Bye-bye Amazon [Affiliate Program] - Page 3 - geek/talk: Web publishing business discussion

JP Sauve · 11-05-2003, 11:55 AM

This is an old thread, but thought I'd add my 2 cents.

I dumped Amazon.com a long time ago because I found they didn't convert well. Regardless of that, I think Amazon will do as they please and if that hurts affiliates, so be it. Why? I'm guessing affiliates represent a very small portion of their sales.

If someone wants to buy something from Amazon, most people will just type the domain in their browser and not "find it" through an affiliate link.

DougM · 11-05-2003, 12:34 PM

"If someone wants to buy something from Amazon, most people will just type the domain in their browser and not "find it" through an affiliate link."

Ok, then can we extend that logic to say:

If someone wants to buy A BOOK RELATED TO YOUR CONTENT, most people will just GO TO THEIR FAVORITE ON-LINE STORE and not PURCHASE IT THROUGH YOU.

I'm not challenging your theory. I'm asking as one who is just now gearing up to become an Amazon affiliate. Your logic makes sense for sites that just dump bestsellers onto pages but what about sites that show books related to niche content?

jokearound · 11-05-2003, 12:44 PM

Doug, I would expect that most buys are not due to reading a page..they are from TV, word of mouth, etc..

for instance, I bought a few dvds this month - went straight to amazon.co.uk for them. I didnt look for a review online, and then click through on a sales link..

JP didnt say that noone buys through affiliate links, just that it probably wasnt a large proportion.

I wonder if that stuff can be found in amazons financial reports?

gophergas · 11-12-2003, 12:48 PM

I'm glad I saw this thread. I had been considering adding some Amazon links to my sites, but I think I'll pass now.

**Czar** · 11-12-2003, 06:43 PM

Welcome to Geek/Talk gophergas

Amazon aren't bad, and remain worthy of exploration for certain sites and in certain circumstances. Much of the sentiment in this thread is generated from disappointment at the service's recent performance, but it does remain one of the better all-round sale-based affiliate programs.

Don't get me wrong, I've personally reduced my exposure to Amazon.com, and am finding Google AdSense and a few game-specific affiliate programs fitting replacements in many cases, and I share the concerns made here. Still, don't dismiss Amazon before you've compared their performance and range of linking options against others in the field. They still pack a mild punch.

Sashman · 11-12-2003, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by gophergas
I'm glad I saw this thread. I had been considering adding some Amazon links to my sites, but I think I'll pass now.

At the very least, plug an Amazon text link in your site's navigation for a couple of days and see how it converts. The nice thing about Amazon is that when someone buys through your link they usually buy multiple unrelated items at the same time. This is a big plus over targetted affiliates like EB that don't have the variety that Amazon has. During christmas season the purchases can get crazy .. and at least for me make more money than normal advertising for those months (pre-adsense).

Nintendo · 11-12-2003, 11:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by gophergas
I'm glad I saw this thread. I had been considering adding some Amazon links to my sites, but I think I'll pass now.

uggg!!! Don't let this thread make you not use Amazon!!!! Look at this before you say no to Amazon. This check was for a non-holiday season.

gophergas · 11-12-2003, 11:48 PM

Okay, okay... (LOL) I'm convinced. I'll give them a shot. I've already signed up with them -- just haven't had much time to put any ads together. That pretty number on the check makes me think that perhaps me was too hasty in me decision.

Gracias.

Rhea · 11-13-2003, 12:06 AM

Jesse, much as I admire your success, maybe you should fill gophergas in on how you've become so successful with Amazon. He might benefit from knowing how many pages you've made and how many visitors you've sent to Amazon to earn that lovely, chunky, bit-o-heaven paycheck. Many of us just don't have the technical skills to do what you've done. (Which is why I want to learn PHP ASAP!)

Nintendo · 11-13-2003, 10:31 AM

It might be a little late for this Holiday Season. I use MrRats APF script, and my mod_rewrite hack for my stores. mod_rewrite= Google kills the server trying to crawl the store. Since it's mod_rewite it thinks there all static pages. It's actually cgi. In the last two day I've had 190 items ordered. I got 12 store domains, and five content sites with stores on them. I sent almost 5,000 visitors to Amazon yesterday.

JP Sauve · 11-14-2003, 09:11 AM

Seems like a lot of work for only $5000 per quarter. That's not peanuts, but it still only works out to $1700 per month.

Just me?

Nintendo · 11-14-2003, 10:23 AM

It's not very much work at all. I could register a new domain and have it all up in 10 minutes and with in a month or two Google would be bombing it adding a ton of files to the inedex generating more orders. I'm actually doing a lot less Amazon stuff now. Working on content again now that I got more than enough stores. I got more than enough Google listings. I'm now trying to STOP it from crawling my sites. I got around 370,000 google listings. I give it a fake If-Modified-Since date so it thinks they havn't been updated in two months and it stops for a day or two, but then finds more new 'files' to crawl.

kryton · 11-30-2003, 08:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Nintendo
It's not very much work at all. I could register a new domain and have it all up in 10 minutes and with in a month or two Google would be bombing it adding a ton of files to the inedex generating more orders.

That's only because your existing sites have a good pagerank. If someone tried to start from stratch they would find it harder.

Nintendo · 12-01-2003, 03:32 AM

The secret is to have existing sites link to that page, then you can easily give the new site a PR. I get up to PR 5 on my store sites simply from doing that.

lookfindnow · 02-10-2004, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by maddeningcrowds
It all seems a little odd to me, Amazon being an online store, you'd think they'd concentrate on sales & looking after their affiliates, and not have any advertising at all.

I think its really unprofessional when I see ads on ecommerce sites.

I thought thw whole point was to make a sale on your website. I dont understand amazon they would make more money in commision than a advertisement if they keep the sales on the site.

11-05-2003, 11:55 AM	#31
JP Sauve Member. Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Ottawa, Ontario Posts: 757	This is an old thread, but thought I'd add my 2 cents. I dumped Amazon.com a long time ago because I found they didn't convert well. Regardless of that, I think Amazon will do as they please and if that hurts affiliates, so be it. Why? I'm guessing affiliates represent a very small portion of their sales. If someone wants to buy something from Amazon, most people will just type the domain in their browser and not "find it" through an affiliate link. Last edited by JP Sauve; 11-05-2003 at 11:57 AM.

11-05-2003, 12:34 PM	#32
DougM Registered User Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Texas Posts: 663	"If someone wants to buy something from Amazon, most people will just type the domain in their browser and not "find it" through an affiliate link." Ok, then can we extend that logic to say: If someone wants to buy A BOOK RELATED TO YOUR CONTENT, most people will just GO TO THEIR FAVORITE ON-LINE STORE and not PURCHASE IT THROUGH YOU. I'm not challenging your theory. I'm asking as one who is just now gearing up to become an Amazon affiliate. Your logic makes sense for sites that just dump bestsellers onto pages but what about sites that show books related to niche content? Last edited by DougM; 11-06-2003 at 01:53 AM.

11-12-2003, 06:43 PM	#35
Czar Join Date: Aug 1999 Location: Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia Posts: 9,507	Welcome to Geek/Talk gophergas Amazon aren't bad, and remain worthy of exploration for certain sites and in certain circumstances. Much of the sentiment in this thread is generated from disappointment at the service's recent performance, but it does remain one of the better all-round sale-based affiliate programs. Don't get me wrong, I've personally reduced my exposure to Amazon.com, and am finding Google AdSense and a few game-specific affiliate programs fitting replacements in many cases, and I share the concerns made here. Still, don't dismiss Amazon before you've compared their performance and range of linking options against others in the field. They still pack a mild punch. __________________ Czar Follow Geek/Talk's Twitter Feed and Facebook Page to stay up to date with new discussion threads and online ad industry highlights. Important GeekVillage Links: Home \| Rules \| Posting Guide \| Report Trouble \| Feedback \| Advertise on GV

11-13-2003, 10:31 AM	#40
Nintendo Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Planet Zeekois Posts: 1,289	It might be a little late for this Holiday Season. I use MrRats APF script, and my mod_rewrite hack for my stores. mod_rewrite= Google kills the server trying to crawl the store. Since it's mod_rewite it thinks there all static pages. It's actually cgi. In the last two day I've had 190 items ordered. I got 12 store domains, and five content sites with stores on them. I sent almost 5,000 visitors to Amazon yesterday. __________________ MidSummer Last edited by Nintendo; 11-13-2003 at 10:32 AM.

11-14-2003, 10:23 AM	#42
Nintendo Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Planet Zeekois Posts: 1,289	It's not very much work at all. I could register a new domain and have it all up in 10 minutes and with in a month or two Google would be bombing it adding a ton of files to the inedex generating more orders. I'm actually doing a lot less Amazon stuff now. Working on content again now that I got more than enough stores. I got more than enough Google listings. I'm now trying to STOP it from crawling my sites. I got around 370,000 google listings. I give it a fake If-Modified-Since date so it thinks they havn't been updated in two months and it stops for a day or two, but then finds more new 'files' to crawl. __________________ MidSummer Last edited by Nintendo; 11-14-2003 at 10:27 AM.

11-05-2003, 12:44 PM	#33
jokearound Registered User Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: UK Posts: 739	Doug, I would expect that most buys are not due to reading a page..they are from TV, word of mouth, etc.. for instance, I bought a few dvds this month - went straight to amazon.co.uk for them. I didnt look for a review online, and then click through on a sales link.. JP didnt say that noone buys through affiliate links, just that it probably wasnt a large proportion. I wonder if that stuff can be found in amazons financial reports?

11-12-2003, 12:48 PM	#34
gophergas Registered User Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Knoxville, TN Posts: 374	I'm glad I saw this thread. I had been considering adding some Amazon links to my sites, but I think I'll pass now.

11-12-2003, 11:48 PM	#38
gophergas Registered User Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Knoxville, TN Posts: 374	Okay, okay... (LOL) I'm convinced. I'll give them a shot. I've already signed up with them -- just haven't had much time to put any ads together. That pretty number on the check makes me think that perhaps me was too hasty in me decision. Gracias.

11-13-2003, 12:06 AM	#39
Rhea Registered User Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Oh drat these computers, they're so naughty and so complex. I could pinch them. Posts: 1,887	Jesse, much as I admire your success, maybe you should fill gophergas in on how you've become so successful with Amazon. He might benefit from knowing how many pages you've made and how many visitors you've sent to Amazon to earn that lovely, chunky, bit-o-heaven paycheck. Many of us just don't have the technical skills to do what you've done. (Which is why I want to learn PHP ASAP!)

11-14-2003, 09:11 AM	#41
JP Sauve Member. Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Ottawa, Ontario Posts: 757	Seems like a lot of work for only $5000 per quarter. That's not peanuts, but it still only works out to $1700 per month. Just me?

12-01-2003, 03:32 AM	#44
Nintendo Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Planet Zeekois Posts: 1,289	The secret is to have existing sites link to that page, then you can easily give the new site a PR. I get up to PR 5 on my store sites simply from doing that. __________________ MidSummer

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