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How to Monetize International Traffic with the Amazon Associates Program

How to Monetize International Traffic with the Amazon Associates Program

Being an online creator and Amazon Associate means your audience and “market” are not necessarily limited to the country you live in. The internet’s global reach and Amazon’s widespread presence mean you can share your work and recommendations with audiences all over the world. If you have been thinking about expanding your Associates Program footprint and monetizing international traffic, read on: this is your how-to guide.

Sign Up for other markets

The Associates Program is currently available in eighteen additional countries beyond the U.S. and is growing (see full list here). Technically, every country has its own program, and you will need to apply separately to each one you would like to join. (Select your target country from the drop-down menu in the upper right corner of the Associates Program website before logging in.)
Don’t worry: you won’t have to manage and monitor them separately! We’ve created handy tools to enable you to operate and track all your markets together.

Not sure which markets you should join? Your website analytics will tell you. Go where the traffic is coming from!

Once you’re signed up for all your chosen locations, it’s time to link your accounts and set up link redirecting. You’ll do this with OneLink.

Redirect your links

OneLink is an amazing tool and is fundamental to conducting Amazon affiliate marketing on an international scale. This solution automatically redirects clicks on your Amazon links to the user’s local or nearest Amazon store. Even better: if you choose, it will connect them to a similar product if your exact recommendation is not available in their country. (You can select this option in the Additional Settings section of the OneLink homepage.)

With this solution in place, shoppers see pricing in their local currency and accurate shipping information (and potentially feel those welcoming vibes you’re hoping to share).

Setting up OneLink is a straightforward two-step process:

You will link all your accounts across all geographies to your U.S. account, set default tracking IDs for each country you want to earn from internationally, and … well actually, that’s it. The final step is, simply: start earning!

For a detailed walk-through of each part of the process, check out the OneLink integration guide. There is also a lot of helpful info in the FAQs.

Onto payment!

Collect earnings from international traffic

You have three payment options for commissions earned across geographies: mailed check, Amazon Gift Card, or—newly available for select countries—bank transfer (aka international direct deposit). If you have a bank account in the U.S., U.K., or Eurozone, you can opt to receive your international payments for commissions earned from any of the following seven Associate programs: U.S., U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Canada via direct deposit through your local bank account.

Here’s how to enable this:

Step 1

First log into your Associates Central account. At the top right corner of the website, hover your mouse over your email address and select "Account Settings."

Step 2

Under the menu item “Payment and Tax Information,” select the sub-menu item “Change Payment Method.”

Step 3

Next, place a checkmark next to “Pay Me By Direct Deposit.” Several fields will appear.

Step 4

Click on “Bank Location” and select the country where your bank account is located. Once you select your bank account’s country location, you can enter the account data in Business Identifier Code (BIC) format. For international bank data, the account number is stored in the next field, “Account Number,” and confirmed again in the following field, “Confirm Account Number.” The name of the account holder is entered in the “Account Holders Name” field and the type of account is selected in the “Account Type” field. In the “Currency” field, you can select a valid currency for your bank account. In the field “Routing Number/SWIFT Code,” enter the SWIFT code of your bank. Last but not least, press “Submit” to save your input.

As with OneLink, we have put together a thorough implementation guide and an FAQ list for international direct deposit, both here. Beyond bank transfers, you can set or change any of your payment preferences in Account Settings (found in the drop-down menu under your email address in the top right corner of your screen).

Now with all sign-ups and set-ups complete, it’s time to check in on how things are going! Click here to learn more about the Consolidated Summary Report. Analyzing the data points in this report will likely spark some brainstorming about how to optimize your content and scale up your marketing efforts to engage international audiences. Want our pointers? Take a look at that article here!

Why you should internationalize

First, let’s establish why it’s worth it to broaden your affiliate efforts to include other countries. It comes down to two big reasons:

1. It’s more inclusive

Making the effort to provide a localized experience for your readers shows that you appreciate and support each of their interests equally. We can all recall a time when we were intrigued by a product and clicked a link to learn more, only to land on a foreign website with irrelevant pricing and shipping information that required more clicks to actually purchase. It’s a bummer.

2. It’s good business

There is a good chance you’re already receiving a meaningful amount of international traffic, and not offering a localized experience for those visitors could mean you’re missing their business entirely. When you give your readers a tailored experience—and remove the geographical barriers to purchasing your recommended products—you’re more likely to earn their loyalty (and clicks).

In short, internationalizing your affiliate marketing is a worthwhile way to boost your engagement and earnings.
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