Did you know there are people out there that will steal your Affiliate commissions, And you probably won’t even know they took your money!
Apparently these thieves have discovered a way to alter your Affiliate Link so that your commissions are credited to their account.
Now, I don’t know about you, but I put alot of effort into marketing my Affiliate products and I sure don’t want to risk losing my commissions.
Now, there is a way to remedy this by doing what is called domain masking. What this means is that your Affiliate Link will be masked as a different url in the address bar, thus thwarting the would be thieves from stealing your hard earned commissions.
I discovered a cool little tool that will allow you to mask your Affiliate Links and at the same time shorten the links as well. And it’s not that difficult to do! Here is the link for that tool. (webstarthelp.com/forwards.html)
This tool is used in conjunction with your website hosting account.
I am going to show you via a screencapture video demonstration how to mask your Affiliate Links.
My website is hosted by Hostgator.com so this demonstration will be most helpful to those of you who have your websites hosted by them as well. However if your website is hosted by Go-Daddy, or some other company, the process is very similar but you will have to contact the technical support people at your hosting account for detailed instructions.
Watch the video below.
If you found this to be useful information please leave a comment in the box provided below. Also retweets and bookmarks are very much appreciated!
For more valuable FREE information simply put your name and e-mail in the box on the right.
Twitter: roefish
Says:
19. July 2010 at 11:40 am
Excellent information Joseph. This domain forwarding technique is very timely for me, as I’m doing a mailing for one of my programs this morning.
Good deal!
Roe Fisher´s last blog ..Why you need a profile on SWOM…
19. July 2010 at 12:18 pm
Hey Roe, Perfect timing! I’m glad it helped! I hope your mailing goes well for you!
19. July 2010 at 1:44 pm
Hi Joe,
Thanks for the great information. I never realized someone could steal commissions from your affiliate links.
MaryKay
MaryKay Edelen´s last blog ..The Power Of Tribes
19. July 2010 at 9:43 pm
MaryKay, Yes they can & they will steal your commissions. So go ahead and mask your links. You’ll be glad you did! Thanks for your comment!
19. July 2010 at 3:23 pm
Joseph,
It is amazing what others will due to try to take advantage of those who are willing to put in the effort to build their online business, but it’s not amazing that there are great people like you, Joseph, who gives us the strategies to protect our businesses. This industry, through its focus on self development, is producing so many people of great integrity who only want to help others. So many of these great people have come together in TSA and Dave and I are so honored!
We so appreciate you sharing this critical information with us as well as the solution! Thanks!
Dawn and Dave
19. July 2010 at 4:29 pm
Dawn & Dave, Than you so much for your kind comment! I appreciate the opportunity to be part of the TSA! It’s truly a great group of people sharing a common interest.
Twitter: josephturbin
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20. July 2010 at 12:44 am
Wow Joseph – Great tip! The cool thing about this tip is that you also get a hit on your blog when you send people to your affiliate link, and this helps with your alexa score.
All bloggers are always trying to lower their Alexa score, becuase that allows you to get more traffic!
Great tip!
Joe
PS, I might have to steal this tip for my blog
Up until now it was my secret 
Joseph´s last blog ..Herbalife Review – Lose Weight Now- Ask Me How!
20. July 2010 at 1:52 am
Joe, Yes it is a great way to lower your Alexa rank. It’s ok if you use this tip on your blog.:) Thanks for your kind comment!
20. July 2010 at 5:03 am
Hey Joe,
Great article. There is also a way to mask and track links and build your “Brand” as well. It’s a really cool Plug-In for your blog called “Pretty Link” . Check it out and then pass it on to others. I just found it and love it so far! Thanks for the value!!
In Success,
Howie Perks
Howie Perks´s last blog ..Travel MLM Why WorldVentures
20. July 2010 at 12:14 pm
Hey Howie, I have heard of that plugin, I will take a look at it. Thanks for your comment!
Twitter: activeemotion
Says:
20. July 2010 at 10:42 am
Thanks for the great content, Joseph.
Yours is definitely one of the best blogs I’ve seen. Clean, easy to read… very attractive.
Thank you for your inspiration and leadership!
Warm regards,
Tanya
20. July 2010 at 12:15 pm
Tanya, Thanks for your kind comment! I appreciate that!
Twitter: christine_tulsa
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20. July 2010 at 2:46 pm
Hi Joe,
Wow! I had no idea that affiliate links could potentially be something others could steal – thanks for sharing the info!
Christine
Christine Casey´s last blog ..It all begins by taking small bites of the elephant…
20. July 2010 at 2:50 pm
Christine, Yes they can and will steal from you so be careful! Thanks for your comment!
Twitter: dobson1234
Says:
20. July 2010 at 10:20 pm
Hello Joseph,
Great content on your blog. You certainly share a lot of real value and I enjoyed this post concerning masking your affiliate link. There certainly are those who are looking for something for nothing. Our prisons are full of them.
My FREE Marketing & Training System gets into some of those areas as you have shared.
Make it a great day!
Lloyd Dobson
Lloyd Dobson´s last blog ..Become The Sponsor You Never Had
20. July 2010 at 10:36 pm
Lloyd, Thanks for your kind comment! Much appreciated!
Twitter: RafaelCantu
Says:
21. July 2010 at 12:14 am
Thanks Joe….You always have useful information. Some of these things seem like they would be self-explanatory but I can tell you from experience I have spent hours trying to figure out what you just showed in a couple of minutes!
Always balancing,
Rafael
Rafael Cantu´s last blog ..Tips To Balance Your Work From Home “Life”
21. July 2010 at 12:35 am
Rafael, I know exactly what you are saying! Trying to learn some of this technical stuff can sometimes be elusive. I just stay persistent until I find the answer I’m looking for. Thanks for your kind comment!
Joseph McDevitt
Twitter: Mysitcomlife
Says:
21. July 2010 at 8:38 pm
A great idea but I’m having so many IT problems it’s hard to know where to start. I’ve been trying to mask aff links for a while but had no success .. will give your system a go as soon as I’ve fixed everything else
22. July 2010 at 5:04 am
Joanna, If you have any problems just come back and click on my ask me button, and let me know how I can help you. Thanks your for your comment!
22. July 2010 at 4:22 am
Hi Joe,
I am hosting my accounts with GoDaddy but will give it a go. Thanks for going into so much detail by doing a screenshot that even technophobes like me can follow it.
Much appreciated
Johanna
Johanna Brem´s last blog ..This Weeks Free Webinar
22. July 2010 at 4:55 am
Johanna, I’m sure Go-Daddy support can help you through there process, probably very similar. Thanks for your comment!
22. July 2010 at 8:12 pm
I’ve been noticing quite a decrease in my affiliate commissions so this makes me wonder if that’s what’s happening, but how would I know for sure? I appreciate you and this post Joe, so thank you for sharing how to be more aware and take the proper action to correct it.
Kellie
Kellie Frazier´s last blog ..Pillar 7
23. July 2010 at 1:26 pm
Kellie, it is quite possible someone is taking your commissions, mask your links and this will stop them. Thanks for your comment!
23. July 2010 at 3:58 am
What else will they think of to steal? Amazing the things they think of. Thanks for this info.
Nicole Rushin´s last blog ..Blogging- Crogging and Lessons in Key Word Tags
23. July 2010 at 1:23 pm
Nicole, I know what your saying, they always find a way. Thanks for your comment!
Twitter: prfuller
Says:
23. July 2010 at 4:11 am
Thanks for the tip Joe
and do check out Pretty Link, nice plugin
Peter Fuller MBA´s last blog ..How has my business grown since I started my blog
23. July 2010 at 1:20 pm
Peter thanks for your comment, I will check it out!
24. July 2010 at 12:13 am
Really great, tutorial, Joseph! I had no idea people could steal our affiliate commissions….grrrr! I will definitely mask my links in the future. Thanks so much!
Beth Allen´s last blog ..The 5 P’s of Powerful Marketing
24. July 2010 at 12:58 am
Hey Beth, Yes people can and will take your hard earned commissions. So yes, mask your links to protect against it. Thanks for your comment!
Twitter: rebeccahappy
Says:
24. July 2010 at 3:31 am
I have a prettyLinks pluggin on my WP blog…are you familar with it?..I think it masks as well allow yo to track it by slightly altering the name.
If you have anything to say about it I would appreciate your insight. I love using it. A link will always appear with your domain and a code like http://rebeccahappy.com/code…this link does not lead anywhere but that is what it could look like.
I love coming by your blog. It is always full of really helpful information
rebeccahappy´s last blog ..Moving The FREE Line
24. July 2010 at 4:02 am
Rebecca, I have heard of that plugin, I have not checked it out yet, but I will. Thanks for your comment!
Twitter: Moondanncer
Says:
29. July 2010 at 10:32 am
Great article, I believe Commission Junction lets your mask your links (or at least they used to– I used CJ on a few of my older websites.) There are many affiliates that don’t, such as Amazon. Nice tutorial, it would be frustrating to build your affiliate links and have someone steal them from you. I haven’t heard of Pretty links, but I’ll be checking it out.
Moondancer´s last blog ..Getting motivated What’s your inspiration
29. July 2010 at 5:09 pm
Thanks Moondancer, I appreciate your comment!
Twitter: homebizwithtess
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30. July 2010 at 12:16 am
Fantastic info Joseph. This was really clear and helpful and exactly what I needed. I appreciate your getting back to me so quickly and being so helpful. I had a look at the Pretty Link plug in at wordpress but I didn’t think it did exactly what you have shown. I have a feeling the aff id/link was still showing somewhere when I tried using it. But maybe I’m wrong…not being a techie.
Tess Robinson´s last blog ..Blogeterycom’s 70-000 Set to Get Their Blogs Back Up
30. July 2010 at 12:19 am
Tess, I’m so glad it worked out for you! If you need any help with anything just contact me. Thanks for your comment!
Twitter: StevenWinata
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30. July 2010 at 9:49 pm
Joe, thanks for the tutorial! I’ve always used the forwarding feature in Hostgator but the problem is it’s just forwarding, not masking the link. Do you also do the same thing with your affiliate banners?
Steven Winata´s last blog ..Traffic Geyser Trial Re-opened
30. July 2010 at 10:34 pm
Steven, I don’t have any banners showing right now, but you could do it with your banners. Thanks for your comment!
Twitter: StevenWinata
Says:
4. August 2010 at 12:36 am
I just found out that you can always view the page source and see the real affiliate link. Those who are savvy enough to steal affiliate commissions can find the link this way. Do you have any alternative, Joe?
Steven Winata´s last blog ..Enounce MySpeed Review- Watch More Videos In Less Time
4. August 2010 at 4:27 am
Steven, I have never heard of them being able to read the page source. Sorry, but I don’t have any alternatives.
31. July 2010 at 4:57 am
Joseph, I was aware that people could steal your hard earned commissions but didn’t know of any easy techniques to frustrate the thieves! Thank you so much for all your hard work helping so many to have the tools that are so vital to their online success!
Warm regards,
Deborah
Deborah A. Ten Brink´s last blog ..Making Money Online First- Find the Passion in Your Life!
31. July 2010 at 4:45 pm
Deborah, Thanks so much for your kind comment!
1. August 2010 at 8:34 pm
Hi Joe. Thank you so much for this information! I didn’t realize till now that someone could steal my commissions! I will follow your advice. Thanks alot!
Cathryn Konek´s last blog ..Switching Gears…
1. August 2010 at 10:39 pm
Cathryn, Yes they can and they will steal your commissions. Please mask your links! Thanks for your comment!
Twitter: lindagrace8
Says:
3. August 2010 at 12:19 am
Joe~
Thank you very much for teaching this very valuable content! I appreciate the hand-holding while I learn this skill! I’m saving this blog in my files so I can pull it out when I need it! Thank you!
~Linda
Linda G. Cox´s last blog ..Generation Y
3. August 2010 at 12:51 am
Linda you are so very welcome! Come back and visit soon! Thanks for your comment!
8. August 2010 at 2:12 am
Fantastic article and video Joe,
I had absolutely no idea that there are people out there who actually make the effort to hack into your links like that, just so they get the affiliate income that you have worked hard for.
I guess there is always going to something new to watch out for these days.
Josh@Network Marketing Consultant´s last blog ..Tips for Network Marketing – FREE Guide
8. August 2010 at 8:21 am
Josh, Yes, be careful because there are people that will hack in and alter your affiliate links. Thanks for your comment!