Getting banned from an affiliate network is terrible. But, getting your Amazon Associates account closed while earning big bucks can be worse. This article will cover all you need to know about the rules for the Amazon Associates program. Compared to other affiliate programs, Amazon Associates has more stringent requirements that you should be aware of.

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Amazon Associates Affiliate Program Rules

Most of the scenarios we go over here will get your Amazon Associates account terminated. But, it may be possible to correct some of them and file an appeal. While not guaranteed, Amazon may reinstate your account. But, it all depends on the severity of the violation.

1. Correct usage of Amazon trademarks

If you use Amazon trademarks incorrectly, your Amazon Associate account can get terminated. What are Amazon trademarks? Trademarks include words, reviews, images and logos from the Amazon website.

It is a big no-no to copy reviews, star ratings and product images and reuse them on your website or YouTube videos. Also, steer clear of taking screenshots of the Amazon website and using them in your content. That will get your Amazon Associate account banned.

The only exception to this is when you use the Amazon API or SiteStripe. These two resources load Amazon images, prices and reviews automatically to your website. Technically, it could be okay to insert a product image into a YouTube video when promoting a product. But, do not take a screenshot of the entire Amazon website and show it either in your video or on your website. 

You can also use special plugins for your website. These plugins can fetch reviews, prices and product images from Amazon in a pretty format. Almost all of them cost money, but they may be worth it.

2. List All Websites and Social Media Accounts

The second thing is to list all your channels where you promote Amazon affiliate links. This can be done through the settings on your Amazon Associates account. These channels can include websites and social media accounts. As for social media, you must include not only the social media websites, but also your handles. For instance, it could be youtube.com/joedoe. Not listing places where you share affiliate links will get you banned.

3. Sharing Affiliate links in Private Groups, Emails, Books, PDFs

The third thing to know is that all your promotion channels must be public. For instance, if you share Amazon affiliate links in a private Facebook group, you will get banned. 

Remember, all channels where you share your affiliate links must be visible to Amazon. If you share affiliate links through SMSs, emails, PDFs, printed material, private message groups or even digital books, you will get yourself in trouble for sure.

4. Drive Traffic with External Customers for the Amazon Associates Program

Next, your task as an Amazon affiliate is to drive traffic to Amazon with external customers. You cannot use your friends, family or even yourself to get affiliate income from Amazon. I do not know how hard it is for Amazon to figure this out. But, if they do, you will get banned for good.

5. Do Not Encourage Your Audience to Bookmark Your Affiliate Links

The fifth thing not to do is to ask your followers to bookmark your affiliate link. This means that you ask them to start their shopping on Amazon from your links.

In short, do not incentivize people to shop with your affiliate links. Period. For instance, do not say that your Amazon affiliate income helps wild animals in Africa. Amazon may see this as an attempt to encourage your audience to click on your links because they want to help you. Instead, Amazon wants users to click on your link because they genuinely like a product.

6. Do Not List Product Prices Manually

The sixth thing to avoid is manually listing product prices on your website. The exception is when you use the Amazon API, SiteStripe or website plugins to fetch prices. Prices change and Amazon wants you to display the most current ones. This is possible only when you do so automatically.

7. Do Not Cloak Amazon Affiliate Links

The seventh thing to keep in mind is link cloaking. Amazon lets you generate affiliate links either through their website or SiteStripe. These links could be long or shortened and they are okay to use on your websites and social media.

What is not okay is to use link shortening service such as bit.ly or tinyurl. This would amount to link cloaking from Amazon’s point of view. This means that you are hiding the fact that these links are directing customers to Amazon. One way to get around this is to put text right next to a non-Amazon link saying that it is directing to Amazon.

8. Have a Correct Affiliate Disclaimer for the Amazon Associates Program

Next, you must have a clear and concise affiliate disclaimer. If you are in the United States, you must follow the FTC disclosure requirements. This comes down to having a disclosure at the link level. For instance, if you have a blog post with affiliate links, have an affiliate disclosure at the top of your post. It may look like this: “This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase from our links, we may earn commissions at no cost to you.”

But, the Amazon Associate program wants you take a step further. They want a disclosure saying that you are part of the Amazon Associates program. This disclosure must be visible at the site-level or social media account level.  The statement they want you to use looks like this:

“As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.”

You can include this statement on the About section of your social media account. Or you can insert it every time you use affiliate links. As for websites, you can create an affiliate disclosure page containing this statement. Then, you can link this page in your affiliate disclosure at the post level. Such a disclosure protocol will comply with the Amazon Associate program requirements.

9. Don’t Promote to Consumers Under 13

The ninth thing is not to target consumers under 13 years of age. If you do, Amazon will ban you for good.

10. Avoid Referencing Replicas/Designer Imitations

The tenth item on the list is to avoid referring to replicas and designer imitations of products. Amazon is taking counterfeiting seriously. You cannot say that certain product is a fake version or knockoff of a brand product. Therefore, you cannot use phrases such as: “knockoff of a <insert brand name>” or “fake shirt of <insert brand name>”. You may say something like: “looks similar to <insert brand name>” or “inspired by <insert brand name>”.

11. Bonus: Keep Your Links/Promotion Current

And here is a bonus item to know. And it is to keep your links current. What this means is that your links should not refer to products pages that no longer exist. These pages are also known as 404 not found pages. If you have many affiliate links, keeping track of them can be difficult. There could be resources or website plugins that may help you accomplish this task.

Also, Amazon wants you to remove content related to limited time sales once they are over. Suppose there was a limited-time promotion of Amazon clothing with a 20% discount. You referenced it on your website or social media account. Once this promotion is over, you must remove the mention of it and any related affiliate links.

Concluding Remarks

All of these requirements may sound burdensome and restrictive. But, if you follow the rules, the potential returns from the Amazon Associates program can be very big.

Have you experienced any problems with the Amazon Associates program? Were you able to correct those problems and get your account reinstated? Let us know in the comments or contact me with your story.