How to stop thieves from stealing your affiliate commission
Jonas Carlstrom
From: Jonas Carlstrom, Ebiz-Area
----------------------------------------------------------- How to stop thieves from stealing your affiliate commission -----------------------------------------------------------
If you use affiliate programs to sell other people's products on the Internet, I have some shocking news for you. You are getting ripped off!
No, you're not getting ripped off by the affiliate programs you belong to. As long as they pay you the money you earned, and pay you on time, then you have nothing to worry about with them.
What I'm talking about are unscrupulous, sneaky customers who are taking your hard-earned commissions right out of your pocket... and putting that money into THEIR pockets!
So if you are promoting affiliate programs the traditional way, then you will be without a doubt losing money. By the traditional manner I mean when your adding your unique affiliate ID to the URL of the program you are promoting.
I'll give you an example, one of the programs I'm actively promoting is Tom Kulzers AWeber program. When I signed up for his program I've got the affiliate ID number 101903. Then my promotion unique affiliate URL would automatically be http://www.aweber.com/?101903.
Many commissions are lost because of "Bypassing". Bypassing is what happens when someone sees an affiliate link and is either unfamiliar or uncomfortable with it. They just can’t stand the idea of you getting a commission (even though you’ve done the work to put the information in front of them)and they simply decide to go to the site after removing the affiliate ID.
Or they signing up as a affiliate themselves and order through their own link (aka "Hijacking").
But remember, that in almost every affiliate program you can't earn commission on your first sale so removing the ID would not be to anyone’s favour.
The two examples above are happening every second on the Internet today and you would never know that you've lost commission.
By using the methods I will suggest in this Issue of the Ebiz-Area Resource Newsletter you will be able to increase your profits from your affiliate promotion by at least 400%.
Some are more waterproof then others and of course the better solution the better result.
To help you fight these affiliate link hijackers I offer a couple of my best (proven and battle tested) tips, which will at least confuse these "Hijackers" and, in many cases, often defeat and disarm them completely.
NB: If someone really, really wants to steal your affiliate commission, they will find a way; however, most hijackers are just opportunists who will only act if they see an easy buck.
Method 1: Redirecting a URL
The first and cheapest way to hide your affiliate links is using a javascript redirect page. If you simply redirecting a URL, you will advertise a URL that will look like: http://anyURL.com/anything.
This will cost you nothing, but you will settle for the least effective solution.
You'll also have to be able to upload a file to your server. It's definitely not a waterproof solution but it's better than nothing. You will send people to your affiliate website.
But you should remember that URL address in for your potential customers web browser will display the URL that you sent them to and NOT the http://anyURL.com/anything.
I also used this technique until I tried much better solutions.
This is where you hide your affiliate link in a page on your site using a simple javascript that redirects people to your affiliate link.
Method 2: Pointing
When your using the pointing method you're simply redirecting a particular domain to another domain. But even if the adress bar doesn't show your affiliate URL you are still vulnerable for a commision theft attack. The reason is that many programs do not hide your affiliate link from the adress bar. Pointing alone is not the best method to protect your earned income.
Most excellent domain registrations companies do provide free domain pointing. I use and personally recommend: Dotster.com
I've seen many charging more than $5 per month for this service, that's a total rip off !
Method 3: Server Side Cloaking
Now we are getting closer to our goal.
Below are some of the advantages:
You'll be able to use an easy to use control panel. You can submit your affiliate site to search engines. You don't need to do any programming.
Unlimited cloaked redirection links
Low cost (NameStick below $39 including domain reg.) You don't have to upload files to your webserver.
Disadvantages:
If the visitor want to find your affiliate ID they can still view the source code
The service NameStick delivers is high class. As for the code showing, if someone really want to bypass or hijack you they will.
But the more obstacles they run into, the bigger chance for you to keep your commissions. If you use this service your link will look like this: www.vip.ebiz-area.com.
The 'vip' is referred to as a subdomain. You can choose anything you like a number or a word.
For complete details on this option visit:
http://www.ebiz-area.com/NameStick.com
Method 4: Cloaking Software
Finally here !
However, I do carry out two of the above solutions for different tasks.
But I use a cloaking software almost every time when I'm creating a affiliate link. The main reason is that a good cloaking software includes all the features I'm looking for. It points - cloaks and even hide your affiliate link in the source code. It's also very inexpensive.
With a cloaker software in your hand you can create unlimited redirections and it's the best protection for keeping your affiliate checks.
The most efficient cloaker software I use is called Affiliate Defender. It's a really 'nobrainer' to use program. It will literally cloak your links in just a few seconds.
For complete details on this option visit:
http://www.ebiz-area.com/affiliatedefender.html
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Happy Marketing,
Jonas Carlstrom - President
mailto:info@ebiz-area.com
http://www.ebiz-area.com
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