As both seo101 and JLH have indicated, high quality sites with unique
and compelling content are more likely to do well in Google. Google
tries to rank pages based on their relevancy and quality, and we
always do this with the user in mind. So, thinking like a user, if you
are participating in an affiliate program, ask yourself what value
your site adds that would make a user want to visit your site first
instead of going directly to the seller.
A quick usability tip for the second site: When I see blue underlined
text (like in your headings) I assume that they are links. When
they're not, I get confused. :)