Can affiliates damage your position in Search Engines

Do you really want to lose your #1 spot?

[Sebastian]

Let's say that you have the #1 spot in Google for the term "funky widgets", which of course, is exactly what you sell.

Now you're considering joining up affiliates to market your product. But consider this: what happens if 20 affilates sign up, and due to their rather over eager optimization techniques, they knock you from your #1 spot, we'll say, right down to the second page of Google results.

But you're thinking, "It doesn't matter, the affliates are trying to sell funky widgets anyway". But what if they take your SE position, but the contents of their sites are amateurish, and do a lousy job at convincing anyone that your funky widgets are any good. Of course, your own site - the former #1 position holder - does a completely professional job at selling.

So can affiliates do more harm than good? If you already have the #1 position, should you risk sharing that traffic around?

[2_much]

Sebastian remember you'll be making money from each one of those, not just from 1 spot. I think it's worth it.

[buckworks]

Two quick comments:

1) It's unwise to assume that you'll always be #1, affiliates or no affiliates.

2) Affiliates with varied pages will show up in a lot of searches where you have no presence at all.

[clarem]

This might be a little off topic, but say for example you have 100 affiliates linking to your site through the following method www.widgets.com/index.asp?aff=tagID.

Is this seen as an addition to your link popularity? Or is each url seen as unique, therefore having no effect on your www.widgets.com url?

[Bogglesworld]

Sebastion, to continue your nightmare: the affiliates with the poor content don't convert well with your product, but since they have their sites up and running and optimized for blue widgets and are getting the number one spots they decide to test out other blue widget affiliate programs.

But on the other hand, if they can out optimize you, they are probably professional enough to write good sales pitches.

[Travoli]

hi clarem,

it most likely will not be an addition to your link popularity.

[clarem]

Travoli,

Ok great, well. Kind of.

Thanks for your help :)