Use tracking url or real url

[zeekstern]

What is the best practice with regards to using tracking urls instead of the real affiliate urls on a website that will be submitted to search engines?

Will the website get penalized?

Thanks,
Zeek

[caveman]

Hey zeekstern,

IMO, there is not a best practice; there are goals, and ways to acheieve them. ;-)

As far as showing affiliate links, there has long been speculation that showing affiliate links can get a site in trouble or somehow dampen its rankings. However, there are plenty of sites out there that make no effort at all to hide aff links, yet rank very well for lots of searches throughout various levels of the site.

IMHO, the issue has never been about being an affiliate; the issue is making sure that your site provides unique content and added value versus what is available elsewhere on the Web. If it doesn't, why would any SE want to show it versus existing alternatives that are already doing the same thing?

[zeekstern]

Hey Caveman,

Thanks for responding.
My site will have content, however, some of my affiliate urls are huge. And I plan on tracking everything. I didn't know if Google would accuse/penalize me for trying to "hide" something.

[caveman]

More likely, they just won't follow longer, cumbersome links, especially ones with lots of special characters, ones that look like session ID's, etc.

[zeekstern]

Guess that leaves my adtracker out. It uses the
w--o--w--/abc stuff.
How about a redirect page on my site that had my affiliate link. I think that's what they call that page:)) Are redirects ok with SEs? I promise, that is my last question:))

[caveman]

Most people are nervous about redirects like that these days. ;-)

Why not just look at other affiliate sites in your space and see what they do?

[zeekstern]

LOL, that's what got me thinking in the first place. They use all the ways I asked about and the ones I looked at aren't rated that well. I will keep looking though.

Thanks for all your help and quick responses. I really appreciate it.

Regards,
Zeek