There is a lot of frustration about link cloaking. The term itself sounds suspicious, like it’s a black hat technique of marketing or a method to disguise your identity. The simple fact is, it is practically nothing like that. What it is is something that any affiliate marketer should become aware of and use, for a number of reasons.
When you have an affiliate partnership, you add widgets or code to your affiliate ads. This way, when people click on the link, they are led to the affiliate site. Your information are embedded in the link, so, in principle at least, it is best to get the commission on the sale. If your link is not cloaked, on the other hand, several things can go wrong.
The very clients who should be pleased about your information about a product or service from time to time think they are being smart by removing your affiliate ID from the link. They wrongly think they will get a much better deal that way. They’ll not. All they’ll be doing is denying you your well-earned commission.
Secondly, advanced hackers can use the information on your link to rob your commissions. The commission gets paid, but not to you. Although hackers are generally trolling for high traffic affiliate sites and usually are savvy enough to steal simply a portion of sales, even small enterprises are at risk.
What link cloaking does is replace your affiliate link with another your choice. When somebody clicks on your link, they are continue to redirected to your affiliate link, but it is invisible from the view of the person who clicks the link. This does several things for you.
First thing that happens is that there are no longer an affiliate ID for your greedy customer to get rid of. Actually, that seldom happens, but why risk it? Besides, a lot of prospective customers get suspicious when they see those odd looking links. They will make you look bad in their eyes. Your cloaked link offers you authority and legitimacy to them. You are worthy of your good reputation, so why not do everything in your power to preserve it?
The main thing you have done is guard yourself from hackers. They have nowhere to begin if they do not have your affiliate i . d .. Ultimately, you have hijacked the hackers!
As you can tell, link cloaking has nothing related to questionable black hat marketing techniques. On the other hand, it is a legitimate tool you need to use to protect yourself and enhance your online credibility. If you do not cloak your links, in fact, it makes you appear amateurish in the eyes of both your customers and the companies you are affiliated with.
Many entrepreneurs take it one step further and generate an iframe page on their website. It is a page that appears exactly like the page that the customer will be directed to when they click on the link. In the eyes of the client, this assures them that you have a direct and legitimate connection with the company.
When there is any doubt left in your head, simply ask the company with which you are affiliated. They will always appreciate the fact that you respect their policies, even if they say they don’t allow it. Normally, though, they will encourage you to take action.
Tags: affiliate link, affiliate marketers, affiliate sites, link cloaking, traffic affiliate sites
