How Amazon Affiliate Links Work
What an Amazon affiliate link is, what it looks like, how the associate tag and tracking work, and the disclosure and attribution duties that attach to every one.
Amazon affiliate links are the most common affiliate links on the web, so it is worth understanding exactly how they work — both to use them correctly and to disclose them properly. This is a neutral, educational overview; it is not affiliated with or endorsed by Amazon.
What an Amazon affiliate link is
When you join the Amazon Associates program, you receive a unique tracking ID (your “associate tag,” something like yoursite-20). An Amazon affiliate link is an ordinary Amazon product URL with your tag appended as a parameter — for example, ?tag=yoursite-20. When a visitor clicks it and buys, Amazon attributes the sale to your tag and pays you a commission.
What they look like
An affiliate link may be a long URL containing tag=, or a shortened amzn.to link created with Amazon’s SiteStripe tool. Either way, the defining feature is that your associate tag rides along with the click. Because the tag is what earns you money, every one of these links represents a material connection that must be disclosed.
How the commission is tracked
A click sets a tracking cookie in the visitor’s browser. If they buy within the cookie window, you earn a commission — not only on the specific product, but generally on qualifying items they purchase during that window. Commission rates vary by product category and are set by Amazon.
| Element | What it does |
|---|---|
| Associate tag | Identifies you so the sale is credited to you. |
| Affiliate link | A product URL carrying your tag. |
| Tracking cookie | Records your referral so a later purchase counts. |
| Qualifying purchase | A completed order that earns a commission. |
The disclosure and attribution duties
Two obligations attach to every Amazon affiliate link. First, the FTC and Amazon both require a clear disclosure that you earn from purchases — see Amazon Associates disclosures. Second, for search engines the link should carry rel="sponsored". Amazon’s required wording is “As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.”
Continue to the Amazon Associates requirements or how the Amazon cookie works.
Authoritative sources
Last reviewed July 2026. This page is general educational information, not legal or tax advice.