If you’ve been around the online marketing world for a little while, then you’ve probably figured out what are affiliates… but the question remains: how to use affiliate links, or how do these links work exactly?
That’s exactly what I’ll be explaining in today’s video tutorial!
How To Use Affiliate Links – A Quick Demo
Affiliate Programs Track Sales Through Cookies
Cookies are little files that are stored through your web browser, to keep track of pages you’ve been to, or links you’ve clicked.
When someone clicks through an affiliate link, it generally creates a cookie on that person’s computer.
Cookies can last for many months, or be set to expire immediately after someone clicks away from a link. So the next time that person makes a purchase, the affiliate tracking system can generate a commission for the affiliate.
2 Different Affiliate Link Systems
Here comes the tricky question… Who should get the cookie? Okay, that was a bad joke, but the question remains: should the first link someone clicks create a cookie, or the last one?
First-Click Affiliate Links: The first person refer gets the credit. Sometimes this system upsets affiliates because if they were the one to “convince” the person to buy, they should get the credit, whether or not someone else first introduced the product to the buyer.
Last-Click Affiliate Links: The link that’s clicked immediately before a purchase is made gets the credit. This is the system that most affiliate programs use, and tends to be the most fair and also the easiest to track. But it can also upset affiliates, since you might be affiliate to make the introduction but if the person clicks on another link before they buy, then you wouldn’t get the credit.
PrettyLink: How To Use Affiliate Links The Smart Way
Now from an affiliate marketer’s perspective, keeping track of all the affiliate links you use can become quite the task.
That’s where these simple WordPress plugins come into play: PrettyLink.
With these plugins you can easily shorten affiliate links, track the number of clicks through each link, and also have your WordPress site automatically sprinkle your affiliate links throughout your site.
Thanks for reading, over to you now!
Have you ever wondered how to use affiliate links or how links track sales? Was this helpful? Let me know in the comments below.
