Comments on: Quick Tip – Simple Affiliate Cloaking Method

By: TheCaymanHost

TheCaymanHost — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:01:17 +0000

Simple PHP redirects kike this are fine but not particularly secure as ultimately the raw affiliate link is still going to be visible in the browser’s address bar when visitors click through. (outside of related markets and niches this probably doen’t matter too much).

I prefer to use more thorough methods and to be able to track and manage all my links from one place and also move them between domains quickly and simply should I need to. Thus my preference for a script that resides on my server.

One word of caution for all affiliates – there are numerous ways to cloak or redirect your links, commercial and free scripts, windows software etc. but there are many potential pitfalls and some tools will actually lose you more referrals and commissions than they protect!

I’ve written at length about many of the probblems and solutions at my blog if you would like to learn more. If you are using frames to cloak affiliate links (as thousands still do) find out why this method is losing you money. If you have never heard of parasite software, it’s something you should also be aware of. I’m sure even more experienced affiliates will be surprised by a lot of the information.

Ultimately, whatever method you use, make sure your cookie is being set and your referrals tracked correctly. Hint – try it in multiple browsers too – the biggest browser out there is not affiliate friendly in the least on its standard settings – at least as far as many links cloaked using certain methods are concerned.
TheCaymanHost´s last blog ..Free SEO Software Downloads

By: free-acne-care-info

free-acne-care-info — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:46:29 +0000

Hi Doug,

That is a great tutorial for cloaking affiliate links. Is there any way of adding a script to keep track of the number of clicks? That will be superb. Thanks for sharing.

By: The Ultimate WP Affiliate Sales Tool on Sale : Making Money Online Dot Com

The Ultimate WP Affiliate Sales Tool on Sale : Making Money Online Dot Com — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 17:24:35 +0000

[...] few weeks ago I showed you a simple way to cloak your affiliate links using a simple line of php code to accomplish it. It still works fine, but it has some major [...]

By: Doug Dillard

Doug Dillard — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 22:35:23 +0000

Oh yeah… Thanks for stopping by Rusty and leaving a great comment! Hope we see you again

By: Doug Dillard

Doug Dillard — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 22:33:14 +0000

If you don't mind spending $97 I would recommend Ninja Affiliate from Max Blog Press. They probably offer one of the best affiliate cloaking and tracking plugins out there... plus it does much more than that.

By: Rusty

Rusty — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 22:08:32 +0000

Absolutely great little tutorial.

But now that you’ve shown us how to do it this way… what I’d really like to know is this… is there a “good”, “better”, and “best” way to cloak your affiliate links, especially if you’re just now starting a brand new wordpress site?

Like you said, there are many ways to accomplish this, and several plugins have been mentioned here, but is there a “best” way to do it?

Thanks…Rusty
Rusty´s last blog ..Jun 8, Internet Home Business Basics – Learn how to do business online

By: Trey - Swollen Thumb Entertainment

Trey - Swollen Thumb Entertainment — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 22:45:54 +0000

I haven’t reached the level of affiliate links yet, because I have a lot of content that I want to post, and that’s where I spend a lot of my time. However, I like the idea of cloaking your affiliate links, or any other link that you want to keep secret. Personally, I want to sell music instrumentals in the near future, and being able to cloak my links will be a major help to me, so I will definitely try this technique when the time comes. As for the subject of alienating readers by not showing the link, I’m not concerned about that. Those type of “smart” readers will probably find something else to be annoyed about anyway.

By: Typhoon

Typhoon — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 11:41:45 +0000

If you run just a simple affiliate website then you try this method but if are using wordpress platform then you must give a try to this plugin called “Max Blog Press Ninja Affiliate” . It’s really a superb thing.

By: Doug Dillard

Doug Dillard — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 01:00:32 +0000

Thanks Jared… I will definitely check it out!

By: Jared | The Money Cult

Jared | The Money Cult — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 00:57:29 +0000

Hey checkout gocodes free wordpress plugin I just started using it a couple weeks ago and it does the same thing but no code. Install the plug in will track click to the link also. you just past the affiliate url in it. your name for it and it appends to your domain. click the box if youwant tracking and you done.

Highly recommend.