Are Amazon links in hub a waste of time?

1. 63

   CYong74posted 8 years ago

   Are Amazon links in hub a waste of time?
   
   Do people even click on those? How likely are people to buy something just after reading a hub?
   
   

   replyreport
2. 69

   Glenn Stokposted 8 years ago

   Based on my own experience I can say it is worth it. One of my hubs gets Amazon sales almost every day. But you have to do it right. There are several things to consider:
   
   1. Amazon capsules (as well as in-text Amazon links) need to be 100% related to the subject mentioned in the title of the hub.
   
   2. Don't overwhelm the reader. I found that when I removed extra capsules and left just one, I actually got more sales. I started doing this when HubPages snipped one and it improved my Amazon sales. So I started snipping my other hubs.
   
   3. Add content into the Amazon capsule itself describing your experience with the product. If you don't use it yourself, you are wasting your time with Amazon.
   
   4. You MUST be a user of the product and show authority of knowing it from first-hand experience.
   
   5. If you just add stuff hoping to make sales, you will not only waste your time, but you will upset you readers since it looks like spam. The side effect is that readers will leave and Google will lower the ranking on your hub due to short view duration. (You can see view duration in your stats).
   
   6. Only include Amazon ads or links if it definitely provides value to the reader. Imagine you are the reader and determine honestly if you would order the item. If there is any doubt, don't include it in your hub.
   
   Remember - failing to follow these rules will not only be a waste of time, but it will hurt your overall success with ranking your hub in the SERPS.

   replyreport
   1. 63

      CYong74posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Tough! But very good advice. Thanks for sharing your insight, Glenn.

      replyreport
   2. 69

      Glenn Stokposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I know. Funny you say that because I was thinking of saying "tough love" at the end.

      replyreport
3. 83

   tamarawilhiteposted 8 years ago

   I know people click on the links from time to time due to affiliate sells I achieve. It is rare.
   You lose rankings in search engines and Hubpages if you have more than one or two outbound links, Amazon links included. So if you're reviewing a class of product, putting in a link for every single one of them nearly guarantees people won't see your page.
   The better solution is writing your Hub as the answer to a common question (but not one everyone else is competing with or one the product manufacturer is answering). And the one or two product links on the page are the presented solution to the person's question or problem.

   replyreport
4. 63

   CYong74posted 8 years ago

   Hey Tamara, thanks for replying! To be honest, I'm quite shock links have that effect on SEO. This seems to contradict what suggestions by programmes/plugins like Yoast, which is that links to related subject would boost SEO. But I guess different platforms operate different. And anyway, I've been having this suspicion that those plugins aren't exactly totally right.
   
   Thanks for the suggestion on answers too. I will give that some thought.

   replyreport
5. 91

   David Ortegaposted 8 years ago

   I have not realized any sales from Amazon either. Hub editors have snipped some Amazon capsules in a few of my articles. I can see the wisdom of reducing to one or two highly relevant Amazon ads to avoid the appearance of being spammy. There is already an Adsense presence on all of my Hubs and they are just this year starting to generate a few cents. But zero for Amazon and EBay.

   replyreport