Attention Affiliates - The Easiest Way To Get Your Account Banned

Hi,

Do you know the biggest mistake affiliates make?

Not Reading The Operating Agreement.

It may seem simple but how many affiliates take the time
to carefully read the operating agreement?

Very few

This is the number one reason majority affiliates are banned.

Please read the affiliate agreement carefully. Sometimes
it takes some more time to read and understand the rules.

Let's Take The Example Of Amazon
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I did a small research on the reasons why many
amazon affiliates are banned. Here're some of the reasons

1) Not disclosing that you're an affiliate and you earn commission
by sending people to amazon

Your site must put the following disclosure on your site. It should be
clearly visible.

“[Insert your name] is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to [insert the applicable site name (amazon.com or myhabit.com)]

2) Take Customer Reviews from Amazon and Put it on Your Website

You don't have right to take reviews from amazon(partially or fully). Many
affiliates do this to make their product reviews more interesting and to get more
clicks.

3) Put Your Affiliate Links on Other sites

Never put your affiliate links to other sites like forums, yahoo answers etc.

4) Creating Your Own Graphics

Never create graphic that violates their rules. You cannot take any of Amazon's
trade mark buttons and alter it. Only use buttons that Amazon provide you in their
affiliate center.

Some affiliates say that you cannot create any of your graphics. I'm not sure.
Fortunately Text links always get more clicks.

These two threads may help

http://forums.prospero.com/discussio...cihelp/47650.1

http://forums.prospero.com/discussio...1?nav=messages

5) Showing prices explicitly

You cannot simply show prices on your site. Prices are subject to change.
If you want to show the price, it should be set through Amazon API.

6) Cookie Stuffing

This practice involve executing an affiliate link without someone clicking on it.
Sometimes, a wordpress theme or plugin can do this without you know it.

It is a surest way to get your account banned.

7) Declaring that, Amazon price is the best price

Other merchants might be giving a better price so you cannot say
amazon's price is the best price.

8) Cloaking your affiliate links

You cannot hide your affiliate links using some tools that prevent Amazon from track the
sources of clicks. It's always better to use affiliate links as you get from the affiliate center.

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These are some of the common reasons I came across reading different posts. There
are a lot more rules. Please read the agreement carefully.

There are debates about certain rules. It's always better to take the safe route. If you've
any doubt, ask the authorities directly.

These rules change from merchant to merchant.

If you find yourself breaking any rules, correct immediately. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL
THEY FIND YOU AND BAN YOU.

Request to All Affiliate Theme Developers
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I request all affiliate theme developers and plugin developers
to read and understand the affiliate agreement before you develop anything.

Majority affiliate themes(including Themes for Amazon affiliates) explicitly violate
many of the agreements.

Poor affiliates use these themes without knowing that they're violating the rules and
eventually get their accounts banned.
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Please actively participate in forums about your Affiliate network so that
you can learn from the experience of others.

Majority Affiliate Networks and Merchants never give you a second chance to correct.

Hope it helps

Note: Thread updated from the suggestions of @onSubie and @agmccall