Affiliate/Sheet

What Affiliate Links Are and How They Work

An affiliate link is a normal link with your ID inside it. Here is how it tracks a click, earns a commission, and what rules come with it.

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How affiliate programs work
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You have seen the term. An affiliate link looks like any other link, but it carries your ID. When a reader clicks it and buys, the seller knows you sent them. This page explains how the tracking works, using Amazon Associates as the example.

An affiliate link is a URL with an extra piece inside it. That piece is your ID. Amazon's Associates policies call its links Special Links. They say your Associates ID or tag must be a parameter in the URL of each link to Amazon.

Without that tag, the link is just a normal link. With it, the seller can connect a sale to you.

The process has three steps.

First, the click. Amazon's Associates policies say a qualifying purchase starts when a customer clicks a Special Link on your site to an Amazon site.

Second, the tracking. The link session has a life. Amazon's policies say a link session ends after 24 hours or when the customer places an order, whichever comes first. If the reader adds to their cart, a cart purchase still counts if the order is completed within 89 days of the first click.

Third, the commission. When the purchase qualifies, the program owes you a share. How long tracking lasts varies by program, and each program states its own window. Read more in what a cookie window is.

A program is the seller's own affiliate setup. A network is a hub that holds many programs in one place. See affiliate marketing networks for the difference.

If you run a blog or a channel, start with affiliate programs for bloggers and creators. For software, see software affiliate programs. One example is the Shopify affiliate program.

Amazon Associates is one example. Read how does Amazon Associates work, then how to create Amazon affiliate links.

The Amazon Associates agreement lets you place links to Amazon on your website, social media content, app, or Alexa skill.

Email is narrower. Amazon's policies say you may put Special Links in emails and direct messages only if people opted in.

Some places are off limits. Amazon's policies do not allow a Special Link in printed material, ebooks, mailings, or oral solicitation.

Other programs have their own placement rules. Check each program's own page before you paste a link anywhere new.

Amazon's policies name several things you must not do.

  • You must not use a link shortener in a way that hides that you link to Amazon.
  • You must not cloak or hide the URL of your site that holds Special Links.
  • You must not encourage customers to bookmark your Special Links.
  • You must not offer rewards or incentives to people for using your Special Links.
  • Purchases are not commissioned if the customer came from an ad you bought on a keyword with Amazon in it.

There is also a disclosure rule. FTC staff say consumers might not understand that affiliate link means the poster gets paid. So say it plainly. FTC staff say a paid link note right next to an affiliate link should be an adequate disclosure. FTC staff say a blogger can say something like, I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Amazon has its own required statement. The Associates agreement says it is: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. See FTC affiliate disclosure requirements for more.

When and how you get paid

Each program states its own payout terms. Amazon's policies say Amazon pays commission about 60 days after the end of each calendar month, by direct deposit, Amazon gift card, or check. Amazon may hold your commission until it reaches the minimum in its payment chart.

For other programs, read the payout lines on their own pages. Start with how affiliate payouts are sent.

What to do next

Pick one program that fits what you already write about. Read its terms before you join. Then place your first link, with a clear disclosure beside it, and check your program's page for anything it says you must not do.

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