Forum Moderators: skibum
With networks like these I think the crucial question is, do they have merchants that work with your site? If they both do, here are a few things I have noticed, though this is based on pretty limited experience:
LinkShare's reporting is not as easy to work with as CJ's, in my experience. Link-building is also more straightforward with CJ. On the other hand, CJ's minimum volume requirements mean that I got dropped--this was no great loss because I had already set up a direct relationship with the only merchant I worked with with them that did much for my site....
LinkShare has some big name merchants that you won't find in CJ, never done much with SAS.
When you say you set up a direct relationship - was it based on conversions? If so, how do you ensure they are not cheating you?
They had a free-standing affiliate program as well as being in CJ. So not to do with conversions--and that's just as well, because I am small potatoes. I was glad to switch over, because I get 13% from them directly, vs. 10% with CJ.
Cheating: How do you know ANY affiliate program isn't cheating you? I know some people use scripts to keep track of clickthroughs. I don't know how to do that and so I don't. I do know that my sales with that particular merchant went up. CJ and other networks have a problem. They get blocked by Norton (though they now have new-style links that supposedly aren't) and their sales can be skimmed by malware on user's computers. Small affiliate programs don't have these problems. Since sales went up, and since I've heard from a few people who made orders, and then seen their orders properly reported, I am confident that orders are being tracked. And it's a plus that the manager of the affiliate program responds personally to emails.
There are some plusses to small programs, if they suit your site.
Unless you know the merchant well and are confident that they are 'clean', you should do well with their program. If you just apply to any merchant willy nilly, better keep track of your traffic and make sure your id isn't swapped out by ebates or 180 solutions and the like.
Same goes for Indy programs - double check with the AM to ensure they are clean.
There are networks out there that tout they are parasite free, do some research and ask the right questions before making any commitments. Nothing worse then working hard and watching your traffic dwindle, with your commissions in someone else's pockets.
Susan
Best way is to test it out, put up links but on a daily (even hourly basis) monitor it to see if anything is happening to your traffic (watch for cookie stuffing, affiliate id's being swapped out etc.).
And lastly, try to establish a relationship with each network and merchant. Talk to them (or send an email), ask them what their stance is on parasites how they manage fraudulent activities. Try to get some guarantees on how they'd compensate you if anything happens.
If you find a merchant or network who is affiliate focussed, responsive to your questions and quick to remedy any issues, you've definitely got yourself a winner.
