Recently I saw a lot of people is using PHP Script to hide their affiliate link, just want to know what is the reason behind it? Does any know why? How to hide it?
It's best to hide your aff link because of the ugliness of it and also there are shady types that could use your link to get a commish from your referral. Known as "hijacking". If they know how links are structured all they have to do is strip your ID for theirs and there goes your cookie for theirs.
omg... i doesn't know that there are such things call cookies hijacking.. so scary...thanks for the info dude... really appreciate it...
I guess shady people just find ways to give marketers a black eye. I hate all the shady stuff that people do it takes away from what we are all trying to do. That is make an honest dollar. Thanks for the info.
It is ugly, people don't like to know that they are being marketed to, and it prevents commission stealing somewhat from adware.
The reason as below 1. The affiliate link normally is long and make it look not friendly. 2. Many people feel not comfortable with the "affiliate link", they prefer to join those "normal link"
Lifeplayer mentioned two of them 1. The affiliate link normally is long and make it look not friendly. 2. Many people feel not comfortable with the "affiliate link", they prefer to join those "normal link" but for other IM/MLM/HBO newbies who don't "get" why either of those is a disadvantage here's a visual> 1. Say you saw an affiliate for a toy company product with a link like this: http://www.greatballsoffire.com/123?/pdq OR http://www.greatballsoffire.com/yourusername/123? OR http://www.greatballsoffire.com Which would you choose? Most people would choose the last one because it's short, sweet, simple and looks "normal" (meaning you know, or think you know, that you're buying directly from the company). Another thing is that most people will see the first two examples (which scream AFFILIATE link, and they will remove everything after the ".com" portion of the URL. By doing that, you've just LOST a sale (assuming they were going to buy something to begin with). Then there are, unfortunately, those nefarious ba$tards out there who will hijack/steal your affiliate link and make profits from people who buy from your affiliate link that you've worked so hard to promote... There are a number of free link cloaking programs. The one I use is Viral URL Cloaker which is provided with a Ad site I use. Actually if you just type "Viral URL Cloaker" into a Google search you'll get a good list of free link cloakers. Good luck and many profits to you! ZM
ZenMarketer1, I thought maybe I would hear some great Jerry Lee Lewis.... http://www.greatballsoffire.com Anyway I like to promote my own domain name every chance I get so I redirect or cloak all affiliate links. It looks better and gives me yet another chance to brand myself.
LOL jschuman! Guess I should have mentioned that I made that up But hey, since no one owns that DN maybe someone else will run with it! Why is is that when I try to think of DN's for me all of the catchy one's I think up are already taken!?! Anyway, thanks for picking up on the other important thing I forgot which is using your domain name and redirecting (forwarding) it to the affiliate page (which is what I do also). Absolutely a better choice especially for branding your self/company name.... Cheers! ZM
may i know how to do forwarding domain name to the affiliate link? any special code or script needed?
Easier to get people to click on your links when they are nice and small, but the largest is cookie hijacking. You don't want someone getting credit for all your hard work, do you?
Hi, how does Viral URL Cloaker work? are they safe? Since they cloak it for you, can they cheat us? I mean they can use their affiliate code instead of ours?
henrychai, this depends on your domain server/web host. I use Namecheap so what I'm about to tell you applies to them (although GoDaddy's URL forwarding is also pretty simple). Step 1. log into your domain server (DNS) Step 2. look for the link to your domain names (might be under manage account/domains...) Step 3. select the domain name/URL you want to forward/mask your affiliate link with, Step 4. look for a "forward URL" link, button (this applies to Namecheap, GoDaddy and others might be a bit different) Step 5. copy/paste your affiliate link into the space provided & click "save" Step 6. Test your Domain URL to see if the forwarding has been activated by the server. TIP: Most DNS and web hosts have video tutorials that walk you through this stuff. For your web host, check the Cpanel and look for the email & URL forwarding and redirects section. ********* Next Question ... *********** shulink, I've never had a problem with the free Viral Cloaker from the ad posting site I use and nor have I heard of anyone else having a problem like that either. Most legitimate businesses will operate on the up and up, and those that don't will get shut down pretty quickly because word travels fast on the internet Most reputable people and businesses won't risk their reputation by cheating their customers for short term ill-gotten gains... The best way to see how a cloaking device works (wow, I feel so "Star Trek") is to hop on over to YouTube. Here's one for Viral URL. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8zmQyGFsPg&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAz28nFN84g&feature I also know of programs you can download that allow you to create your own cloaks for your links but (IMO) they seem pretty involved. Ultimately, the best way to go is having your own general domain name that you use for forwarding your affiliate link... Hope that helps, ZM
It is sometimes necessary to hide, or cloak, your affiliate links to stop people stealing your commission or bypassing the affiliate link and going straight to the main site. Some people will also replace your affiliate link with their own so that they receive the commission, this is know as link hijacking.
If the person whom you'd need to click your link see the aff link, they wont go for it.And you'll lose the commission.Thats it.