THE SHORT ANSWER
Static author / book pages → Amazon listing
These are architecture judgments for this scenario, not audited provider rankings or promises that any setup is breach-proof.
CHOOSE SOMETHING YOU CAN MAINTAIN
Three technologies. Different responsibilities.
Here, “outdated” means unsupported or known-unpatched components. React is assumed to be built into static files; adding a live server, accounts or an API changes the assessment. Simple HTML is assumed to have no backend or remote scripts.
Outdated WordPress
UpsideComfortable long-form blogging and an easy author-facing editor.
TradeoffOutdated code adds recurring exposure without improving the simple referral transaction.
For this businessCompromised pages can impersonate Amazon or replace your purchase links.
Current React, many dependencies
UpsideFlexible book showcases and interactive excerpts with a static deployment.
TradeoffA dependency-heavy application is more maintenance than a few biography and book pages need.
For this businessBuild-time supply-chain and account risks remain even when no reader data is intentionally collected.
Simple HTML + self-contained JS
UpsideBest effort-to-benefit ratio for a biography, excerpts and Amazon links.
TradeoffA large or frequently updated blog may need a simpler editing workflow.
For this businessStill protect domain renewal, hosting access and your Amazon/KDP identity.
FROM ADVICE TO ACTION
The details that matter.
Use a clear, direct Amazon destination
Amazon KDP documents how to link to a book detail page using its ASIN. Direct links make the destination easier to understand than a chain of URL shorteners. Check the intended regional store, format and book edition while logged out. Your referral website does not need to reproduce Amazon’s checkout or ask readers to verify an Amazon account.
Let “no CRM” be a valid decision
For the stated goal—send traffic to Amazon—there is no customer-service pipeline for the site to manage. Avoid collecting a reader database just because a designer’s package includes one. If you later start a launch newsletter, use a hosted email tool and collect only the details needed to deliver it. A bookseller’s purchase confirmation is not evidence of newsletter consent.
Keep the reading experience simple
Publish readable excerpts in HTML, offer descriptive book links and avoid a modal that blocks the page until a reader gives an email address. Use a static share link instead of a collection of embedded social trackers. If you use affiliate links, follow the applicable disclosure and program requirements; a normal link to your own book is not automatically an affiliate link.
What information goes where?
If the site contains only public pages and Amazon links, it need not collect customer details. Hosting access logs can still contain IP addresses, and any later mailing list introduces personal information.
On your public site
Descriptions, prices, public images, policies and direct provider links. No customer checkout form is required.
In private services
Necessary payment, customer or client records. Protect provider logins and any copies on your devices.
Link out before asking for payment information. Avoid hidden fields, query strings or analytics events containing customer details. A hosted checkout reduces collection on your server; it does not mean that the provider, your logs or your private business records contain no personal information.
See the data-flow and PCI explanationDo you need to pay the host for security?
This is one of the strongest cases for skipping paid security extras on a static public site. Basic hosting with working HTTPS and a clean backup is usually enough for the site itself. Domain/account security and keeping KDP access safe matter much more than buying a shopping-cart security plugin you do not need.
The baseline still includes working HTTPS, protected accounts, a clean backup and someone responsible for changes. An included scanner is useful, but a scanner is not a patch, a restore test or an incident-response service.
Use the hosting spending guideKEEP THE TOOLBOX SMALL
Start at $0. Know the limits.
No CRM is advised for the stated Amazon-referral-only business. If you later choose to build a reader newsletter, these are three $0 starting options. They are optional audience tools, not a requirement to launch.
Kit
Free newsletter
Up to 10,000 subscribers
Creator announcements and hosted signup pages.
Limited automation; review recommendation, branding and free-plan conditions. Not an order CRM.
Check plan & pricingMailerLite
Free
250 subscribers · 2,500 emails/month
A small list with a hosted signup page.
Low subscriber ceiling; old 500/1,000-subscriber comparisons are stale.
Check plan & pricingBrevo
Free
300 emails/day · up to 100,000 contacts
Simple contact lists and permission-based announcements.
One seat; daily send cap can spread a launch over days. Starter begins at $9/month; upgrades depend on volume.
Check plan & pricingPrices checked September 25, 2026, USD before taxes. Free plans are not free payment processing. These are the three cheapest suitable entry subscriptions in our reviewed shortlist, tied at $0—not an exhaustive ranking of every vendor. Verify features, region, limits and upgrade costs.
What are the odds of customer data being stolen?
There is no customer database on a pure referral site to dump, but that does not make the overall risk 0%. Readers can still encounter replaced links, malicious scripts or provider-side compromise. Old CMS code is an avoidable additional attack surface.
Ask your designer.
Do I need an ecommerce plugin to link to Amazon?
No. A normal HTML link is sufficient. An ecommerce plugin introduces no necessary benefit for this goal.
Will Amazon share every buyer’s email with me?
Do not plan on that. Build a separate permission-based reader list if you want direct announcements. Never require readers to share their Amazon credentials.
Can my designer use React on cheap hosting?
Yes, if the finished site is static files. A runtime Node server or server-rendered application is a different hosting requirement.
Sources for this business
- Amazon KDP: Linking from Your Website ↗
- Kit: Kit pricing ↗
- MailerLite: MailerLite pricing ↗
- Brevo: About Brevo pricing plans ↗
Shared technical evidence and research limitations appear in the source library.