Here's how to Stop ClickBank or any other affiliate Link Theft
Link theft is an important issue for both ClickBank and other affiliates.
A common mistake new affiliates often make, is using the target URL in their promotions, for example:
If Affiliates use the target URL in their promotions, the sale will not be tracked and you will not earn a commission.
ClickBank experts recommend using Hoplinks.
An affiliate URL or hoplink has the format:
When using Hoplinks on your own web site you must utilize HTML. Here is what the ClickBank Hoplink looks like in HTML with no line breaks:
Quote:
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<a href="http://AFFILIATE NICKNAME.PUBLISHER NICKNAME.hop.clickbank.net" target="_top">CLICK HERE</a>
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If customers clicked on the link
CLICK HERE and made a purchase from your web site then you would get a commission on the sale.
What's wrong with Hoplinks?
The primary cause of link theft is customers purchasing under their own affiliate nickname and depriving affiliates of their commission. There are two main ways that this can occur:
Quote:
1 Customers who are already ClickBank affiliates use their own affiliate nickname to purchase a product
2 Potential customers find out about the affiliate program during the purchasing process, sign up to become an affiliate with ClickBank, and then use their new affiliate nickname to purchase the product and to effectively get a discount. |
In order for those many unethical people lurking around to replace your affiliate nickname with their own they must know the publisher nickname. The main way they can determine this is by hovering over one of your affiliate hoplinks in their browser over CLICK HERE in the above example.
Quote:
| It is possible to see the target URL revealed in the status bar and/or in the page source. Since Hoplinks readily reveal both affiliate nickname and publisher nickname Hoplink is not a solution! |
Here's what preventative steps affiliates need to take in order to avoid a rip off.
Cloak Your Hoplinks - the right way Quote:
| Link cloaking is making your affiliate links unvisible in any ways by unscrupulous people so that your affiliate links never get exposed to others. |
ClickBank recommend using either a hoplink cloaker html or PHP script on your webpage that quietly redirects customers through the correct hoplink.
The problem here remains unsolved since the affiliate link is still visible in the page source code.
Quote:
The best way to hide your affiliate URL is to use one of the numerous affiliate cloaking services out there.
In summary, by implementing proper link cloaking not only just as a ClickBank affiliate you can insure your deserved commissions. |
I've been using link cloaker services since I started AM and I don’t see any negative aspect associated with them. In my next post I'll compare some of the the well known services to help you make a choice.
Have a great day
Gabor
