Comments on: How To Cloak Links The Simple Way

By: Internet Marketing Strategies

Internet Marketing Strategies — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 07:08:31 +0000

This is just perfect timing since I was looking for a simple way to cloak my affil links.
thanks
JR

By: Carrie

Carrie — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:08:58 +0000

I don’t always use cloaked links (My niches aren’t likely to care). I wouldn’t use Tiny URL, because I think that looks suspicious. I’ll usually set up a redirect on one of my webpages.

By: ebeneara1

ebeneara1 — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 07:36:26 +0000

Recently I come across this problem that how to link our website to redirect.Thanks for sharing the info and relating to the code i would do research on that.

By: John Henn

John Henn — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 09:13:09 +0000

Hey,thanks a lot for the advice you have posted. I’m a newbie to this affiliate marketing. I came to know this fact when I read your post.

By: cool gadgets

cool gadgets — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 06:29:50 +0000

Very nice post, I was actually discussing the merits of using PHP to cloak affiliate links on a WordPress blog rather then using a plugin.

My thought was that plugins come and go and if the plugin you use stops working with a future release of WordPress, you’d have to go back and recode all those affiliate links.

With PHP, you probably wouldn’t have this issue.

Mike

By: Work From Home Opportunities

Work From Home Opportunities — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 22:21:18 +0000

@Tracy – Just because a link is cloaked doesn’t mean it’s not showing a URL to a location. It just means it’s not showing the actual path. Some cloaking methods DO hide the URL or path altogether, usually through scripts. I can see your point in that sense, as I’m pretty much the same way.

Other cloaking methods, like mine, take an affiliate link and encode it so that I can create a page on my server to point to. The URL appears to be coming from my domain, even though the actual affiliate page isn’t on my domain at all. The URL is clearly visible.

So, a user such as yourself wouldn’t know otherwise, meaning you wouldn’t know that it’s an affiliate link because I’m sending you to a page that’s on my domain.

It’s kind of devious in a sense, if that’s the word. But, it’s the best protection we have, and it looks far more professional.

Just my thought.

Alan

By: Tracy - Surveillance Cameras

Tracy - Surveillance Cameras — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 12:09:02 +0000

I can see the argument on why you would want to mask the address, but I as a user do not like to have this hidden. I rarely click a link that does not show me where I am about to go.

By: Marianne

Marianne — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 11:22:28 +0000

I use Covert Links. It does make long links for me, as my domain is long anyway.

If you use email marketing at all, be aware that some of the free redirects, like TinyURL don’t make it through SPAM filters. Just a heads up for you!

Marianne

By: webdesign internet marketing

webdesign internet marketing — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 11:13:42 +0000

I find link cloaking verry usefull. When i made a news magazine i used tiny links as well because the links were getting really large. it works good.
http://www.microdesign.nl

By: Work From Home Opportunities

Work From Home Opportunities — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:05:15 +0000

Great article. There is much debate about what’s the best way to cloak affiliate links. Everyone’s view is different, and everyone has a different purpose.

I know people that use TinyURL. I have told them it looks unprofessional, and I still stand by that. Plus, as you have mentioned, there’s no way to track the clicks.

The software I use is called Affiliate Link Cloaker and is actually part of a larger program called the Web Army Knife. WAK is composed of many different programs, all in one.

Have you heard of the Web Army Knife? I find it very easy to use for cloaking links.

Thanks for the informational post.

Alan Mater

By: Case Stevens

Case Stevens — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:39:18 +0000

@Chia I know. I have one myself that even tracks referrers.
But at tinyurl you haven’t. Therefore using a simple and easy to install script at your own server is a great solution.

By: AnneMarie Callan

AnneMarie Callan — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:27:58 +0000

Kind of you to share this Case … I actually paid for it in one of the programs I bought into.

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 02:56:21 +0000

I used to use TinyUrl a while ago, but I’m going to give your scripts a try in the future. Thanks for taking the time to write this article.

Commission Blueprint Editor,
Mike Tran

By: Joseph Walker

Joseph Walker — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 23:28:53 +0000

Interesting article. I have a website based on affiliate products but I never even thought of cloaking my links. Maybe its worth a try..

Joseph Walker

By: SEO Services

SEO Services — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 16:59:40 +0000

@Stevens – I have heard and seen external services that cloaks link with control over the link text. It is quite similar to TinyUrl. Let me check through my memories and will keep you guys updated again.
Rif Chia