Can Google Ads still work for Amazon affiliate offers

B

BlackEclipse

Registered Member
Joined
Dec 23, 2024
Messages
71
Reaction score
19
I’ve been testing Google Ads for Amazon affiliate products but results are very inconsistent. I’m getting clicks but the conversion rate and EPC are very low, and it’s hard to scale profitably. I’ve tried both direct linking and sending traffic to review pages, but performance still feels unstable. Is anyone here still successfully running Google Ads for Amazon affiliate offers? What setup, keywords strategy, or funnel structure are actually working for you right now?
 
Advertise on BHW
the EPC problem with amazon specifically is the 24 hour cookie window, paid traffic clicks dont always convert same session and you lose the sale if they come back later through a different path or just add to cart and buy next day without clicking your link again

thats a structural ceiling no funnel fixes. also worth checking, amazon associates program operating agreement restricts using their links in paid search ads in some cases, ive seen accounts get flagged for this specifically with direct linking

if youre sending to a review page first at least youre not violating that directly, but the cookie window issue stays either way
 
Google Ads can still work for Amazon affiliates, but most profitable campaigns focus on high-buying-intent keywords and content-rich landing pages rather than direct linking.
 
Yeah Google Ads can still work for Amazon affiliate, but it’s really hard to stay profitable with direct linking now, most people only get stable results using review pages or content funnels with long-tail keywords.
 
Amazon is genuinely hard to make work with Google Ads and it's mostly a math problem.

Amazon's commissions are 1-4% depending on category. If you're paying $0.50-$2 per click and your conversion rate is 5-8% (generous for paid traffic), you need the average order value to be high enough that even 3% covers your ad spend. For most products it just doesn't close.

The other issue is attribution. Amazon's cookie is 24 hours. Someone clicks your ad, gets distracted, comes back the next day — you get nothing. With paid traffic you're paying for every click, so leakage hurts more than it does with free SEO traffic.

I stopped testing Amazon a while back and moved to SaaS affiliate programs instead. The commissions are 20-35%, cookies are 30-90 days, and the products have real brand search volume so you can bid on brand keywords at low CPC. Running $500/month in ad spend, pulling ~$3K back monthly — the margin exists because the commission structure actually supports paid traffic.

If you want to make Google Ads work for affiliate, the offer needs to have either high ticket commissions ($50+ per sale) or recurring commissions. Amazon's structure is built for organic SEO volume, not paid clicks.
 
I'm considering testing Google Ads with Amazon affiliate offers, but I'd like to understand what approach is working today. Could you share a simple campaign example or landing page structure that has been performing well for you
 
Yes it still works but only with tight keyword targeting and proper review funnel, direct linking usually gives weak and unstable results now.
 
I think the biggest problem is buying keywords that are too broad. I had better results when I focused on very specific product keywords instead of general ones.
 
amazon's affiliate terms technically restrict paid search to your link directly, that instability might be policy enforcement not just funnel issues
 
yeah, the issue is less the funnel and more the unit economics. unless the product has high AOV and very specific buyer-intent keywords, amazon commissions usually do not leave enough room for paid clicks.
 
Im not running huge volume, but what helped me was targeting high intent keywords and improving the landing page. Direct linking gave me clicks, but review pages got better quality traffic.
 
I think the biggest challenge is that Amazon commissions are quite low now. Even with good CTR, it’s hard to stay profitable unless you target very specific buying keywords
 
I think its much harder now, review pages work a bit better than direct links but margins are still very tight.
 
One thing that helped me was promoting products with lots of reviews and strong ratings. Visitors seemed more confident buying those products.
 
BlackEclipse said:
I’ve been testing Google Ads for Amazon affiliate products but results are very inconsistent. I’m getting clicks but the conversion rate and EPC are very low, and it’s hard to scale profitably. I’ve tried both direct linking and sending traffic to review pages, but performance still feels unstable. Is anyone here still successfully running Google Ads for Amazon affiliate offers? What setup, keywords strategy, or funnel structure are actually working for you right now?
Click to expand...
Direct links seldom work anymore. I have found more succes driving traffic to a comparison or review site based on keyword match for high-intent keywords, and letting the content sell itself. A low CPC is nice, but keyword intent usually makes all the difference.
 
BlackEclipse said:
I’ve been testing Google Ads for Amazon affiliate products but results are very inconsistent. I’m getting clicks but the conversion rate and EPC are very low, and it’s hard to scale profitably. I’ve tried both direct linking and sending traffic to review pages, but performance still feels unstable. Is anyone here still successfully running Google Ads for Amazon affiliate offers? What setup, keywords strategy, or funnel structure are actually working for you right now?
Click to expand...
Search ads can be too expensive for affiliate marketing. Try running Google Shopping ads because users can see the price and photo before they click, which leads to better conversions.
 
It can work, but for most people it’s not stable or scalable for profit unless everything is very tightly optimized.
 
BlackEclipse said:
I’ve been testing Google Ads for Amazon affiliate products but results are very inconsistent. I’m getting clicks but the conversion rate and EPC are very low, and it’s hard to scale profitably. I’ve tried both direct linking and sending traffic to review pages, but performance still feels unstable. Is anyone here still successfully running Google Ads for Amazon affiliate offers? What setup, keywords strategy, or funnel structure are actually working for you right now?
Click to expand...
In most cases, success comes from testing multiple angles. Review pages, comparison pages, and email capture funnels tend to outperform simple direct linking over time.
 
BlackEclipse said:
I’ve been testing Google Ads for Amazon affiliate products but results are very inconsistent. I’m getting clicks but the conversion rate and EPC are very low, and it’s hard to scale profitably. I’ve tried both direct linking and sending traffic to review pages, but performance still feels unstable. Is anyone here still successfully running Google Ads for Amazon affiliate offers? What setup, keywords strategy, or funnel structure are actually working for you right now?
Click to expand...
My one common mistake is targeting too many products in cone campaign. focused single product campaigns tend to give more stable results.
 
It’s purely a math and infrastructure problem. Amazon’s 1-4% commission rates and brutal 24-hour cookie window are meant for free SEO traffic, not paid Google Ads. Plus, direct linking openly breaks Amazon's terms, so you're always risking a ban.
If you still want to make Google Ads work here, you need to change your approach:
  • Switch to Google Shopping / PMax: Standard search ads are a money pit. With Shopping ads, people see the image and price before clicking, which weeds out window shoppers.
  • Capture emails first: Send traffic to a landing page that offers a buying guide or lead magnet. Once you have their email, you can remarket via a sequence and maximize that expensive click, bypassing the 24-hour cookie trap.
  • Aggressive negative keywords: Constantly filter out informational terms like "how to" or "review." You only want to pay for absolute buyer intent.
Honestly, though, if you have the skills to make Google Ads profitable, take that budget to SaaS or high-ticket affiliate programs with 30% recurring commissions and 90-day cookies. Trying to force it on Amazon is just fighting a losing battle against the math.
 
Advertise on BHW
You must log in or register to reply here.
Sign up now!

Main Menu

Home Main Forum List Black Hat SEO White Hat SEO BHW Newbie Guide Blogging Black Hat Tools Social Media Downloads

Marketplace

Account Selling Content / Copywriting EBooks / Methods Hosting Misc Proxies For Sale SEO - Link building SEO - Packages Social Media Social Media - Panels Web Design More

Making Money

Affiliate Programs Hire a Freelancer IM Journeys Making Money Pay Per Click Site Flipping Want to Buy

BlackHat World

Dispute Resolution Forum Suggestions & Feedback Introductions Lounge
Back
Top