Voucher Code Sites - Take Action

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Don't know about you other affiliate guys and girls, but I sure don't like the idea of giving easy money to the parasitic leeches (voucher code sites). We do the "content", PPC, and we know a crappy voucher code site is going to take 10% or more of our commissions.

No more. We no longer promote merchants with prominently positioned voucher code boxes. Example - Craghoppers - big box, "Promotional Code, enter it here". Fieldandtrek, orvis, rohan, 3 mobile, mobiles and many many more.

There's likely a correlation between box positioning (and wording) and the percentage of visitors who then go off to Google (brand + promotional code etc).

Voucher sites are parasites. Leeches. Low value spammy Web sites. A big chunk of their traffic comes from the dopey merchant stating "got a code". Gee, no, let me go to Google and have a look.

What percentage leaks out for each merchant? Positioning plays a big part - plastered in the middle of the screen (like Craghoppers - don't mean to pick on you, I love your gear ), or put to one side.

Voucher code mailing lists? Only morons and/or other voucher code site owners looking for some codes sign up to them. The real penny-pinchers sign up to cashback sites.

Solution

If a voucher code is not valid - do not reward the voucher code site. This should mean at least 90% reduction in their profits. Invalid codes are ones which have expired, made up (lots of made up ones floating around - just claim "user submitted" and make them up all day long) or a code not meant for the online channel.

If the referrer is a voucher site and a valid code is not used - 0% commission, and reward the prior referrer. Better yet, don't credit voucher sites with sales at all. Ban them.

Some people wonder why the "affiliate marketing industry" is held in such low regard. It's because 99% of sites trying to get a commission are utter crap. Low-value, spammy, crapfests - voucher code sites are prime examples. Yes, there are some OK blog-style voucher code sites, but the business model is still of the parasitic leech low-value variety. Very few people are going to visit your little site again unless they find it in a search - and most of the time your codes are invalid, getting the visitor to click when no valid codes exist.

All this "please give us a voucher code because we're great" nonsense - pathetic. Affiliate networks posting voucher codes - "here you are affiliates, put this on your silly little Web sites and get a commission" - pathetic.

It's like a pyramid scheme - a few people at the top smooching with network staff and merchants, asking for "voucher codes", so they can sit on their asses and get easy commission. Pathetic.

That ASOS guy spoke a good deal of truth. Not sure I would have used those words in an interview, but he spoke what a lot of people outside the "industry" think - mostly low value Web sites getting in the way of a sale.

For those with OK or decent sites, more often than not they see their cookies over-written by voucher code sites, brand bidders, cashback sites, the networks themselves creating competition - AW cashback and other stuff. Having merchants subtly encourage the visitor to go searching for a code is another winner.

Networks: Must be nice getting all those top commission tier payments from brand-bidders, cashback and voucher code sites. Much better to get 500 sales on Vodafone's top-tier, rather than 500 sales spread out amongst more lower-volume affiliates.

Merchants - stop pussy-footing around with silly little policies - "the voucher code site must not use the words 'click here' when there are no codes". I can reword the big call to action box without mentioning codes at all - 'Check latest promos' etc, and still get an excellent CTR.

Affiliates - stop being chumps and lining the pockets of lazy-ass parasitic voucher code sites. Stop promoting sites with voucher code boxes until a proper solution is found.

Banning voucher code sites is the best option. Several benefits:

1. Get respect for your big balls attitude from all non-voucher code site owners.
2. Save time - no monitoring voucher codes sites to see what other douche-bag tactic they're using.
3. Save time issuing them.
4. Do your bit for the Web - stop encouraging people to build lame Web sites.

OR

First referrer gets the sale - but the networks won't do that. Less profit.

[chrisuk]

How is is parasitic when the site is performing a service and saving you money?
I have used several before and I agree its infuriating when the code has expired or isn't there.

Aside from that they are pretty darn useful giving the user exactly what they want. I ordered pizza the other night and got 25% off so no brainer really. if people want a 1-stop resource where they can save a packet then how is that not a good user experience?

Like with anything, shopping comparision, arbitrage, cashback there are good implementations and not so good ones. You have have to accept that with the wheat there will be some chaff.

Also how many merchants run adwords or seo for products they don't sell in order to capture traffic. I doubt many voucher code operators consider themselves 'lazy ass.'

[ChristopherB]

I agree with alot of what your saying, but i wouldnt' say voucher code site owners are lazy, people like ray often write about how much they have to update their website ect...

One solution i'm implementing is adding a voucher code system to my content websites where the customer has no need to then go to a search engine and try to find a voucher.

[befuddle]

Very few people are going to visit your little site again unless they find it in a search

Actually thousands of visitors during the first half of 2008 have visited my code site directly. Google accounts for 80% of my traffic.

10% of my visitors are repeat visitors ... that's people who have visited my site and then yes, visited again.

[gunneradt]

the only thing that annoys me about voucher code sites is when they dont have one for certain merchants - when one doesnt exist, they should say so.

[chromate]

One solution i'm implementing is adding a voucher code system to my content websites where the customer has no need to then go to a search engine and try to find a voucher.

Yep, I think this is the best solution.

Realistically, discount vouchers will always work as a sales tool. Who doesn't like to feel like they're getting a discount? Voucher code sites will always exist - merchants aren't going to stop giving discounts.

As ChristopherB says, just include the voucher codes on your site if possible. After all, they will help you make a sale too Then there's less need for your visitors to go looking elsewhere for the discount code and your visitor is less likely to be poached.

[befuddle]

I agree with alot of what your saying, but i wouldn't say voucher code site owners are lazy, people like ray often write about how much they have to update their website etc...

This can't be understated. As an example, I've just told Ben from R.O Eye that I won't be promoting a free business card offer. If I did, that'd bring me more in line with the content approach. However, the 15 minutes adding that offer is time taken away from the 236 codes that I really should add to my site this month.

90% of those codes that I add may expire in 10 days time at the end of the month, then the process starts again. Content site owners can start working on their Christmas blogs now. Code site owners have to write content that is irrelevant a few weeks later.

If codes had lengthier expiry dates and weren't just month-to-month, then I wouldn't have to spend as much time doing maintenance and could spend more time developing the site and adding other non-code content. So the code site becomes a content site too, as some larger code sites are now doing.

I have no sympathy for content site owners who whinge about code site owners. You have done the hard work of adding all the unique content. Why can't you just add another sentence or cut-and-paste a paragraph and include the code details? Is it too much work for you?

It is too much work for me to do the reverse but 'lazy-ass' doesn't come into it.

[Keith]

the only thing that annoys me about voucher code sites is when they dont have one for certain merchants - when one doesnt exist, they should say so.

Good idea will be excellent for seo :tup

"we dont have a voucher code for merchant xxx"

you realize what you have done don't you, some script kiddie will now be cranking out 10million we dont have pages.

[DanielAustin]

"lazy-ass parasitic voucher code sites" - not very fair really. I work very closely with a number of large voucher code sites, Ray included and one thing I can say is they are not lazy. They don’t stop.

[befuddle]

If the referrer is a voucher site and a valid code is not used - 0% commission, and reward the prior referrer. Better yet, don't credit voucher sites with sales at all. Ban them.

30% of my sales are for merchants that don't offer codes. So a valid code won't be promoted nor even an invalid one for hundreds of the merchants I promote. There just won't be mention of a code ... just maybe their latest sale or free delivery offer. Laura Ashley is a nice converting example that springs to mind.

In fact, there are plenty of sales I've made where the visitor has not even used the valid code that has been present on my site. I've always thought this one a bit odd, so I increased the font size, so that the code simply can't be missed.

[loquax]

As ChristopherB says, just include the voucher codes on your site if possible

This is what we've done... it's taking a lot longer than I'd hope to get users from searching elsewhere for discounts though... as the shopping process is not "get code from Loquax, go shopping" more "go shopping, find code via google and/or favourite code site" - so it's a matter of educating users why using our codes is preferable

The big problem I'm finding though is that unless you can show activity, it's hard to get merchants to give you exclusive codes - and from my observations they seem much happier to offer codes to established code sites.

Jason

[gunneradt]

Good idea will be excellent for seo :tup

"we dont have a voucher code for merchant xxx"

you realize what you have done don't you, some script kiddie will now be cranking out 10million we dont have pages.

well it's not as confusing as it is for users who cant work out why they cant see the code.

[chromate]

The big problem I'm finding though is that unless you can show activity, it's hard to get merchants to give you exclusive codes - and from my observations they seem much happier to offer codes to established code sites.

Yeah, the "exclusive discount code" is something I have to admit I don't like. But then, I wouldn't - because I don't get any But it doesn't make for a very level playing-field.

[Markup]

I agree with alot of what your saying...

I don't!

When I come across openers like this

"Don't know about you other affiliate guys and girls, but I sure don't like the idea of giving easy money to the parasitic leeches..."

(Which incidentally I don't think I have thus far on my affiliate journey)

I tend to judge the author a fool and just switch off - however valid his overall testament may be!!

I'm not a voucher code man nor am I friendly with any but they do provide a service to the user. I spoke to 700 "at risk" kids yesterday for 2 hours on the issues surrounding youth crime and weapons. I managed to slip in the power of the internet and even advocated that they get over mum n dads shoulder if they are shopping online to ensure that they go for either comparison or voucher code sites.

Am I encouraging parasites...?

[ChristopherB]

When i said i agree with the author it was mainly on the points that voucher code sites that say theres a code, such as 'click here to reveal code' once clicked it says no such codes available.

If on my content site i write a good sales copy with a certain product in mind then write, no discount codes available or simply don't mention any codes, it's likely that some of them will go to one of the sites mentioned above where they need to click to be told no code is available, then my sale is gone.

PS. i hope your not calling me a fool.