Affiliate Revenue Information

Protecting Yourself From Affiliate Link Thieves


So, you have worked really hard to build a fabulous affiliate site. You took the time to add your keywords and relevant information about the products. Your pages load quickly, and your site is even listed in the search engines for specified terms. You look at your stats, and you see a regular flow of traffic coming into your site. You get really excited! You log in to your affiliate program manager, and.... WHAMO! You have very few commissions from sales, and your click-throughs are extremely low. Suddenly, you are asking yourself, "what the heck happened here??" The answer... You might possibly be the victim of affiliate link hijacking!

In this revolving world of the Internet, we are constantly being bombarded by spammers, spyware, viruses, and hackers. Now, we have to worry about link hijackers stealing commissions that are rightfully ours. So, what is link hijacking and how do you prevent it?

In the simplest terms, link hijacking occurs when someone replaces their affiliate ID with yours. The result? They get the commission instead of you. You did all that work, but someone else is getting paid? Yes! You may be wondering how this happens.

Let me explain. I first heard about this phenomenon while visiting various discussion boards on affiliate marketing. Many affiliates had experienced a decline in sales while their site's traffic stats remained high. Common discussions found in affiliate forums include various software programs which "steal" information. Many of these programs download themselves onto a person's computer, either knowingly or unknowingly. These programs can override your affiliate links each time the customer visits your site, therefore giving credit to someone else.

Many times, people download packaged programs that contain these types of software. The innocent surfer may not even realize they have a program running in the background. Anyone who takes part in the Internet community, whether it be a webmaster or a surfer, should stay informed about these programs by visiting parasiteware.com on a regular basis.

Link hijacking comes in various forms... not just from downloads. Let's say your affiliate link looks like this: www.url.com/?123456 , where 123456 is your affiliate ID. A link hijacker is interested in the product and wants to purchase it. He also wants the affiliate commission from the product. He takes your ID 123456 and replaces it with his ID 999999 to look like this: www.url.com/?999999 . The result? He gets the commission from the product purchase. He modified the link to benefit himself. You lose.

Here is another example of link hijacking: A customer comes to your website and sees a link to the product that he wants to buy. When he moves the mouse over your link information, he sees your affiliate url in the status bar of his computer. Instead of clicking your affiliate link, he decides to manually type it into his address bar, leaving off the affiliate referral code: www.url.com. This results in no affiliate tracking information and no commissions for you. You lose again!

So how much money could you be losing? I have read that an estimated 10-30% of commissions are lost due to affiliate link hijacking. (In a recent article from "revenue" magazine, the estimate was as high as 40-50%). Can you imagine the kind of potential revenue that you might be losing right now?

Take Action by Protecting Yourself From Revenue Loss

In the constant search for new scripts and software to improve my websites, I have run into several affiliate cloaking devices. Most of them cost around $50 or more. However, I did run into one cloaking script that is free. It is called Affiliate Link Cloaker (ALC). The site owner simply asks that you subscribe to their newsletter.

By golly, I love free stuff, don't you! If you are interested in learning about this script and how it works, you can visit their site at webmasterinabox.net/affiliate_link_cloaker.html . They have other scripts that you might find useful as well. Now, get out there and protect those links!

Stephani Richardson is a work at home mother of 4 who has been actively involved with affiliate marketing and home business opportunities since December 1999. She owns and operates several business related websites including 1 Work At Home Dot Com.

  


MORE RESOURCES:

Affiliate Creates Nexus for Out-of-State Mail-Order Retailer
Sacramento Bee
13, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ -- The Washington Department of Revenue ("Department") determined that an out-of-state retailer ("Retailer") is required to collect use tax based on the activities of an in-state affiliate of the retailer. [Wash.

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Seattle Genetics Reports Fourth Quarter and Year 2011 Financial Results
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ASG-5ME is a co-development program with Agensys, an affiliate of Astellas. -- Continued patient enrollment in a phase I clinical trial of ASG-22ME for solid tumors. ASG-22ME is a co-development program with Agensys, an affiliate of Agensys.

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Scripps reports double-digit revenue growth in 2011
Indiantelevision.com
MUMBAI: Scripps Networks Interactive has reported a consolidated operating revenue of $2.1 billion in 2011, up 10 per cent from the prior year. Ad revenue was $1.4 billion, up 11 per cent. Affiliate fee revenue was $589 million, up 6.1 per cent from ...

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Al-Arabiya

Etisalat affiliate Mobily refinances loans to boost broadband
The National
Abdulaziz Al Saghyir, the chairman of Mobily, said the refinancing deal would allow Mobily "to grow revenues and to maintain, as well as entrench, its leadership position in the Saudi broadband market", according to a statement posted to the Saudi ...
Saudi Mobily signs $2.7 bln loan refinancingReuters
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Moneycontrol.com

SingTel's Q3 net drops 9.6%; aggregate mobile base up 13.2%
TeleGeography
... blaming the drop on a weak performance from India-based affiliate Bharti Airtel and on currency gains in the Singapore dollar versus regional currencies. Southeast Asia's largest telecoms operator by subscribers and revenue today posted net profit ...
SingTel's 4Q profit falls as contributions from Pakistan. India units dropWashington Post
SingTel Q4 profit plunges 9.6% on losses in South Asian unitsStraits Times

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Digitaltrends.com

Is Pinterest Pocketing Revenue by Tracking User-Generated Pins?
Mashable
The service makes money by taking a percentage of the generated affiliated revenue. Although adding a tracking code isn't rare, the blogger said Pinterest isn't informing users about the practice. “As most bloggers are aware, when you use an affiliate ...
WOW: Pinterest Is Secretly Profiting Off Your Pins - MediaJobsDailymediabistro.com
Stick It To Pinterest: Move Fast To Cash In On Your Own PinsForbes
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Globe and Mail

Disney Posts 7% Broadcast Revenue Drop
TV News Check
The increase at ESPN was driven by higher affiliate revenue reflecting contractual rate increases and a reduction in revenue deferrals related to annual program commitments. Advertising revenues at ESPN were essentially flat as higher rates and units ...
The Walt Disney Company Reports First Quarter EarningsMarketWatch (press release)
Disney derring-doNew York Post
Walt Disney's CEO Discusses Q1 2012 Results - Earnings Call TranscriptSeeking Alpha
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WISC Madison

Pinterest Quietly Profits From User Links
WISC Madison
Pinterest, which allows users to create a virtual pinboard showcasing items they find around the Web, has quietly been appending affiliate links to some pins -- the ones featuring goods for sale online through Amazon, eBay, Target and thousands of ...
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Telegraph.co.uk

Headwinds Fail to Deter News Corp.
Zacks.com
At the domestic cable channels, affiliate revenue grew 9%, reflecting increased rates across Regional Sports Networks and the FX Network. Advertising revenue climbed 6% because of pricing and ratings growth at the FX Network, though partly offset by ...
News Corporation Reports Second Quarter Net Income of $1.06 BillionMarketWatch (press release)
News Corp. Earnings Jump in Second QuarterBroadcasting & Cable
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Hollywood Reporter

Scripps profits up 15%: Revenue grew 10% to $553 million
Chicago Tribune
Scripps Networks Interactive, parent of the Food Network and one of the last independent cable network groups, said profits last quarter rose nearly 15% to $178 million driven by higher advertising and affiliate fees. Revenue grew 10% to $553 million.
Scripps Networks' Ad Growth Boosts ProfitWall Street Journal
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Scripps Networks posts higher 4Q earnings, revenueCBS News
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