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Amazon Affiliate as backups?

Do/have any of you used Amazon banners as backup for Google adsense ads?

         

Pixby8

8:36 pm on Dec 19, 2018 (gmt 0)

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Currently on my site, my backup to Google adsense ads is to solicit for donations or sell one of my products. But, I am wondering about Amazon's affiliate/associate program. I've used it in the past, but never as a backup to Adsense.

Has anyone here ever tried it? If so, was it worth it?

Also, for the life of me... I can't get a straight answer to this question. Even when chatting with someone at Amazon about it: Am I permitted to actually ASK users to click on the Amazon banners? Since they aren't CPC, but rather pay a commission for things people buy on Amazon, I would think this is okay?

Ideally, what I would like to be able to do is say something like, "If you're going to be shopping on Amazon anyway, use the banner ad to your left. When you do so, my site earns a small commission of the sale."

All the customer service person at Amazon can do is refer me to this section of the operator agreement:

"5.Identifying Yourself as an Associate
You must clearly state the following, or any substantially similar statement previously allowed under this Agreement, on your Site or any other location where Amazon may authorize your display or other use of Program Content: “As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.” Except for this disclosure, you will not make any public communication with respect to this Agreement or your participation in the Associates Program without our advance written permission. You will not misrepresent or embellish our relationship with you (including by expressing or implying that we support, sponsor, or endorse you), or express or imply any affiliation between us and you or any other person or entity except as expressly permitted by this Agreement."

So, I guess I'm not allowed to say anything BUT "As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases." Yet, at the same time, it appears to allow any statement that is "substantially similar." Thus, they allow different wording, as long as it was something allowed in the past?

Ugh... could they be any more confusing or ambiguous?

Anyway... any insight anyone has into using Amazon as a backup to Google would be appreciated. Thanks!

CommandDork

1:34 am on Dec 20, 2018 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member Top Contributors Of The Month



I think the associate program can succeed in the right environment (site topic, user base, etc.) though it's never done much for me - but I don't run a traditional single-user-oriented blog nor do I review products - so no reason to be pointing people in that direction.

I would personally never ask people to click on anything on my site - let it happen organically. You could divulge something to the effect of "every purchase made through our product links gives a portion back to the operation of this site" at the end of your articles so you're being honest with visitors in that way - I've seen some sites (even "big industry" ones) do that before and it's nice to know I can help them out if I'm so inclined.

But you can always run Amazon as your Adsense filler and see what the numbers show. Might be worth it, might not so mileage varies. HOWEVER, if you go that route, then I would NOT mention anything about clicking/buying on the site through these backup ad placements - as that could imply you are asking people to click on your Adsense ads as well. If you want to run both side-by-side, just set up separate product links on your pages apart from the Adsense ads so there is a clear distinction between the two ad blocks.

IanCP

11:10 pm on Dec 21, 2018 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member Top Contributors Of The Month



Do/have any of you used Amazon banners as backup for Google adsense ads?

YES!

But not in the context you are thinking. I've successfully been with Amazon since 1998.

1. Banner Ads to Amazon are completely useless. DO NOT EVEN WASTE YOUR TIME.

2.IF, and I mean IF you want to be a reasonably successful Amazon Associate you have to work at it, really work hard.

Successful Associates DRIVE traffic to Amazon which converts into sales, where you earn commission [now a days called advertising fees]. Every such Associate has pages on Red Widgets, Blue Widgets etc with links to each individual widget sold by Amazon. Those pages would reside in a "Widget Directory" with an index page outlining each and every widget reviewed and recommended.

It is that Widget Directory index page you use as backup for Google adsense ads. I have taught electronics online for 20+ years. Mostly for much needed revenue in the early pre-AdSense days I reviewed and sold recommended books through Amazon.

In more recent years electronic component retailers are selling through Amazon - it is these my page used as backup for Google adsense ads takes visitors to.

For well over a decade we had a useful mutual help forum at Amazon - now [as usual] they've stuffed it up with promises to fix it. Only the canny can post others can just look.

[engagedforums.com ]

gabork

3:28 am on May 30, 2019 (gmt 0)

5+ Year Member



Hello

I am still not clear on how to use banner Ads or amazon affiliate product ads as back up ads to Google Adsense. Anyone has any idea about this? please do share. thanks!

IanCP

10:05 am on May 30, 2019 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member Top Contributors Of The Month



You obviously didn't read what I wrote immediately above

skaterpunk

12:47 pm on May 30, 2019 (gmt 0)

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I second IanCP comments. Amazon banner ads never produced one conversion for me, but well implemented and relevant text links work well.

Lame_Wolf

2:03 pm on May 30, 2019 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member Top Contributors Of The Month



You won't be able to have back up ads soon.

Simplifying “If no ads available”
We’re continuously working to increase the quality and safety of our ad network and reduce the number of malicious ads that enter the AdSense network. As a result, we're removing the “If no ads available” option and we’ll be defaulting to collapsing the ad space or showing a blank space instead. If your current setting is a colour or another URL, it will be updated in the near future and your current settings will stop serving in the near future.

NickMNS

2:15 pm on May 30, 2019 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member Top Contributors Of The Month



You won't be able to have back up ads soon.

It will still be possible but one will need to implement Google AdManager (formerly DFP) to do it, which complicates things considerably.

Lame_Wolf

2:40 pm on May 30, 2019 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member Top Contributors Of The Month



Thanks for that, Nick. It looks like I'll have to look into that.

No5needinput

10:04 pm on May 30, 2019 (gmt 0)

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While we're on the topic of Amazon does anyone know if they use ads.txt, and the format - if they use it? Can't find much info at all about it.

Niresh12495

3:21 pm on Jun 9, 2019 (gmt 0)

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I have tried amazon ads as backup, using ads in iframe causes irrelevant ads, People tends to click very less on them, IMO its a wast of time.

Lame_Wolf

4:39 pm on Jun 9, 2019 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member Top Contributors Of The Month



While we're on the topic of Amazon does anyone know if they use ads.txt, and the format - if they use it? Can't find much info at all about it.


This is from Amazon....

Hello,

After speaking with our CPM Ads team, they have provided the information you may need for your ads.txt file as follows:

Domain of Advertising System: amazon-adsystem.com
Publisher Account ID: 320
Type of Account/Relationship: DIRECT


(not sure if the ID will be the same.)

No5needinput

10:14 pm on Jun 9, 2019 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member Top Contributors Of The Month



OK, thanks. I did see that as well but wondered about the ID part too.
 

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