301 redirect for affiliate links?

Georgia Poker · #1 05-29-2006, 02:54 PM

I'm working on consolidating all of my affiliate links to make it easier to manage them all as I build new pages, make new blog entries, etc. I've tried to some research but so far I'm not seeing the info I'm truly looking for.

What I'm doing is creating a 301 redirect for each site to send a visitor to my affiliate site. So the 301 redirect looks like this:

301 redirect /titan-poker.html http://banner.titanpoker.myid.etc

Are there any ill effects to this? Can a 301 redirect screw up some affiliate tracking software? Any fallout from google or others by doing this?

Any feedback is appreciated. Any other methods you guys are using with more success?

Nick0r · #2 05-29-2006, 03:33 PM

You don't want to 301 redirect it... that's just giving them weight in the search engines.

Just do a php redirect, it's simpler.

Georgia Poker · #3 05-29-2006, 06:49 PM

The way I understand a php redirect is that I can't have any other source code on the page. I want to leave my urchin tracker script on the page though. Is there a way to do this?

EDIT: I can't get the php thing to work and it should be very simple. I don't care if by doing a 301 redirect they get more SE rankings from it. It's mainly to simplify my life and not worry about getting my affiliate codes hijacked.

Nick0r · #4 05-30-2006, 03:36 AM

Well you can use urchinTracker; to mark any external links you want to track manually. http://www.google.com/support/analytics/bi...wer=27246&hl=en

Php redirects are simple:

header("Location: http://www.example.com/");
?>

PPP · #5 05-30-2006, 04:13 AM

What do you mean "affiliate codes hijacked"?

Georgia Poker · #6 05-30-2006, 08:21 AM

Hijacked. Taken over. Stolen. Surely you've heard of this PPP...

Kyle · #7 05-30-2006, 02:36 PM

Yea I've seen people do this, realize their is an affiliate link, get their friend to sign up for the affiliate program and sign up through them. With some places offering $100 or more CPA, they figure "Hey, I'll deposit $100 and get it back so I'm gambling with their money".

PPP · #8 05-30-2006, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Georgia Poker@May 30 2006, 05:21 AM
Hijacked. Taken over. Stolen. Surely you've heard of this PPP...

I have no idea what you mean. What do you mean?

How is someone supposed to hijack your affiliate link (without some scumware on a person'e computer anyway)?

PPP · #9 05-30-2006, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ppokyh@May 30 2006, 11:36 AM
Yea I've seen people do this, realize their is an affiliate link, get their friend to sign up for the affiliate program and sign up through them. With some places offering $100 or more CPA, they figure "Hey, I'll deposit $100 and get it back so I'm gambling with their money".

How is that "hijacking" or even a problem? If someone decides to have a friend become an affiliate, well duh, anybody can do that.

And since maybe one half of one percent of people will do this it is nuts to spend one second worrying about.

Kyle · #10 05-30-2006, 04:03 PM

The point is they are trying to sign up for a poker site to play in the first place, and they might not know their was an affiliate program until they hover over your affiliate link.

Also, some people are unfamiliar with affiliate links, or might even think that affiliate's get a "cut" of their deposit and make their deposit smaller. You can't assume people even know what affiliate programs are or how they work.

Then you have the downright spiteful people that know what it is and just can't let you have that commission, so they skip right to the main site and avoid your affiliate link, with the mindframe of "why would I want to make him money", and yes there are people like that.

There is sometimes an attitude "Why should I believe this poker review is legit? It is full of affiliate links, obviously the website is just pushing it and making it look good." If there is no signs of affiliate links on the page, it adds credibility to all the information.