Sean Kenaston is the senior editor of No-Nonsense-Marketing.com; a website that offers the information you need on Internet marketing without the hype and nonsense.
Have you heard people talking about Affiliate Link Cloaking? Perhaps you’ve been wondering how it works and if it’s something you should be using on your website?
There are a couple practical reasons why you may want to cloak your affiliate links,
1. Affiliate links can be hijacked - this is when someone, usually another affiliate, uses their own affiliate link to purchase the product you’re promoting. They can copy your affiliate URL and then plug in their own affiliate id, effectively stealing your commission.
2. Affiliate links can be bypassed - this is when someone simply goes directly to the merchant’s main sales site by removing your affiliate link. People may do this because they don’t want you to get any commission for the product they’re purchasing.
There are also various cosmetic reasons why you may want to cloak your affiliate links, the most useful being affiliate link condensing. Some affiliate links are long and ugly, which makes them appear unattractive and some people may avoid clicking the link. Affiliate links like this are easily recognizable by many people, which may cause them to avoid clicking the link because they feel it’s a sales pitch. Plus, an affiliate link that stand out opens the door for affiliate link hijacking and bypassing.
How Do I Cloak My Affiliate Links?
The easiest way to cloak your affiliate links is to create a framed page. This is explained in detail at No-Nonsense-Marketing.com – Affiliate Link Cloaking.
If you do not have your own website to host a cloaked page, you may want to consider a link cloaking service such as TinyURL.com. Link cloaking services take a URL and generate a redirect for them using a shortened URL such as tinyurl.com/merchantsite. However, if you decide to use a link cloaking service, be aware that some pay-per-click programs and ad sites don’t allow the use of redirected URLs.
Once you’ve learned how to cloak your links, you may ask yourself if this technique is appropriate for your website. Cloaking your affiliate links can be a useful technique to secure your commissions, but it is a little misleading to your visitors. You will ultimately need to decide if affiliate link cloaking is right for your business.
Find the insider scoop on the latest Internet Marketing products before you buy them! - Internet Marketing Reviews
- Related Articles
- Related Q&A
- 5 Ways to Shorten and Protect Affiliate Links With Free Software
- Ideas for Promoting Affiliate Links to Generate Internet Income
- Affiliate Link Cloaking – Why Should you Use It?
- Affiliate Link Cloaking: Is It Feasible?
- The Importance Of Protecting Your Affiliate Links
- Protect Your Affiliate Income by Protecting Your Affiliate Links
- Safeguarding Your Affiliate Link
- The Importance of Using an Affiliate Link Cloaking Software
Twitter The Marketing Tool For Your Online Business
By: Gen Wright | 05/01/2010Marketing is a much more personal, immediate and interactive process today than it was even ten years ago. With the advent of social media, the Internet and blogs, customers have quickly begun to demand more from product suppliers than a brief description of the products being sold.
Search Engine Optimization Tips For Online Blog Owners
By: Gen Wright | 05/01/2010Professional blogs always need to be at the top of the search engine rankings in their chosen fields. Today, competition for the first two pages on Google is absolutely cutthroat.
Make Money Online With Reseller Web Hosting
By: Gen Wright | 05/01/2010The Internet has now become the universal favorite medium for people who want to get rich quick. From scammers to the greatest web entrepreneurs, the variety of people making money online is endless.
What Is Wholesale Drop Shipping?
By: Gen Wright | 05/01/2010Wholesale drop shipping is a method of business in which the retailer does not personally stock the goods being supplied. Instead, the goods are directly shipped by the wholesaler to the end user. The retailer makes a profit equal to the difference between wholesale and retail price, minus miscellaneous costs incurred.
Is Affiliate Marketing Really Good?
By: Kevin Castro | 05/01/2010Finally interested in affiliate programs i.e. affiliate marketing? Well done!! Good decision. What is Affiliate Marketing? In a very simple term it is “salesman” with a new twist. You are doing Internet marketing of products for authors like e-books, products by manufacturers and wholesalers. This time you are doing it through the Internet and reaching out to the whole world of Internet.
Using An Ad tracker Is Key To The Affiliate Marketer
By: Harris Monton | 05/01/2010There’s a lot of money in affiliate marketing. This is true, however, only to those are seriously and zealously working on his affiliate program. Success in affiliate marketing varies in every individual affiliate and for the most part, it depends on his will and perseverance. No matter how good an affiliate program is, it will not prosper if the affiliate marketer does not pay the price of hard work. One must exert extra effort especially on the aspect of promotion. Nothing will happen if the l
Top 10 Affiliate Website Mistakes an Affiliate Manager Sees
By: Gabriel Monroe | 05/01/2010With over 12,000 affiliates to manage in 5 separate merchants programs, I review countless affiliate applications and their corresponding websites. It isn’t a pretty picture. And that’s part of the problem. So I thought it appropriate to share the 10 most common mistakes I see affiliates make over and over each and every day. 1. The affiliate’s website is poorly designed. A lot of times it’s just plain ugly. Ugly I can stand if it has a purpose.
Top 10 Affiliate Website Mistakes an Affiliate Manager Sees
By: Gabriel Monroe | 05/01/2010With over 12,000 affiliates to manage in 5 separate merchants programs, I review countless affiliate applications and their corresponding websites. It isn’t a pretty picture. And that’s part of the problem. So I thought it appropriate to share the 10 most common mistakes I see affiliates make over and over each and every day. 1. The affiliate’s website is poorly designed. A lot of times it’s just plain ugly. Ugly I can stand if it has a purpose.
3 Powerful Techniques To Help Master Persuasive Public Speaking!
By: Sean Kenaston | 24/02/2009 | Public SpeakingDiscover the techniques used by the most influential speakers, such as John F. Kennedy or Susan B. Anthony, to inspire people to take action and motivate them to change.
Do You Need Better Stress Relief Techniques?
By: Sean Kenaston | 26/01/2009 | Stress ManagementIf you’re not handling your stress correctly, you stand the risk of suffering serious physical and mental health problems. Find out if your current stress relief techniques are working for you and what you can do to fix them.
Overcoming Public Speaking Anxiety
By: Sean Kenaston | 22/01/2009 | Public SpeakingDiscover the techniques needed for overcoming public speaking anxiety and discover the confidence you never thought you had!
Do You Value Stress Management?
By: Sean Kenaston | 16/01/2009 | Stress ManagementThe value of stress management should never be underestimated. Find out how proper stress management can allow you to take back control of your life!
The Best Way to Choose an Email Autoresponder
By: Sean Kenaston | 03/10/2007 | EmailDiscover how to choose the best email autoresponder for your business.
How to Ensure your Email Reaches your Readers
By: Sean Kenaston | 08/08/2007 | EmailLearn what you should do to ensure your marketing emails reach your subscribers.
Why Should you Cloak your Affiliate Links?
By: Sean Kenaston | 17/07/2007 | Affiliate ProgramsLearn about the problems plaguing affiliate links and the best ways to get around them so you can protect your affiliate sales.
Are you Sending Spam by Mistake?
By: Sean Kenaston | 10/07/2007 | EmailDiscover the techniques you must be aware of to ensure your marketing emails never get flagged as Spam and are always delivered to you subscribers.