Links
Amazon affiliate link shorteners: what Amazon allows, what it does not, and the grey area nobody quotes.
Amazon’s own short link, generic shorteners like bit.ly, and the /go/ links many WordPress sites use, each checked against the exact wording in Amazon’s policies.
Policy quoted
amzn.to vs bit.ly
Cloaked links
The short version
- The rule: no shortener, button or link that makes it unclear you are linking to Amazon.
- Safe: Amazon’s own short link from SiteStripe. Its amzn.to domain redirects to amazon.com and already carries your ID.
- Avoid: generic shorteners such as bit.ly that hide the destination, and anything that redirects without a click.
- Grey area: /go/ links on your own domain. Amazon has published no guidance on them, so label every one as going to Amazon.
Long Amazon URLs are ugly, and in a video description or a caption they are hard to fit. So shortening is natural. Amazon does allow it, but its wording is about whether the reader can tell where the link goes, not about how many characters it has. Get that wrong and the cost is not just the commission on one sale. Amazon lists it as a breach of the agreement.
What Amazon’s policies actually say
Three passages in Amazon’s Program Policies, updated 14 April 2026, cover shortening and redirecting. Paraphrased closely:
| Section | What it says | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Participation Requirements 6(w) | You will not use a link shortening service, button, hyperlink or other ad placement in a manner that makes it unclear you are linking to an Amazon site. | Shortening is fine; hiding Amazon is not. |
| Participation Requirements 6(v) | You will not cloak, hide or obscure the URL of your Site containing Special Links, including by Redirecting Links, so that Amazon cannot tell which site a click came from. | Amazon must be able to see that the click came from your declared Site. |
| Commission Income Statement 2(e) | Purchases are excluded when the customer arrives through a link that sends them via an intermediate site without requiring a click or other action there (a “Redirecting Link”). | Automatic hops through another site can cost the commission. |
Amazon’s help adds one more rule: you must not automatically redirect visitors to Amazon, or open Amazon in a frame or new window, without the visitor first clicking a link on your site.
The safe option: Amazon’s own short link
SiteStripe’s Get Link → Text panel builds both a short and a full link. Amazon’s help says your ID and tracking ID are already included in the short link. The short links use amzn.to, a domain that redirects to amazon.com: we checked it on 1 October 2026 and it returned a permanent redirect to Amazon’s home page. Because the domain is Amazon’s, the link does not hide where it goes, which is the whole point of the rule.
Two habits make Amazon’s short links safer still. Check that the tracking ID in the panel is the right one before you copy, because SiteStripe pre-fills the last one you used. And keep a note of which short link is which, since amzn.to links do not show the product. How to create an Amazon affiliate link covers SiteStripe and the phone method step by step.
Why generic shorteners are the risky choice
A bit.ly or similar link says nothing about where it goes. That is exactly the situation 6(w) describes: a link that makes it unclear you are linking to Amazon. Amazon does not name any shortener brand, so you will not find “bit.ly is banned” in its policies. But a link whose only purpose is to be short, with no destination visible, is hard to defend if Amazon asks.
Platforms are wary of them too. Pinterest says some shortener services are not supported, and that links using excessive or deceptive redirection may be blocked. There is also a practical risk. Some shorteners change or drop query parameters, and Amazon excludes purchases from links that are not properly formatted. If the tag= does not survive, neither does the commission.
The grey area: /go/ links on your own site
Many WordPress sites send affiliate links through a tidy internal address such as /go/product-name, which then redirects to Amazon. It makes links easy to update and count. Amazon’s documents do not address this pattern directly, and we found no Amazon page that approves or bans it.
Read against the wording above, two things matter. The reader must be able to tell the link goes to Amazon, so the anchor text or button should say so: “View on Amazon”, not “Get the deal”. And the redirect must happen only after a real click on your page, never automatically. If you use /go/ links for Amazon, apply both, and keep your declared Site as the page the click comes from.
Where we stand. We make a WordPress plugin, Ama Affiliate Pro, that can route Amazon links through the site so each reader reaches their own country’s store. So we have read these clauses closely. The honest position is that Amazon’s text is about clarity and clicks, not URL shape. Label every Amazon link as Amazon, and never redirect without a click.
A checklist for any shortened Amazon link
- The reader can tell it goes to Amazon. From the domain (amzn.to), the anchor text, or a label next to it.
- It expands to a URL with tag= and your ID. Open it in a private window and look.
- Nothing happens until the reader clicks. No timed redirects, no pop-unders, no auto-opening tabs.
- The click comes from your declared Site. Do not hide the referring page.
- It is disclosed. A short link still needs a label such as “(paid link)” and Amazon’s sentence on the Site. See the disclosure guide.
Where short links matter most is social media and Pinterest, which have their own rules: see Amazon links on social media and Amazon links on Pinterest. On a website, a full link with good anchor text is usually better anyway. Adding Amazon links in WordPress shows how to set rel=”sponsored” on it. And if a short link stops earning, the nine causes of a link not tracking is the place to start.
Part of The Amazon Affiliate Site Playbook — the whole job in six stages, from choosing a niche to keeping a mature site earning.
Links that say where they go
Ama Affiliate Pro writes Amazon links and buttons with your tag, an “on Amazon” label and rel=”sponsored” by default, and counts clicks without needing a shortener.
Common questions
Can I shorten my Amazon affiliate link?
Yes, if it stays clear that the link goes to Amazon. Amazon’s policies forbid using a link shortening service in a way that makes it unclear you are linking to an Amazon site. Amazon’s own short link from SiteStripe is the safe option.
Is amzn.to allowed for Amazon affiliate links?
amzn.to is Amazon’s own short domain: it redirects to amazon.com. A short link created in SiteStripe already carries your ID, and because the domain is Amazon’s, it does not hide the destination.
Can I use bit.ly for Amazon affiliate links?
Amazon does not name bit.ly, but a generic shortener hides that the link goes to Amazon, which is what the policy forbids. Use Amazon’s own short link instead, or say clearly next to the link that it goes to Amazon.
Are cloaked /go/ links allowed for Amazon?
Amazon has published no guidance on redirects that live on your own domain. Its wording forbids links that hide the Amazon destination and redirects that send visitors on without a click. If you use them, label every link and button so the reader knows it goes to Amazon.
Can my page redirect visitors to Amazon automatically?
No. Amazon’s help says Associates must not automatically redirect visitors to Amazon, or open Amazon in a frame or new window, without the visitor first clicking a link.
Why did my shortened link stop earning?
Check that it still expands to a URL containing tag= and your ID. A link that is not correctly formatted is excluded from commission, and some shorteners strip or change parameters.