Amazon Affiliate Link Placement: Where in a Guide the Clicks Actually Come From
Most guides have affiliate links in the right number and the wrong places: one under each product, usually at the end of the section, and nothing where the reader actually decides.
The reader who takes the verdict at the top has to scroll to find a link; the one who reads the table can't click it; the one who reaches the conclusion is told to "check it out" without a button. The placements are a few minutes' work and they change what the same traffic earns.
This post sets out the five places a link lives in a buyer guide, roughly what share of clicks and orders each one tends to produce, why the first screen matters more than the link count, how phones change it, and the placements that add clicks without orders. It's the placement half of the conversion rate post.
The short answer
Put a button next to the verdict in the first screen. Link the product names and images in the comparison table. Put a "Check price" button under every product section. Add one more in the conclusion for the top pick.
Use inline text links sparingly, where a sentence names a product. Measure each placement with its own tracking ID for a month, and the verdict and section buttons will account for most of the orders.
The five placements
| Placement | Who clicks it | Share of clicks | Share of orders | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verdict box, first screen | Readers who wanted the answer | High | Highest | Always; a button, not a text link |
| Comparison table (name, image, button column) | Readers choosing between picks | High | High | Always; every row linked |
| Product-section button | Readers who read that product's case | Medium | High | Always; one per product |
| Inline text link | Readers mid-paragraph, often curious | Medium | Low | One or two per guide, on product names |
| Conclusion button | Readers who read everything | Low | Medium | One, for the top pick |
The shares are what sites commonly see when they split placements by tracking ID; your guide's mix depends on its readers. The pattern that holds everywhere is that the placements nearest a decision (verdict, table, section button) produce the orders, and the placements nearest curiosity (inline links, images) produce the clicks.
Why the first screen matters most
Most readers of a "best X" guide don't read it. They skim for the answer, find it or don't in the first screen, and act. A verdict box with the top pick's name, one reason and a button converts those readers; a verdict with no button loses the half who won't scroll to find one. That one button, on a page with twenty-five links, is routinely the single largest source of orders.
The box doesn't need to be elaborate: the pick's name, a one-line reason, a button, and a line for the budget alternative with its own button. Above the table, below the intro.
The comparison table
The table is where readers who didn't take the verdict choose, and an unlinked table sends them scrolling to find the product's section. Link the product name, link the image, and add a button column on the right.
Phones are the catch: a wide table scrolls sideways, and the button column disappears off the edge, so keep the table to four or five columns and put the button in the second column rather than the last. The comparison tables post covers the layout.
Product-section buttons
One button per product, placed after the pros and cons rather than before the description, so the reader who was persuaded by the section clicks it on the way out. "Check price on Amazon" or "See it on Amazon"; the wording matters less than the fact of a button. A section with the button at the top and nothing at the bottom loses the reader who finished reading.
Inline text links
A product name linked inside a sentence catches the reader who was going to look it up anyway. One or two per guide, on the first mention of the top pick and maybe the runner-up, is worth having.
Linking every product name every time it appears is the pattern that reads as a link farm, collects curiosity clicks that don't order, and makes the page harder to read. The text link also shouldn't be the only link on a product; the button does the converting.
The conclusion
The reader who reaches the end has read the whole case and wants to be told once more. A short restatement of the verdict with a button for the top pick, and a line for the budget pick with its button. This placement gets few clicks and a high order rate; it's the cheapest one to add and the one most often missing.
Placements that add clicks and nothing else
- Sidebar product widgets. Unrelated to what the reader is reading; clicked out of curiosity.
- Popups and exit-intent offers. Clicks from people who were leaving, and a worse page for everyone who wasn't.
- Linking every mention. See above.
- Links in the intro before the verdict. The reader hasn't been told anything yet.
- A "buy now" button with no product named. Clicks from readers who assume it's the top pick, and sometimes it isn't.
Measuring it
Give each placement type its own Amazon tracking ID for a month (site-verdict-20, site-table-20, site-section-20, site-inline-20) and read the Earnings report split by ID. Clicks tell you which placements get used; ordered items tell you which ones sell.
On most sites the verdict and section buttons win on orders and the inline links win on clicks, which is the argument for keeping buttons where decisions happen and text links scarce. The tracking IDs post covers the setup.
Doing it with AffSERP
AffSERP's X Best Review tool writes guides with the placements above built in: a verdict box with a button in the first screen, a comparison table with linked names and a button column laid out for phones, a "Check price" button under each product section after the pros and cons, and the top pick's button in the conclusion, all carrying your Associates ID.
Inline links are limited to the first mention of the leading picks. What's left to you is the per-placement tracking ID if you want the breakdown, which is a per-site setting.
FAQ
Where should affiliate links go in a blog post?
In a buyer guide: a button next to the verdict in the first screen, a link on each product's name or image in the comparison table, a button under each product section, and one more button in the conclusion. That's four placements per product at most, each where a reader decides. Scattering links through every paragraph adds clicks from the undecided and no orders.
How many affiliate links should a buyer guide have?
As many as there are decision points, which for a ten-product guide is roughly 25 to 35: the verdict, the table, one button per product, one or two inline mentions, and the conclusion. The number isn't the problem; the same product linked five times in one section is. Google doesn't penalise affiliate link count; readers penalise clutter.
Do buttons convert better than text links?
Per click, yes. A button is clicked by someone who's decided; a text link by someone who's curious. Sites that track per placement with Amazon tracking IDs typically find the verdict button and the product-section buttons produce most of the orders, while inline text links produce clicks with a lower order rate. Keep both; put the buttons where the decisions happen.
Should I link the product image?
Yes, in the table and the product section, because readers tap images on phones expecting them to go somewhere. Don't rely on image links for orders; they collect curiosity taps. And the image itself must come from Amazon's API, not a saved copy, under the Associates image rules.
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