You will eventually stumble upon the need to hide your links, given you are serious about Internet. There are a few reasons for this, mainly branding and protecting your sales. Meaning to be to the point, read more about the reasons here: Reasons to Hide your Links. I'm going to talk about how to do this.
There are several ways to hide your links:
1. Use an Online Service
Two services that are being used by affiliate marketeers: 1. TinyURL 2. URLFreeze
There are other services doing the same thing popping out. They work by replacing the long affiliate link with a short form link, with their url as the domain. (examples are available on my blog - see resource box)
Whilst efficient at first glance, you have to keep in mind the following:
By going to their website it is possible to trace the url and expose the affiliate link, hence defying the purpose of hiding. People who are aware of this are usually those who have been involved in Internet Marketing at some point.
To the clueless surfer, those links can be a potential deterrent, since it has nothing to do with the provided product. And of course, it doesnt serve your branding goals.
So, when using this we are scaring off the beginner, and arent doing anything to protect against the savvy. Therefore I wouldnt recommend using those.
2. Use a JavaScript to Change the Status Bar Text
It is possible to insert a piece of code into your pages html, that will simply substitute the affiliate link that is presented in your status bar when the mouse is hovered on the link, with a text of your liking. It is useful when you want to display the affiliates direct url or any other text. (code and examples are available on my blog - see resource box)
However, keep in mind the following:
Many people disable JavaScript in their browsers. This is because many times before, JavaScript was used to exploit the security holes in web browsers and perform all sorts of shenanigans, such as disabling the back button, hiding affiliate links (ahem), etc.
The experienced user will be able to browse the source code and notice the JavaScript.
3. PHP Redirect
By using this simple technique you can effectively redirect from your site to another. It has to do with creating a simple file on your server and linking to it, instead of the actual link. The file would then redirect the user to the appropriate location. (code and examples are available on my blog - see resource box).
There are several ways to hide your links:
1. Use an Online Service
Two services that are being used by affiliate marketeers: 1. TinyURL 2. URLFreeze
There are other services doing the same thing popping out. They work by replacing the long affiliate link with a short form link, with their url as the domain. (examples are available on my blog - see resource box)
Whilst efficient at first glance, you have to keep in mind the following:
By going to their website it is possible to trace the url and expose the affiliate link, hence defying the purpose of hiding. People who are aware of this are usually those who have been involved in Internet Marketing at some point.
To the clueless surfer, those links can be a potential deterrent, since it has nothing to do with the provided product. And of course, it doesnt serve your branding goals.
So, when using this we are scaring off the beginner, and arent doing anything to protect against the savvy. Therefore I wouldnt recommend using those.
2. Use a JavaScript to Change the Status Bar Text
It is possible to insert a piece of code into your pages html, that will simply substitute the affiliate link that is presented in your status bar when the mouse is hovered on the link, with a text of your liking. It is useful when you want to display the affiliates direct url or any other text. (code and examples are available on my blog - see resource box)
However, keep in mind the following:
Many people disable JavaScript in their browsers. This is because many times before, JavaScript was used to exploit the security holes in web browsers and perform all sorts of shenanigans, such as disabling the back button, hiding affiliate links (ahem), etc.
The experienced user will be able to browse the source code and notice the JavaScript.
3. PHP Redirect
By using this simple technique you can effectively redirect from your site to another. It has to do with creating a simple file on your server and linking to it, instead of the actual link. The file would then redirect the user to the appropriate location. (code and examples are available on my blog - see resource box).
About the Author:
For examples and the codes necessary to hide your link using one of the methods above, visit my post: Hiding Affiliate Links
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