How to cloak affiliate links by domain?

You could buy a domain for each product, but this could get expensive.

You don't need hosting for domain/url redirect (provided your domain registrar supports redirections)

Taking Namecheap again, say you wanted to use a single generic domain and sub-domains for each product, you can set up something along the lines of:

product1.myreview.com redirect to http://product1.com/afflink
product2.myreview.com redirect to http://product2.hoplink.clickbank.net
...

Alternatively, you could host your main domain (myreview.com in this example) and then the domain redirects you can setup via cpanel, or you could create a WordPress site and use pretty link for redirects.

How much credibility does that give you?! :rolleyes:

The whole idea of doing this is to "look professional".

If you'll excuse my saying so, I think the opposite.

The best link-tracker/forwarder/url-shortener to use is really any one that you own and control yourself.

It's not so good to rely on the continued availability, goodwill, reliability and changeable terms of service of any third-party URL-shortening/tracking service. There were a few hundred Warriors here last year who would have told you the same (and in fact did) when all their Tinyurl links suddenly disappeared overnight!

That principle's the same, whether it's a Libyan one or one owned by Google.

Have a look at this recent post on Ben Metcalfe's blog: The .ly domain space to be considered unsafe | :Ben Metcalfe Blog.

Really, it's good to be in control of your own business and not dependent on unnecessary third-party services and their reliability and longevity.

Many people here use these things, but that doesn't make them "good" ... nor "safe", unfortunately.

If you talk to a turkey who gets well fed every day and well looked after for 3 years plus, before being killed for Thanksgiving, he'll tell you on every day of his 999-day life that everything's absolutely fine, because that's his experience at that point. Try talking to him on the 1000th day of his "life". The problem with using services like the one you're asking about is that you can't tell what day of their life it is (and neither can they).

"Well, I've been using it for 998 days and I've never had a problem".

Whatever you're using these things for, there are far better, far safer solutions readily available.

There's "PrettyLink", and php redirects, and all sorts of things like that, for this purpose.

I use a $1 .info domain-name, myself. It leaves me in control, without needing software or anything technical/complicated.

Most internet gurus will recommend getting a domain name if you want to look professional. Most visitors won't click on a URL (Uniform Resource Locator...web site link) 6 miles long and especially if it looks like a referral link. For some reason they think they can get it cheaper if they go directly to web site by cutting off a portion of the referral link. Al

Yes, I could have built custom websites at each sub-domain instead of just directing to the affiliate page if that's what your asking. As a matter of fact you could use one sub-domain to build a custom website promoting the product and create a second sub-domain to redirect to the affiliate page.

You can make a sub-domain do pretty much anything you could do with a domain itself.


If you are really concerned about protecting your affiliate links you could add link cloaking to the links. www.LinkCloak.net

You will have to own a domain to redirect. I use ixwebhosting.com which is very cheap and reliable.
Al