Amazon No Longer Allowing Associates to use Paid Search to Drive Traffic
Wow I just got this e-mail from Amazon and its pretty big news IMHO. I used to bid on keywords and send them directly to affiliate web sites and Amazon’s Associate program was great for this. In fact, LOTS of people still do this and it generates good money for those that do it successfully. These people are going to be mad!
Amazon used to have a pretty open policy of letting associates bid on keywords and send the traffic directly to Amazon.com, but I guess they finally figured out that this is costing them lots of money… so as of 5/1/2009 you can no longer do this. If you do, you simply won’t get paid. I wonder how the publishers will respond to this..
Here’s what the e-mail said: (more info here)
Dear Amazon Associate:
We’re writing to let you know about a change to the Amazon Associates Program. After careful review of how we are investing our advertising resources, we have made the decision to no longer pay referral fees to Associates who send users to www.amazon.com, www.amazon.ca, or www.endless.com through keyword bidding and other paid search on Google, Yahoo, MSN, and other search engines, and their extended search networks. If you’re not sure if this change affects you, please visit this page for FAQs.
As of May 1, 2009, Associates will not be paid referral fees for paid search traffic. Also, in connection with this change, as of May 1, 2009, Amazon will no longer make data feeds available to Associates for the purpose of sending users to the Amazon websites in the US or Canada via paid search.
This change applies only to the Associates programs in North America. If you are conducting paid search activities in connection with one of Amazon’s Associates Programs outside of the US and Canada, please refer to the applicable country’s Associates Program Operating Agreement for relevant terms and conditions.
We appreciate your continued support and participation in this advertising Program. If you have questions or concerns, please write to us by using the Contact Us form available on Associates Central.
I agree Gee that many people are going to be taken aback. But I think the party is over for many small publishers that use these affiliate programs to drive revenue on their sites. Companies like Amazon have enough brand awareness and money to bid on same keywords affiliates buy; this was always a conflict of interest from day one. I posted a story on my blog, webpeel.com about this announcement today as well.
I’m sure there are a lot of people trying to recover right now from having the wind knocked out of them. The change to the policy isn’t a minor one for people who used pay per click traffic and send it directly to Amazon. I’m an affiliate retailer myself, but I’ve always been more interested in developing websites that were search engine friendly to begin with, without ever having to rely on ppc. Just some link building to develop some pagerank, and I’m good to go.
по моему мнению: превосходно.
хочу секса с молодым: Жуковский замуж за англичанина
отец одиночка познакомится Балаково в Балаково познакомлюсь с мужчиной для встреч
в Липецке секс знакомства с иностранцами познакомиться с испанцем
где познакомиться с хорошим мужчиной в Калуге познакомиться с врачом
ищу любовника как познакомиться с хакером
Чебоксары познакомиться с врачом: кореянка познакомится
женщина хочет познакомиться с мужчиной: в Жуковском познакомиться с иностранцем
супружеская пара познакомится с мужчиной в Волгодонске Глазове познакомлюсь с парнем icq
познакомиться в Тольяттах с негром для секса познакомлюсь с женатым Тольятти
в Иваново замужняя женщина познакомиться для секса: знакомства замуж
порно знакомства замужние – познакомиться с турком Тобольск
знакомства с замужними: девушка познакомится с семейной парой в Калуге
познакомиться с испанцем – знакомство с англичанами
познакомлюсь с вампиром Калуга познакомиться с православным Калуга
познакомлюсь в Коломне с обеспеченным мужчиной – ищу парня в Коломне для серьезных отношений
познакомлюсь с вампиром секс с турками
знакомства с иностранцами: познакомиться с врачом
познакомится с иностранцем мужчиной: Тольятти познакомлюсь с парнем для кунилингуса
девочка хочет секса – женщина познакомится с женатым мужчиной Невинномысск
This is not a good idea for Amazon, how can people earn from paid search to drive traffic.