Voucher Codes. Merchants Read This.

[befuddle]

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If there's no valid code (90% + of the time), do not award the voucher site a commission fee.

Do you mean here if an invalid code is used do not award a commission or do you mean if the last referrer was a code site and no code was used do not award a commission?

If it's the latter, then that would assume that code sites only feature merchants that offer codes. Whereas many code sites promote as many merchants as possible with a variety of end-user offers.

[Markup]

Now that, morph_, is a reasoned and very valid post/point.

But when your opener is along the lines of " I sure don't like the idea of giving easy money to the parasitic leeches (voucher code sites)"

without thought nor favour for the many hard working affiliates out there, you will fall on deaf ears. Myself, I think you are two people ...

[morph_]

will fall on deaf ears."

No. You hope it will fall on deaf ears, because it's clear from your posts than you run a voucher site and don't want merchants to take action that will

a) Save them a lot of money in the long run, and
b) Make your site a lot less money.

Nice try fella.

[Markup]

No. You hope it will fall on deaf ears, because it's clear from your posts than you run a voucher site and don't want merchants to take action that will

a) Save them a lot of money in the long run, and
b) Make your site a lot less money.

Nice try fella.

Nice try yourself, you condescending whatever...

I have nothing to do with voucher code sites, I don't own one, I don't work with one, I'm not affiliated with one and I do not support one.

Before becoming an afifliate I was an affiliate manager and saw first hand the effort put into the projects that these guys undertook - that's where I am coming from, where are you coming from?

Mark Anderson

[befuddle]

Come on Morph, you've started a new thread, so stop lurking and discuss.

[mejorantes]

I have seen some of the voucher sites move to displaying merchant offers (even when there are no valid voucher codes) etc as well as voucher codes, however the visitor still has to 'click here' to reveal the offers while opening the merchants website and dropping a cookie.

If this is deemed as acceptable then why can't content affiliates use the same tactic or drop a cookie by using a 1x1px iframe of the merchants website?

[befuddle]

It's likely just a templating issue, so some site owners will have to work a bit smarter on how they display and link to different types of content.

One of the reasons 'click to reveal' was introduced in the first place by some code sites was because it was apparent that some users use the site as a resource to source codes but weren't necessarily clicking the affiliate links to go to the merchants site.

This happened to me on Grand National Day when my Coral page received record numbers of people searching for "Coral Code" etc. They got it but didn't click my links to go to Coral. So I think I made only one commission.

So I since modified my editorial and introduced some gentle persuasion to increase CTR.

[ep90]

Morph makes some good points, voucher code sites do need more policing as some seem to get away with things other affiliate sites do not. For example having a disclaimer stating "user supplied code" seems to bypass the "only use codes supplied by the network rules". Maybe I should do this to my site, add an astrex next to the dodgy codes and state "user supplied"

The other thing that anoys is having pages for shops that do not have codes like Argos and Amazon. The page will be titled Argos codes, Amazon codes with lots of voucher code keywords to ensure google picks them up. Is this really ethical?
Espeically when combined with a "click to reveal" Reveal what, the cookie?

I have a lot of respect for some of the voucher code affilates who are doing a good job (Barry and Ray for example) but there are others that really let the side down (myvouchercodes for example)

Anyway, that's my 2 pennys worth.

[monkeynuts84]

No. You hope it will fall on deaf ears, because it's clear from your posts than you run a voucher site and don't want merchants to take action that will

a) Save them a lot of money in the long run, and
b) Make your site a lot less money.

Nice try fella.

I think you're missing a major reason why companies farm off codes to affiiliates- very low cost traffic. Add in the fact that most people tend to buy more than just the discounted item when they click through and you'll understand why suppliers are happy to give a small percentage commission in return for bringing customers to their site.

[channel5]

One of the reasons 'click to reveal' was introduced in the first place by some code sites was because it was apparent that some users use the site as a resource to source codes but weren't necessarily clicking the affiliate links to go to the merchants site.

This happened to me on Grand National Day when my Coral page received record numbers of people searching for "Coral Code" etc. They got it but didn't click my links to go to Coral. So I think I made only one commission.

That's fine if you have a code to give out, and i do not say it's a bad thing, but if there is no code then it's not good, as it misleads the punter.

Maybe content affiliates should start having "click here to see the content" and opening up the merchant in the background.. if they did start doing that i think people would cry foul.

[Barry]

Thanks ep90

If any merchant wants to impose restrictions on the way I advertise them then all they have to do is say in an email, by phone or place it in their T and C. Any changes are always done in good time and to their satifaction.

I even have a thread running if they want to add any restrictions publically on the forum.
However my list is mostly made from my contact with retailers.
http://www.affiliates4u.com/forums/m...companies.html

For many merchants they know its best for them to try to work with voucher code sites amically as if they start kicking people off then many voucher code sites will just drop out the program and just give vouchers away anyway.

To give an example: would currys rather have an affiliate onboard and only using official vouchers and paying between 1% and 3% for a sale or have an voucher site dropped and have to pay a 5% staff discount (published because currys no longer have leverage because the site is no longer an affiliate?) - and there are many more stores that have vouchers outside the affiliate channel that are more than their commission.


As for click to reveal systems I have 'Click to Visit the store and view our promotional codes and vouchers' and its just one hell of a brillaint call to action. No one is forcing the user to click the link. It clearly says the store will open and the user gets taken by #anchor down to the voucher listings on my page.

If I am writing a content site and advertising say a particular camera and its cheapest at Pixmania then I will have the text 'click here to view the camerax at the cheapest I have found' for example. No one forcing the user to click but if the user wants to view that camera then they have to click the link, its called hyperlinking and has been around since the dawn of the internet, and isn't getting people to click your affiliate links the whole point of affiliate marketting?


I will add that I do agree that advertising misleading information is wrong and I always try to have an expiry date on my vouchers where it is given. If there are no vouchers listed or in date for a merchant on my site the button reads 'Click to Visit store - Sorry No codes or vouchers present' and they still convert pretty well, though obviously not as well as when they do have vouchers.

Infact all the large voucher code sites now have got very clear buttons that state that the merchants site will open after last years debarcle and the massive rise in the popularity of vouchers.


- morph_ - I welcome your threads to get some discussion going on vouchers and voucher code distribution, many of the things you have said are true and quite important observations. In the end though you may have to settle for the fact that some merchants like to work with voucher code sites as many are able to drive new customers and cross promote across various channels to drive new visitors that they may not have normally have got - and all on a commission only basis (affiliate marketing)

Ta

Baz

[loquax]

Barry

On your site you have

AstroBingo Promotional Code and Discount Voucher

Astro Bingo offer all new players £10 free and no code is required.. when they click your link they just see promo content, not a code.

To me that's wrong as you've not got a code

If this format is agreed by merchants and networks as acceptable in essence it implies that ALL affiliates should write a couple of lines promo copy, followed by "for more about this and to visit merchant click here" - when they click the content continues and the cookie is set...

If people are protecting their codes in this way then fine - I'm not 100% on that but understand why it's used - but for generic promotions and content - the click to reveal needs to be looked into, because it's imo a bad precedent to allow.

Jason

[Barry]

Fair point.
Though they are crap and have never made me anything - which is quite surprising looking at my SERPS rankings for that page :blush

Your right I do have a few like that on my site inthe bingo section, maybe have to recode it so there is no mention of a voucher and just make the headline a hyperlink or something. In all honesty I cant see it making that much difference, The offer is clearly titled as £10 free play and thats what they are clicking it for - Its the same as the merchant supplied banners - click them to get £10 free play - and they get clicked more than the voucher link bit.

Only a person who is unaware that the offer is already available on the merchants site is going to click it are they not? And if they were unaware then havn't I done my job and made them slightly intreiged of the offer and to take a look at the merchants site?

Ta

Baz

[morph_]

I think you're missing a major reason why companies farm off codes to affiiliates

I think you're missing the point - merchants are paying out a lot of unnecessary commissions for sales they were going to get anyway.

[/QUOTE]without thought nor favour for the many hard working affiliates out there[/QUOTE]

saw first hand the effort put into the projects that these guys undertook

The amount of work one puts into a project does not change what it is. I could spend 8 weeks writing spyware that overwrites affiliate cookies. It's still spyware.

FACT - merchants are giving away lots of unnecessary commissions for sales they are going to get anyway.

FACT - Many of the voucher sites sitting in the SERPs for "brand voucher" have employed and still do employ dodgy tactics. 90% + of the time there is no valid code either, all they say is "view latest offers". Incremental sales? When most of these visitors are already at the checkout?

[morph_]

Do you mean here if an invalid code is used do not award a commission or do you mean if the last referrer was a code site and no code was used do not award a commission?

If it's the latter, then that would assume that code sites only feature merchants that offer codes. Whereas many code sites promote as many merchants as possible with a variety of end-user offers.

Merchant hat on

See the post a few posts in. Monitoring which ones are voucher sites won't work. You're right, the end-user offer offers thing and voucher sites stating "click here for offers".

As a merchant, I would log invalid codes to help identify sites with dodgy practices. Once per month I would just breeze over the affiliate sites - needn't take long, and determine if these sites are offering many incremental sales.

If I thought a large percentage of the traffic was coming from terms such as "brand + voucher code", I would question if they are incremental sales - knowing that the majority of these searches are done when the visitor is already at the checkout.

If the site offers mostly "end offers", again I would assess the site. If the site had value - forum, regular visitors and I thought it the site could deliver incremental traffic, then fine. If I saw they printed lots of invalid codes, other think they get most of traffic from sitting on "brand + voucher" terms, I would likely ban them.:tup