amount spent.
What impacts Amazon affiliate earnings?
There are several factors that affect how much money you can make from an Amazon affiliate store:
- Traffic – The amount of traffic your website gets directly impacts your earnings. More traffic equals more potential customers and commissions.
- Conversions – Your conversion rate is the percentage of visitors that click your links and actually make purchases. A higher conversion rate results in higher earnings.
- Commission rates – Different product categories have different commission rates. Categories like books pay smaller commissions around 4-5%, while TVs pay 9-10%.
- Amazon niche – Choosing a profitable niche with high-priced products results in bigger commissions per sale.
- Promotional methods – Actively promoting products through content and email marketing boosts conversions and earnings.
The combination of these factors determines your potential Amazon affiliate income. Products with higher prices and commissions in popular niches, promoted heavily to engaged audiences, provide the best opportunities.
What is the average earnings for an Amazon affiliate site?
It’s difficult to estimate exact average earnings for Amazon affiliates. Income varies widely based on traffic volume, conversions, niches, marketing, and other factors. However, here are some estimates based on available data:
- According to Amazon, the average commission rate across all products is 4.5%.
- A poll by Mediakix found affiliates earn $12.72 on average per referral.
- MonetizePros estimates monthly earnings of $500-$2,000 for new sites with some traffic.
- A 2017 study found sites with 200,000+ monthly visitors generated over $15,000 per month on average.
- Top performing Amazon affiliates make 6-7 figures per month, but they have huge, targeted audiences.
So while the average Amazon affiliate income may be just a few hundred dollars a month initially, there is huge potential to scale up to several thousand dollars or more. But it takes time and effort to build traffic and conversions.
What niches are most profitable for Amazon affiliates?
Certain niche topics offer higher earning potential for Amazon affiliates.
Here are some of the most profitable niches:
- Electronics – Camera equipment, laptops, TVs, and smart home tech offer high ticket items and 8-10% commissions.
- Home & Kitchen – Cookware, appliances, furniture, and tools have above average conversion rates according to Skimlinks.
- Sports & Outdoors – Products like tents, bikes, skis earn commissions of 8% or more.
- DIY & Home Improvement – Tools, hardware, home decor, and more have high conversions.
- Toys & Games – Parents seeking games, bikes, educational toys and more provide opportunities.
- Baby Products – New parents with high purchasing needs offer lots of potential commissions.
- Health & Beauty – Supplements, cosmetics, and skincare products bring in steady sales.
These verticals contain expensive, high demand products. But almost any niche from automotive to pets to arts & crafts can work.
What products bring in the most affiliate commissions?
While niche is important, individual products also vary widely in their commission rates. These types of products often bring in the highest commissions per sale:
- Electronics – Laptops, TVs, cameras, headphones.
- Appliances – Vacuums, microwaves, dishwashers, stoves.
- Furniture – Beds, sofas, ottomans, shelves.
- Outdoor items – Tents, grills, patio furniture, mowers.
- Fitness equipment – Treadmills, weights, exercise bikes.
- Mattresses – Memory foam, innerspring, hybrid mattresses.
Products that cost more bring in bigger commissions. But even smaller purchases add up across thousands of customers. Recommending a range of products both large and small maximizes affiliate earnings.
Getting started with an Amazon affiliate website
If you want to build an Amazon affiliate website, follow these steps to get started:
- Choose a niche – Pick a specific niche that has demand for high-value Amazon products.
- Register for Amazon Associates – Create an account to access product links and your custom tracking ID.
- Build your website – Use a content management system like WordPress to launch your website quickly.
- Create content – Publish reviews, recommendations, and guides that reference Amazon products.
- Insert affiliate links – Add text links and image links connecting to Amazon products using your ID code.
- Promote your site – Reach your target audience through SEO, social media, and email marketing.
- Analyze data – Use Google Analytics to study traffic sources, top pages, conversions, and more.
Driving targeted traffic to your site takes significant time and effort. But growth in monthly visitors directly correlates with higher affiliate income over time.
Mistakes to avoid as a beginner
When starting out as an Amazon affiliate, steer clear of these common mistakes:
- Choosing a broad niche – Narrow down to a specific niche with passionate buyers and expensive products.
- Promoting irrelevant products – Only recommend products you have researched and believe in.
- Overusing links – Integrate affiliate links naturally into content to avoid looking spammy.
- Focusing solely on commissions – Build loyalty by providing honest, quality recommendations.
- Ignoring SEO – Use keywords and optimize technical elements to improve search visibility.
- Having thin content – Expand product descriptions, include images, videos, tables for more value.
Success takes time. Stick to best practices, avoid shortcuts, and keep working to grow your audience.
Examples of successful Amazon affiliate sites
Thousands of websites make meaningful income from the Amazon Associates program. Here are a few examples of successful and profitable Amazon affiliate sites:
Smart Money Mom
Smart Money Mom is a personal finance site helping moms earn, save, and invest more money. It covers stock market investing, work from home jobs, side hustles, and more. The site has detailed reviews of online brokerages and investment research services. Other popular content includes tax tips, cybersecurity guides, and work from home job listings. Affiliate links to related books, courses, and tools are integrated throughout each article.
Outdoor Gear Lab
Outdoor Gear Lab reviews hiking boots, ski gear, outdoor apparel, camping equipment, and more. Each product review rates items based on durability, comfort, performance, value, and other criteria. Reviews usually recommend the “Best Overall” product as well as “Best Budget” and “Best High End” options. The site targets outdoor enthusiasts and features in-depth buying guides like “How to Choose a Camping Stove.” Affiliate links go to related gear on Amazon and other outdoor retailers.
Foodal
Foodal covers food, kitchen tools, and cooking techniques for home chefs. Recipes range from appetizers to entrees to desserts. The site offers detailed reviews and recommendations for cookware, bakeware, knives, small appliances, and more. For example, an in-depth guide to the best stand mixers compares features, performance, and value across different models. Affiliate links connect to related products on Amazon and other kitchenware retailers. Foodal also operates the Super Healthy Kids site with healthy recipes for families.
Tools & Crafts
Tools & Crafts caters to DIYers, woodworkers, mechanics, and hobbyists with product reviews of power tools, hand tools, auto tools, wood finishing supplies, and craft materials. The site covers all major tool brands like DeWalt, Makita, Milwaukee, Festool, and more. Each buying guide looks at products in different price ranges. For example, a cordless drill guide will rate options under $100, $200, and $500. Affiliate links go to Amazon and major home improvement retailers.
Getting to higher earnings levels
It takes time and effort to build an audience and generate significant earnings from an Amazon affiliate site. But by committing to the following strategies, you can grow your income:
- Focus on SEO – Optimize pages and content to rank higher in search engines like Google.
- Produce more in-depth content – Create detailed reviews, comparisons, and buying guides that add value.
- Diversify traffic sources – Reach readers through social media, email lists, and other channels beyond SEO.
- Update older content – Refresh existing pages to make them more useful over time.
- Promote conversions – Use email sequences and retargeting ads to guide visitors toward purchases.
- Analyze data – Track traffic sources, conversions, referrals, and other metrics to refine your strategy.
- Expand reach – Grow your audience both within your niche and into complementary topics.
Ultimately, building a brand that provides authentic value takes patience. But the long-term rewards of higher commissions and exponential audience growth make it well worth the effort.
Conclusion
Amazon’s affiliate program offers an intriguing income stream for website owners in any niche. While earnings vary based on factors like traffic, conversions, and niche, most sites generate hundreds to thousands per month initially. With significant effort put into SEO, content, email marketing, and social media, six and even seven figure incomes are possible. However, patience is required as earning at higher levels takes 1-2 years of hard work before results materialize. There are certainly no shortcuts to big incomes with Amazon affiliates. But for those willing to put in the work, the financial and lifestyle rewards can be well worth it.
