Redirects are simple web page codes that send visitors from one URL to another. By setting up a redirect, you can track the number of clicks on your affiliate links, analyze your conversion rates, and optimize your marketing strategy.
In this article, we'll show you how to use redirects to improve affiliate link tracking and maximize your earnings.
5 Reasons to use redirects for affiliate links
Redirects are simple web page codes that automatically send visitors from one URL to another. There are several reasons why you might want to use redirects for affiliate link tracking:
Outsmart Ad Blockers
Ad blockers are a popular browser extension that can suppress your page because of your affiliate links. To outsmart them, setting up link redirects can make your page available on browsers with ad blockers installed.
To ensure banner ads display correctly, you'll need to take one more precaution. Instead of hot-linking banners from the merchant's domain, download and host them directly from your own site using an ad-management plugin like AdSanity.
Increase Click-Through Rates
Link tracking tool like Pretty Links is a tool that can help you get more people to click on your affiliate links. Normally, the long and boring link that the company gives you can make people less likely to click. But with Pretty Links, you can make a new link that's shorter, cooler, and easier to remember.
Making a new link with Pretty Links is simple. You just paste the old link into the box, and the tool will make a new link for you. You can even make the new link more interesting by adding a special name to the end.
It's important to remember that you should never try to hide the fact that your new link is an affiliate link. You should always be honest about it. Before you make a new link, you should also check with the company to make sure they're okay with it. And no matter what, you should always tell people that you're using an affiliate link. The government says you have to!
Prevent Link Theft
Link theft or swapping is a common problem in affiliate marketing, where your affiliate link is deliberately removed or swapped for another before your customer's purchase is registered. To prevent this, using Pretty Links can help protect your affiliate links.
Since your affiliate link isn't visible in the html, it is not easily removed or swapped by anyone other than you, and your commission earnings remain safe.
Avoid Ranking Penalties
Having too many affiliate links on your page can result in a penalty from Google. Fortunately, using Pretty Links can help you add a rel=”nofollow” to all of your affiliate links when generating them using the plugin's keyword replacement feature.
This means that when search engines crawl through your site, they should skip over your affiliate links. This ensures that your rankings will remain unaffected.
To add a rel=”nofollow” to your pretty links, head to the plugin's dashboard and navigate to Options > SEO Options. Tick ‘Nofollow' this link, after creating your shortened link, and you're good to go.
Make Link Management Easier
Affiliate link tracker like Pretty Link or Affilimate are life-savers when it comes to managing multiple affiliate links. You won't have to worry about expired links, affiliate programs that change, or ones that close. With Pretty Links, you can update your links automatically, no matter how many times you've used them in your content. Forget the hassle of keeping a separate log or using a spreadsheet.
Creating groups for all your links and adding a descriptive title for each link is also a handy way to keep everything organized. Get started with Pretty Links today to make managing your affiliate links easy and stress-free.
Common mistakes to avoid when using redirects
While redirects can be a powerful tool for improving affiliate link tracking, there are some common mistakes that you should avoid. Here are some tips for avoiding these mistakes:
- Using the wrong redirect type - Make sure to use a 301 redirect for affiliate links to ensure that your link juice is passed to the new URL.
- Forgetting to test the redirect - Always test your redirect to ensure that it's working properly and that your tracking data is accurate.
- Using too many redirects - Using too many redirects can slow down your website and affect your search engine rankings.
- Not updating your tracking code - Make sure to update your tracking code when you change your redirect URL to ensure that your data is accurate.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Do I need to use redirects for all of my affiliate links?
No, you don't need to use redirects for all of your affiliate links. However, using redirects can help you to track your important clicks and conversions more accurately and optimize your marketing strategy on something like social media posts or press releases.
What's the difference between a 301 and a 302 redirect
A 301 redirect is a permanent redirect that passes link juice to the new URL, while a 302 redirect is a temporary redirect that doesn't pass link juice.
Can redirects affect my search engine rankings?
Too many redirects don't affect search ranking. However, multiple redirect chains can slow down website speed. The poor speed performance is what can affect search engine rankings.