If you’ve been using the Internet for a while you’re probably aware of the fantastic Amazon Associates affiliate program that allows bloggers to earn money by helping folks find great deals on items at the Amazon website.
In my opinion, there is no better affiliate program in the world because Amazon makes it easy to earn commissions on great products that most buyers end up loving in the end.
That’s why I participate in the program myself.
Unfortunately, any time a company comes up with a great idea for helping people do better in life, there are always scammers waiting in the wings to take advantage of people who just want to make an honest living.
With that in mind, I have a tip for anyone who is interested in getting started with the Amazon Associates affiliate program: Steer clear of anyone who tries to sell you a cookie-cutter Amazon affiliate website.
These websites all tend to share a similar look and feel, and they typically contain little or no actual content except for the Amazon affiliate links themselves.
They might look very pleasing to the eye and “professional”, but don’t let the looks fool you. They rarely end up ranking well in the search engines which means they won’t be getting much free traffic from Google, Bing and other search engines.
The scammers make their money in two ways:
1 – They sell you a high-priced website with the promise of being able to make good money with very little effort. I can tell you now that simply won’t happen.
In order to make money with any affiliate program your website must attract a lot of visitors, and since these cookie-cutter sites don’t rank well in the search engines you won’t be receiving enough traffic to earn any serious money.
2 – After you complain to the scammer that you aren’t making any money, they’ll try to tell you it’s your fault because you don’t know what you’re doing. Then they’ll try to sell you an expensive “training package”.
But all of the above being said, don’t let it deter you if you really want to earn money as an Amazon affiliate.
Becoming an Amazon Associate is indeed one of the best ways I know of to make money online in an honest way while actually helping your blog’s visitors find the items they want and need at a great price.
The thing is you’ll never succeed at it by purchasing a cookie-cutter affiliate website.
If you’re interested in making real money online, you’ll need to create a blog of your own, from scratch (or pay a few bucks to have one built for you).
I’ve written a post that can help you get started without having to cough up a bunch of cash…
How YOU can make an extra $1,000 per month, at home, using your own computer!
Bottom line: Don’t fall for the bogus claims of scammers who are out to make a quick buck by selling you a worthless cookie-cutter Amazon affiliate website, then scam you again by selling you an equally worthless “training package”.
Instead, build your own blog using WordPress, then promote it yourself (I’ll be happy to explain how – just ask). Before long you’ll be making some real money online, and if you stick with it you could be doing quite well within a relatively short period of time.
Bonus tip #1: Ryan Stevens has written a fantastic book that explains in detail how to get started with the Amazon Associates affiliate program the right way. Click here (#ad) to check it out at Amazon.
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