How to Promote Amazon Affiliate Links With Google Ads and Make $100 a Day

Most people who try Amazon affiliate marketing hit the same wall: they build a blog, wait months for Google to rank their content organically, and earn almost nothing while they wait. What if you could skip that wait, pay pennies per click, and put your affiliate links in front of buyers today?

This walkthrough covers the exact process for running Google Search Ads to a simple blog post loaded with Amazon affiliate links. The keyword “best printer for home use” ran at 16 cents per day in the example shown. At a 3% commission on a $200-plus product, one sale covers your daily ad spend many times over. Here is how to set it up from scratch.

What You’ll Walk Out With

A repeatable keyword research filter inside Ahrefs that surfaces low-competition “best [product]” keywords with a cost per click under 50 cents
A clear method for verifying a keyword has no paid competition in Google before you spend a dollar
A step-by-step system for building a minimal affiliate blog post with Amazon links in under an hour
A full Google Ads Search campaign setup, including daily budget, max CPC, geo-targeting, and keyword match types
How to use Keyword Toaster to generate exact, phrase, and broad match keywords without manual formatting
The product price threshold that makes 3% Amazon commissions worth pursuing with paid traffic
How to figure out which online income model fits your actual skills and situation at finder.platformproof.com

Why Google Ads and Amazon Affiliate Is a Viable Combination

Amazon affiliate marketing runs on buyer intent. When someone types “best printer for home use” into Google, they are not casually browsing. They are about to make a purchase. Google Search Ads put your page in front of that person at the exact moment they are ready to pull out their card. That timing is what separates search ads from display ads, social ads, or SEO content that ranks months later.

The reason most affiliate marketers avoid paid ads is commission rates. Amazon pays around 3% on most product categories. That sounds thin, but it becomes workable when you focus on higher-priced items. A 3% commission on a $797 camera kit is roughly $24. If your average cost per click is 45 cents and your blog post converts one buyer for every 30 clicks, the cost to generate that $24 commission is $13.50, leaving you with roughly $10 profit per conversion. That math holds when you pick the right products and the right keywords.

The other reason this works is competition. Many “best [product]” keywords have little or no existing paid competition. Ahrefs shows you whether active ads are running on a keyword. No ads means less bidding pressure, which means a lower cost per click, which means better margins on commissions. Open territory in paid search is rare in most niches, but the “best product under [price]” category still has plenty of it.

Step 1: Find Low-Competition Keywords in Ahrefs

Open Ahrefs Keywords Explorer and type in the word “best” as your seed keyword. Click over to the Matching Terms view and add two include filters: “under” and a number. This pulls up keywords like “best printers under 200” or “best headphones under 100,” which are exactly the high-commercial-intent phrases buyers use right before clicking Buy on Amazon.

Next, add a cost-per-click filter. Set the maximum CPC to 50 cents. That is the most you are willing to pay per click. Anything above that and your margins get squeezed unless your product prices are very high. Also add a filter to exclude keywords that already show ads at the top and bottom of Google results. If multiple advertisers are bidding, competition will drive your CPC up over time.

After applying those filters, scroll through the results and paste promising keywords directly into a Google search to double-check manually. Look at the live results page. If you see no sponsored listings at the top or bottom, that keyword is open territory. The video example “best camera for photography” came in at 45 cents CPC with zero paid competition showing. “Best printer for home use” was the keyword chosen for the full walkthrough because it had similar characteristics.

If you do not have an Ahrefs subscription, you can still do this research at no cost, but it takes longer. You would manually brainstorm “best [product]” phrases, check Google for active ads, and use Google Keyword Planner to estimate search volume and average CPC. Ahrefs speeds the process up significantly, but the free path reaches the same destination.

Step 2: Build a Simple Blog Post With Amazon Affiliate Links

You do not need a long or elaborate post. The page in the video was titled “Best Printer for Home Use: The Complete Guide” with one introductory sentence, a product list with affiliate links, and nothing else. That is genuinely the full post. The goal is to give Google Ads a destination URL and give visitors a clear path to click your Amazon links.

For the product list, go to Amazon and search your target keyword. Switch the sort order from “Featured” to “Customer Reviews” to surface the most popular products. Focus on items priced at $200 or above. At $200 and a 3% commission, each sale earns $6. At $500 and 3%, each sale earns $15. The price of the product directly multiplies your earnings per conversion, so concentrate on the upper end of the price range for any given category.

If you want to automate the display of Amazon products on your blog, the AAWP plugin handles this well. It pulls in live product data including current price and availability, then formats it into clean comparison tables or product boxes. The blog post in the example used AAWP to pull the Amazon bestseller list for “best printer for home use” filtered to the top seven results. If you prefer not to pay for a plugin, you can manually add product images and affiliate links from your Amazon Associates dashboard. It takes more time but produces the same result.

Once your post is live, copy the full URL. You will need it in the next step when setting up the Google Ads campaign. The URL in the example was bestproductsunder.com/best-printer-for-home-use, and it was entered directly into the campaign as the destination for all clicks.

Step 3: Create a Google Ads Search Campaign

Go to ads.google.com and log in to your account. If you have never run ads before, Google sometimes offers free ad credits for new accounts. Watch for that offer during signup since it can offset your early testing costs. Click “New Campaign” and choose “Website Traffic” as your campaign goal. If that option does not appear for you, click “Continue” and look for the Search campaign type on the next screen.

Paste your blog post URL into the website field and click Continue. On the budget and bidding screen, set your daily budget to $10 to start. Change the bidding strategy from “Conversions” to “Clicks,” then turn on the option to set a maximum CPC and enter 50 cents. This is a hard cap: Google will not charge you more than 50 cents per click. In the campaign shown in the video, the actual cost settled at 16 cents per day, well under the $10 daily budget.

On the network settings screen, uncheck “Display Network.” You only want your ad to appear in Google Search results, not across millions of third-party websites. Set the geographic target to the United States and language to English. The US Amazon affiliate program is the most straightforward starting point. If you have Amazon One Link configured to redirect international shoppers to their local Amazon store, you can expand geo-targeting later, but start with the US to keep things clean.

Step 4: Generate Keyword Match Types With Keyword Toaster

Google Ads uses three keyword match types: exact match, phrase match, and broad match. Manually formatting these is tedious because each type requires specific syntax with brackets, quotes, or plus signs. Keyword Toaster is a free web tool that handles this formatting automatically.

Type your main keyword into Keyword Toaster. For example: “best printer for home use.” The tool outputs three formatted versions instantly. Exact match shows your ad only when someone searches that phrase exactly: [best printer for home use]. Phrase match shows your ad when that phrase appears inside a longer search, such as “best printer for home use 2024.” Broad match shows your ad when the individual words appear in any order, so a search like “best new home printer” could trigger your ad.

Run a second related phrase through the tool as well. In the video, “printers for home use” was added alongside the main keyword. Copy all of the generated match types from both phrases and paste them into the keywords field inside your Google Ads campaign. Using multiple match types gives Google more flexibility to match your ad to relevant searches. Google optimizes which match types perform best because the platform earns more when your ad gets clicked, so the algorithm naturally favors the match types that convert for your keyword.

Step 5: Write Ad Headlines, Descriptions, and Callout Extensions

Google Search Ads allow up to 15 headline slots and 4 description slots. You do not need to fill all of them, but providing more options gives Google more combinations to test. The most important step is to include your exact keyword in at least one headline and pin it to position 1. When someone’s search query matches your pinned headline, click-through rates go up because the ad looks directly relevant to what they typed.

The campaign in the video used headlines like “Best Printer for Home Use,” “Best Printer for Home,” “Inkjet Laser Home Printers,” “Beginner and Expert Options,” and “Best for Home Use.” Descriptions included phrases like “Here is the Complete Guide,” “Best Printer for Home Use The Complete Guide,” and “Beginner Friendly Options for Home Use Printing.” All of these are keyword variations. Google tests different headline and description combinations, then prioritizes the combinations that produce the most clicks.

Callout extensions are short phrases that appear below your ad text and add more detail. They do not increase your CPC but they make your ad take up more space on the results page and give searchers more reasons to click through. The video used callouts like “Every Budget Included,” “Expert and Friendly Options,” “Best Printer for Home Use,” “Beginner Friendly Printer,” and “Best Home Use Printers.”

Once everything is set, click Publish Campaign. You may get a warning or review notice from Google during the final step. In most cases you can click through it and proceed. The campaign in the video showed an estimated cost of 16 cents per day after publishing, with Google flagging zero estimated clicks, but that does not reflect what actually happens once the campaign exits its initial review period.

Not sure whether Google Ads plus Amazon affiliate is the right model for your skills and budget?

Answer five short questions and get a matched recommendation at finder.platformproof.com.

Real Numbers: What 3% Amazon Commission Actually Means

Amazon’s base commission rate on most product categories sits at around 3%. Here is what that looks like across different price points when you factor in ad spend at a 50-cent maximum CPC:

$37 product: $1.11 commission per sale. At 50 cents per click, you need the page to convert at over 6% just to break even. Not a viable target.
$200 product: $6.00 commission per sale. You need one sale per 12 clicks at 50 cents to break even, or one per 20 clicks to net roughly $4 per sale.
$500 product: $15.00 commission per sale. At 20 clicks to a sale, you spend $10 in ads and clear $5. More breathing room to test and adjust.
$797 camera kit (the example from the video): $23.91 commission per sale. At 20 clicks to a sale, you spend $10 in ads and net nearly $14. This is where the model becomes genuinely profitable.

The video specifically flags this tradeoff: the best printer for home use example was used to show the setup process, but the products in that category were not expensive enough to make the math work well at 3% commission. The camera example, with kits priced at $797, was shown as a better target. The process is identical. Only the keyword and product change.

The general rule from the video is to target products priced at least $200, and to look for camera kits, professional tools, appliances, and other items in the $500 to $1,000 range when you can find keywords with low paid competition. Search volume on expensive products is often lower, but the margin on each click that converts is far better and the business stays profitable at realistic conversion rates.

Honest Drawbacks to Know Before You Start

The strategy works, but it comes with friction points worth knowing upfront so you can plan around them.

Amazon’s 24-hour cookie window. If someone clicks your affiliate link and does not complete a purchase within 24 hours, you earn nothing from that visit. This method works best when you target keywords with clear purchase intent, not casual research queries.
Commission rates vary by category. Amazon pays different rates depending on what the visitor buys. Electronics pays 3%, but some categories pay 1% or less. Luxury beauty pays 10%. Know the commission rate for your product category before you build a campaign around it.
Google Ads has a learning period. The algorithm needs 1 to 2 weeks to figure out which keyword match types and ad combinations actually produce clicks for your campaign. Your early cost numbers will be less stable. Treat the first two weeks as data collection, not a profitability test.
Amazon has cut commission rates before. In April 2020, Amazon slashed rates across most categories. Electronics dropped from 4.5% to 3%. Furniture dropped from 8% to 3%. It can happen again. This method works better when it is one income stream among several rather than your only source of revenue.
You cannot link directly to Amazon from Google Ads. Google’s policy requires you to send traffic to a page on your own domain. You need a live website with the blog post before you can run ads. Budget for domain registration and hosting if you do not have them already.

Find Your X

Google Ads plus Amazon affiliate is one way to build income online. It works well for people who have a small testing budget and want results faster than organic SEO allows. But it is not the only model, and it is not the right fit for everyone depending on where they are starting from.

If you are not sure whether this fits your skills, your current budget, or your specific goals, the Platform Proof Finder can help you get clear on that quickly. Answer five short questions and get a matched recommendation based on your actual situation. Visit finder.platformproof.com to find out what fits where you are right now.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need an existing website to run Google Ads for Amazon affiliate links?

Yes. Google’s advertising policies do not allow ads that send users directly to a third-party retailer like Amazon. You need a blog or landing page on your own domain that contains the affiliate links. The page does not need to be long or elaborate, but it must be live before you set up the ad campaign. A single post with a keyword-matched title, one sentence of introduction, and a product list with affiliate links is enough.

How much does it cost to start this method?

The minimum practical ad budget is $10 per day. You also need a domain and hosting, which run around $50 to $100 per year for a basic setup. Ahrefs costs around $99 per month and is the tool used in the video for keyword research, though you can do the same research manually for free at the cost of extra time. The AAWP plugin is optional at roughly $49 per year. Your total startup cost can be as low as $100 to $200 if you skip premium tools at first and build from there.

What makes a keyword a good target for this method?

Look for “best [product type]” or “best [product] under [price]” keywords where the product is priced at $200 or more on Amazon. Run any candidate keyword through a live Google search and confirm there are no sponsored listings showing at the top or bottom of the results. If the results page has zero ads, the keyword has open territory and your CPC will stay low. The example keywords in the video were “best printer for home use” and “best camera for photography,” both of which passed this manual check.

What is the difference between exact, phrase, and broad match keywords in Google Ads?

Exact match shows your ad only when someone searches your keyword exactly as you entered it. Phrase match shows your ad when your keyword appears as part of a longer search query, such as adding a year or location to it. Broad match shows your ad when the individual words in your keyword appear in a search in any order or combination. Using all three types together gives your ad more opportunities to show while still staying relevant to your product. Keyword Toaster generates all three formats automatically from a single keyword input.

Why set the maximum CPC at 50 cents?

At a 3% Amazon commission on a $200 product, you earn $6 per sale. If your blog post converts at around 5%, you need roughly 20 clicks to produce one sale. Twenty clicks at 50 cents each costs $10 in ad spend. That puts you near break-even, and better on more expensive products. Keeping your CPC at or below 50 cents protects your margins while you gather data on what actually converts. On products priced above $500, you could afford a higher CPC and still run profitably.

How long until I see results after launching the campaign?

The video states you can start seeing click data in your Amazon Associates dashboard within 24 hours of the campaign going live. Whether those clicks produce sales depends on how quickly Google approves your ads, how much daily search volume the keyword gets, and how well your blog post converts visitors. Google’s algorithm also needs about one to two weeks to exit its learning phase and stabilize your costs and click volume. Treat the first two weeks as a testing window rather than a measure of long-term performance.

Can I run this strategy for Amazon stores outside the United States?

Yes, but it requires an additional setup step. Amazon One Link is a feature inside your Associates account that automatically redirects international visitors to their local Amazon store and still credits you for those sales. If you have One Link configured, you can expand your Google Ads geo-targeting to additional countries and your affiliate links will work across regions. If you do not have One Link set up, stick to the US Amazon program to start since your standard affiliate links only credit sales from US buyers.

Is this still profitable if Amazon lowers commission rates again?

It depends on the category and the average product price you are targeting. Amazon cut commissions significantly in 2020, reducing electronics from 4.5% to 3% and furniture from 8% to 3%. The higher the product price you target, the more buffer you have if rates drop again. It is also worth testing other affiliate programs alongside Amazon, particularly for product categories where competing retailers offer higher commission rates. Running traffic you already pay for through multiple affiliate programs helps you compare what actually converts best.

Sources

Video walkthrough: “Revealed: Make $100/Day Amazon and Google Ads” by Alston Godbolt, youtube.com/watch?v=-TlELvkpreY
Ahrefs Keywords Explorer: ahrefs.com/keywords-explorer
Google Ads campaign manager: ads.google.com
Keyword Toaster (free keyword match type formatter): keywordtoaster.com
AAWP Amazon Affiliate WordPress Plugin: getaawp.com
Amazon Associates commission rate schedule: affiliate-program.amazon.com/help/operating/commissions