Paid Affiliate links showing up in searches

When people search for random things on Google, paid aff links

[storstygg]

Something odd is happening to our site.

When someone types in certain random phrases into Google ( I am very happy to see that my site's content is included in the results.

The problem is, the url that is associated with the video that is turning up has a url with one of our affiliate's paid tracking tag at the end of it (?partner=aff#*$!) -- meaning I am paying for "organic search" traffic since Google, in this case, is associating that tagged affiliate url with my content.

I am assuming it's b/c on of my affs is doing a good job of seeding his urls, but it's hurting me in the end.

How can I rectify this? Why is it happening?

Thanks.

[Quadrille]

I'm not sure why it's hurting if it's bringing extra business; surely that is why you have affiliates?

For example, if you chose to cut off the affiliate, you would be spared the need to pay his commission - but the business may cease. Worse, he may affiliate with a rival.

That would really hurt!

[LifeinAsia]

That's why you should put a NOINDEX tag on your affiliate landing page (unless you really want to pay for that traffic). Most affiliate agreements stipulate that the traffic has to come from the affiliate's site.

[eljefe3]

Why is this a problem? He's done his job to bring traffic to you, now you need to pay him for doing his job. If he wasn't in the natural SERP's than you would have no exposure there at all it sounds like.

[Marcia]

my site's content is included in the results.

Your content with the appended affiliate link showing as the URL? What kind of system are you using, is it an in-house system using 302 redirects?

[mfishy]

Odds are your content would not have ranked but the affiliate linked to his url causing it to score. If you did not have anything against this in your TOS, you are stealing their money.

I would tread carefully. If you cre about your affiliate program, think it through. Just from your blurb you seem to be displaying some of the very worst traits of a merchant. You set up an affiliate program so you could enjoy the incredible benefits of performance based marketing. Youa re controlling the ROI. There should not be a time whn you are unhappy about getting affiliate sales.

[LifeinAsia]

Sorry if it sounds old school to a lot of people, but affiliate marketing was developed to reward people for promoting the target site *from the affiliate's site*, not in the SERPs, not by E-mail SPAM, and not by SPAMMING bulletin boards.

Yes, there are some who don't care how/where the sales come from. Others recognize the inherent problems of losing control of your brand as well as having affiliate sales cannibalize sales that would have otherwise come through regular marketing channels.

It comes down to what you put in your ToS. If your ToS allows it, and that's what you want, then great. If not, then you need to modify your ToS, notify your affiliates, then take the proper steps to prevent "improper" sales from being credited to affiliates.

[Quadrille]

" Sorry if it sounds old school to a lot of people, but affiliate marketing was developed to reward people for promoting the target site *from the affiliate's site*, not in the SERPs, not by E-mail SPAM, and not by SPAMMING bulletin boards."

Don't apologise for that! :)

If the TOS were principled, then yes, the affiliate should be disciplined or removed.

If the TOS were not, then the 'owner'has no complaint (the rest of us do, however).

But he needs to be clear; the options are not paying a fair commission or keeping it all - the choices are paying a fair commission or ending the practice, with both he and the affiliate losing.

Of course, if he encourages or even turns a blind eye to affiliate spam, he could live to regret it in others ways, long term.