How do you "HIDE" your affiliate link ?

[paikus]

Link cloaker. It's can bring you to real website.

[pritesh]

php rediret its easy...

[herdster]

Hi,

I am very new to this so please ignore my ignorance . If you use godaddy and use their masker is that any good as a cloaking device

Herdster

[Greg Jacobs]

Originally Posted by herdster

Hi,

I am very new to this so please ignore my ignorance . If you use godaddy and use their masker is that any good as a cloaking device

Herdster

Thats a whole different thing that uses a frame to keep your URL in the header, but actually load another site for the user to see.

So it is basically 1 url for 1 affiliate link.

This method can be used for semi-legibility spreading your affiliate link around the internet to places that affiliate links are traditionally not allowed.

For example I believe that eZine allows affilaite links in the resource box if they are masked and you can then spread this link to other 2.0 creation sites as well.

Though you should take care if dealing with CPA offers, as they don't like masking for good reason.

Read this for more info on masking
http://www.competespy.com/CompetePPC.pdf

[herdster]

Thanks for that Greg. I am loving this forum already people seem to be so helpful and tons of great info

Herdster

[ptwain]

a php redirect is what I use to cloak affiliate links.

[Barry Walls]

I use a redirect...simply, fast and easy.

[Headfirst]

javascript redirect or .htaccess to php header redirect.

[emorrow23]

Well blanking the referrer isn't to difficult, you can use a double meta refresh. If you wanna get more BlueFart you can spoof the referrer, some googling should give you sufficient know how on this.

[DanielFonda]

You could either use Proper202 or you can just use a redirect.

[Warrior Markets]

Sorry, but are all these redirects, etc, only if you have hosting? Is there anyway using Namecheap, WITHOUT hosting, to redirect to affiliate page, without having your affiliate link showing?

-WM

[khtm]

Yup, use bit.ly, a simple url shortener. It's free AND you can track how many clicks you get.

Originally Posted by Warrior Markets

Sorry, but are all these redirects, etc, only if you have hosting? Is there anyway using Namecheap, WITHOUT hosting, to redirect to affiliate page, without having your affiliate link showing?

-WM

[mylootnow7]

the guy has good reason to be PARANOID cuz the fact is 40% of those thieves in the net world are making a killing off of affiliates who put blood, sweat, and tears in trying to make money online /:-( tanady by all means cloak your link & guard it for life :-)

[LFL]

Simple php redirects.

[AidenChong]

I saw Akky & IM Biz System both gave a PHP redirect code, but they were slightly different.

Akky's code -
<?php
header('Location: h-t-t-p://www.YourAffiliateUrlHere.com/');
?>

IM Biz System's Code -
<?php
$url =
"YourFullAffiliateURL";
header("Location: $url");
exit();
?>

Can anyone please tell me what's the difference between the two codes?

Thanks a lot

[emigre]

what about using the gocodes wp plugin

[khtm]

They are practically identical and will do exactly the same thing.

In the second one, instead of hardcoding the affiliate URL in the PHP header function, it's first assigned to a variable $url (the $ in PHP means variable). Then the header function simply calls this variable.

Using exit(); at the end is optional. If you don't use it and there's additional lines the script will continue to execute.

Originally Posted by AidenChong

I saw Akky & IM Biz System both gave a PHP redirect code, but they were slightly different.

Hopefully that makes sense!

Akky's code -
<?php
header('Location: h-t-t-p://www.YourAffiliateUrlHere.com/');
?>

IM Biz System's Code -
<?php
=
"YourFullAffiliateURL";
header("Location: ");
exit();
?>

Can anyone please tell me what's the difference between the two codes?

Thanks a lot

[khtm]

Refer to my post below where I explained all the steps you need to follow.

How do you "HIDE" your affiliate link ?

Originally Posted by senve

How does it look this "php redirect"

is it a filename.php file that you put on your hosting, and what is the code that it contains?

Thank you!

[khtm]

This plugin IS a PHP redirect; it's just wrapped up in a nice interface that you can access through the WordPress admin panel and it also stores all the URLs in the database.

I sometimes use this because it's handy and tracks how many clicks you get on each link.

The only times I *don't* use this is when I need to have full control over the redirect logic. I have a script that detects the visitors country based on their IP and then redirects them to different Amazon sites.

Originally Posted by emigre

what about using the gocodes wp plugin

[Jeffery Milan]

Yep, Charles Burke is right. A simple Php Script will do in your hosting account.

[halcline]

Hi,

Clickbank provides the following affiliate code

http://ClickbankProduct.com/?hop=Myhopname

I want to hide MyHopName so people won't steal my commission.

How do I do that?

Thanks.

hal

I'm

[halcline]

Thanks for the php tip.

Question 1: Where on the server to do place this code?

Question 2: will it hide my ClickBankName as in the example below?

http://ClickbankProductName.com/?hop=ClickBankName

Thanks.

hal

[khtm]

Hal, if that's all you want to do, I think it's best if you just use one of the many free services offered. I'd recommend one of these.

#1 - ClickBank already has their own "hoplink shield"
https://www.clickbank.com/hoplink_encoding.htm

#2 - bit.ly - a free URL shortener that even tracks # of clicks
bit.ly, a simple url shortener

[ShellySamuel]

I creat a subdomain name with my domain and redirects it to the affiliate link

[Lawrh]

For WordPress try the WPMarketer plugin. It has many features including internal looking links and link tracking. Best of all it's free.

[AidenChong]

Originally Posted by khtm

They are practically identical and will do exactly the same thing.

In the second one, instead of hardcoding the affiliate URL in the PHP header function, it's first assigned to a variable (the $ in PHP means variable). Then the header function simply calls this variable.

Using exit(); at the end is optional. If you don't use it and there's additional lines the script will continue to execute.

Thanks For your explanation given, khtm.

[Wilson Mattos]

Originally Posted by melanied

I generate encrypted code with this page -

CBTool - Help

and then I cut and paste it into an html file.

Be careful with these types of tools. What they do is create an iFrame to "cloak" the link by loading the affiliate page while never leaving your domain. Here is the issue. Your COOKIE WILL BE BLOCKED by Internet Explorer 6/7/8 for a large number of sites due to security settings that do not allow cookies to be loaded from a domain that does not match what is in the browser's location bar. The exception are sites that use P3P headers where this would be allowed.

I will be hosting a free webinar soon to talk about managing affiliate links and will cover the issue above. For now, you can search Google for additional information...or just simply STOP using this method.

Wil

[Wilson Mattos]

Originally Posted by WareTime

Why don't people simply use a redirect in their .htacess file?

So for instance. I'm gonna say I want my affiliate link to look like
mydomain.com/recommendedThing.html

All I need to do is put a redirect for that url in my .htaccess file. Any time someone clicks on it they end up at the product site via my affiliate link.

redirect 302 /recommendedThing.html http://yourAffLink.con/stuff.html

Am I missing something, but why would people pay for a script to do this?

1. Using .htaccess is not a good option if you have a lot of links. It adds additional overhead to the web server because every time someone tries to reach one of your links it has to process the entire .htccess file.

2. It is a time consuming process. If a script cuts the time in half, over time this can add up to a lot of wasted time

3. THE BIGGEST ISSUE: It is error prone. Mess up your .htaccess with an extra character in the wrong place, an extra space, etc and ALL your links will be broken...in fact you can bring down your site like this. Why risk it?

Wil

[Wilson Mattos]

Originally Posted by halcline

Clickbank provides the following affiliate code

http://ClickbankProduct.com/?hop=Myhopname

I want to hide MyHopName so people won't steal my commission.

How do I do that?

I'm

Hal,

Some CB Publishers implement some code on their site (sales page) to remove the ?hoplink=xzy once the visitor arrives by redirecting them one more time.

There is a way to do this and I am creating a redirect script to allow you to never show a ?hoplink=xyz at the destination page. Script will be released very soon. You can PM me if you want details.

Wil

[Wilson Mattos]

All,

PHP redirects are best for most situations, although sometimes a meta refresh or JavaScript redirect should be used.

When you want to redirect the user to another destination (the affiliate link) in the fastest and most standard means possible, you should use a PHP redirect. This will send the redirect in the HTTP Header to the Web Browser. Nothing is loaded. There is no JavaScript requirement on the browser and the redirect attempt will never be blocked. If used with the appropriate options, a PHP redirect can be 301 or 302 redirect, thus allowing you to control the SEO value or your redirect!

BTW, .htaccess redirects behave the same way as PHP redirects, and you can choose 302 or 301. However, I do not recommend this because it is error prone and you can mess up your entire site if you put an extra space or wrong character in the file. It is also not scalable, the larger the .htaccess file, the higher the impact on your web server's performance.

A Meta Refresh redirect requires a page to be loaded and interpreted by the browser. It can be used when you want to display something to the user before actually redirecting them...such as a message that you are going to redirect them. Have you ever seen those messages saying: "If you are not redirected in X seconds, click this link?" This type of redirect can be blocked by the browser. It also does not allow you to control the SEO value of the link.

A JavaScript redirect works much in the same way as the a Meta Refresh. It requires the browser to load the page with the JavaScript code on it and process the JavaScript code to redirect the user. This type of redirect can be blocked by the browser. It also does not allow you to control the SEO value of the link.

Hope this helps clarify your options.

Wil

[Warrior Markets]

Originally Posted by khtm

Hal, if that's all you want to do, I think it's best if you just use one of the many free services offered. I'd recommend one of these.

#1 - ClickBank already has their own "hoplink shield"
https://www.clickbank.com/hoplink_encoding.htm

#2 - bit.ly - a free URL shortener that even tracks # of clicks
bit.ly, a simple url shortener

Am I right in thinking that the ClickBank HopLink Shield only changes the URL in this manner:

- from http: //.vendor.hop.clickbank.net?=yourID

- to something like http: //2de14oqj69s7oq8dml2kfgirdljxff.hop.clickbank.net

Is this what the HopLink does? If so, I'd say that the cloaked link looked infinitely more ugly than the normal link, although, this doesn't mean it's any less useful in preventing commission theft.

Just wanted to know if I've got the right idea about the ClickBank HopLink Shield - I'd have thought/hoped it was somewhat more 'refined'.

[Wilson Mattos]

Originally Posted by Warrior Markets

Am I right in thinking that the ClickBank HopLink Shield only changes the URL in this manner:

- from http: //.vendor.hop.clickbank.net?=yourID

- to something like http: //2de14oqj69s7oq8dml2kfgirdljxff.hop.clickbank.net

Is this what the HopLink does? If so, I'd say that the cloaked link looked infinitely more ugly than the normal link, although, this doesn't mean it's any less useful in preventing commission theft.

Just wanted to know if I've got the right idea about the ClickBank HopLink Shield - I'd have thought/hoped it was somewhat more 'refined'.

The only thing it does is hide the affiliate name and the vendor name by "encoding" those. However, when the user gets redirected to the destination, they still get to see the "?hop=AffiliateName" in the URL. Unless the vendor has put in some code on their sales page to remove it.

Wil

[halcline]

Hi,

Yes, this does encrypt the URL, BUT once I get to the Affiliate page, my Clickbank username is STILL hanging off of the URL for example,

http://theAffiliateProduct.com/?hop=ClickbankUsername

I DON'T want the "hop=ClickBankUsername to show up.

How do I hide that???

thanks.

hal

[khtm]

Hal, I'm not aware of any way that you could hide that. It's up to the vendor to setup code on their website to hide affiliate IDs, and many of them don't bother or know how to.

You can do all the masking/cloaking of URLs that you want to, but ultimately you need the visitor to end up at the vendor's site, which requires "?hop=xxxxx" at the end of the URL.

Unless someone else knows a trick I'm not aware of?

Originally Posted by halcline

Hi,

Yes, this does encrypt the URL, BUT once I get to the Affiliate page, my Clickbank username is STILL hanging off of the URL for example,

http://theAffiliateProduct.com/?hop=ClickbankUsername

I DON'T want the "hop=ClickBankUsername to show up.

How do I hide that???

thanks.

hal

[CDarklock]

Originally Posted by FlashDriveDT

I had already asked if anyone here ever had this type of thing happening to them and since no one repsonds to it it seems clear to me that's its rather a form of paranoia.

There are four paths through this.

1. Go to your link, hijack it, and don't buy
2. Go to your link, don't hijack it, and don't buy
3. Go to your link, hijack it, and buy
4. Go to your link, don't hijack it, and buy

The problem is that while you see everyone go to your link, you cannot tell the difference among the first three situations. In every case, they go to your link, and then you don't get a commission. The only thing you can see happening is people who go to your link, don't hijack it, and buy - because you get a commission. When you don't get one, it could have been any of the previous three things.

So you can NEVER get a straight answer to that question, because all you can do is guess. Just like the RIAA's piracy statistics: they say "we sold X number of legitimate copies, and we think there are Y copies out there, so ( Y - X ) copies are illegitimate and that has cost us $Z." But they made up Y, so that $Z figure is just plain garbage.

[Sipboy3000]

Originally Posted by Akky

All you need is to open up NotePad .

<?php
header('Location: http://www.youaffiliatecodehere.com/');
?>

Paste the above code and then save the notepad as .php extension . Link the text or image with this php file which you upload to your server.

Hope I helped you

G'day,
Akky

I use this exact same method.

Upload this file to your public_html folder and it will appear as Yourdomain.com/yourphpfilename.php.

Works like a charm!

I use it because it seems to get more clicks.

[zedbiz]

GREAT answer - but a couple questions:
- can you explain 'allow you to control the SEO value of your link'
- how could you incorporate some type of tracking/counting of your links with the php redirect?

Thanks
Jack

Originally Posted by Wilson Mattos

All,

PHP redirects are best for most situations, although sometimes a meta refresh or JavaScript redirect should be used.

When you want to redirect the user to another destination (the affiliate link) in the fastest and most standard means possible, you should use a PHP redirect. This will send the redirect in the HTTP Header to the Web Browser. Nothing is loaded. There is no JavaScript requirement on the browser and the redirect attempt will never be blocked. If used with the appropriate options, a PHP redirect can be 301 or 302 redirect, thus allowing you to control the SEO value or your redirect!

BTW, .htaccess redirects behave the same way as PHP redirects, and you can choose 302 or 301. However, I do not recommend this because it is error prone and you can mess up your entire site if you put an extra space or wrong character in the file. It is also not scalable, the larger the .htaccess file, the higher the impact on your web server's performance.

A Meta Refresh redirect requires a page to be loaded and interpreted by the browser. It can be used when you want to display something to the user before actually redirecting them...such as a message that you are going to redirect them. Have you ever seen those messages saying: "If you are not redirected in X seconds, click this link?" This type of redirect can be blocked by the browser. It also does not allow you to control the SEO value of the link.

A JavaScript redirect works much in the same way as the a Meta Refresh. It requires the browser to load the page with the JavaScript code on it and process the JavaScript code to redirect the user. This type of redirect can be blocked by the browser. It also does not allow you to control the SEO value of the link.

Hope this helps clarify your options.

Wil

[Wilson Mattos]

@zedbiz

301 Reirects pass PageRank to the destination page...that's what I meant by controlling SEO value. 302 redirects, Meta Refresh, and JavaScript redirects do NOT pass PageRank.

As far as click counting, it can be done in different ways. You can always use a web server log analyzer and see how many hits there were for the redirect URL. That is NOT the easiest, or best way to do it. It would be better to implement a little more PHP code (instead of just the redirect) to keep a click count for you, but this is cumbersome also.

The best way is to have a tool that handles the redirect management for you and allows you to manage the type of redirect (301 & 302) as well as doing the click counting.

I am sending you a PM with a link to a free webinar I am hosting on Sunday to cover this topic in great detail.

Wil

[Wilson Mattos]

@nicheGoober - it is important to know what type of redirect the plugin is creating (301 or 302) if you are linking to sites that you want to help rank in the search engines (ie. your own sites or web 2.0 properties).

Wil

[Wilson Mattos]

@joeman - lots of different ways of doing this. for example, a PHP script could redirect AND to the click counting for you.

[HBZSoftware]

There's a WordPress plugin called LinkEngine (wplinkengine.com iirc) that does this for you if you use WordPress.

[zedbiz]

Originally Posted by Wilson Mattos

@zedbiz

301 Reirects pass PageRank to the destination page...that's what I meant by controlling SEO value. 302 redirects, Meta Refresh, and JavaScript redirects do NOT pass PageRank.

So is the php redirect use the 301 redirect - or can you decide - if so how?

Originally Posted by Wilson Mattos

@zedbiz
As far as click counting, it can be done in different ways. You can always use a web server log analyzer and see how many hits there were for the redirect URL. That is NOT the easiest, or best way to do it. It would be better to implement a little more PHP code (instead of just the redirect) to keep a click count for you, but this is cumbersome also.

The best way is to have a tool that handles the redirect management for you and allows you to manage the type of redirect (301 & 302) as well as doing the click counting.

So give me the name of the tool . .. please . .

Originally Posted by Wilson Mattos

@zedbiz
I am sending you a PM with a link to a free webinar I am hosting on Sunday to cover this topic in great detail.

Wil

Looking forward to it - hopefully I will be free.

Thanks
Jack

[Jay Jennings]

Free video at http://LinkCloakingExplained.com covers the most popular ways to cloak a link.

Someone else mentioned cloaking *and* tracking, which is what my Cloak And Tracker software does (creative name, don't you think?). While a simple PHP redirect will work fine, I like the added features a more comprehensive script will give you.

For example...

This link: http://jayjennings.com/likes/cloakandtracker

...will send you to the CaT sales page.

This link: http://jayjennings.com/likes/cloakandtracker/wf

...will send you to the same place but when I look at my stats I'll know the cloaked link was used in the Warrior Forum. I could use the same link, but tack on a different "tracking token" like this:

http://jayjennings.com/likes/cloakandtracker/blog

...and I'll be able to see how many clicks came from the link on my blog, versus the link on the WF. And tracking tokens can be added on the fly -- they don't have to be set up ahead of time in the script.

Not to turn this into a pitch, but CaT (and big brother Sonic Sneak) can also disguise the link even more, for example...

http://jayjennings.com/likes/cloakandtracker.html

...is the same link, but looks like an actual web page because of the .html suffix.

So while the PHP redirect code shown here will cloak and redirect your link perfectly, there are some good reasons to use an actual software program to do the job.

There are good options out there besides CaT and Sneak -- find the one that's best for you and start using it for your links.

Jay Jennings

[Web-Design-Company]

Click bank have recently introduced an automated feature for cloaking your links.

[zedbiz]

Jay - what method does cloak and tracker use to re-direct?
php - - htaccess or ??

[Wilson Mattos]

Originally Posted by Web-Design-Company

Click bank have recently introduced an automated feature for cloaking your links.

All they do is hide the affiliate name and the vendor name on the redirect link. However, when you arrive at the destination, the usual ?hop=affiliate still shows up!

Wil

[TravisOfferatti]

Just a side note...cloaking your link is not only good just to shorten it...it's also great considering some networks get their link sent through spam filters 100M times before lunch every day. After a while, 80% of your mail could be caught in spam filters due to the domain in the URL...

We usually request all of our affiliates to mask...great thread!

[engr.adeel]

why would like to hide affiliate link? For this purpose, word press redirect plug-in is used but easy to use is html meta refresh.

[Wilson Mattos]

Originally Posted by TravisOfferatti

Just a side note...cloaking your link is not only good just to shorten it...it's also great considering some networks get their link sent through spam filters 100M times before lunch every day. After a while, 80% of your mail could be caught in spam filters due to the domain in the URL...

Absolutely! There are MANY reasons to cloak and this is definitely one of them. In fact, it is important to NOT use free shortening services because many corporate firewalls/proxy server block access to these.

Wil

[zedbiz]

The various wordpress plugins that redirect - do any of them allow you to use them on multiple blogs.

Otherwise if you have more than one blog, it means logging in to different ones for different links.

Nice to have it all organized in one place.

And can it be tied / connected to Google Analytics somehow? Will a php redirect show up in google analytics report?