The Amazon Super URL
Why it might be killing your book reviews
One HUGE mistake I’ve seen so many authors make when linking to their book sales page is linking to the Amazon Super URL.
A lot of authors share, email, and tweet the Amazon Super URL without even realizing it. One of my authors, who had been selling several hundred copies a day, almost accidentally promoted his wrong link.
HOW DO YOU AVOID THE AMAZON URL?
SO, what is an Amazon Super URL? It’s a link that was created by going to Amazon and searching for a book using a series of keywords, and then copying and pasted the link in the address field of your browser.
So, how do you stay away from using the WRONG Amazon link? Go to Amazon.com and search for a book.
“Pont Neuf Max Byrd” would lead to this link:
www. amazon.com/Pont-Neuf-Max-Byrd-audiobook/dp/B0813XGCTG/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=pont+neuf+max+byrd&qid=1619105293&s=books&sr=1-1
BUT, that actually results in the Amazon Super URL.
Amazon sees this link and thinks that you used keywords to potentially game their algorithm. If they see a number of people who leave a review coming from that particular link, they might remove the reviews and your book will be penalized.
Amazon can track when searches were made and where the links came from. If they see a high percentage of reviews coming from a certain source, they will assume that the review is biased. So if you accidentally use the wrong URL and share it, you might get flagged.
Dave Chesson from Kindlepreneuer has a pretty great explanation here on Amazon Super URLs.
HOW TO SHARE THE CORRECT AMAZON LINK
So how do authors make sure they always share the correct link? Use the base URL.
The base URL usually begins with http://www.amazon.com/ [name of book]/ebook/dp/[10 Digit ASIN Number]
If the link is potentially both an ebook and print book, a search like “bring rain helping humanity” would result in the following Amazon Super URL:
www. amazon.com/Bring-Rain-Helping-Humanity-Crisis-ebook/dp/B08W8F2CKN/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=bring+rain+helping+humanity&qid=1619101924&s=digital-text&sr=1-1
(I am not linking the above because I don’t want to link to the Amazon Super URL).
You want to make sure the anatomy of the link ends after the 10 Digit ASIN:
http://www.amazon.com/ [name of book]/dp/[10 Digit ASIN]
https://www.amazon.com/Bring-Rain-Helping-Humanity-Crisis-ebook/dp/B08W8F2CKN
That will list all the print and ebook options.
And that’s it! No extra stuff. You won’t be penalized by Amazon.
Hope you found that helpful! Help out your author friends by sharing this newsletter on social media or forwarded it to friends who are considering publishing their book.
Like this content? Here are some of my other posts:
How to avoid mistakes first-time self-published authors make
Why it’s an amazing time to be a writer
Why author karma is important and how to support your favorite writers