The Case of the Missing Affiliate Traffic
September 5, 2001
By Cynthia Arko
For more information
about affiliate programs, check out these other articles from Cynthia Arko's ongoing weekly series:
Getting Started in Affiliate Marketing
Revenue Sharing
101 In this first in a series of weekly articles, Cynthia Arko, Product Director for internet.com's Refer-it.com affiliate
directory, presents a no-nonsense approach to generating revenue from your Web site.
How to Indentify Quality
Affiliate Programs With literally thousands of affiliate programs available on the Internet, it could be difficult to determine which ones
are high quality. However, the process could be made easier when using some basic criteria.
Understanding Affiliate
Commission Structures If you want to get paid, you need to understand affiliate commission payments and the many different commission
structures that exist.
Content
Sells Making money with affiliate programs requires much hard work and continued attention to developing and retaining visitor
traffic.
Search Engine Tips, Part
I For affiliates, it is important to be listed with the major search engines because they can potentially generate much
needed traffic.
Search Engine Tips, Part
II Cynthia Arko explores the impact search engines have on affiliate programs in this second article of a two-part series.
Develop an Opt-in E-mail
List Mailing lists are a very popular way to create traffic and generate repeat visitors to a Web site, often leading to
additional affiliate sales and referrals.
Common Mistakes of
Affiliates If you're not generating much revenue from your affiliates, it could be due to some common errors.
Profiting from Seasonal Coupons and Hot Deals! Now is a great time to increase affiliate commissions by offering your visitors seasonal coupons, special offers and deals available exclusively to the Internet bargain hunter.
Helpful Affiliate Terms: Part One It's not easy to understand the many terms associated with doing business online. We've put together a list of terms to help guide your affiliate marketing efforts.
Helpful Affiliate Terms: Part Two To be a pro, you have to sound like a pro. Cynthia Arko concludes her glossary for affiliate marketers.
Analyzing Site Traffic How do you gauge the success of your site? Well, a brick-and-mortar business would count cash at the end of the day. Aside from running to your mailbox to collect commission checks, analyzing site traffic can help achieve your goal of boosting affiliate sales and commissions.
Affiliate Fraud Most merchants, especially those using Commission Junction technology, have taken a proactive approach to the practice of fraud; and most, if not all, of these "cheaters" will eventually be caught.
Less is More: How to Maintain Affiliate Focus Maintain FOCUS for your Web site by keeping it "Free of Cluttered Unused Space." It's important to maintain focus in your affiliate marketing efforts as promoting too many merchant offers may be detrimental to your cause.
The Case of the Missing Affiliate Traffic As an affiliate you should be aware of Predatory Advertising - also known as Contextual Advertising, Theftware, and ScumWare. Whatever it's called, your browser or browser plug-in may be stealing your traffic by mysteriously embedding links on your Web site content.
As an affiliate you should be aware of Predatory Advertising — also known as Contextual Advertising, Theftware, and ScumWare. Whatever it's called, your browser or browser plug-in may be stealing your traffic by mysteriously embedding links on your Web site content.
Smart Tags = Squiggly
Get Microsoft Smart Tags off of your Web site! Smart Tags are squiggly lines that appear under a specific word or phrase on a Web site. These intrusive tags come as part of Microsoft Internet Explorer and very casually send traffic off your site.
The following tag is one way to prevent this from happening:
META NAME="MSSmartTagsPreventParsing" CONTENT="TRUE"
Unfortunately, you must add this line of code to every page on your Web site.
Tell your friends and your colleagues to sign the online petition from the United States Affiliate Manger Coalition to boycott Smart Tags:
Ezula = Yellow
Next comes eZula.com's ContextProTM. eZula claims to be an Online Advertising Solution Provider that uses the Internet Text to enable contextual- based advertising across the entire Web. Ezula is similar to MS Smart Tags but highlights sold keywords in yellow.
For example, every Web page across the entire Internet that includes the word NFL, NFL Team or other selected keywords within this category will be underlined and highlighted, with a short text message beneath the marked keyword that describes the advertiser. Clicking on the marked keyword, wherever it is on the Web, will take the user immediately and directly to the relevant URL on the advertiser's Web site.
Don't bother sending an email to Support@ezula.com. You will be sent an auto responder with a pitch about the features of eZula. There is also an online petition for eZula located here:
eZula Petition
Surf+ = Green
Surf+ is a FREE software application that supposedly enhances your browsing experience. It becomes part of your Internet Explorer menu, providing the following features:
Pop-up Manager boasts an end to annoying pop-ups that keep jumping at you! Disable all pop-ups, interstitials and daughter windows. Or just allow those from the sites that you specify and with the properties that you select.
Privacy Guard lets you control your browser cookies. Block all outgoing cookies or just those to domains of your choice. Cookies are small packets of information about you and your preferences that some sites save on (and then read from) your hard drive.
EasyLink converts keywords into links. EasyLink gives you one-click access to offers and information that are related to what you're reading. EasyLink-converted words in your browser will appear highlighted in green.
Debate over Gator
Gator claims to be the smart online companion. It automatically fills in online forms, remembers login IDs/passwords, and now delivers price comparisons while you shop online. Gator comes with OfferCompanionSM, a software program that delivers desktop banners based on the Web sites you visit. You'll see information from top merchants that only OfferCompanion users can take advantage of. Best of all, you control how the banners are displayed, letting you design your own Web experience.
Gator can identify and communicate with millions of consumers on any site on the Web.
Any site on the Web? What does this mean to affiliates? Chances are Gator will override your affiliate links. Here's some more information:
IAB Blasts Gator.com as Unfair, Deceptive
Be cautious and make sure you are fully aware of the implications these browsers plug-ins have on your affiliate income.
Cynthia A. Arko is the Product Director for internet.com's Refer-it.com (Refer-it.com) affiliate directory. She coordinates advertising, site development, and conference planning. Cynthia helped grow Refer-it.com from a small directory of Affiliate Programs to the Web's leading resource for information about affiliate programs. She also currently maintains KidsTown Direct, a shopping portal for parents and young families. Cynthia can be reached at carko@internet.com.
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