Woz - 2:56 am on Dec 10, 2006 (gmt 0)

>Actually, that was not the question I posed.

unionjack, that is true, however, there is more to the quesiton than just the bare facts, as has also been pointed out by Marcia and SugarRae.

Imagine if you will if you were to ask the question "If I put my finger in the barrel, would the gun still work when I pull the trigger?" The absolute answer of course would be "Yes." However, it would be remiss of us not to point out that your finger would be in grave danger in the process.

So, to answer your original question more succinctly, Yes, you could configure affiliate links to help boost SERP position, but you run the risk of losing affiliates and therefor sales in the process. Plus, you would also lose any SEO benifit from those affiliates who would expire their relationship with the merchant and thus pull their links. The end result may very well be an overall downturn in sales, not something for which I would wish to take responsibility.

I do not recommend the concept and would disuade you from using it. If the Merchant insists however, please ensure they are aware of the dangers and get get notification of their acceptance of the dangers in writing to protect yourself.

Onya
Woz