Amazon vs Website: Where Should You Drive Traffic?
If you’re an author or a publisher looking to boost your book’s visibility, there’s one big question that often comes up:
Should you drive readers to Amazon or to your own website?
Both have their pros. Both have their limits. And knowing where to send your audience can make all the difference in how you drive book sales traffic effectively.
Let’s break it down.
🛒 Driving Traffic to Amazon: The Power of One-Click Purchases
Amazon is the world’s biggest online bookstore. When someone visits your Amazon page, they can buy your book in seconds.
✅ Why Authors Love It:
- Trust factor: Readers already trust Amazon.
- Convenience: A few clicks, and the purchase is done.
- Algorithm magic: More traffic = more visibility in Amazon’s “also bought” and “recommended for you” sections.
⚠️ The Trade-offs:
- You don’t own the audience. You don’t get email addresses.
- Limited branding. Your Amazon page is functional, but not very personal.
- No retargeting. You can’t track who visited your page and follow up with ads later.
If your goal is fast conversions and impulse buys, Amazon can be the right place to drive book sales traffic—especially during a launch or promotional spike.
🌐 Driving Traffic to Your Author Website: Long-Term Game, Deeper Connection
Your website is your home turf. It’s where you control the layout, the messaging, the visuals—and most importantly—the data.
✅ Why It’s Powerful:
- Build your brand: Your story, visuals, colors—everything reflects you.
- Collect emails: Offer a free chapter or bonus and start growing your list.
- Retarget readers: Use Facebook Pixel or Google Analytics to follow up with ads.
- Cross-sell other books, merch, or events.
Your website may not have Amazon’s traffic or trust factor, but it gives you control and lets you build relationships that go beyond one-time sales.
🧠 So… Where Should You Drive Book Sales Traffic?
Here’s a simple strategy that combines both worlds:
📌 1. Cold traffic (new readers) → Send to Amazon
Why? They’re more likely to buy from a trusted platform. Amazon’s authority can do the heavy lifting.
📌 2. Warm traffic (followers, subscribers, social media fans) → Send to your website
Why? These people already know you. It’s the perfect chance to offer bundles, freebies, or newsletter sign-ups—and grow your loyal base.
This hybrid approach allows you to drive book sales traffic wisely, based on where your audience is in their reader journey.
🌻 Bonus Tip from The Sunflower Seeds
Many of our authors at The Sunflower Seeds use landing pages on their websites that look like Amazon in simplicity but add that extra personal branding touch—and a lead magnet!
It’s a smart way to drive book sales traffic and still capture emails, build community, and even upsell a book series.
Because at the end of the day, visibility is great, but connection converts.
🚀 Final Thoughts: Use Both—But With Purpose
Don’t treat it as Amazon vs Website—it’s Amazon and Website.
- Use Amazon when you want quick sales, social proof, and discoverability.
- Use your website when you want to grow your brand, own your audience, and think long term.
The real trick is not just getting traffic—but driving the right traffic to the right place.
