This short article addresses the issue of affiliate link cloaking and security in order to protect affiliate commissions from hijacking and misuse.
Remember when you discovered the possibility of making money promoting affiliate websites? Do you remember when you discovered that you could start by creating a ClickBank (or some other) account and selecting your first program or two to promote? I do. I also remember what it was like to see my own affiliate nickname on my first affiliate link. I put that link in my browser and viewed it as my link and life was good because that was my link.
Later on, I saw other affiliates online promoting the same program that I was promoting. I saw another person’s link in my browser and wondered “What would happen if I edited this link to look like mine?” So, I replaced the nickname (or affiliate id) with mine and suddenly that link became my link. Cool, huh? No! It took a while for me to realize that I was looking at a leaking pipe. If links could be changed this easily, commissions could be hijacked by simply editing the affiliate id. That was a problem!
The first possible solution for me was to change markets (maybe sell stuff on eBay or something). Then, I figured that if I had a leaking pipe, I’d better call a plumber. So, I did some research on the internet and came up with a solution that I’d like to share with anyone who may have the same concerns that I have about affiliate link security. I didn’t know anything about affiliate link cloaking or security until I began to search. But now I do.
There’s enough revenue out there for everyone. We should never have to resort to stealing from each other! Check out the Super Affiliate Link Manager. I’ve checked this out myself for practicality, sent and received quick email responses and even talked to the site owner on the phone. I just wanted to share the option with you. You decide!
Mark Johnson has a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science and is actively engaged in affiliate marketing. Here is one of his most recent promotional efforts:
