Post Affiliate Pro is a flexible affiliate application that can be fully customized to fit your needs. Affiliate link styles can be easily selected with just one click, so you can select the most appropriate one for your needs.
Redirect links
The redirect links, also known as old style tracking, function just like any other link. The link always points to a script in your Post Affiliate Pro installation folder, including some affiliate variables:
scripts/click.php?a_aid=refid&a_bid=73d672s1
By using the a_bid variable, this script registers a click to the affiliate with the particular refid and computes a commission according to the campaign.
This banner’s target URL is used for redirection when the click is saved. Even if you click on a link like this:
www.yoursite.com/pap_directory/scripts/click.php?a_aid=refid&a_bid=73d672s1
Your destination URL will be the target URL defined in the banner application, and the ID would be represented by the value of a_bid.
Affiliate links of this type are best used on a website where you cannot place a click tracking code or S2S tracking. They are not very good for search engine optimization. Use Anchor links or Direct links for the best SEO results.
New style links
Links like this are very common and can be found on a lot of websites. As the link shows, the parameters are called directly from the URL:
www.anydomain.com/shop/?a_aid=refid&a_bid=73d672s1
The page where the customer is taken loads the click tracking code when a link is called with some essential parameters (customer clicks an affiliate link/banner). It then analyzes these variables (a_aid, a_bid) and creates cookies (1st, 3rd, local storage). Cookies are used to recognize affiliates and track sales. In Post Affiliate Pro, no clicks or sales will be saved if the click tracking code is not inserted into the landing page.
Anchor links
As with New Style Links, anchor links work in the same way, but instead they use variables within the page called anchors. These types of links are well received by Google, so you’ll get better tracking results with this style. You can see how the link looks below:
www.examplesite.com/#a_aid=refid&a_bid=73d672s1
This kind of link is the best one for SEO. Their performance is even better than that of links rewritten with mod_rewrite (.htaccess). Since Google prefers these kinds of links, this style will work best for tracking purposes.
SEO links with mod_rewrite
Although this type of tracking is difficult to manage, it results in good, search engine-friendly links. We still believe that the anchor links are more effective than the SEO links; however, some merchants do not like the idea of having any parameters in the URL (including anchor), so these kinds of SEO links with mod_rewrite are the only option for them.
Example of a link:
www.postaffiliatepro.com/refid/73d672s1.html
Important: This type of link may not be used with every website and configuration of the .htaccess file of the required website. If you need help with the configuration of these links, please contact our support team.
Direct links
Affiliates can use direct links to connect directly to your site without having to add any additional parameters.
DirectLink advantages
This kind of linking has several advantages:
- Visitors won’t know they are clicking on an affiliate link. There are many people who are hesitant to click on affiliate links. Visitors will know affiliates earn commissions on products they promote if they see affiliate links on your affiliates’ blog or review site, at which point they will not trust the review and will not click these links. By using DirectLinks, nobody will know that your products are being promoted.
- The affiliate parameters will not be damaged or removed by the visitor. Despite the fact that affiliate links have no disadvantages for them, some people do not like to purchase through them. Some people prefer copying the URL and removing affiliate parameters from their browsers. You can protect your affiliates from this by using an affiliate link cloaker. By using DirectLinks, they won’t need to worry about anything.
- This method is the most search engine (SEO) friendly. The best way to rank high on Google is to have as many backlinks pointing to your website as possible. A DirectLink is the best SEO method since it lets affiliates link to your site without adding additional parameters.
How they work
A visitor referred via DirectLink is identified by their browser’s HTTP_REFERER information. A referrer page is one that directs a visitor to the destination page. Whenever a visitor clicks on a link on the affiliate’s site, HTTP_REFERER will be displayed as the address of the affiliate’s page.
This page will then be checked in our database, and if it belongs to an affiliate, the referral and the click will be assigned to them.
Because this method is affected by the browser, it is reliable 90-99% of the time. Thanks to all the benefits mentioned above and the fact that all modern browsers provide you with this information, this method would work very well as your main linking method.
Why is this feature awesome?
Different links can be very useful in different niches. By offering affiliates a variety of links, you can give them more options for marketing your products. Thus, you will be able to generate more income.
Frequently asked questions
What is DirectLink Tracking?
The direct link tracking method links directly to advertisers without requiring additional parameters.
How to Boost your Affiliate Marketing: Call Center Software
Affiliate marketers can improve their strategies with call center software, which can enhance customer experience and increase inbound call volumes, particularly for time-sensitive matters. Pay per call affiliate marketing can reward marketers for keeping prospects engaged in conversation, while merchants can increase their reach without additional effort. Call center affiliate programs work well for industries that involve high-value purchases, urgency or time pressure, and local businesses. Call center software features, including call recordings, queuing and routing, can support call center operations and optimize workflows, contributing to more sales and revenue.
Post Affiliate Pro (version 5.11.5.12 and 5.11.8.1) – June’s improvements and bug fixes
Post Affiliate Pro has released new updates including extra affiliate signup fields, improvements to performance rewards feature, added HTML formatting for banner description, updated integration plugins for Memberful, SamCart, ThriveCart, and Chargify platforms, a new trigger for Affiliate Sale tracking codes, the option to disable click fraud protection for selected affiliates, and new pagination for API grids. The Flash banners available have been removed due to Flash support in browsers ending over a year ago. Post Affiliate Pro supports several other types of banners. These updates aim to better protect businesses and manage affiliate programs efficiently.
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An affiliate agreement is a contract between a company and another party, known as the affiliate, who agrees to market the company's products and receives a commission for each sale made online. A comprehensive affiliate agreement should cover all legal bases, including intellectual property rights, disclaimer, and privacy policy, as well as Federal Trade Commission (FTC) compliance. The agreement should also specify terms regarding coupons and discounts, other affiliations, promotional methods, and include an update clause. The affiliate's business structure and bonus structures should also be addressed in the agreement.
