How to Fix Broken Amazon Affiliate Links on YouTube (Easy Step-by-Step Guide)

If some of the Amazon affiliate links in your YouTube videos are broken, do not worry — this is normal, and it is easy to fix. In this simple guide, you will learn how to fix broken Amazon affiliate links step by step, even if you are a complete beginner.

Every broken Amazon affiliate link is a sale you could be losing. Even if your YouTube video gets thousands of views, a broken link can quietly stop those viewers from buying — and stop you from earning commissions.

The good news is that fixing broken affiliate links does not take long, and it is one of the best things you can do to earn more from videos you already made. Let us walk through it together.

A broken affiliate link is simply a link that no longer works the way it should. The viewer clicks it, but they cannot buy the product anymore. You may still get the click, but you cannot earn a commission if the buyer cannot complete the purchase.

Here is the tricky part: many broken links still look fine. Some send the viewer to an “error” page (you may have seen a “404” page before — it just means the page is gone). But others open a normal-looking Amazon page that is missing the “Add to Cart” or “Buy Now” button. To you, the link looks healthy. To your viewer, it is a dead end.

This is why so many creators lose money without knowing it. The link looks fine from the outside, so nobody notices it is broken.

One more thing to know: this is completely normal. Amazon removes products, sellers run out of stock, and listings change all the time. So affiliate links naturally break over the months and years — even if they worked perfectly when you first published your video.

You cannot fix a broken link until you know which links are broken. So the first step is to check the Amazon affiliate links in your videos and make a list of the ones that do not work.

You can do this by hand: open each video, click every link, and see if you can still buy the product. This works, but it is slow — and it is easy to miss the “sneaky” broken links that still load a normal-looking page.

A faster way is to use a free Amazon affiliate link checker that scans your video descriptions for you and tells you which links are broken, which are out of stock, and which still work. A tool made for this — like AffiliScan — checks each link the same way a real shopper would, so you get a clear list in seconds instead of clicking through everything yourself. Unlike clicking every link by hand, it can also catch the hidden problems — like a missing Buy button or a missing affiliate tag — and alert you when a link breaks later on.

A helpful tip: start with your oldest and most-viewed videos first. These usually have the highest chance of containing broken affiliate links — and the most money to gain from fixing them.

Either way, the goal is the same: a simple list of every broken link and which video it is in.

Not all broken links break for the same reason, and the fix depends on what went wrong. Look at each broken link and match it to one of these four common reasons:

• 01The product was removed. Amazon took the listing down, so the link goes to an error page. The product is gone.
• 02The product is out of stock. The page still opens, but there is no “Buy” button, so nobody can buy it. This can be temporary or permanent.
• 03The product moved to a new page. The item still sells, but Amazon gave it a new web address (often a newer version). Your old link points to the wrong place.
• 04Your affiliate tag is missing. The page works fine, but your special tracking code fell off the link — so even if someone buys, you earn nothing.

If you used a link checker in Step 1, it usually tells you whether each link is broken, out of stock, or okay — which makes this step quick.

Now go through your list and fix each link. Here is the easy fix for each type:

Product removed: do not leave a dead link, and do not just delete it. Instead, find a similar product that is in stock today and link to that one. For example, if the gadget you reviewed is gone, link to the newer version or a close match. Your viewer still finds a good product, and you still earn.

Out of stock: if it is a popular item that usually comes back, you can keep the link and check it again later. If it has been gone for a while, replace it with a similar product that is in stock now. Never leave viewers on a page where they cannot buy.

Product moved to a new page: search for the product on Amazon, open the page that actually has a “Buy” button and recent reviews, and create a new link to that page.

Affiliate tag missing: make a brand-new link using Amazon’s “SiteStripe” bar (the toolbar that appears at the top of Amazon when you are logged in to your Associates account). Always create your links this way so your tracking code stays attached and you actually get paid.

Once you have the new, working link, adding it is quick and safe. Go to YouTube Studio, open the video, and edit the description. Delete the old link, paste the new one, and save. Do not worry — editing the description does not hurt your video. It keeps all of its views and its place in search.

Remember to check other spots too. Many creators also put links in the pinned comment under the video, so update those as well. If you have a “links” page or a link in your bio, fix it there too.

Here is the important part most people miss: fixing your links once is not enough. Products keep getting removed and going out of stock, so links keep breaking over time — especially on your older videos. A link you fix today might break again in a few months.

The best habit is to check your affiliate links on a regular schedule — for example, once a month. Start with your most popular videos, since those send the most clicks and lose the most money when a link breaks.

To make this even easier, you can use a tool that checks your links for you and emails you when one breaks, so you never have to remember. That is exactly what AffiliScan does — but whether you use a tool or check by hand, the rule is simple: check often, because links do not stay fixed by themselves.

Does editing my video description hurt my video? No. Editing the description to fix a link is completely safe. Your video keeps all of its views, likes, and place in search.

How do I know if an Amazon link is broken if the page still loads? Look for the “Buy Now” or “Add to Cart” button. If the page opens but there is no way to buy the product, the link is broken in practice — and a link checker will catch these sneaky ones for you automatically.

How often should I check my Amazon affiliate links? Once a month is a good rule for most creators. If you post a lot of product videos, check more often, and always start with your most-viewed videos.

Can I redirect or cloak my Amazon affiliate links? Be careful here. Amazon’s Associates Program has strict rules about how links can be used, and hiding or redirecting your links with third-party tools can break those rules and put your account at risk. The safest choice is to use the links Amazon gives you, including Amazon’s own short links from SiteStripe.

Fixing broken Amazon affiliate links is simple when you break it into steps: find the broken links, figure out why each one broke, fix it with a working link, update it on YouTube, and check your links regularly so they stay working.

Best of all, you are not starting from scratch. These are videos people are already watching. The only thing standing between your viewers and a purchase is a working link — so fixing your links is one of the easiest ways to earn more from the work you already did.

So before you create your next video, take a few minutes to check the links in your existing ones. Fixing even a handful of broken Amazon affiliate links can recover commissions you might otherwise lose every single day.