{"id":1188,"date":"2023-07-11T15:13:13","date_gmt":"2023-07-11T15:13:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/geniuslink.com\/blog\/?p=1188"},"modified":"2023-09-13T15:36:24","modified_gmt":"2023-09-13T15:36:24","slug":"using-short-links-amazon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/geniuslink.com\/blog\/using-short-links-amazon\/","title":{"rendered":"Using Shorteners &#038; Short Links With Amazon"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"1188\" class=\"elementor elementor-1188\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4670557 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4670557\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-5235092\" data-id=\"5235092\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a660bac elementor-widget elementor-widget-global elementor-global-1455 elementor-widget-theme-post-featured-image\" data-id=\"a660bac\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"theme-post-featured-image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.19.0 - 29-01-2024 *\/\n.elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=\".svg\"]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"638\" height=\"359\" src=\"https:\/\/geniuslink.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/shortlinksformamazon.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-1276\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/geniuslink.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/shortlinksformamazon.png 638w, https:\/\/geniuslink.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/shortlinksformamazon-300x169.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 638px) 100vw, 638px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ddc0941 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ddc0941\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.19.0 - 29-01-2024 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<p>As an intelligent link management service with a deep history of supporting global affiliate programs, one of the most common questions we get is whether our links are okay to use with Amazon\u2019s Associates Program \u2013 and for good reason!<\/p><p>While being an Amazon Associate can be lucrative, how to shorten Amazon links can also get very complicated when it comes to understanding the rules laid out in Amazon.com\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/affiliate-program.amazon.com\/help\/policies#Associates%20Program%20Participation%20Requirements\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Participation Requirements<\/a>. Failure to follow these rules can result in your account being terminated, and even worse, your commissions to be reversed! So it\u2019s no wonder there\u2019s so much concern surrounding whether it\u2019s okay to use Geniuslink as an\u00a0Amazon Associate.<\/p><p><strong>The good news is you can absolutely use Geniuslink<\/strong><a class=\"wpil_internal_link\" href=\"https:\/\/geniuslink.com\/blog\/best-link-shortener-for-authors-and-books\/\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\">\u00a0(or any link shortener<\/a>\u00a0for that matter) with your Amazon Affiliate links, you just need to ensure you\u2019re following Amazon.com\u2019s rules closely. However, how to shorten Amazon links can be tricky- interpreting Amazon\u2019s \u201clegalese\u201d isn\u2019t always straightforward. After years of working with\u00a0affiliate publishers from around the world, we thought we\u2019d share our interpretation of what these rules mean, and how we believe they apply to using shortened affiliate links on your site.<\/p><p>It\u2019s important to note that these are general rules, and not just specifically aimed at people using Geniuslink. Using Pretty Links, Bitly, and even Google\u2019s link shortener all fall under the category of using \u201cSpecial Links\u201d so you\u2019ll want to make sure you follow these rules no matter which service you plan on using.<\/p><p><strong>Disclaimer:<\/strong>\u00a0Again, this is just our interpretation of Amazon.com\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/affiliate-program.amazon.com\/help\/policies#Associates%20Program%20Participation%20Requirements\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Participation Requirements<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 it\u2019s worked for ourselves and our clients, and we haven\u2019t run into any issues when following these rules. While Amazon is often quiet when it comes to explicitly stating what you can and cannot do, to the best of our knowledge, following this guide should set you up to succeed. However,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/affiliate-program.amazon.com\/contact\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">please reach out to Amazon Support directly<\/a>\u00a0if you\u2019re still not sure, and be certain to read through your specific countries program requirements, as it\u2019s ALWAYS better to double and triple check!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-7661ded elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"7661ded\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-e5527e9\" data-id=\"e5527e9\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e76e290 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"e76e290\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.19.0 - 29-01-2024 *\/\n.elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px}<\/style><h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Being Honest with Amazon with your Short Amazon Links\n<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-a9ad686 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"a9ad686\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-de472ec\" data-id=\"de472ec\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-651e8d0 elementor-blockquote--skin-border elementor-blockquote--button-color-official elementor-widget elementor-widget-blockquote\" data-id=\"651e8d0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"blockquote.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor-pro - v3.11.5 - 12-03-2023 *\/\n@charset \"UTF-8\";.entry-content blockquote.elementor-blockquote:not(.alignright):not(.alignleft),.entry-summary blockquote.elementor-blockquote{margin-right:0;margin-left:0}.elementor-widget-blockquote blockquote{margin:0;padding:0;outline:0;font-size:100%;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent;quotes:none;border:0;font-style:normal;color:#55595c}.elementor-widget-blockquote blockquote .e-q-footer:after,.elementor-widget-blockquote blockquote .e-q-footer:before,.elementor-widget-blockquote blockquote:after,.elementor-widget-blockquote blockquote:before,.elementor-widget-blockquote blockquote cite:after,.elementor-widget-blockquote blockquote cite:before{content:none}.elementor-blockquote{transition:.3s}.elementor-blockquote__author,.elementor-blockquote__content{margin-bottom:0;font-style:normal}.elementor-blockquote__author{font-weight:700}.elementor-blockquote .e-q-footer{margin-top:12px;display:flex;justify-content:space-between}.elementor-blockquote__tweet-button{display:flex;transition:.3s;color:#1da1f2;align-self:flex-end;line-height:1;position:relative;width:-moz-max-content;width:max-content}.elementor-blockquote__tweet-button:hover{color:#0967a0}.elementor-blockquote__tweet-button span{font-weight:600}.elementor-blockquote__tweet-button i,.elementor-blockquote__tweet-button span{vertical-align:middle}.elementor-blockquote__tweet-button i+span,.elementor-blockquote__tweet-button svg+span{margin-left:.5em}.elementor-blockquote__tweet-button svg{fill:#1da1f2;height:1em;width:1em}.elementor-blockquote__tweet-label{white-space:pre-wrap}.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-bubble .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button,.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-classic .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button{padding:.7em 1.2em;border-radius:100em;background-color:#1da1f2;color:#fff;font-size:15px}.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-bubble .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button:hover,.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-classic .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button:hover{background-color:#0967a0;color:#fff}.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-bubble .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button:hover:before,.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-classic .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button:hover:before{border-right-color:#0967a0}.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-bubble .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button svg,.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-classic .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button svg{fill:#fff;height:1em;width:1em}.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-bubble.elementor-blockquote--button-view-icon .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button,.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-classic.elementor-blockquote--button-view-icon .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button{padding:0;width:2em;height:2em}.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-bubble.elementor-blockquote--button-view-icon .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button i,.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-classic.elementor-blockquote--button-view-icon .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button i{position:absolute;left:50%;top:50%;transform:translate(-50%,-50%)}.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-bubble .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button:before{content:\"\";border:.5em solid transparent;border-right-color:#1da1f2;position:absolute;left:-.8em;top:50%;transform:translateY(-50%) scaleY(.65);transition:.3s}.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-bubble.elementor-blockquote--align-left .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button:before{right:auto;left:-.8em;border-right-color:#1da1f2;border-left-color:transparent}.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-bubble.elementor-blockquote--align-left .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button:hover:before{border-right-color:#0967a0}.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-bubble.elementor-blockquote--align-right .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button:before{left:auto;right:-.8em;border-right-color:transparent;border-left-color:#1da1f2}.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-bubble.elementor-blockquote--align-right .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button:hover:before{border-left-color:#0967a0}.elementor-blockquote--skin-boxed .elementor-blockquote{background-color:#e6e9ec;padding:30px}.elementor-blockquote--skin-border .elementor-blockquote{border-color:#e6e9ec;border-left:7px #e6e9ec;border-style:solid;padding-left:20px}.elementor-blockquote--skin-quotation .elementor-blockquote:before{content:\"\u201c\";font-size:100px;color:#e6e9ec;font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif;font-weight:900;line-height:1;display:block;height:.6em}.elementor-blockquote--skin-quotation .elementor-blockquote__content{margin-top:15px}.elementor-blockquote--align-left .elementor-blockquote__content{text-align:left}.elementor-blockquote--align-left .elementor-blockquote .e-q-footer{flex-direction:row}.elementor-blockquote--align-right .elementor-blockquote__content{text-align:right}.elementor-blockquote--align-right .elementor-blockquote .e-q-footer{flex-direction:row-reverse}.elementor-blockquote--align-center .elementor-blockquote{text-align:center}.elementor-blockquote--align-center .elementor-blockquote .e-q-footer,.elementor-blockquote--align-center .elementor-blockquote__author{display:block}.elementor-blockquote--align-center .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button{margin-right:auto;margin-left:auto}<\/style>\t\t<blockquote class=\"elementor-blockquote\">\n\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-blockquote__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\u201cYou will not cloak, hide, spoof, or otherwise obscure the URL of your Site\u00a0containing Special Links (including by use of Redirecting Links) or the user agent of the application in which Content is displayed or used such that we cannot reasonably determine the site or application from which a customer clicks through such Special Link to the Amazon Site.\u201d\n\u2013 Program Participation Requirements, Section 4. (v) \u201cResponsibility for Your Site\u201d\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-ef4777f elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"ef4777f\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-08f0dc0\" data-id=\"08f0dc0\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1290761 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1290761\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>First, let\u2019s try and break this section down:\u00a0<b>\u201cYou will not cloak, hide, spoof, or otherwise obscure the URL of your Site\u2026such that we cannot reasonably determine the site or application from which a customer clicks through such Special\u00a0<a class=\"wpil_internal_link\" href=\"https:\/\/geniuslink.com\/blog\/amazon-affiliate-links-on-social-media\/\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\">Link to the Amazon Site.\u201d<\/a><\/b><\/p><p>This section pertains to how Amazon keeps track of where their affiliate links are being shared online. They need to be able to tell exactly where end-users are clicking\u00a0<a class=\"wpil_internal_link\" href=\"https:\/\/geniuslink.com\/blog\/amazon-affiliate-links-on-social-media\/\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\">Amazon affiliate links<\/a>\u00a0from, and this may often rely on the \u201creferrer\u201d information being preserved when a user clicks through your (shortened) affiliate links.<\/p><p>To \u201cobscure\u201d the URL of your site would be to prevent the referral domain from being passed on to\u00a0Amazon when someone clicks your links, which then prevents Amazon from ensuring that Associates are following their guidelines properly. Because of the way shortened links function,\u00a0Amazon may also ask you to provide the specific sites on which the shortened links are posted and to make any social network profiles on which you post these links publicly accessible for verification purposes.<\/p><p>Fortunately, if you use Geniuslink, we\u2019ll always ensure that any referrer information is passed on to Amazon, so you won\u2019t ever be cloaking or hiding the referral domain when you share a\u00a0Geni.us link!<\/p><p>This is something that was brought to our attention by\u00a0<a class=\"wpil_internal_link\" href=\"https:\/\/geniuslink.com\/blog\/how-big-is-the-amazon-associates-program\/\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\">Amazon early on when we first started working with their Associates Program<\/a>. Further, every month we compile a report and send it to the\u00a0Amazon Account Managers globally. \u00a0This report includes a list of shared clients (those using Geniuslink and the\u00a0Amazon Associates Program) and which programs they are using. \u00a0This additional step gives the Amazon team further clarification and provides regular communication.<\/p><p>However, in general, it\u2019s always best to check with the\u00a0link management\u00a0service you\u2019re using to ensure that this information is passed on and that you\u2019ll be compliant with Amazon\u2019s TOS.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-2a29dd4 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"2a29dd4\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-7d44e46\" data-id=\"7d44e46\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0f8b478 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"0f8b478\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Being Honest with Your Audience<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-60e664e elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"60e664e\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-bb3c8ba\" data-id=\"bb3c8ba\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-03d015b elementor-blockquote--skin-border elementor-blockquote--button-color-official elementor-widget elementor-widget-blockquote\" data-id=\"03d015b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"blockquote.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<blockquote class=\"elementor-blockquote\">\n\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-blockquote__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\u201cYou will not use a link shortening service in a manner that makes it unclear that you are linking to an Amazon Site.\u201c\nProgram Participation Requirements, Section 4. (w) \u201cResponsibility for Your Site\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-13882f6 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"13882f6\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-33f5104\" data-id=\"33f5104\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f803cc0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"f803cc0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>This section of the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/affiliate-program.amazon.com\/help\/policies#Associates%20Program%20Participation%20Requirements\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Participation Requirements<\/a>\u00a0echoes the previous rule, but covers any manipulation of your links that could be deemed \u201ccloaking\u201d.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/geniuslink.com\/blog\/link-cloaking-amazon\/\">Cloaking<\/a>\u00a0is the act of\u00a0disguising a link, as well as referrer information, from bots, crawlers and\/or humans by hiding the original affiliate link behind one that doesn\u2019t look like an affiliate URL.<\/p><p>While the term \u201ccloaking\u201d may sound scary, it\u2019s\u00a0considered good SEO practice by many. There\u2019s often some confusion online regarding whether you should or should not shorten your\u00a0affiliate links\u00a0and if simply shortening a link is considered \u201ccloaking\u201d.<\/p><p>We follow these simple guidelines to ensure a link is being used properly when working directly with clients: \u00a0\u201cAs long as it\u2019s clear that the\u00a0shopper is going to Amazon\u00a0either through visuals or some other indicator.\u201d\u00a0In this case, Amazon just wants you to be perfectly clear that the affiliate link you\u2019re sharing, in whatever form, goes to Amazon.<\/p><p>Don\u2019t try to hide this! Just be honest and help inform your audience that they can find the product you recommend in their local\u00a0Amazon storefront.\u00a0We\u2019ve seen Associates following this rule a few different ways such as, including \u201cAmazon\u201d in the anchor text of the link (see example below), the call to action directly before or after the link, placing the text \u201c(Amazon)\u201d, or even a small Amazon icon. \u00a0<\/p><p>This just means that you shouldn\u2019t say something along the lines of \u201cWe love\u00a0<strong>this<\/strong>\u00a0product!\u201d with the word \u201c<strong>this<\/strong>\u201d\u00a0linked to Amazon with a short\u00a0link; as this again makes it difficult for your audience to tell that they\u2019ll be taken to Amazon, even if you didn\u2019t mean to hide the link destination intentionally. This can typically be resolved by simply rephrasing your writing, so instead it might say \u201cWe love this product! \u2013\u00a0<strong>Buy on Amazon<\/strong>\u201d with the \u201c<strong>Buy on Amazon<\/strong>\u201d linking to the corresponding item. This lets the reader know the\u00a0link is taking them away from your page\u00a0and to the Amazon storefront.<\/p><p>We\u2019ve also seen that if the \u201cstatus bar\u201d (the little box that shows the URL of the link your mouse is hovering on that typically shows up in the bottom left of your browser window) shows a\u00a0raw Amazon link that is also sufficient for meeting this guideline.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4765c3c elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4765c3c\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-745876f\" data-id=\"745876f\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fb2acf6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"fb2acf6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>While the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/affiliate-program.amazon.com\/help\/policies#Associates%20Program%20Participation%20Requirements\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Amazon Participation Requirements<\/a>\u00a0are full of good information, the previously mentioned guidelines are two of the most important ones you\u2019ll need to follow in order to use Geniuslink, or any other link management tools safely. Of course, this is only assuming that you\u2019ve already made sure the rest of your website is compliant as well (don\u2019t copy images directly from the site, don\u2019t list prices statically, etc.). Again, we encourage you to read through the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/affiliate-program.amazon.com\/help\/policies#Associates%20Program%20Participation%20Requirements\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Participation Requirements<\/a>\u00a0yourself and ask the Associates Support Team if you have any questions before publishing any content.<\/p><h4><i>Remember, when you do start sharing your links, ensure that you\u2019re completely honest with your audience! When it comes to being a\u00a0successful affiliate, honesty really is the best policy.<\/i><\/h4><p>So long as you\u2019re honest with your audience and follow Amazon\u2019s guidelines responsibly, then using Geniuslink, as well as any other link shortener, with Amazon should be no problem. If you have any questions regarding this topic, or just aren\u2019t sure if you\u2019re following the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/affiliate-program.amazon.com\/help\/policies#Associates%20Program%20Participation%20Requirements\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Participation Requirements<\/a>\u00a0properly, please do not hesitate to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/geniuslink.com\/contact\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">contact us<\/a>\u00a0or the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/affiliate-program.amazon.com\/contact\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Associates Support Team<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As an intelligent link management service with a deep history of supporting global affiliate programs, one of the most common questions we get is whether our links are okay to use with Amazon\u2019s Associates Program \u2013 and for good reason! While being an Amazon Associate can be lucrative, how to shorten Amazon links can also [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1276,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,32,13],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[46],"class_list":["post-1188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-amazon","category-affiliate-marketing","category-product","author-jesse-lakes"],"authors":[{"term_id":46,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"jesse-lakes","display_name":"Jesse Lakes","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/geniuslink.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/bio-jl-a.jpeg","url2x":"https:\/\/geniuslink.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/bio-jl-a.jpeg"},"first_name":"","last_name":"","user_url":"https:\/\/geniuslink.com\/blog\/author\/jesse-lakes\/","facebook":"","twitter":"","instagram":"","linkedin":"","description":"Jesse is a Native Montanan and the co-founder and CEO of Geniuslink - or, as he likes to say, head cheerleader. Before Jesse co-founded Geniuslink, he was a whitewater rafting guide, worked at a sushi restaurant, a skate\/snowboard shop, was a professional student, and then became the first Global Manager at Apple for the iTunes Affiliate Program."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/geniuslink.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1188","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/geniuslink.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/geniuslink.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geniuslink.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geniuslink.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1188"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/geniuslink.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1188\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geniuslink.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1276"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/geniuslink.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geniuslink.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geniuslink.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1188"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/geniuslink.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=1188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}