What Do Affiliate Tracking Services Do?Written by Clay Mabbitt
Some affiliate programs design their own internal software to track affiliate referrals, calculate commissions, and process payments. It is far more common, though, for programs to outsource these functions to an affiliate tracking company. Knowing which affiliate tracking company a program uses allows you to quickly assess how many of aspects of their affiliate program will operate. What follows are some of aspects of an affiliate program that are largely influenced by affiliate tracking company used.Targeted linking Also known as “deep linking”, targeted linking is practice of allowing affiliates to direct traffic to whichever page on affiliate programs site best fits their pre-selling strategy. The alternative to targeted linking is to direct all referred traffic to home page of site. Programs that offer targeted linking often, though not always, have much higher conversion rates. Tiered commissions Some programs will reward affiliates for bringing new affiliates into program. While this reward can take many forms, it is usually a small percentage of what new affiliates earn. In such programs, there are often a handful of affiliates who are very successful recruiting and earn a steady income even though they make few direct sales. Some affiliate tracking companies do not have capacity to offer tiered commissions, although most do and leave choice up to individual program manager. Tracking return customers Most purchases on internet do not occur first time a visitor comes to a page. Often they will bookmark page and return to site hours, weeks, or sometimes months later to purchase. Using a combination of cookies, IP tracking, and domain referral tracking; affiliates can still receive commissions on customers that do not make immediate purchases. While exact window of customer action may vary from program to program, most affiliate tracking companies use same tracking methods (cookies or IP tracking) across all of their programs.
| | About Affiliate CommissionsWritten by Jude Wright
Have you ever thought about different methods by which affiliate commissions are paid? There are four main types of commission pay categories. They are:1. Pay Per Sale - Nearly everyone is familiar with this type. Pay Per Sale is when affiliate program company pays commission as either a fixed amount or a percentage of each sale that you make. 2. Pay Per Impression - When you place a banner or a link on your website, and it is 'displayed' to your visitor, you will be paid a few cents for that visitor. All visitor has to do is see it; he/she doesn't have to click on it. If your site is a high traffic site, this is one way to add another stream of income. 3. Pay Per Click - You are paid a commission for each time a person clicks on a banner or link. The commission paid for Pay Per Click would typically be more than for Pay Per Impression. 4. Pay Per Lead - is when a visitor actually signs up for something: a newsletter subscription, a contest, or if a form is filled out asking for more information. These examples would establish lead you are getting paid for. The dollar amount isn't that high - only one to two dollars but can add up.
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