"Protect Your Affiliate Commissions!"

"Protect Your Affiliate Commissions!"
by A.T.Rendon
© Copyright 2002
All Rights Reserved

We all do it.

We recommend this web site or that software and we have
a link that looks like: http://affiliate-site.com/your-user-name.html
and by making the recommendation we might earn a 25%
commission if our referral decides to make a purchase.

Some folks earn several thousands of dollars each month
as a result of affiliate links while others, perhaps the norm,
earn just a few dollars.

Whatever dollar amounts are involved, estimates are that
most of us that post affiliate links are losing at least 20%
because folks cut us out of the loop by cutting the URL.

For example, instead of: http://affiliate-site.com/your-user-name.html
people will cut off the affiliate ID and then visit the site at:
http://affiliate-site.com/. Some sites will ask you for the ID of
the affiliate that referred you but if it is not entered, then
you have just lost your commission.

Other web sites are telling visitors that they MUST enter
via the referral URL or they can not enter at all. But this
is certainly the exception, not the rule.

Afterall, the hosting site does want to have visitors and sales.

So the affiliate can easily lose sales commissions just because
someone cuts off his or her affiliate ID from the URL.

Why do people cut off the affiliate ID?

Obviously, the intent is to deny someone his or her commissions. I
must plead guilty to this practice. In my own defense, I can say
that I only do that when I receive the URL from someone that
that sent me SPAM.

Sorry, but I do NOT think that SPAMMERS should be rewarded.

I can not speak for all the others out there that cut off the URL
even when it is found on a web site or is delivered via a non
spam source such as an ezine or newsletter.

For whatever reason, some people just refuse to allow people
that turn them on to a great product or service to be rewarded
by receiving a commission if they make a purchase.

So how can you protect your affiliate commissions?

There are two simple solutions that come to mind. The first
involves using a FREE Re-Direct URL service and the other
you can use if you have your own web site.

Here is how you can protect your Affiliate Commissions:

1. Make Use of a FREE URL Re-Direct Service.

By using a FREE URL Re-Direct Service, you can start
to advertise a much shorter URL, the URL your affiliate
ID is on will be masked until the visitor is sent off to
that web site so that they do not have the opportunity
to cut you out of the Affiliate Commission.

Here is a FREE List of 10 FREE URL Re-Direct Services:
mailto:fus@emailexchange.org

2. Create Your Own Re-Direct Web Page on Your Web Site.

If you have a web site that allows you to create your own
web pages then you can create your very own re-direct URL.

All you do is create a web page with a REFRESH feature so
that visitors clicking on that link, after about a second, will
be automatically sent off to another web site, where you can
earn your commission without fear of losing out.

Basically, it is the same principle as that which is used by the
FREE URL Re-Direct Services only you do not need to rely on
anyone else to do it for you. You can set this protection up
for yourself.

What you need is a very basic HTML to create the re-direct page.

If you would like a FREE sample of the code that I use very
extensively on my own web site, please send a blank email to:
mailto:refresh@emailexchange.org

The sample HTML sends people off to whatever web page I
wish to re-direct them to in about 1 second.

You will also discover another little secret that I employ. :-)

I include my LinkExchange banner code on these re-direct
web pages so that I receive a credit for a banner view.

This allows you own banner views to increase as they are
based on how many times their banner is displayed on
my web site. So my simple little code not only protects my
commissions but it will also increase my banner exchange
exposures.

No matter what product or service you decide to act as an
affiliate for online, you work hard to gain them exposure
and it is only fair, (unless you are a SPAMMER), that you
should earn the commissions to which you are entitled.
_________________________________________________________
A.T.Rendon is an entrepreneur and published writer.
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