Hi, do Google or Amazon's T&Cs allow direct linking to Amazon?
I've noticed a few competitor sites that link to a landing page on their own domain which use a redirect to a specific product page on Amazon, either this or they're just direct linking to Amazon, in which case Google haven't banned their ad for a display/landing page URL discrepancy. Is direct linking using a redirect allowed? I was under the impression it wasn't?
Its not allowed, you can only use your own display URL and cannot send user directly to Amazon with the destination URL, likewise you cant send visitor to your site that automatically re-directs to Amazons.
Send them to your own site with some good info on the product and they will then most likely click through and convert to a sale this way and who knows come directly to your own site next time they are interested in a product.
Vrindavan (13-01-09)
Right.
I've asked this question on the Amazon forum and in various other places and not one single person has been able to show me the link to the TOS at Amazon where it says "thou shalt not direct link".
So, does it exist and if so where please ?
If it doesn't, why do so many people think it does ?
I don't think direct linking to Amazon is a problem as long as the link in the ad displays as Amazon. The majority of the time Amazon already have ads running so your ad would not show anyway.
I have also noticed others using their own domain within the ad and redirecting to Amazon (i know it is a redirect as it shows in the source code), i'm not sure how they achieve this and have the ad approved, unless they do it correctly first get the ad approved and then alter it at a later date and add a redirect in (if this is possible)??
It is possible, I don't know exactly how to do it though so I cant shed any light on it for you.
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Quite funny you find it is ok to do, its not. So whoever is doing it will be found out soon. Also for the others who say its ok, its against adword rules to do so, and likewise your campaigns will be stopped shortly.
You may not link directly to amazon. It is stated quite clearly in the very first section of the operating agreement:
Unsuitable sites include, but are not limited to, those that:
“amazon” or other trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates, or variations or misspellings thereof in any of their domain names, and in particular those including such trademarks or names in the left part of the top level domain name in the URL (e.g. denominations such as “amazon.mydomain.co.uk” or “amaozn.co.uk” or “amazonauctions.net”) shall be unsuitable.
and this in section 2
We grant you a revocable, non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence for the duration of the term of this Agreement, solely for purposes of facilitating referrals from your site to our site, to establish and maintain lists, links and search boxes as contemplated below:
Also not just the fact you cant do that with Amazon, its breaking googles terms also, you cant send someone from adwords to a webpage that then automatically re-directs that user somewhere else.
I don't think thats correct tbh. If your landing page is a redirect then Google will visit the redirect page too.Originally Posted by shaun_c
Right. It's perfectly OK to put Merchant.com as your display URL then send the user to a destination url on You.com that just redirects to Merchant.com. Google's only interested in where the user ultimately ends up.
Of course you'd then be competing with other affiliates for the display url - time was when you could get around this by putting You.com as display url then redirect to the merchant - a lot of Clickbank affiliates did this as there's no restriction on direct linking. You'd get caught by Google eventually but it could be months, now Google is wise enough to not let the ad show in the first place. At one stage I even had some ads running with www-Merchant.com as the display url - needless to say Google's wise to these sort of tricks now
Yeah I know, its ok for example to have the destination URL different to the display URL, but its not acceptable to have a re-direct on the page that is the destination URL, which was whatI was on about, not the destnation URL. We are talking here your google visitor clicks a link and visits your webpage, fair enough, but not a re-direct straight on this page that moves the user away again.
Nah, it's fine to do a straight redirect lol...have a read of the AdWords help pages.
I aint ever actually done it, I just thought it wouldnt be allowed.
So you can show display URL domain1, and destination actually goes to domain2, however when landed on domain2, person is automatially re-directed to domain3?
To clarify
Display URL: Merchant.com
Destination URL You.com/RedirectToMerchant.php
OK
Display URL: You.com
Destination URL You.com/RedirectToMerchant.php
Not OK
The user needs to end up on the display url - doesn't matter if he gets there directly or via a redirect/aff link whatever.
OK Amazon says 'this is how to link to us from your website'.
But it doesn't specifically say you can't use their website in the ad. with a direct PPC.
Given that just about every aff. program that does not allow direct linking has specific PPC terms saying 'do not use our url' and 'do not send direct from PPC', I'm surprised Amazon doesn't say it in that way.
As it is it is just an inference imo.
Its a bit like Google saying 'build your site with good content and put your address on there as well'. It doesn't mean you HAVE to.
And then you find sites that have b....r all content that have ranked well, because they have 5 heavy duty relevant backlinks.
I'd like to see an email from Amazon where someone has been told 'don't link direct to us from a PPC you naughty boy'.
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