Tradedoubler Categories and Websites

[Leeky]

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Not only do we have to register each website with a verification code, now we have to select categories for each one, and this makes it even harder if each website fits in all categories equally but can only pick 4.

Links struggle to go through if you are on mobile broadband (all other networks fine)

If you have any sort of adware blocker on your computer links don't work at all...

No wonder sales seem to come in batches, get quite a few in so many days then none for months.. weird! (or so im told by quite a few affiliates.. I don't bother pushing this network)

Tradedoubler is a pain in the backside, far too awkward to use and so would rather just dump them completely.

Lee

[Lawcom]

I've got to agree, TradeDoubler does make it the most difficult to do business with and I don't understand why..

I can see how they must use that to sell their wares to merchants, using it as some unique selling point, but the reality is that it stifles affiliates, stifles business, reduces the uptake on merchant accounts and unnecessarily closes down avenues..

I only go to tradedoubler if there is a merchant I'd really really like to get on board and the alternatives are not available, they are making themselves the last port of call.. I don't think that is sensible if you want to run a dynamic business ..

[Leeky]

If I had wrote the above about another network then someone from that network would have replied asap to stick up for themselves so other potential affiliates are not put off, but as expected TD arn't really that bothered which also reflects in their website, support and overall attitude to affiliates in general.

The other month I tried a number of times to phone one of the TD staff (who knew I was going to contact him), twice I got an answer phone, once I got someone saying he was in a meeting and took my details, and the multiple times after that nobody answered!

Lee

[renegade]

It goes in cycles. For a long while CJ was demonised for exactly the same reasons and they're now turning that bad reputation around so with a bit of luck TD will get the message - Kieron said somewhere TD need to come down from their ivory tower and re-engage with their affiliates and I'd agree with that - and inevitably they will have too or continue to lose business to their competitors.

[TD-Lee]

Hi

Firstly, if anyone ever has problems in getting an answer or support from us, please come to me directly so that I can help and make sure you get what you need as fast as possible.

With regard to our features, the domain verification is there to protect affiliates as much as it is to safeguard against fraud. Registering with TradeDoubler and subsequent applications to programmes would be a little easier without the domain verification, but we have to introduce these measures to safeguard the trust we all need to have in the quality and legitimacy of the transactions we generate. You only need to verify a site once, and, if you have been with us for a long time, the chances are that all of your sites are now verified. I saw a post on Kieron’s blog in August last year where he is in favour of anything that helps to legitimise affiliates and provide confidence to agencies and advertisers. In addition, I hope you see the value in preventing other affiliates from passing themselves of as you and other good quality affiliates.

Kieron’s post is here: Why Affiliate Marketing has a bad name

Classification will be very helpful for you and us in a number of ways. If you are struggling with is, there will be more instructions and help on this going up on our site later today.

Here’s a summary of benefits of categorisation:
• We can develop tools that benefit publishers. For example: widgets recommending programs based on a publisher’s category selection and match
• Allow publishers to search for programmes, creative and improve your interface user experience
• Improve targeting of news and offers
• Improve our recruitment of publishers onto programmes, making sure that you are contacted for relevant programmes
• We will soon launch a very exciting piece of technology in the UK. Categorisation is crucial in enabling us to benefit publishers once it is launched.

On the subject of support, we are not perfect but we are trying very hard to deliver the service and support that you all deserve. We have a tickets system to track your enquiries and we have taken on extra support staff to bring down our response times. This is an ongoing commitment to investing in the tools and service that you need, which we will keep you updated on as and when we make improvements.

Again, please, if you have any problems or issue that you’d like to talk to me about, please get in touch!

Have a great weekend.

Lee

[Lawcom]

So you came up with this policy beased on Kieron's post on some applications that have fake email addresses or phone numbers..

Which he rejected.. well there's the answer right there, that's all you need to do..

Your verification process is a significant barrier to trade for good affiliates, you are penailsing yourself and decent affiliates to try and weed out the bad ones ..

I'm not saying that's not good, just perhaps the verification system you came up with, is not the best option and should surely be looked at again ..

It doesn't protect anyone from anything .. bad and unscrupulous affiliates can easily have a website and stick your verification code on it, so your answer is empty and sounds like clutching at straws..

If you do want to be this great super network then "LISTEN TO YOUR AFFILIATES" and on this thread alone your problem is actually with the rediculous verification process and with your poor support ...

innovations are great, but sort out the basics first mate ...

[AndyAndreou]

Hi Lawcom,

Thanks for your feedback.

We developed the verification process before Kieron's post but my colleague Lee used it as an example as to one of the reasons why it is a positive move.

I think there may also be some confusion around the main reason we created verification. Verification does not stop all fraud attempts. However, it does stop a number of publishers signing up to our network and masking themselves as other publishers. For example, they would sign up with your domain and pretend to be you, then attempt to generate fraud. This caused a number of problems for our advertisers and publishers. We have now stamped this out completely.

However, I am not going to sit here and say the current verification method is perfect. It's effective and works but it will give you a problem if you do not have access to the HTML code on your site and it is an extra step when trying to get started initially. I fully understand this and this is why we will be looking into creating a second verification method that will hopefully remove these barriers.

A while ago I created TradeDoubler features I'd like to see... which asks our publishers what they want. We have not developed everything on that list but we have taken into account their feedback and developed some functionality on the back of this. If you want, please contribute to this thread or send me your feedback directly.

Thanks again for you input.

Regards,

Andy

[Lawcom]

You can simply check the details against the whois for the domain ?

I'm not asking you to change anything really, that is your choise..

But it does seem to me that your verification process is more a barrier to business than a barrier to fraudulent activity ..

It was a good idea that you created a feedback thread and by your own admission totally ignored it

[AndyAndreou]

Hi Lawcom,

Thanks again for your feedback.

Checking the whois information is not good enough as this information can be false and hidden sometimes.

As I mentioned earlier we have not developed everything listed in the thread as that is not feasible. However, I also mentioned that on the back of the feedback we received we developed some items. I have also replied to all posts on that thread as well as prioritised future developments from this, so I think its unfair to say 'I have ignored it'.

Regards,
Andy

[pandadragon]

I remember the day when TD was the first port of call for me, but as mentioned above i now do the same, TD is my last resort, i have awin as my prefered network several ones nearly match awin if i can get the programs i will but last resort its off to TD.

What put me off was a mixture really .

[Barry]

Site categories? - As long as the 'remind me later' button is there I will use it

However apart from the few minutes inconvenience I think its a good idea. As for site verification - I have not had to do one yet as all my sites were auto included when it was implemented - any satellite sites all get applied for under the same id with epi's implemented for my own tracking and written in the description of the original site id.

If you cant even place a meta header in the head of your index page then your probably not interested in making a real effort in advertising their merchants. Its a slight pain but I dont think its a bad idea.

Ta

Baz

[Lawcom]

That's not true for me, granted I'm new to tradedoubler but what a faff ..

Finally after making a request for verification, about 3 weeks later, it came back, human verified apply away..

I applied for about 10 merchants and so far all of them have been rejected... jeez what is the point ...

[Leeky]

Believe it or not there are affiliates out there who don't own websites themselves, but use online services such as ours to promote merchants, but with TD requiring a verification code to be inserted into a website they don't have, then this makes it impossible for them to promote TD merchants.

Just because some people do not have the knowledge to build or edit websites, does not mean they are no good at marketing (quite the opposite).

Now if you think that these type of affiliates are not worth bothering with then you are very much mistaken, you will find that most affiliates who have the skill in building sites but no skill in marketing, thats the very reason 99% of affiliates make peanuts, and the people with real marketing skills don't get a chance.

We ourselves have skills in building websites, but no skills in marketing, but the websites we build are for people with marketing skills who don't require or haven't time to build websites... they want to spend the time marketing, which is what its all about... isn't it?

Lee

[Mogga]

Well this thing appeared for me finally!

And what fun!

Categories not searchable. Took me ages to find books. and there's not a magazines bit is there? Is there a pets thing? Who knows!

Am I being marked on how well I can be categorise a site?

Is there any chance of a full list outside of that interface?

If it was just a blank space it'd be easy. I could write three words to describe most of my sites.

[Top banana]

TD - Why can I only pick 4 categories?

I have several general sites which advertise all types of merchants, so the 4 categories limit, is not helpful at all. It would mean that I have to leave out some categories which I do operate in. Seems very silly to limit to just four categories.

I only have a few sites and feel sorry the guys who have 10, 50, 100 sites. What pain in the arse it must been getting validated and applying seperately for each sites.