How and Why to Use Amazon Shortlinks [Ultimate Guide for Sellers]

Amazon URLs are long and complicated. As a seller, if you’re sharing links to your product listing, you may find yourself wondering how to how to condense a link into something more user-friendly.

A shorter link will result in more clicks, and generally allows you to add more tracking and analytics tools that help you get more from your marketing campaigns.

Read on and we’ll share all you need to know on this topic, including how to shorten Amazon links, why you should do this, and the best Amazon URL shortener for sellers in 2023.

What is an Amazon Shortlink?

An Amazon short link is simply a trimmed-down version of the full URL you’ll see in the address bar when you view a product on Amazon.

Take this for example – the URL for a product I viewed after making a search:

https://www.amazon.com/Magnesium-Glycinate-400mg-Bioavailable-Vegetarian/dp/B07ZD7R4RF/ref=sr_1_16?crid=3TLV15LS9YSHM&keywords=magnesium+glycinate&qid=1675234792&sprefix=%2Caps%2C330&sr=8-16

That’s a straight copy + paste from my address bar.

The URL contains a ton of information related to the product show, and how the person got to the product listing, such as:

• Name of the product
• ASIN
• The keywords used in the search
• Where the product was in the search results when it was clicked
• A unique time identifier for when it was clicked
• Other data that Amazon uses for internal purposes

You don’t need all these details to get to the product page, though. You can share the same thing, but with a lot of these numbers and letters stripped away, and still send someone to the same page.

An Amazon short link could be the shortest version of the above link, that doesn’t miss out on anything important for the link to function correctly. It could also be a link generated by a third-party tool that redirects the clicker to the product page, and the full URL in question.

Why You Should Be Using an Amazon URL Shortener?

As you have seen in the example above, default Amazon URLs can be very long and contain many details that are not required in order for it to actually work.

If you’re sharing or promoting links for your Amazon product, your goal is to get as many people clicking it as possible. So it’s in your best interest to generate shorter URLs that still contain elements that allow you to analyze and track user clicks.

That’s where an Amazon URL shortener helps you. An Amazon link shortener tool can help you in a multitude of other ways. From allowing you to retarget link clicks, to integrating with analytics tools.

So whether inserting a link in an email, in a social media post, or on your product insert, you should be mindful of the exact URL that you are using, if you’re interested in measuring and optimizing results.

How to Shorten Amazon Links

The first way to shorten Amazon URLs is to do it yourself.

With the link above, most of this can be cleared away, and people will still end up on the same page.

We can clear this information, that relates to when, where, and how the person got to the product listing:

• sr=8-16 
• sprefix=%2Caps%2C330
• qid=1675234792
• keywords=magnesium+glycinate
• crid=3TLV15LS9YSHM
• ref=sr_1_16

Now we have this:

https://www.amazon.com/Magnesium-Glycinate-400mg-Bioavailable-Vegetarian/dp/B07ZD7R4RF

This is cleaner and more friendly to look at.

But we can cut it down even more. The name of the product isn’t important – all you need is the ASIN:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZD7R4RF

If you try the link above, and the first link we showed, you’ll end up in exactly the same place.

An alternative option is to use a URL shortener to do it for you. Using this, you can not only shorten the URL, but customize it further. There are many options for amazon link shorteners available online.

Here’s an example, using LandingCube:

https://lncb.me/mg-glycinate/

This is a great way to cut out the confusing details from an Amazon URL, make it more friendly to click on, and easier for people to remember and type.

How To Shorten Amazon Affiliate Links

Amazon affiliate links are generated through the SiteStripe browser add-on. When you sign up for Amazon Associates, you will be prompted to install the SiteStripe bar. 

When you’re logged into Amazon Associates, SiteStripe allows you to generate full or shortened affiliate links by clicking the desired radio button.

Regardless of which one you choose, you can use LandingCube with either type. 

When and Where to Use Shortened Links

You should use a shortened URL whenever you link to your product from somewhere outside Amazon or you want to know how to send an Amazon link via email.

This includes:

• Facebook Ads
• Google Ads
• TikTok Ads
• Ads on other social platforms (Snapchat, Instagram, Pinterest, etc)
• Organic social media posts
• Links in social media profiles
• Emails
• SMS messages (or Messenger, WhatsApp, etc)
• Blog posts
• Links in show notes/video descriptions (e.g. for podcasts or YouTube videos)

Another place to use a short link is on your product inserts or packaging. If you want to put your product or storefront URL, you should use as simple a URL as possible, since people will have to type this URL manually.

How to Integrate Amazon Shortlinks into Your Marketing Strategy

Integrating Amazon shortlinks in your marketing strategy isn’t difficult. Simply replace any links you were or are using with Amazon shortlinks. 

Using short, trackable links improves the user experience and also helps you by giving you valuable insights into your audience. Below are some steps to assist you in adopting Amazon shortlinks in your marketing strategy so you get both user engagement and are compliant with Amazon’s guidelines.

1. Understand Your Audience – Identify their preferences, needs, and online behavior. This knowledge will guide you in selecting the most relevant products to promote and the most appropriate platforms for sharing your links.
2. Select Relevant Products – Nail your clickthrough rates by selecting products that resonate with your audience.
3. Create Compelling Content – Develop high-quality, engaging content that naturally incorporates your Amazon shortlinks. Whether you’re creating content or writing ads, make sure you provide value and compel your readers to check out the products you’re promoting. Be creative and informative to get that click without being overly promotional.
4. Embed Shortlines Strategically – Place your Amazon shortlinks within your content strategically. Links should feel organic and contextually integrated, not forced. Consider linking directly to text that mentions the product or alongside related images or call-to-action buttons. Make the process of using your links as intuitive as possible.
5. Promote Across Multiple Networks – Leverage multiple marketing channels to share your content containing Amazon shortlinks. Use social media, email, and any other digital marketing channels at your disposal. If you really want to knock it out of the park, tailor your content for each network.
6. Monitor and Optimize – As always, you want to track your results so you can improve your campaigns going forward. Use the metrics provided in your dashboard to refine your strategies.

Benefits of Using a Shortlink

Short links help you get more clicks, which means more sales. They also allow you to add valuable tracking and analytics tags to your links, without messing with the clickability of your links.

Here’s more on why you should use shortened URLs.

More trustworthy

People are probably going to be wary of clicking a link with a whole lot of what seems like gibberish attached. They might think it’s a scam, or something that’s going to harvest their data.

Thus you’re going to get a lot more clicks with a clean, simple URL.

Easier to remember and type

Whenever you put your product URL somewhere people can’t just click it, you need to make it as short and simple as possible.

For example, in a YouTube video, on a product insert, or saying it in a podcast. All these cases require the customer to listen and type it out on their own. You can’t expect them to type the qid, sprefix, and all the additional parameters you saw in the first example we showed. It’s much easier if the link is just the ASIN – or even better, a branded URL.

Easier to fit into character limits

For some social media posts or messaging apps, you may have a limited number of characters to use. If this is the case, you don’t want to use up all of your real estate with useless parameters. You want your link to be as short as possible, so you have more space to tell people why they should click the link.

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Benefits of Third-Party Link Shorteners

The benefits we just shared are applicable for any kind of Amazon short link, including the simplest version of the basic Amazon URL.

You’ll get even better results if you use a third-party tool to shorten your Amazon URL, including the following benefits:

Branded links

Even better than shortening the URL down to just the ASIN is customizing it with your own brand.

Branded URLs get approximately 35% more clicks than basic, generic URLs. They also provide a multitude of small touchpoints for your brand, which add up to build brand awareness, not just with people who click your links, but those who see your links too.

You can customize the domain, to add your brand name, as well as the slug, to make the link more descriptive than simply your product’s ASIN. This is another powerful way that branded URLs get more clicks.

Keeping parameters intact

The biggest benefit is that you can load your links full of important tracking tags and parameters, without letting the URL become a bloated ugly mess.

We’re not talking about the stuff that Amazon adds in – you don’t need any of that. But you can add Amazon Attribution tags, Amazon Associates tags, and other things like Google Analytics tracking, TikTok or Facebook Pixels, UTM tags, and much more.

The real URL could be hundreds of characters long, but you can simplify it to something short, sweet, and easy on the eyes.

Link management

A third-party link shortener will also let you view all your links in one place. This is a big benefit for your overall marketing strategy. It makes it easy to see where you’re getting most of your clicks, from specific channels (such as Facebook Ads vs Google Ads) to specific marketing campaigns, or variables within those campaigns (e.g. different ad sets within a Facebook Ads campaign).

This is an amazing way to analyze your marketing efforts, and see what’s bringing you the best results.

LandingCube’s Amazon Short Link Generator

LandingCube is the best way for sellers to shorten Amazon URLs.

It lets you do the following:

• Set up Amazon shortlinks with our custom domain, lncb.me
• Customize your URL slug (e.g. lncb.me/june-promo)
• Integrate your own domain with your links
• Add tracking tags such as Google Analytics, the Facebook Pixel, Amazon Associates, and custom tracking code
• Automatically integrate with Amazon Attribution to add Attribution tags to your links
• View data on all your links in one place
• View Amazon Attribution data within the LandingCube dashboard

This is a powerful way to run your external marketing strategy.

It’s not limited to links directly to your product listing, either. You can create Add to Cart or Buy Together links, which send someone straight to the Add to Cart page with one or more products pre-filled.

You can also use it for non-Amazon links, or links to your Amazon Storefront.

Click here to sign up for a free trial, and start using LandingCube to shorten your Amazon links. You’ll get unlimited links on all plans, with full link management from the link dashboard.

You’ll also have access to our landing page builder, which will help you build high-converting Amazon sales funnels.

If you’re marketing with external traffic, you need an Amazon URL shortener. Try it now, for free, and get more traffic and sales.

Common Pitfalls with Amazon Shortlink Usage

Knowledge is power. There are some mistakes to avoid when using Amazon shortlinks. Being aware of these before you start will help you optimize your strategy from the beginning and save you a lot of damage control down the road. 

Avoid these common pitfalls when implementing Amazon shortlinks in your marketing strategies:

Overuse of Shortlinks

Pitfall: Using too many shortlinks in your content will overwhelm your audience. Short-form content like social posts and ads only need on link. Including too many links will look spammy and reduce the chance that someone will click any of your links.

Solution: Use shortlinks sparingly and strategically.

Ignoring Link Placement

Pitfall: Poorly placed shortlinks can lead to low engagement.

Solution: Place you links in the most logical places, usually behind your call-to-action.

Neglecting to Monitor Performance

Pitfall: Not tracking the performance of your shortlinks can result in missed opportunities for optimization. 

Solution: Utilize the the data Amazon and LandingCube provide to track your performance and adjust accordingly.

Using Shortlinks Outside of Approved Platforms

Pitfall: Distributing Amazon shortlinks on platforms not approved by Amazon or in ways that violate the terms of Amazon’s guidelines can lead to sanctions, including removal from the program.

Solution: Familiarize yourself with Amazon’s policies regarding where and how you can share Amazon links. Ensure all platforms you use for distribution are compliant with these guidelines.

Failing to Update Links

Pitfall: Links that lead to unavailable products or outdated pages provide a poor user experience and can diminish your credibility.

Solution: Regularly review and update your shortlinks to ensure they direct to valid, available products. This maintenance is crucial for preserving the integrity of your content and the trust of your audience.

Best Practices to Avoid Pitfalls

• Regularly review Amazon’s Affiliate Program policies to stay updated on compliance requirements.
• Engage with your audience to understand their needs and preferences, ensuring your affiliate links are relevant and valuable.
• Test and optimize your link placement and content strategy based on performance data and audience feedback.

Being aware of these pitfalls will help you develop methods to avoid them. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Are There Any Costs Involved in Creating Amazon Short Links?

No, there are no costs involved in creating Amazon short links. Amazon provides a built-in link shortening service, available through the Amazon Associates dashboard, allowing affiliates to create and use shortened URLs (amzn.to links) for their promotional activities at no additional charge. 

If you are using a third-party service, you may be subject to additional charges.

Can Amazon Short Links Be Customized for Branding Purposes?

No, Amazon short links generated through the Amazon Associates Program cannot be customized for branding purposes. However, if you are using LandingCube, you can customize your shortlinks with our service.

How Do Amazon Short Links Impact SEO and Product Visibility?

Amazon short links have no direct impact on SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for your website or on the visibility of the products on Amazon’s own platform.

These shortened URLs are designed for ease of sharing and tracking within affiliate marketing campaigns and are typically used in social media, emails, and other off-site content. Since they redirect to Amazon, they do not contribute to your site’s link equity or search engine rankings.

However, effectively using Amazon short links can drive targeted traffic to specific products, potentially increasing sales and affiliate commissions but not directly affecting SEO outcomes or product visibility on Amazon.

Where Can Sellers Share Amazon Short Links?

Sellers can share Amazon short links in a variety of channels to reach their audience effectively. These include:

• Facebook Ads
• Google Ads
• TikTok Ads
• Ads on other social platforms (Snapchat, Instagram, Pinterest, etc)
• Organic social media posts
• Links in social media profiles
• Emails
• SMS messages (or Messenger, WhatsApp, etc)
• Blog posts
• Links in show notes/video descriptions (e.g. for podcasts or YouTube videos)

How Do Amazon Short Links Comply with Amazon’s Marketing Policies?

Amazon short links, created through the Amazon Associates Program, automatically comply with Amazon’s marketing policies as long as they are used appropriately by affiliates. These policies mandate clear disclosure of the affiliate relationship, prohibiting misleading practices and requiring that the use of affiliate links does not violate any applicable laws or regulations.

Final Thoughts

Amazon shortlinks do more than just simplify your promotional campaigns, their strategic aspects enhance your marketing toolkit. 

By following the insights provided in this informative guide, you can develop a plan to improve your click-through rates across all of your marketing channels with simple, trackable links that promote your brand and compel your customers to click and learn more.

Look like a pro out in the open marketplace with the power of Amazon shortlinks and watch your success grow.