Playbook · Ecommerce
How Amazon sellers can build traffic outside Amazon
Relying only on Amazon search means you never own the customer. Here's how to build a second channel without hurting your Amazon rank.
- 6 ranked moves
- 4-week sequence
- £100–£500 a month
How Amazon sellers can build traffic outside Amazon: what should you actually do?
Relying only on Amazon search means you never own the customer. Here's how to build a second channel without hurting your Amazon rank. There are 6 ranked plays here, starting with set up Amazon Attribution before sending any external traffic, sequenced over 4 weeks, each with the tools it needs, the hours it takes and what it costs. Written for 2026 and free to read in full.
Last updated 3 August 2026
| Play | Effort | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Set up Amazon Attribution before sending any external traffic | Half a day | £0 |
| Build a simple own-brand site, even a landing page | 2 days | £25–£65 a month |
| Run Meta or TikTok ads sending traffic to your own site | 1 day setup | £150–£450 a month |
| Build an email list to reduce dependence on Amazon ads | 1 day setup | £0–£30 a month |
| Use packaging inserts to drive reviews and your own list | 1 day | £20–£50 for print run |
| Use TikTok organic content to build brand demand | 3 hours a week | £0 |
Amazon sellers who rely entirely on Amazon search traffic are exposed to algorithm changes, review manipulation from competitors, and a customer relationship they don't own — Amazon keeps the email address and the reorder. Building even a small off-Amazon channel reduces that risk and can boost your Amazon rank too, since external traffic sent via Amazon Attribution counts positively.
This plan is for an established Amazon seller with steady sales who wants a second channel, not a replacement. It's not about abandoning Amazon — it's about not being entirely dependent on it.
- — An Amazon seller with steady monthly sales and inventory to spare
- — At least one product with brand recognition beyond generic search terms
- — Brand Registry enrolment (for Amazon Attribution and A+ content)
- — Time to run a second, smaller sales channel alongside Amazon
If you're not enrolled in Brand Registry yet, do that first — most of the off-Amazon tools referenced here (Attribution, Posts, A+ content) require it.
The moves
Ranked, highest return first.
Work down the list. Each one names the first step so there's nothing to plan.
- 01
Set up Amazon Attribution before sending any external traffic
Amazon rewards external traffic that converts, and Attribution is the only way to prove which off-Amazon channels are actually driving Amazon sales.
First step: Enrol in Amazon Attribution through Seller Central (requires Brand Registry) and generate tagged links for every external channel before you start.
- Tools
- Amazon Attribution
- Effort
- Half a day
- Cost
- £0
- 02
Build a simple own-brand site, even a landing page
A site you control lets you collect emails, sell direct without Amazon's referral fee, and gives you a place to send traffic that isn't dependent on Amazon's rules.
First step: Set up a one-page Shopify site for your best-selling product with an email capture and a 'buy on Amazon' button using your Attribution link.
- Tools
- Shopify
- Effort
- 2 days
- Cost
- £25–£65 a month
- 03
Run Meta or TikTok ads sending traffic to your own site
Sending cold traffic straight to your Amazon listing gives you no data ownership; sending it to your own site first lets you capture the email even if they buy on Amazon.
First step: Run a small campaign (£10–£15 a day) to your landing page, with the Attribution-tagged Amazon button as the main CTA and an email popup as backup.
- Tools
- Meta Ads Manager or TikTok Ads
- Effort
- 1 day setup
- Cost
- £150–£450 a month
- 04
Build an email list to reduce dependence on Amazon ads
Email you own can announce new products, promote deals and drive repeat purchases without paying Amazon PPC every time.
First step: Offer a small incentive (a guide, a discount on your own site, or entry to a giveaway) for email signup on your landing page and packaging insert.
- Tools
- Klaviyo or Mailchimp
- Effort
- 1 day setup
- Cost
- £0–£30 a month
- 05
Use packaging inserts to drive reviews and your own list
A card inside the box is the cheapest way to reach a customer who already bought, without violating Amazon's rules against asking for reviews directly.
First step: Add an insert directing to a QR code for your own site (for email signup and future direct purchases), not asking for a review directly — that breaks Amazon terms.
- Tools
- Printer, QR code generator
- Effort
- 1 day
- Cost
- £20–£50 for print run
- 06
Use TikTok organic content to build brand demand
TikTok product discovery content can create demand that shows up as an Amazon search increase for your brand name, which is a strong ranking signal.
First step: Post 3 short videos a week showing the product in genuine use, with your brand name spoken or shown clearly, without hard-selling in every video.
- Tools
- TikTok
- Effort
- 3 hours a week
- Cost
- £0
Sequence
What to do first, week by week.
Foundations
Set up Amazon Attribution and a simple own-brand landing page with email capture.
Owned channel
Add packaging inserts, start posting organic TikTok content, launch email capture incentive.
Paid traffic test
Launch a small Meta or TikTok ad campaign sending traffic to your landing page with Attribution tracking.
Review and double down
Check Attribution data for which channel drove real Amazon sales, and reallocate budget toward it.
Avoid
Where this usually goes wrong.
Sending paid traffic straight to the Amazon listing
You get the sale but no email, no retargeting audience and no proof of which channel worked. Route through your own site first.
Asking for reviews via packaging insert
Amazon's terms prohibit incentivised or directly solicited reviews via insert — stick to directing to your own list instead, which is compliant.
Treating off-Amazon as a replacement rather than an addition
Amazon still has the largest concentration of high-intent buyers for most categories — this is about reducing risk, not abandoning the channel.
Questions
Common questions.
Do I need Brand Registry to do any of this?
For Amazon Attribution and A+ content, yes. You can still build an own-brand site and run ads without it, but you'll lose the ability to prove impact on Amazon sales.
Will external traffic actually help my Amazon ranking?
Amazon has said external traffic that converts is a positive ranking signal, and Attribution data backs this up for many sellers, though it's not as strong a lever as PPC or organic conversion rate.
Can I ask for reviews through my email list?
You can ask people to review honestly without incentivising it, but be careful — Amazon's policies are stricter here than for most other platforms, so avoid discount-for-review offers.
How much should I budget to test this?
£300–£600 a month covers a small site, basic ad testing and print costs for inserts — enough to see if a second channel is worth scaling.
Should I sell direct on my own site instead of Amazon?
Only if you can handle your own fulfilment, customer service and traffic at a similar cost to Amazon's fees — for most sellers, direct sales stay a smaller side channel.
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