You may have heard all the hype over affiliate links getting stolen and losing up to 40% of affiliate commission. All these attempts prey on people to instill in their minds that they may not be getting what they deserve. I know that commission stealing is a problem, and affiliate networks like Clickbank have taken steps to plug the leaks in their systems. I use cloaked affiliate links or redirect pages a lot not because I'm afraid of having commission deliberately stolen from right under my nose, but because I'm annoyed at the length and ugliness of affiliate URL's.

  The whole idea of cloaking or redirecting has much to do with people's nature. To be more specific, it's all about psychology. It's interesting that people are hesitant to click affiliate links and tend to cut off the ugly looking part in an affiliate link before pasting it to the browser. Now Let's compare the following two links: http://www.make-you-rich.com/copy.asp?storefront=weishengwu And http://www.make-you-rich.com Which one looks more clickable? The answer is pretty clear. You can replace long URL's with cloaked links or short, server-side redirects so that people won't feel pitched and won't be turned off by links that are obviously affiliate links. There are several ways to create clean links that you can use to direct buyers to your sales pages. Read through the description below and see which one meets your needs and fall within your skill level. 1. Directory Redirect -Connect to your web server and create a properly named directory. Then create an index.html and put a redirect code in it. 2. Sub-domain Redirect Most web hosting providers allow you to have several sub-domains. Simply log on to the control panel, set up your sub-domain and then set up the redirection.   3. Redirect Script Several scripts are available out there that you can install on your web page to protect and redirect your links. You may need to put the code between the head section. 4. .htaccess This is only recommended for advanced users because it involves modifying the .htaccess file on your server. Here's how to do it. Create a properly named directory. Put a file called .htaccess by creating it using a text editor. This file should contain the Redirect command, the location of the directory you want redirected relative to the root of your site and the full URL of the location you want that request sent to. You can find all the above mentioned codes for free. Do your research and then implement it to see how it works. I have put a link for downloading a free e-book containing these codes on my blog. Besides creating redirect pages, you can cloak your affiliate links using commercial software programs or services. Listed below are popular ones on the market. 5. Software Programs: Affiliate Link Cloaker and LinkGuardII. These two programs take your long, ugly link and mask it with a redirect link. 6. Services NameStick turns long, ugly affiliate or website links and turn them into a short, clean links (cloaked or not cloaked). It allows you to set up domain forwarding and unlimited sub-domains. NameStick forwarding domains and sub-domains are bookmarkable, and you can customize the title visitors see in their bookmark listings. I use NameStick service to create many neat and clean affiliate links to make my business look bigger. If you're serious about your business, you need to take action right away. Redirect or cloak your links to make them more clickable. You may be surprised by how a little effort on your part can make a big difference to your online business.

 

What's affiliate marketing? The short version is that it's freelance sales work. You promote other merchant's products and services for commissions. These could be for getting that merchant sales, clicks, or leads, depending on what they want. You earn the skills required, join an affiliate program, and then go to it.
What are the advantages of affiliate marketing, as opposed to some other home business opportunity?

* You don't need your own product or service: This is a big one. It's not even 'You work as a distributor for this or that company, so you dropship their products which you still must buy'. There are no products or services involved with you selling products or services as an affiliate marketer. You promote other people's products or services and get commissions. They deal with the shipping, inventory, customer service, and so forth. You don't have to buy, ship, maintain inventory minimums, or otherwise endure the hassles of doing it yourself.
* You can find a program to promote regardless of your interests: All manner of companies promote affiliate programs because affiliate marketers are an extremely cost-effective way to advertise. They don't get paid unless they produce. So many merchants and companies with an online presence have gotten in on the act. I've seen companies that sell everything from metallic coatings for statues to women's accessories with affiliate programs. At Commission Junction, the listings are so numerous they sort them by category and provide a search engine besides. So it's likely a merchant that sells something you find interesting has a program you can join.
* No direct customer interaction: You can do direct interaction if you want, but it's otherwise optional. This is a big difference between affiliate marketing and something like a home distributorship or office. You don't actually have to deal with customers, because that's the merchant's job. You promote the merchants and give them customers, and they pay you.
* The opportunities are free to join: While promoting them is another matter entirely, merchants with affiliate marketing programs rarely charge you for membership. They have the sense to realize that your success will help make them wealthy, and will help you with things like marketing material, links, and support for FREE. I've been a member of two MLM's before, and they charge for things they won't necessarily mention when they try to recruit you.
* It's truly work from home: It's not work from home until you have to make a house call. It's not work from home until you have to mail a package, attend meetings, or do something else not at home. You affiliate market from your computer, at your computer desk, in your home or wherever else you want to be.

Affiliate marketing isn't nearly as much of a hassle as other home business opportunities. You don't need your own product or service to make money. Most programs are free to join. And best of all, you don't have to deal directly with customers, either in face-to-face meetings or with cold calling. This is why I believe affiliate marketing is a good way to build a home business with the least trouble to you. There are different types of income you can earn working online. It is possible to make money selling or reselling products, selling your services, as well as from investments, from real estate, etc