Hoping to bolster its associate network, Amazon.com has begun testing an AdSense-like program that enables associates to host sponsored links from a third-party provider.

The sponsored links, which will show up alongside links to Amazon products, are based on keywords that appear on publishers' sites, or that site owners establish with Amazon. While some analysts see parallels between Amazon's beta ad program and Google's AdSense, it is not clear yet whether the programs will compete directly.

"The Amazon Associates team is beta testing a new offering called the Amazon Associates Sponsored Links Program," Amazon spokesman Drew Herdener said in an e-mail exchange with OnlineMediaDaily. "Associates who choose to participate in the program will receive sponsored links from a third-party provider that they can place on their websites alongside links to Amazon products."

Read more about the Adsense alternative from Amazon at http://publications.mediapost.com.