You can put affiliate links on a free Blogger or WordPress.com blog, and this summary shows the rules to check first. WordPress.com says you can add affiliate links to your content, and the Blogger Content Policy has no affiliate section at all.
Allowed still comes with limits. Three rule books apply, and the strictest one wins.
Three Rule Books
A free blog sits on land someone else owns. Your affiliate program, your free host, and the FTC each have a say.
Blogger publishes no rule on affiliate links, and that is a plain fact, not a green light. Its spam, misleading content, and regulated goods rules still apply.
Many beginners check only the host and forget the program. That is a common way to lose commissions over a post the host never touched.
Program And Host Rules
Start with the program. Amazon's Operating Agreement names neither Blogger nor WordPress.com, so list your exact blog address in your application and keep the blog public.
Amazon also wants original content and a disclosure line. Copied product descriptions will not pass.
WordPress.com bans six categories: gambling, get-rich-quick schemes, multi-level marketing, disreputable merchants, sexually explicit material, and malware or phishing scams. It also bans sites that exist mainly to push affiliate links.
A free WordPress.com site may show ads you did not place unless you buy a plan that removes them. Never promise readers an ad free page.
Disclosure And Risky Tactics
The FTC says to disclose any financial relationship, and an affiliate commission counts. Put the note inside the post near the links, in plain words such as ad or sponsored.
Amazon adds its own line, "As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases." Notes in an About Me section or behind a MORE click are likely to be missed.
Free hosts watch for spam patterns. Avoid blogs made only of links, thin posts that copy a product page, fake reviews, and the same post pasted many times.
A brand name in your blog address is a problem too. Amazon makes a Site unsuitable if it uses an Amazon trademark in a domain name or subdomain.
Track Results And Plan The Move
Record four numbers each week: views, clicks, orders, and commission. Give each test four weeks before you judge it, and use one tracking tag per post if the program allows it.
Plan to move to a domain you own once the blog earns a few commissions. In Blogger you add two CNAME records, and it may take up to 24 hours for the old address to redirect.
On WordPress.com, any paid plan can connect a domain you own. The site's domain page does not say if the free plan supports a custom domain.
A worked example uses a made-up blogger named Dev with invented numbers. Over eight weeks his three posts get 905 views, 58 clicks, and 4 orders worth $14, and the buying guide earns the most.
So can you use affiliate links on a free blog? WordPress.com says yes, and Blogger publishes no rule that bans them.
Pass all three rule books, then publish one honest post with a few labeled links. Track it for four weeks and keep notes on every rule you read.
Visit blogsepaise.com/affiliate-links-on-free-blogs for the detailed information.
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