Redirect Question

[pokermac]

Hi,

I have all my affiliate links simply directly linked to the appropriate site, with the AffID, etc...

Just looking at a couple of sites, I notice that a lot of affiliates redirect to another page which forwards to the poker site.

Why is this? What is the benefit?

thanks

p

The main benefit to redirects is that it sometimes looks better from a promotional standpoint if you are promoting a certain room. Especially in your offline campaigns.

For example lets say I am talking about Paradise with some buddies at a poker table and I tell them about the the million dollar freeroll. It is a heck of a lot easier to tell them just to go to ParadiseFreeroll.com than sounding out my entire aff. code.

This is also easier for print advertising and so on.

[stillshadow]

Not only what Jeremy said, but I find that if people suspect that you're making money off of them, they will be less likely to click your link. The worst thing that could happen is that you have, for example, a fantastic review for Party Poker. After reading it, your visitor can't wait to get started. When he hovers over your link and sees the WM code after the main URL, a paranoid user might suspect that you aren't really directing him to PP, but a phishing page. They don't seem to understand the fact that phishing pages never contain the actual spoofed site's master URL - it only looks similar. partypoker.com/ANYTHING is at least hosted on Party Poker. I've heard customers ask me this sort of nonsense before... OR, the jerk user might have an understanding of affiliate programs and not want to make you any money off of their signup. It seems silly, but there are plenty of people like that out there.

Most importantly for me, I use a redirect code so that I can track which sites are getting the most, if any, hits. When you run 15 or 20 reviews, it's a lot easier to only check stats for sites that you know got some hits.

Just my .02...

[MarkusS]

For all the previous mentioned reasons and some more.

Personally I do not use any hardcoded links at all, all affiliate links are read from a database and I can exclude all banners, textlinks, and freerolls/tournament list links with just one click if I decide to remove a specific room.

The other advantage is also that if I want to change the landing page or change from CPA to MGR and vice versa for any room I can do so for all links by just changing the URL field of that poker room in the database.

Since everyone who clicks goes through a script on my page first which redirects them that means that I can also save who clicked where, on which page they were on etc to further optimize my sites and see what is working and what is not. Rather than relying on the click stats which each individual poker room presents in their affiliate section.

In addition the main reason is the one stillshadow mentioned, that I do not want my visitors to see the /?aff=234423423 links when they take the mousepointer over the links before choosing wether to click or not. Just looks more professional that way.

[pokermac]

Sweet thanks,

I wonder if it affects pagerank?

If I were Larry and Sergei - I'd probably take points off for affiliate links on your site so fewer affiliate mills pop up at the top of their searches...

[PPP]

Originally posted by pokermac@Sep 22 2005, 01:51 PM
What is the benefit?

None (aside from the offline thing Jeremy mentioned, where you speak an easy to remember URL).

"I have all my affiliate links simply directly linked to the appropriate site, with the AffID"

That's the best way by far.

"Just looking at a couple of sites, I notice that a lot of affiliates redirect to another page which forwards to the poker site."

Not sure I get your language here. One thing to do is track your clicks, that isn't redirecting to another page. Another thing to do have most links go to a review page, and then the review page links to the cardroom. That isn't "redirecting".

There is never any reason to send someone to somplace that "redirects" to the actual target, and depending on how you do it you might get in trouble.

Also, unless you really hate money, never obscure the mouseover on a link. It's a common novice mistake that is deadly to your wallet.