Forum Moderators: skibum
I ran across a web site that I had heard about previously.
They have an affiliate program selling sticky widgets, green widgets and sticky green widgets.
I really wasn't interested in their aff program, but they have some high PR pages.
I offered straight links (no affiliate tracking) embedded in the content on those pages in exchange for straight text links on some of their high PR pages. My site is not competing with theirs in any way.
They wouldn't do it.
So I asked myself, "If they don't have enough faith in their own aff program to trade incoming traffic links for straight text links, why should anone else have faith in their program?"
*Question*
Would you trade targeted links on content pages for text links on your high PR pages?
If not, why not?
Because I don't usually link text to outside sites. Even if I did, it would only be to reputable sites(i.e. yahoo, google, the big ones).
Furthermore, merchant sites tend to be weary of linking to outside sources because they don't want to lose the user.
merchant sites tend to be weary of linking to outside sources because they don't want to lose the user
To build on this idea: they don't want to lose their other affiliates either. Affs hate to see offsite links (leakage) on merchant sites.
Also, they have high PR, and you have a PR4? Seems they'd be silly to trade or am I missing something?
Well, someone suggested paying for links. But the links I am talking about are the same links that could generate sales .. for which people with affiliate programs pay commission.
But instead of paying commission, they keep the commission, ergo making more money .. assuming their commission is worth the hype they use to convince affiliates to "link" to them.
First, I'm not saying they should have aagreed. It just seems odd in one respect.
And re the PR .. the link wasn't about them getting PR from my links, but by getting $$$ from the sales such links might generate. But also, they are not linking to an affiliate site with PR0.
And re "leakage" .. if someone ain't gonna buy what you're selling, they sure as heck are going to leave your site.
Again, maybe you shouldn't link to other, non competitive, non-affiliate sites. My question is about the faith you have in your own affiliate program.
Oddly, they suggested that if I made a page lauding black widgets and placed that, including links to their black widgets on my site, they would link to me from their green sticky widget site.
But instead of paying commission, they keep the commission, ergo making more money .. assuming their commission is worth the hype they use to convince affiliates to "link" to them.
I see your point, but I think their refusal reflects more on what they think of your site/traffic vs what they think of their own aff. program.
Oddly, they suggested that if I made a page lauding black widgets and placed that, including links to their black widgets on my site, they would link to me from their green sticky widget site.
Now it indeed seems bizarre.
Still, I suspect that if they will link to you from black but not green sticky widgets that they are concerned about losing paying customers.
my head is now spinning from the 'widget' obfuscation
my head is now spinning from the 'widget' obfuscation "
Your head stopped 180 degrees off.;)
The site they suggested they would link to me from was their "green sticky widget" site .. the one I had asked about originally .. if I made a page about their "other site"
I couldn't do that as it would have been totally off-topic for my site.
When I mull this over in my feeble mind, I think "what they think of their aff. program" is the key .. which comes back to the "question" in my original post.
What I'm wondering about at this point is if anyone who answered this question has *their own* aff program.
I think a merchant linking to an affiliate is a serious risk to the merchant's site.
Your head stopped 180 degrees off.;)It started that way.
But instead of paying commission, they keep the commission, ergo making more money .. assuming their commission is worth the hype they use to convince affiliates to "link" to them.
Perhaps they're thinking:
"But instead of not earning commission, he earns commission, ergo making more money .. assuming his traffic is worth the hype he uses to convince merchant sites to link to him."
So I asked myself, "If they don't have enough faith in their own aff program to trade incoming traffic links for straight text links, why should anone else have faith in their program?"
"If he doesn't have enough faith in his own traffic to trade affiliate links for commission, why should any merchant have faith in his traffic?"
:)
Well, so much for neither a question nor an answer.:¦
They've stated what they're willing to pay for a link, and it's related to how well that link performs in terms of bringing them buyers.
You've contacted them asking for different terms, a fixed payment of a reciprocal link rather than performance-related pay.
Your refusal to accept their performance-related pay structure might cause them to question whether your link really would perform well. If you're going to send them so many buyers, they might wonder, then why won't you settle for the commission?
Of course, there might be a good answer to that question; it was just a thought.
Hope that's clearer.
No offence but links are small time. Any company running a serious affiliate program is going to be referenced all over the web.
