Always Control Your Destination URL
No matter what the advertising platform is that your using to buy traffic, you are going to have to provide a destination URL. We all know what this is but for you newbs, it’s the URL that you are actually sending the people who click your ads to.
My advice is this. ALWAYS CONTROL YOUR DESTINATION URL.
Let’s take facebook as an example. Once you setup an ad, the destination URL is not able to be edited. This presents a few problems. If you are using a tracking system such as Prosper202 and your CPC changes, your stats are going to be all screwed up because you cant adjust your CPC in the tracking URL. If you are direct linking and decide you want to try a new offer, you can’t because your are direct linking using your affiliate URL. These situations suck and render you powerless. There is a simple solution that puts all of the power back in your hands. The solution is the simple yet underrated PHP REDIRECT.
If you use a PHP REDIRECT as your destination URL it gives you the freedom to change your URL on a whim. You can change your prosper tracking links or any url within the php file without having to adjust it on the ad network side. For those of you who don’t know how to create a PHP redirect, simply create a .txt file, write the following code in and name it “something.php”:
Creating a PHP REDIRECT for each link you are going to use can be a bit of a pain and add a little time to the process of setting up your ads. Fortunately for you, the benefits outweigh the time spent.
Any Questions?
Great point. I actually posted something similar to this regarding MySpace a while back. You could (probably still can) use a URL such as:
http://yoursite.com/offer/
Then, of course, that gets taken to any index file that you want there. This gives you the control to even give them a completely bullshit “clean” landing page (no pop-up’s, etc), and whatever else they like…
THEN, once they approve the page — you can quickly change that file easily, and control any redirects (index.php can redirect to the merchant, if you want).
It’s amazing how often people overlook simple redirects like this… 🙂
That’s a big “yep” on Clint.
Plus, depending on what domain you use, you can sometimes buy a little time on a direct linking campaign – get a domain close to the main merchant on the destination url, use the merchant’s display and when an affiliate checks the source they won’t see the usual affiliate redirects and know there is a possibly easy opportunity. Many will just pass it by.
Not that direct linking is the way to go for a defensible business model, but it can pay for the little odds & ends like daycare & diapers.
since I started to promoting products online I use this technique. I don’t know where I learned but it’s very good and flexible.
It’s so much easier to change when you have the control over the file. Plus when I need to use it for another thing I just point to the same place and that’s it.
Great Post!
If you want to pass different subid’s with this url (http://yoursite.com/offer/) in order to track different ads, how do you do?
Thanks
Great Post!
If you want to pass different subid’s with this url (http://yoursite.com/offer/) in order to track different ads, how do you do?
Thanks
Quand il y domine de forte bonne fortune habitu? votre ordinateur portable fr?quemment, le briquet arch?type se trouvera ?tre pr?f?rable. “Un ?pouvantail en ce qui concerne chaque tabouret. Nous viens de t?l?verser et nous l’utilise avec mien Visio HDMI T?L? et un ensemble de lunettes polaris?es vendues secteur t?l?viseur. D?tenons aussi all?s sur la optique du Cummin pour acqu?rir de nouvelles port?es en lentilles un ensemble de lunettes du Morgan, bb, staf a re?u chez Clearly Coordonn?es.
Hi there to all, how is the whole thing, I think every one is getting more from
this website, and your views are good designed for
new people.