Monetize Content Pages Easily

Amazon has just announced the beta release of Context Links, which will automatically link words and phrases to products on Amazon.com - complete with your Affiliate ID of course!

Context Links are a quick and convenient way to add links to your website and monetize your content. Context Links automatically identify and link relevant phrases within your page content to Amazon products, unlocking new ad inventory and saving you the time from having to manually create links. You can add the links to your pages in minutes, and we provide a wealth of options to customize how they are displayed.

You create the content. We'll link it.

This is free to use of course - you simply need an Associates account with Amazon. If you are not already an associate (or affiliate), you can sign up here: Join Amazon Associates.

Instead of having to create each link individually, and manually, you simply add a snippet of code to your website or blog and Amazon will create the links on each content page automatically. It doesnt get any easier than that!

You can see a great example of the use of Context Links on the Muppet Central Blog. If you hold your mouse over any of the single-underline links on that page, you will see a preview of a product related to that text. This is exactly the type of blog or site that should do well with this new option for Amazon Associates. The content is relevant to the primary products that Amazon offers, and the links are a great match for the target reader.

Obviously Amazon offers a wide range in products these days, so this may be a great option for one of your sites or blogs. The links will appear on all of the content you have already written (automatically) and every new page that you add.

As a publisher, this is obviously a great solution. But I would also be interested in hearing your thoughts as a reader. Do you feel that this type of tool adds value to a web page, and to the site as a whole - or does it distract or annoy you in any way? Personally, I like the option of additional information and related products - and I like this format much better than flashing ad blocks or disruptive banners...

Best,