AAWP Plugin Review: What Can This Affiliate Marketing Tool Do for You?

AAWP is a WordPress affiliate marketing plugin for Amazon Associates. It helps you to create displays and tables for Amazon products, as well as track your conversions with Google Analytics.

While AAWP is a fine option if you only use Amazon, it doesn’t support any other affiliate networks. If you want to promote a product from a different brand, you’ll need to find another option, like Lasso. 

In this post, I’m going to explain how to get started with AAWP, what the biggest wins are, and why I ultimately think Lasso is a far superior product.

If you’re ready to earn more money from your affiliate content, then let’s get started.

Getting Started with AAWP

To download the plugin, head to AAWP’s website and click “Get Started.”

#1. Choose Your Plan

After clicking “Get Started”, you’ll land on their pricing page where you’ll select your plan. You can choose from four different pricing tiers based on the number of sites you have (more on that later).

Once you select your plan, you’ll enter your payment information and billing details then click “Purchase.”

To get your API keys, head to your Amazon Associates account Tools > Product Advertising API:

Then, scroll down to “Manage Your Credentials” to get your API keys (or to add credentials):

#2. Download the AAWP Plugin

Once you download the plugin, head to your WordPress dashboard Plugins > Add New:

Then, click “Upload Plugin” (This will be the aawp.zip file you already downloaded).

Next, select “Choose File” to upload from your computer then click “Install Now.”

#3. Activate

Once you’ve installed the plugin, click the “Activate” link. If you don’t see it, return to Plugins and activate it there (since mine is already activated, it gave me the option to “Deactivate” the plugin):

Configuring Your AAWP Plugin

Once you’ve activated the plugin, you’ll need to configure it under “Settings.” You should now see AAWP in your side menu bar inside the WordPress dashboard. Go ahead and click “AAWP.”

#4. Enter Your AAWP License

Here’s where you’ll enter the license key issued to you by AAWP upon purchasing. Enter it into the field, then click “Verify”:

#5. Connect to the Amazon Product Advertising API

Enter your API keys in this area. You’ll need four things to complete this section:

1. Your Amazon Associate tracking ID
2. Your API key
3. The Secret key
4. The country associated with your Amazon affiliate account

Then, scroll down and click “Save Changes.”

Tick the box:

Once you’ve entered tracking IDs from your other countries, enable the geo-targeting functionality in your Functions tab:

This will bring you to your Functions tab. Now, check the box to activate it.

You’ll need to sign up again for any additional country you have an affiliate tracking ID for.

You can find this information in Google Analytics by heading to Audience > Geo > Location:

Then sign up for the programs where it makes sense.

AAWP

If your site relies on Amazon commissions, AAWP is an affiliate marketing WordPress plugin built for the Associates program. Get up-to-date product info, flexible shortcodes, and customizable designs. Fully equipped with a 30-day money-back guarantee and direct contact through email or live chat.

Get the Plugin

#6. Specify Your General Settings

Here you can further customize your AAWP plugin, including enabling or adjusting your site’s:

• Shortcode display (i.e., amazon or aawp)
• Cache duration
• Click tracking
• Affiliate disclaimer

#7. Customize Your Outputs

This section lets you get even more detailed with how your displays appear to your website visitors, including:

• Product titles
• Thumbnail sizing and configuration
• Star ratings
• Advertised price
• Call-to-action (CTA) button
• Custom CSS

#8. Specify Your Functions Settings

You can choose things to customize here including:

• Text links (e.g., displaying the Amazon icon or cart icons after single links. You can also enable Visitor Notices and Geotargeting)
• Product box styles and templates
• Best Seller and New Releases styles templates
• Access the Table Builder

Using the Amazon Affiliate WordPress Plugin (Features)

A few handy ways you can use AAWP to spruce up your product displays and promote your affiliate offers.

Creating Comparison Tables

One of the most popular features with affiliate marketers is comparison tables. Here’s a primer on a basic setup with AAWP.

First, head to AAWP > Tables > Add New:

Once inside, you’ll see three things you can do:

• Title your table
• Add select number of rows
• Add products (you can either add by ASIN or search Amazon for products in AAWP)

After giving your table a title, you’ll add rows. Here’s where you’ll decide what info to include in your comparison table. Try starting with basic customization of a:

• Thumbnail
• Title
• Price
• “Buy Now” button

To customize your table rows, click the caret:

Then, select from the dropdown menu:

Here’s what it’ll look like on the backend:

To add your products, either search by ASIN or click “Search for Products”:

Clicking “Search for Products” takes you to Amazon’s website where you can find whichever affiliate product you need:

For example, if you were creating a table featuring three investing books, and wanted to include one about Warren Buffett, enter “Warren Buffett” into the search box:

Having the ability to search products directly inside Amazon without having to leave your WordPress dashboard is a HUGE help here.

Finally, choose your three books, confirm your selections and you’ll be set:

Once you’re done, copy the shortcode into your WordPress draft:

Here’s how it’ll appear inside your post:

And here’s what your readers will see:

That’s a basic comparison table setup. There is lots more you can do. For further info on how you can customize your tables and overwrite specific elements, head here.

Sidenote: To locate the ASIN, scroll down the page until you come across “product information.”

Adding Text Links

Using those same three books from above, let’s add a text link to our post. To do this, we’ll still need to add shortcode to our WordPress draft.

AAWP has a few shortcode snippets you can use. For a standard text link, the formula looks like this:

• [   amazon link  =  ASIN  /]

So, using the Warren Buffett book example from above, you’d enter the ASIN for that book along with the shortcode directly into your WordPress draft:

But, that doesn’t help you determine which link that is in your draft. To make it easier to identify your affiliate links inside your posts, AAWP lets you add another attribute so your links are apparent to you.

You can add the “title= “” attribute and then type your product title.

So, [   amazon link   = ASIN  title= product name /  ] would like this in your post:

Here’s what that looks like on the frontend:

You can also head to Settings > Functions > Links  to add things like the Amazon icon displaying after your text links:

There’s a suite of extended functionality in the “Functions” tab to explore. Here’s how that Amazon icon appears in your post:

Read this detailed breakdown from AAWP about all the ways you can use text links.

Adding all of this shortcode for a text link felt a bit clunky. An easier way could be to add links the way you normally would inside WordPress.

Product Boxes

Inserting product boxes requires this unique shortcode snippet:

• [   Amazon box= “ASIN”  ]

So, if you wanted to showcase a product that way, you’d enter this into your text editor:

Then, AAWP pulls the data from the Amazon API and adds it to the product box letting it display like this to your readers:

If you want to add multiple product boxes, you’ll include multiple ASINs. So, your shortcode formula would look like this: [  amazon box = “ASIN 1, ASIN 2”  ]

Here’s how two single product boxes display:

You can do loads of customization in the “Functions” and “Output” tabs. For example, you can change the background color from light to dark:

Or things like hiding the Amazon Prime logo or change button colors in the “Outputs” tab.

One drawback I encountered was being unable to search for products inside the plugin the way you can when creating a table. It appears you have to search Amazon’s site to do this.

Head here for more details on the different ways you can customize your product boxes.

Bestsellers and New Releases

You can also create Bestseller lists and New Releases lists. Say you wanted to showcase the top three best-selling kitchen scales in the “Kitchen and Dining” category.

You’d use the shortcode formula:

• [    amazon bestseller  =  kitchen scale   items =3   ]

So, in your post it’d be:

And here’s how it’ll display:

You can read more about creating and customizing bestsellers and new releases here.

Tip: If you want to display products horizontally, be sure to tick the “List” template:

AAWP also has four templates to choose from when creating product boxes which you can see here:

• Single product boxes
• Grids
• Tables
• Lists

Widgets

You can choose to include widgets in your site’s footer or sidebar. Head to Appearance > Widgets in your dashboard.

Then, select the one you want with a user-friendly drag and drop feature to either the footer or sidebar area.

AAWP Pricing

You can find the plugin’s pricing by clicking “Pricing” on the home page. There are four different plans to choose from, including:

• Personal €49 (includes 1 site)
• Plus €129 (includes 3 sites)
• Pro €249 (includes 10 sites)
• Ultimate €399 (25 sites)

Its website lists prices in Euros so it runs from 58 USD to 473 USD. All plans include free customer support, plugin updates, and bill annually.

AAWP Resources

There is a substantial amount of material to help you get started using the plugin for your Amazon affiliate website.

Education and Help Docs

You can find documentation from inside your AAWP plugin under “Support.” Head to the right side of your screen and click “Documentation” to access their extensive catalog.

To find questions on their website, type your query into the search field. Try the term “starting with aawp.”

You can also access their chat feature or email them with questions.

AAWP Drawbacks

While AAWP has some useful features, it also has several shortcomings that make it less appealing to bloggers and content creators. 

Here are some of the main areas where AAWP falls behind:

Limited Customization Options 

AAWP offers some customization options, but they are relatively limited. You’re going to have a hard time getting AAWP displays to match your site’s branding.

This is a huge problem for me. When displays don’t match your site’s branding at all, they start to look like display ads. Which isn’t helped by AAWP’s design choices.

Outdated, Boring Displays

AAWP’s displays and tables are designed to look similar to the content on Amazon sales pages.

This would be fine if your site looks like Amazon, but chances are it doesn’t.

What’s worse, their displays haven’t been updated in years. The internet is a constantly changing landscape, and there’s no excuse to not keep up with modern style trends.

I’ve found that people have begun to scroll past AAWP product boxes as they’ve gotten used to them, and see them almost like display ads now. 

As I’m sure you know, today’s readers have ad fatigue. That’s why ads don’t convert well. And affiliate offers that look like ads don’t convert well either. 

That’s why I switched to Lasso, because I got a range of different display options that all stuck out more and gained more clicks

Confusing User Experience

AAWP’s user interface can be overwhelming for beginners, which can make it challenging to get started with the platform. 

Bloggers have to navigate multiple tabs and menus to set up their affiliate links, and the process can be confusing and time-consuming.

When your business’ success is tied to your output, a tedious workflow like this is a serious problem. 

Only Works With Amazon

If you’ve read anything I’ve written on the subject in the past few years, you know that Amazon is the worst affiliate program, while also the best affiliate program.

Amazon cuts affiliate commissions on a whim, offers an incredibly short cookie duration, and just doesn’t support its affiliates at all.

But it just converts so damn well.

What I’m saying is the best way to become a successful affiliate marketer is to start with Amazon, learn the ropes, then diversify with other affiliate programs.

You can’t do that with AAWP.

AAWP only works with Amazon, so if you want to test a product from a different brand, you’re on your own. You can buy an additional plugin or build your own displays. 

On top of that, AAWP has limited link management features, is reliant on Google Analytics for tracking, and hasn’t seen significant updates in years.

If none of that bothers you, then AAWP may fit your needs. However, there are better options available.

The Best AAWP Alternative

If you’re not sold on AAWP, in my opinion, the top AAWP alternative is Lasso. 👇

What is Lasso?

Lasso is a WordPress plugin created by affiliate marketers for affiliate marketers. However, unlike AAWP, it works with every affiliate program, not just Amazon.

Why?

Because some of my affiliate sites (including this one) have products that extend beyond Amazon’s scope. For example, you can’t find M1 Finance’s affiliate program on Amazon.

Why is Lasso Better Than AAWP?

Better Displays = Increased Conversions

With Lasso you can create beautiful Displays, Tables, Grids, and Lists that have been a/b tested and proven to convert.

Better yet, they are all available with multiple themes and are fully customizable. That means displays that match your site’s branding.

Lasso

We built this to monetize Listen Money Matters and now we're sharing it with you. If you want to make money online, you need this tool. It's the best plugin you'll ever use, if we do say so ourselves.

Monetize Your Website

How We Make Money

Let’s be real. 👆 This looks much better than anything you can do with AAWP.

Learn more about Lasso Displays.

Link Management Features

This is where Lasso really leaves AAWP in the dust. At its core, Lasso is a truly incredible link management tool.

Lasso gives you a centralized dashboard for all of your affiliate links. 

This way, you can insert a link on as many pages as you need. Then, if you need to change that link, you can do it once in your dashboard. Lasso will update every instance of that link across your site. 

You can also organize your links into Groups. Then you can use those groups to easily create product Tables, Grids, and Lists.

Lasso even lets you create affiliate links by keyword. You can enter a keyword in the Opportunities page, and Lasso will find everywhere it appears on your site. Choose which locations you want to add your link to, and flip the switch.

With AAWP, you’ll have to search for the product every time or paste in the ASIN. The more time you spend searching for links, the less time you have to create awesome content. 

Broken Link / Out-Of-Stock Product Alerts

If you are an AAWP customer, what do you do when a product is out of stock, or a link is broken?

That’s a trick question, because you’d have no way of knowing it happened.

With Lasso, you’ll get an alert as soon as something is wrong with your affiliate link. That way you can swap the link or replace the product.

Remember, you can’t make money if your affiliate links aren’t working.

No API Keys Required

If you’re an Amazon Associate, you don’t need API keys to use Lasso. Just copy and paste any URL into Lasso’s dashboard and it pulls the product title, image, and price automatically.

Learn more about Lasso’s Amazon integration.

Next Level Analytics With Performance

Lasso was built by affiliate marketers who needed a plugin that offered more than what was out there.

Now they’re doing the same thing with analytics.

Performance is an analytics platform built just for affiliate marketers. It makes it easy to aggregate your revenue data from all your affiliate programs, so you can compare brands, pages, and even individual products. 

Lasso integrates seamlessly with Performance, giving you valuable click and view tracking from day one. It allows you to get up and running with Performance right away.

Of course, you can still use Performance with AAWP (we wouldn’t shut anybody out), but you’ll have to install a JavaScript snippet to get the same insights. And, of course, you wouldn’t be able to test other affiliate programs. 

Since you’re looking for a product display plugin anyway, you may as well choose the one that is designed to work alongside Performance. 

AAWP FAQs

Is the AAWP Plugin Free?

No, but AAWP offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Can the Plugin Be Used with Any Theme?

Yes, AAWP should work with any WordPress theme (free or paid). They also have their own custom theme called NicheWP, designed specifically for Amazon affiliate sites.

How Long Is A License Key Valid for?

License keys are valid for one year starting on your purchase date.

Does AAWP Support Google Accelerated Mobile Pages?

Yes, you will find AMP support for the official AMP plugin, which you can download for free. This can help reduce bounce rates, accelerate your loading times, and improve SEO performance.

Is AAWP Right for You?

If you’re using the Amazon affiliate program to monetize your website, AAWP can help.

If you want to use any other affiliate program, it’s not the right choice for you.

Here’s a quick recap of what I experienced while testing the plugin with my site.

Last Words

AAWP is a pretty good WordPress plugin for Amazon Associates. It has the features you need to monetize your site and will drive way more conversions than plain text links.

However, there are some serious shortfalls with this plugin; ones that drove our team to build a better option.

The biggest drawback for me is that it only works to promote Amazon products. Putting all your eggs in one basket is no way to build a successful business.

The interface feels a bit dated, searching for ASINs gets very tedious, and I just don’t like the displays very much. 

If there were no other option, I think AAWP would get you by. However, there is a better option.

Lasso delivers everything AAWP doesn’t. It handles your product displays , link management, and has the best customer support in the industry (check TrustPilot if you don’t believe me.

If you’re looking for the right plugin to build your business around, Lasso is the clear choice.

Click here to learn more about Lasso.