Short links

The Importance of URL Shortening and Link Cloaking For Affiliate Marketers

When you become an affiliate of a company or market any product as an affiliate you will be provided with a website link that contains your affiliate code. Than link will often consist of a long string of numbers and/or digits that identify the specific product and you as the affiliate.

The problem with affiliate links is not only are they too long for anyone else to be able to manually type into their browser, they also expose your affiliate information to thieves seeking to steal your commission or your traffic to that sales page. Fortunately, link cloakers have been created to assist the affiliate marketer. If you do any affiliate marketing at all you should always use a link cloaker. Here's why...

Advantages to using a link cloaker:

1. It shortens your website link making it easier to read and retype.

2. It hides (cloaks) your affiliate information so it cannot be stolen.

3. It keeps a record of the traffic through the cloaked link.

4. It may provide you with additional income or build your list.

Link cloakers are a wonderful (and necessary) affiliate tool. Not only do they protect your information and sales, but also nearly every cloaker will keep a record of all the traffic through the cloaker. This can be very useful in helping you determine the effectiveness of your advertising campaigns, at least from a traffic point of view.

As mentioned in point 4 above a cloaker can also be an income source for you. Many cloakers will put a small advertising bar at the top or bottom of your website containing ads for various products or services. If you choose a cloaker that advertises nothing but your products with your affiliate link or a link to a sign up page for your list you get the added bonus of an additional income stream or list builder.

There are a lot of cloakers available to affiliate marketers, in fact some affiliate program operators will provide their affiliates with a cloaker. However I would suggest the cloaker you choose meets all 4 of the points I listed above. Unfortunately some cloakers are just not good. Here are five things you should watch out for...

Cloaker Cautions:

1. Some links cloakers only make money for the cloaker owner

2. Some link cloakers "over direct" and your affiliate link gets lost

3. Some link cloakers post large annoying ads or run timers

4. Some link cloakers are will cost you money

5. Some cloakers can get you banned from certain advertising

When you choosing a cloaker with an advertising bar you should avoid any cloaker that shows ads or for anyone else's affiliate link but yours. The traffic you generate should bring YOU profit and not a competitor. This is a common problem in the 'viral advertising' cloaker community. Only use a cloaker that advertises your affiliate products or links or builds your own list. And make sure the advertising bar is small and unobtrusive. Annoying people with a huge cloaker bar will not get you sales and may get you banned from certain advertising sites.

Don't underestimate the importance of link cloaking. Do your research to find the best cloaker for your needs and then be sure to always cloak every link you advertise. Start cloaking today, you will be glad you did.



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