Amazon Affiliate Link Setup Guide

This guide explains how to set up Amazon Associates affiliate links for the VeganAIP site.

Step 1: Join Amazon Associates

  1. Go to Amazon Associates
  2. Click “Sign Up”
  3. Log in with your Amazon account (or create one)
  4. Complete the application:
    • Enter your website: https://veganaip.com
    • Describe your site: “Vegan AIP recipe website providing recipes and ingredient guidance for people following both vegan and autoimmune protocol diets”
    • Select relevant categories (Cooking, Health, etc.)
  5. Wait for approval (usually 24-72 hours)

Note: Amazon requires you to make qualifying sales within 180 days of approval, or they may close your account.

Step 2: Find Your Associate/Tracking ID

Once approved:

  1. Log into Amazon Associates
  2. Your tracking ID appears in the top right (format: yourname-20)
  3. You’ll use this ID to create affiliate links

The ingredients file is located at:

_data/ingredients.yml

Ingredients currently marked for affiliate links (search for REPLACE_WITH_AMAZON_AFFILIATE_LINK):

Ingredient Description
coconut_milk_full_fat Full-fat canned coconut milk
tigernut_oil Tigernut oil for cooking
cassava_flour Cassava flour (Otto’s is popular)
tigernut_flour Tigernut flour
coconut_flour Coconut flour
coconut_aminos Soy sauce substitute
arrowroot_powder Thickening agent
nutritional_yeast Adds cheesy flavor
jackfruit_young Canned young green jackfruit
palm_hearts Hearts of palm
avocado_oil High-heat cooking oil
manioc_starch Tapioca starch
dried_lavender Culinary lavender
pomegranate_molasses Specialty ingredient
tigernuts Whole or sliced tigernuts
hearts_of_palm Canned hearts of palm

For each ingredient:

Method A: SiteStripe (Easiest)

  1. Log into Amazon Associates
  2. Go to Amazon.com and search for the product
  3. Find a quality product you’d recommend
  4. Use the SiteStripe toolbar at the top of the page
  5. Click “Text” to get a short link
  6. Copy the link (format: https://amzn.to/XXXXXXX)
  1. Log into Amazon Associates Central
  2. Go to Product Linking → Product Links
  3. Search for the product
  4. Click “Get Link”
  5. Choose “Short Link” format
  6. Copy the link

Step 5: Update ingredients.yml

Open _data/ingredients.yml and replace the placeholder with your affiliate link:

Before:

cassava_flour:
  name: "cassava flour"
  link: "REPLACE_WITH_AMAZON_AFFILIATE_LINK"
  notes: "AIP-compliant flour substitute"

After:

cassava_flour:
  name: "cassava flour"
  link: "https://amzn.to/3ABC123"
  notes: "AIP-compliant flour substitute"

When selecting products to link, consider:

Suggested Brands by Ingredient

Ingredient Recommended Brands
Cassava flour Otto’s Naturals, Anthony’s
Tigernut flour Organic Gemini, Anthony’s
Coconut flour Bob’s Red Mill, Anthony’s
Coconut aminos Coconut Secret, Big Tree Farms
Arrowroot powder Bob’s Red Mill, Anthony’s
Avocado oil Chosen Foods, Primal Kitchen
Coconut milk Native Forest, Thai Kitchen (full fat)
Tigernuts Organic Gemini

After updating:

  1. Run bundle exec jekyll serve
  2. Navigate to a recipe that uses the ingredient
  3. Click the ingredient link
  4. Verify it goes to the correct Amazon product
  5. Check that your tracking ID appears in the URL

File Locations Summary

File Purpose
_data/ingredients.yml Ingredient definitions with affiliate links
_layouts/recipe.html Template that renders ingredient links
TERMS.md Affiliate disclosure (already updated)

Quick Command to Find All Placeholders

grep -n "REPLACE_WITH_AMAZON_AFFILIATE_LINK" _data/ingredients.yml

Compliance Reminders

  1. FTC Disclosure: Already added to TERMS.md
  2. Amazon Requirements:
    • Don’t use affiliate links in emails
    • Don’t cloak or hide that links go to Amazon
    • Include disclosure that you earn from qualifying purchases
  3. Keep links updated: Products go out of stock; check periodically