Affiliate Program Customer Tracking Explained

You have spent a few hours looking for a product to promote in your new affiliate marketing business but you are not sure how the merchant will know that the person you sent to their website came from you.

This is where tracking comes in. Tracking is the most important thing here. Tracking is what allows you to send as much traffic to the merchant\'s website and every time someone buys their product that comes from you, you get paid.

Here is how it works. A merchant will generate what is called an \"affiliate id\" or an affiliate link which is unique to you. This will help the merchant in tracking sales generated by you. Often times this is a code that you sends a visitor to a merchant\'s website and records the referral to your affiliate account.

Since one of the more well known merchant database\'s that you will more than likely check out for affiliate programs is Clickbank I am going to use them as an example.

For instance the Clickbank format for an affiliate link would look like this:

YOURAFFILIATEID.MERCHANTID.HOP.CLICKBANK.NET

The AffliateID is the id or link you where given by the merchant of the product you plan on promoting which is usually the username that you selected when you joined the merchants affiliate program. The MechantID is the person who developed the product and the HOP.CLICKBANK.NET is the directing link.

Any time someone clicks on that link and buys the product you get credited with the sale and earn a commission. A quick way to make sure that the affiliate link is being tracked properly is to test the link by clicking on it which will take you to the merchant\'s website. Go ahead and click the button or link to buy the product. If the hop link from Clickbank is working you should see your affiliate id or username at the bottom of the page.

This is the basics of affiliate tracking. You can sign up as an affiliate with any merchant running an affiliate program. You get your unique link, and send traffic through that link. If your referred visitor buys the product you earn a commission.

Greg is an up and coming affiliate marketer. He recommends all potential affiliates find a way to make money while they learn. Greg recommends visiting: http://www.affiliateprogramsvillage.com/blog

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