Amazon on Monday announced that they are making some changes to the Amazon Associates Program. As of May 1, 2009, Amazon Associates will not be paid who send users to www.amazon.com, www.amazon.ca, or www.endless.com through pay-per-click ads or other form of paid searches on search engines like Google, MSN, Yahoo etc. It means no direct keyword bidding through PPC ads and if  you do you are not going to earn money from the valid purchases made by traffic you send via direct links from paid search results.

Amazon Associates Program

Well, this term applies to the Amazon’s Associates programs in North America only. For Associates Programs outside of US and Canada, Amazon suggests you to refer the terms ans conditions of the respective programs. Amazon also clearly stated on their FAQ page that Associates who directs a user first to an interstitial page, then to www.amazon.com, www.endless.com, or www.amazon.ca aren’t going to earn referral fees for any vaild purchases. But off course you can use PPC campaigns (without using prohibited keywords) too drive traffic to your site where links to Amazon sites and products are displayed with your content. In that case, you can make money online from every valid purchases made by users who comes to your site via your paid search ad and click through to an Amazon site to make the purchases.

The complete letter that Amazon mailed to all Associates:

Dear Amazon Associate:

We’re writing to let you know about a change to the Amazon Associates Program. After careful review of how we are investing our advertising resources, we have made the decision to no longer pay referral fees to Associates who send users to www.amazon.com, www.amazon.ca, or www.endless.com through keyword bidding and other paid search on Google, Yahoo, MSN, and other search engines, and their extended search networks. If you’re not sure if this change affects you, please visit this page for FAQs.

As of May 1, 2009, Associates will not be paid referral fees for paid search traffic. Also, in connection with this change, as of May 1, 2009, Amazon will no longer make data feeds available to Associates for the purpose of sending users to the Amazon websites in the US or Canada via paid search.

This change applies only to the Associates programs in North America. If you are conducting paid search activities in connection with one of Amazon’s Associates Programs outside of the US and Canada, please refer to the applicable country’s Associates Program Operating Agreement for relevant terms and conditions.

We appreciate your continued support and participation in this advertising Program. If you have questions or concerns, please write to us by using the Contact Us form available on Associates Central.

Sincerely,

The Amazon Associates Program