Amazon Affiliate Links for Your Squidoo Lens
It used to be possible to embed the official Amazon Product Links into a lens (if you were an Amazon Associate). However, since the support for IFrames was withdrawn from Squidoo, this is no longer an option.
At SQUIDUtils.com there is a special tool which generates a static version of the Amazon Product Links, which can then be pasted into any suitable module (e.g. Text/Write). The HTML code that it creates is optimised for Squidoo, and will match the color scheme.
» Check out the new Amazon Links Stats feature...
Standard Amazon Modules
Here are the six Amazon modules that Squidoo provide, which is probably the easiest way to promote products on your lens, and they don't require you to have your own Amazon Affiliate account. Squidoo will collect the royalties on your behalf, and share them with you 50/50.
- Amazon
The trusty Amazon module you know and love. Feature your favorite stuff (books, CDs, DVDs, geekware...) and comment on it. (Beware, you could earn money!) - Amazon Recommendations
"If you liked Napoleon Dynamite, you may also like..." -- Let Amazon do the work for you. Stick an Amazon Recs module on your lens, pick your ONE favorite item, and the module will automatically display others like it. - Amazon Spotlight
When you just want to really put the spotlight on an incredible book or DVD or CD or another product from Amazon. Write your review and feature the sucker, front and center. - Amazon Voting (Plexo)
Plexo lets you make a list of your favorite Amazon stuff on your topic, and then lets your visitors VOTE them up and down. You can also let people add items to your Plexo module. OR, they can grab your module and stick it on their own lens! (Sends traffic back to you, btw). Yes, it's still a moneymaker. Gooo Plexo! - Amazon MP3
Great for music lenses. Make a list of songs and your readers can listen to previews right on your lens. And, of course, click to go buy the download. - Amazon Search
This one lets you show the top search results for any keyword in Amazon. Your readers can then refine the search right on your lens, if they want, and find what they most want to buy.
Squidoo Modules or Own Associate Tags?
Which is better to use?
As mentioned above, you don't actually need to sign up with Amazon Associates to promote their products on your lens. However, if you are already an Associate, you have the option to put on your own affiliate links, and potentially earn more.
Here are some facts to help you decide:
- Basic Amazon commission rate is 4%. This increases if you sell lots of items in a month.
- Because of the huge volume of sales it generates, Squidoo (probably) gets the maximum commission rate of 8.5%.
- Squidoo takes half of any commission that you make through your lens. 4.25% is as good as the basic rate.
- Using the Squidoo tag allows for your Lensrank to improve when you make a sale on a lens.
So, if you don't have an Associate account or you monthly sales are really low, then it's best to stick to the modules that Squidoo provides. The same is true, if you want to get your Lensrank up.
On the other hand, if you don't care for Lensrank, and if you can get a higher commission rate, then use your own associate tag. You only need to sell 7 items each month to get onto 6%, and if you sell over 111 items, you will get 7%.
There are some exceptions: Consumer Electricals (TVs, computers, etc) are capped at 4%, whether you use Squidoo's Associate tag or your own. If you do use the Squidoo tag, then you will have to share the commission. It's not all bad though: 2% on $2,000 is still a sizeable commission.
Amazon Affiliate Link Generator
This tool will build something similar to the Amazon Product Link, without using IFrames or Javascript. An example is shown on the right here »
The generated HTML code can then be pasted into your Squidoo lens. You will to supply the ASIN of the product, and your affiliate tag.
Available in two sizes: small (shown here) and large.
- Amazon Product Link Generator
- - Creates HTML code like Amazon's own Product Links.
- Does not use IFrames - fully compatible with Squidoo.
- Select small or large images, aligned left or right.
- Includes the item's price, updated daily.
- Supports US and UK Associate Tags.
Amazon RSS Feeds
Alternatively, you can use RSS Feeds to dynamically feature Amazon products on your lens...-
Amazon RSS Feeds for Your Squidoo Lens
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I have this special service for Squidoo Lensmasters whom are also Amazon Associates - RSS Feeds containing products from Amazon. You can put these feeds into your lens to show books, DVD, electronics and more from specific categories. "But Why?&q...
How To Use This Tool
- Click on the picture above to open the tool.
- Enter the ASIN of the product, and it will find the correct title, picture and URL to the details page.
Or, paste in the full URL and it will extract the ASIN out of it. - Enter in your Associate Tag (aka Affiliate ID). If you have pasted in a URL that contains a tag already, it will be automatically extracted.
- Select whether you want to links to float left or float right
- Select what size image you want: Small or Large.
- Click on the [Generate HTML Code] button, and it will appear, with a preview on the left.
- Select and copy all of the code, and paste it into your Squidoo lens.
- Begin writing your text immediately after the close bracket (don't put in a newline).
Amazon Affiliate Links Video Tutorial
Here is a fantastic video by Tiffany Dow, which she posted on her blog Social Marketing 101. She begins by showing how you can use your Amazon Affiliate account to create simple text links in your introduction, followed by a step-by-step guide to using this tool here.
Affiliate Links on Squidoo
Other Tutorial Videos
Adding Amazon Affiliate Links to Your Squidoo Lens
How to Add Amazon Affiliate Te...
How To Put Amazon Affiliate Li...
Part 2 Building a Squidoo Lens...
Frequently Asked Questions
Hopefully, here you will find all the answers to your questions. If not, then post a comment in the guestbook below.
- Which countries are supported?
US and UK only. The tool auto-detects which region your associate tag is from, and creates the appropriate code. Other countries are not yet supported. If you need this for another country, let me know and I'll consider adding it. - Can I set the background or border color?
Not yet, but I might add this functionality in the future if there's enough interest. - What if I don't have my own Associate Tag?
If you are logged in and select one of your lenses, the tool will extract your unique Squidoo tag from it (but only if that lens contains an Amazon module). This means that any purchases made through the link will be credited to you through Squidoo. - Can I use this for other Amazon link types?
No - only product links.
NEW! Stats for Amazon Links
This new feature will show you which lenses and products are getting the most views and clicks. In the run up to Christmas, this could be a valuable tool for fine tuning your lenses to maximise your profits.
» Check out these demo stats, featuring real data from actual lenses:
Summary of Features:
- see views and clicks for every lens that uses Amazon Links
- see views and clicks for each product within a lens
- sort the lenses by views, clicks or CTR
- the data you see is live and instantenous
- includes data for this month and last (retrospectively)
For more information about this new feature, read the blog post Stats for Amazon Link .
Broken Product Links?
If you have already got these links on your lenses, then you should periodically check the products are still valid. There is now this Amazon Link Error Report, which will tell you if any of your links point to products that have changed or been deleted. All you need to do is login with your Lensmaster name.
Example Layouts
Wrap text around it
This is the easiest way to embed Amazon links into your lens. Simply paste the code at the beginning of your Text/Write module, and start your content immediately afterwards. Select between left and right aligned using the options in the tool.
Fusce orci purus, aliquet ac, aliquet a, mollis ac, est. Fusce eu ipsum. Fusce ac nunc. Maecenas congue erat at nisi. Proin pharetra. Duis consectetuer mauris nec est. Cras imperdiet elit vitae libero. Aliquam elit urna, venenatis nec, tincidunt nec, ullamcorper non, velit. Curabitur lacus mauris, cursus sit amet, hendrerit eget, aliquet volutpat, risus. In imperdiet justo interdum leo tempor lobortis. Suspendisse elit. Praesent leo felis, commodo in, tempus congue, sagittis a, ligula. Vestibulum eu augue sed tortor congue congue. Nulla arcu erat, bibendum nec, aliquam id, rhoncus a, nisi. Duis nisi turpis, ullamcorper non, fermentum sed, adipiscing quis, sapien. Integer malesuada tristique tellus. Pellentesque et nibh.
Sed mattis mi aliquam urna volutpat pharetra. Sed tortor odio, ornare quis, cursus at, tincidunt id, tortor. Pellentesque volutpat sem eu odio. Morbi in tortor. Morbi eu arcu quis neque sodales ornare. Morbi dui purus, ultrices sed, dapibus sit amet, commodo id, neque. Maecenas sapien urna, vestibulum vel, mollis vel, convallis at, nunc. Aenean nibh lorem, egestas in, vestibulum ac, porta eget, enim. Phasellus ut diam. Sed tempus porta mi. Proin facilisis euismod velit. Maecenas tincidunt nulla quis neque. Curabitur viverra. Maecenas consectetuer hendrerit quam. Suspendisse eget enim. Aliquam eget tortor ut sem auctor viverra. Etiam turpis.
Multiple links in a row
You can fit 2, 3 or maybe even 4 links in a row. This often looks good at the end of a piece of text. Paste in the code for the products immediately after each other, with no blank lines in between. You might want to tweak the widths of the paragraphs in this case, e.g. use 290px for 2 products, 190px for 3, and 145px for 4.
In at nisl in mi gravida pretium. Suspendisse potenti. Suspendisse orci. Vivamus lorem. Aenean luctus elementum turpis. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; Ut eget nibh. Donec et libero nec metus tincidunt hendrerit. Nullam rutrum dolor ut urna. Donec et ligula sollicitudin dolor laoreet auctor. Nulla risus justo, condimentum vel, egestas eu, congue ac, orci. Integer in nunc id dolor ultrices porttitor. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus.
Example Lenses
Here are some lenses which use the Amazon Links code in a variety of ways. There are possibly other ways to integrate these affiliate links into your lens, but here are some ideas to start with.
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My Top Wii Games
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The Nintendo Wii is a one of the best family oriented consoles on the market. The Wii's unique motion-sensing controllers are intuitive, and easy to use, and some of the games really do get you up and being more active. Accessible by young and old al...
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Transformers Toys and Figures
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Following the Transformers Movie that came out last year, Hasbro has brought out a brand new range of Transformers toys, most of which will transform from their robot form into a vehicle. Read all about the main characters from the movie here, and t...
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Harry Potter Books - Complete Set
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Since J. K. Rowling has finished writing the Harry Potter series, the complete collection of 7 books is now available as a boxed set. Follow Harry from his first days at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, through his many adventures with H...
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The Best Wii Games Ever
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If you own a Nintendo Wii, then there's a good chance that you'll be looking for the best games to buy for it. Here is are just a few of them, compiled by some keen gamers. I have put together my own list of favorites here: My Top Wii Games. If you...
Feedback and Feature Requests
If there's something else you'd like to see added to the tool, or you have an idea for another, then let me know...
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PattB wrote...
Thanks so much for this lens, I've been wondering how to do this. 5 ***** and a favorite!
Posted November 21, 2008
thrivingmom wrote...
Super helpful lens. You always do an amazing job of sharing the most useful information in an easy to understand format.
Posted October 21, 2008
ElizabethJeanAllen wrote...
I have an Amazon affiliate account. When promoting an item, I use a text module and add a link at the bottom. Most of my lenses have both Squidoo and my links. I don't want to cut Squidoo completely out. That's how they make their money and I do care about lens rank.
Great lens
Lizzy
Posted October 17, 2008
mulberry wrote...
Excellent lens, it answered all of the questions I had regarding this!
Posted October 09, 2008
ciscopower wrote...
Great tips, I never know this before. And also welcome to visit my squidoo lens (http://www.squidoo.com/amazondiscount).
Thanks for your tips again.
Posted October 04, 2008
marsha32 wrote...
I am printing this all out to read and hopefully it will sink in to my pea brain and I can accomplish what I want on my lenses. Thanks so much for putting it all together for us.
Posted September 26, 2008
CrypticFragments wrote...
I think I get it now... thanks for the great lens, and watch for me to try this out!
Posted September 11, 2008
Marinadxb wrote...
I'm completely new at this, but this is GREAT info to help me make my lens special!
Thanks
Posted September 11, 2008
roysumit wrote...
Great to be here. Nice information and thanks for it. Five star to you
Posted September 01, 2008
a_willow wrote...
Fluff, I need this for Amazon.de!?!
Any chance of it?
Or could you mail me basic code so I could make my own links?
Posted August 22, 2008
ShareTer wrote...
Fluffanutta, this is fantastic! I was having a helluva time trying to get my affiliate links on the new lens I'm creating. I want to publish this puppy today so, will apply this new info tomorrow. Thanks so much!
Posted August 15, 2008
Catalysthere wrote...
Another great Lens, I have made this a featured lens for this week!! http://www.squidoo.com/groups/Thirtydaychallenge
Posted August 12, 2008
aliun wrote...
Very nice len!.By the way,If you want to remove the underlines on some (but not all) of your links. Just add STYLE="text-decoration: none" on the links that you don't want to be underlined. (You should include the quote signs like the example above.) For links that you want to keep underlined, use the regular tag. An example is shown below:
Example
This is an unusual link, it has no underline
Hope this help
Posted August 11, 2008
purplelady wrote...
Fluff, Thank you so much for this. I have been wanting to find a way to do more with my Amazon Associates link. This "how to" definitely enters into the realm of "awesomeness". As always, you have provided some very valuable information.
5 Awesomes for you!
Posted August 06, 2008
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News for Amazon Affiliates
- Amazon.co.uk Associates Blog: Amazon.co.uk's budget beating deals!
- The daylight may be dwindling, the economic climate cooling down, but no matter what budget your customers have set themselves this season, there are some serious bargains to be snapped up.First up, the incredible Sony KDL-32V4000 ...
- Amazon.co.uk Associates Blog: New category Launch: The Clothing Store
- Amazon.co.uk is excited to announce the recently launched new Clothing Store. There are thousands of products in our Women's, Men's and Children's department for your customers to choose from. Whatever the occasion they'll find what ...
- Amazon.co.uk Associates Blog: The 12 Days of Christmas Sale...
- The Amazon.co.uk sale has replaced Deals of the Week for the time being, but it will be back with some great offers before you know it. In the mean time, direct your customers to the sales below for some top...
- Amazon.co.uk Super Saver Delivery!
- We are excited to announce that we are significantly reducing the minimum purchase for Super Saver Delivery, our FREE delivery programme. Starting today, you only need to add £5 worth of eligible items to your basket to get free ...
