Written on October 18th, 2007 at 05:10 am by Darren Rowse
Do You Disclose Affiliate Links?
It’s time for another ProBlogger Poll. This week’s question is:
Do you Disclose Affiliate Links?
It is a question that I’m sure many of you will have strong opinions on and which others of you are probably grappling with on a regular basis (I know I do).
Vote here or in the sidebar:
Do you Disclose Affiliate Links?
I’d also be interested to hear your reasons why you answer as you do in comments below.
I’ll post the results of last week’s poll in the next 24 hours.
66 Responses to “Do You Disclose Affiliate Links?”
Chris Jacobson
October 18th, 2007 6:09 am
I mask them using a php redirect. I find it’s better to hide the URL, because people who don’t want to give me the affiliate sale could just mouse over the link and see the actual domain and go straight there on their own. If it’s hidden, they’re almost always forced to click.
Tom Hanna
October 18th, 2007 6:09 am
I don’t always explicitly label affiliate links as such at the actual link, but I don’t go out of my way to hide that they are affiliate links either and I try to make clear on my sites that I do have affiliate or referral links. (I know of one blogger, on the other hand, whose affiliate links are always routed through a page on his own domain, so it looks like you’re just visiting another part of his site until you actually end up elsewhere.) I suppose a real internet newbie might be surprised to find out that when I link to a book on Amazon, I get a nickel if they buy it, but I think most people recognize an Amazon affiliate ad by now and most readers are more than happy to use one when they want to buy something at Amazon. Generally if an ad is obviously an ad, I won’t go out of my way with flashing lights and sirens to point it out.
thatedeguy
October 18th, 2007 6:29 am
I don’t for the simple fact that I think that people assume that they are anyways. And just because I have an affiliate link to the place doesn’t mean my opinion is biased. In many cases I’ve gone looking for the affiliate link for a site that I was writing about anyways.
I do php redirects, but not for the reason of masking, but for the ease of changing those links that it affords.
Ben
October 18th, 2007 6:39 am
Not to be too stupid, but what are affiliate links and what are the most common programs that use them?
James
October 18th, 2007 6:40 am
It should not matter (to the reader) if a link is an affiliate or not. My point is, I should not be recommending something free or affiliated if I do not truly believe in the product.
Saying it is an affiliate link just distracts the reader (aff).
I admit there are cases when it is necessary, but in many cases I do not think it is needed.
John Cow
October 18th, 2007 6:48 am
Ben, an affiliate link is a link a visitor can click which will take them to a product or service signup for example. Usually a cookie gets stored in the visitors browser and if they hoose to buy the product or service, the affiliate to the program, whoms affiliate link you’ve used, get’s paid a percentage of the sale.
Leo Dimilo
October 18th, 2007 6:54 am
I sometimes do and sometimes I don’t…Personally, I don’t see what the big deal is…If someone wants to purchase something, why not go through an affiliate link? I am advertising something and the advertiser is paying me for the advertisement.
The person clicking is not losing a thing by going through my link.
I will cloak a link if the affilate id is long and cumbersome looking and in most cases, that is always.
Sean from AboutBlogging.Info
October 18th, 2007 7:00 am
I don’t hide affiliate links. Is that the same as disclosing them? I think it is. I just don’t make an issue of them.
I think having a notice beside a link saying that it was an affiliate link, in the same kind of way as the health warnings on cigarettes, would be too much. I have successfully quit smoking so I’m aware of the effectiveness of those warnings!
Stephane Grenier
October 18th, 2007 7:25 am
I don’t hide affiliate links. I also don’t publicly broadcast them either. In all honestly most people don’t realize they’re affiliate links (or don’t care) and I can’t be bothered with the effort to hide them.
If affiliate links trouble someone, then they will just type in the URL anyways, so what’s the point. And that’s ok. That’s your choice. It’s not worth my time (nor theirs) to try to outsmart the few that care only to get them angry anyways. What’s the point?
Again, my assumption is that the vast majority of people don’t know and/or don’t care. It happens in magazines, on TV, pretty much everywhere.
Michael
October 18th, 2007 7:47 am
All my aff links are clearly marked. If your neighbor suggested you buy a certain type of insurance and you later found out that he received a commission for suggesting it, how would you feel? Deceived? Used?
Lizard Wisdom
October 18th, 2007 7:53 am
Sometimes we do, sometimes we don’t.
We have a free e-book we published that is available when you sign up for our newsletter. In the disclaimer in the front of the e-book, we talk about the affiliate links in the book.
Otherwise, on our blog (www.lizardwisdom.com) we use the WordPress Affiliate Pro plugin to mask our affiliate links.
John Wesley
October 18th, 2007 8:10 am
The tough question: is not disclosing them unethical in any way?
* Miss Universe
October 18th, 2007 8:13 am
Sometimes when you have a loyal following and you have helped others over a period of time - without EVER getting any compensation, readers WILL gladly click on an affiliate link and buy something they need from you just out of gratitude.
If your advice has always been sound and they trust you - why wouldn’t they help a friend out
Also, by helping YOU out, they help support the expenses for your blog or Website
Nick
October 18th, 2007 8:13 am
Sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t.
Not sure it really matters to people most of the time as if they see something interesting then they’re gonna click it.
I treat sponsered links and affiliate links the same when I visit a website, as money is changing hands on both occassions and if I benefit on the whole from it (being the buyer) then I’m not really concerned.
Nick
October 18th, 2007 8:16 am
John - you could also get into the discussion of whether having sponsored links on your site is unethical.
Simon
October 18th, 2007 8:23 am
I work in affiliate marketing to mainly non tech savy users so never, what’s the point?
I use onmouseover to make links look clean so users see in the status bar what they expect. I believe this gains trust and more sales.
The price is no different so what does it matter? The internet world seems to over police itself in this regard. In the offline world affiliations are common and well hidden sometimes between major organizations.
Michael
October 18th, 2007 8:46 am
I don’t disclose affiliate links but I don’t do anything to hide them, such as using php redirects on pages that are excluded in robots.txt (I think that that is stupid, does anyone remember rel=”nofollow”?).
Billy
October 18th, 2007 8:50 am
I’m in the same area as Simon. The people I market to generally don’t know affiliate links even exist, and don’t care (or think it’s a cool idea, that’s the direct feedback I’ve received) if I make a buck off of the sale.
I think that’s actually a good idea - changing the status URL to match the destination URL, so they don’t fear they are clicking themselves into a virus.
So many users are afraid of viruses to the point where they would probably avoid clicking an affiliate link if they saw the status URL.
Guillermo
October 18th, 2007 8:50 am
In a very subtle way, let’s say.
Andy Beard
October 18th, 2007 8:51 am
I have a disclosure policy that I link to from within every article, but in general I don’t disclose each individual link.
I am more inclined to disclose whether I purchased the product or received a free sample, which I think makes more of a difference, or even whether I am writing about something I haven’t purchased.
Yes it is quite possible to write a good ethical review of something without having seen it.
Lori
October 18th, 2007 8:52 am
I have made it very clear from the beginning that I blog for money and that includes affiliate links and paid posts. If people don’t like it, they are more than welcomed to leave:)
Chris
October 18th, 2007 8:56 am
As far as ethics go, affiliate links show that you have a financial interest in whatever you’re talking about.
So let’s say a news site publishes a story about a Barbie doll toy recall, and the link to Mattel’s website is an affiliate link… that would pose a conflict of interest. If the news site makes money each time the toy manufacturer makes a sale, then the news website is no longer an unbiased observer that we can trust.
How will the reporting have been swayed by the fact that there’s money on the line?
I’d say you should decide whether or not to disclose affiliate links on a case-by-case basis. If you think your readers would be offended that you hid the affiliate link, then disclose it, or don’t use an affiliate link at all. If you think your audience would still trust you if they noticed you used an affiliate link, then go ahead. Maybe have a short affiliate link policy somewhere letting visitors know how you employ them.
Markus
October 18th, 2007 9:06 am
I don’t disclose affiliate links in my German blog, because
1. visitors who know about online advertising will know when they’re redirected in the most cases.
2. visitors, who are not familiar with the internet usually don’t know that someone gets money for a click.
On my first English blog which is brand new I don’t have an affiliate link yet.
Jeremy Steele
October 18th, 2007 9:13 am
People who try to hide affiliate links are scum, IMO. It is absolutely unethical to go around accepting money and trying to hide that fact. As far as disclosure goes - I think it is a bit foolish to not inform your readers you’re getting paid (a simple “this post contains affiliate links” is enough for me) - but it isn’t as bad as purposely hiding them.
doug m
October 18th, 2007 9:17 am
honestly the few times i have used my affiliate link i forgot to disclose it. i’ve since made it a habit to either say it within the body of the post, or at the beginning of the post
Rob in Denver
October 18th, 2007 9:58 am
Sometimes yes… sometimes no.
Links to Amazon is a “No.”
Links to affiliate relationships is a “Yes.” I do re-direct these though.
James
October 18th, 2007 10:19 am
I don’t disclose affiliates links, I suppose that is either clear to the reader or just irrelevant. I don’t see the purpose of disclosing affiliate links. Maybe only if it’s to ask a special favor from your readers, but I’m too new to blogging to have this sort of relationship with my readers or to even have readers :-)
Kirk Warren
October 18th, 2007 10:22 am
Yes, I make it known it’s an Amazon link whenever I use them. Havent used any other associates aside from Amazon, but I believe I would make it known for any future associates as well.
Sant
October 18th, 2007 10:24 am
I think it’s smart to pay attention to human nature in business. Don’t fight it, instead use it. So since we know that people tend to ‘avoid’ affiliate links by going direct if they see the affiliate links (for whatever funny psychological reasons) it’s smart to mask it. Masking also reduces the risk of your affiliate link to be hijacked.
I mask mine.
Trula
October 18th, 2007 10:33 am
You know this is an interesting question. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. I actually thought it was obvious the times I didn’t, ’cause it was a link to amazon or something, but I guess it isn’t always obvious.
Jonathan Fields
October 18th, 2007 10:37 am
I disclose affiliate links, but I only really think this is an issue if you are recommending the product being linked to. The reason is twofold.
One, if I’ve said anything positive about the product, I feel like I am ethically obliged to disclose this to readers, because the disclosure gives them the opportunity to decide for themselves whether they feel their was any sense of bias.
Think about it, if your doctor had a serious economic interest in a pharma company and she was recommending you take a medicine produced by that company, wouldn’t you want to know that, even if her advice was totally unbiased and the med was the best one for the job?
Point is, the consumer should be given the opportunity to decide whether there is bias. This is why, to the best of my knowledge, the FTC in the US requires ads to disclose any relationship when testimonials or studies are used in advertising.
Second reason - to me, it almost makes me more inclined to buy if I see that the affiliate link has been disclosed, because it makes me feel that the recommender is so comfortable with the integrity of his advice that disclosing his economic interest would not negatively dissuade me from buying. It’s a weird bit of reverse psychology, but it actually works for me, at least as a consumer.
Traveling Mel
October 18th, 2007 10:46 am
As I only have Amazon affiliate links, and I think most people figure it out when they get directed to Amazon, I don’t feel like it needs to be labeled.
Like others who have commented here, I only link to items I think are good or useful.
Glenn -- DVD Spin Doctor
October 18th, 2007 12:00 pm
I use Amazon links contextually on my DVD blog.
Although I suspect regular readers are put off by the fact they can’t really anticipate if they’re going to AMZ or an editorial source, the amount of content on Amazon justifies the approach.
I do a moderate amount of commission business off these links — but even if I could make more, I would hesitate to use this approach with another DVD retailer that didn’t have the amount of content/resources on AMZ.
I use affiliate text ad links on my other blogs/sites but would not use one that masqueraded as editorial.
Rob Schultz
October 18th, 2007 12:20 pm
I currently don’t use very many affiliate links, but I would mask them…it just seems like a good idea.
Michael
October 18th, 2007 12:26 pm
Perhaps I better question would be how do your readers feel about undisclosed affiliate links? My view is that people outside of blogging and affiliate marketing don’t like undisclosed affiliate links.
Dave C.
October 18th, 2007 12:59 pm
When you go to a bookstore, employees don’t run around to all the customers, “I should let you know that we’re going to make a profit if you buy that magazine.”
As a viewer, you’re better off assuming that someone is making money off the links on a site instead of assuming the opposite.
Eric Grey
October 18th, 2007 1:22 pm
I can’t even imagine what kind of confusion I would create by labelling affiliate links - my audience is not particularly tech savvy and I really don’t think they care in the slightest.
That being said, I didn’t even know you could - or would - cloak/hide/mask affiliate links. I don’t do that, and even knowing that it is possible I’m not interested in doing so.
e
Brandon Hansen
October 18th, 2007 1:50 pm
I don’t because people usually only care about themselves and couldn’t care less if it is an affiliate link. If it is well placed and something they want then they will (usually) click even if they know it is an affiliate link.
When I am interested in a product and come upon a link that leads me there, what difference does it make if someone else makes a commission? I am not obligated to purchase the product yet?
Max Powers at http://ConsumerFight.com
October 18th, 2007 1:55 pm
When it is an obvious advertisement such as an Amazon banner, I see no need to disclose your affiliation. It is what it is.
I make it clear in my FAQ that any advertising displayed is used to make money for me to support my website and blog.
I think a more important question would be by allowing certain advertising on your site does that give the impression that you recommend or have approved the product or service being advertised?
A Blog about Nothing
October 18th, 2007 3:22 pm
I guess I take for granted that people know that products sold online are almost always sold via affiliates and referrals. So no I don’t “disclose” them, but then I also make no effort to hide them.
I don’t think there is really any reason to be concerned about it one way or another. I know personally 99.999% of the time when I see a link with affiliate information I will click it and get where I want to be. In fact there are only 2 blogs that I won’t click on any of their affiliate links so I’ll mouse over and get the domain and type it in manually.
Tomaz Mencinger
October 18th, 2007 3:54 pm
Sometimes yes sometimes no.
Yes, if I write a review of a program, product or service and it’s obvious that I am promoting it. Then I mention that the links are affiliate links.
No, if I just write an article about a topic of internet marketing or blogging; then I include affiliate links to products and don’t mention them.
There are not many products that are actually REALLY good out there and those few that are good, I mention often in my articles and don’t want to keep reminding the reader that it is an affiliate link.
David Rader II
October 18th, 2007 4:15 pm
I try not to mask them. I want people to be able to know where they’re going.
Sometimes I intentionally say or suggest that links are of the “affiliate” type for those who don’t know “the tricks,” but I try not to always use the word affiliate. This isn’t because I want to mislead people. This is because I may be writing unique content the affiliate link compliments and I don’t want people finding me on Search engines over an affiliate link when that was just a grain of salt in the whole shaker, if you know what i mean.
I hope that helps!
Wayne Liew
October 18th, 2007 4:26 pm
Sometimes I do sometimes I don’t. I uses PHP redirect whenever I uses an affiliate link.
My observations tell me that not many do disclose their affiliate links. Many people told me that they simple evade affiliate links and willing to search the site out through Google rather than clicking the affiliate link and let the webmaster earn.
This is why I am redirecting. Anyway, I only have a small income from affiliates.
Andy Merrett
October 18th, 2007 6:38 pm
I have the reverse problem. Several blogs that I write for (i.e. I do not own) I sometimes provide links to books or products that I’ve written about, often from somewhere like Amazon.
However, though there’s nothing explicitly banning me from using an affiliate link, I personally feel it’s a little unethical to put my own links into someone else’s blog - after all I’m being paid for the service already.
However, if I link to, say, Amazon, I start to presume that people think I must have used an affiliate link. I almost want to find a neat way of saying “this isn’t an affiliate link”.
Maybe it doesn’t really matter (for the few times I link to specific products anyway), and I’m being over sensitive.
Brenda Carter
October 18th, 2007 7:33 pm
I do not disclose.
I think people are too sensitive about whether you’re making money off of their purchase. I may have to look into the PHP redirect thing, but for now it’s a flat out affiliate link.
If I were to write an article about the toy recalls, for example, I would not use an affiliate link because I wouldn’t feel right making money about a toy that could damage the mind of a child. In fact, I would even consider not linking to it.
Alex@Net
October 18th, 2007 7:42 pm
If readers like you site and enjoy what you wrote, it is not a problem to click on affiliate link and give you a few $$$.
If they don’t, then you is doing something wrong.
Michael
October 18th, 2007 10:13 pm
I do show the affiliate links but thats purely because I don’t have time to bother hiding them.
Dan Schawbel
October 18th, 2007 11:11 pm
It depends on the situation.
Rebecca Laffar-Smith
October 18th, 2007 11:41 pm
I’ve never gone out of my way to hide an affiliate link but I also don’t go out of my way to point out the fact that it IS an affiliate link. I think the most important thing is that if I link to it, I’m endorsing it. If it’s good and I write about it and link to it (affiliate link or otherwise) I’m saying, “I think this is great.”.
I’ve never had any problem using an affiliate link if I’ve believed the referrer is sincere in endorsing the product. If they come off as obviously fluffing an ad or advertising the product to line their pocket then I’ll stear clear or do as someone suggested earlier, link direct to the site rather than using the referral link. But I think making a dime because you honestly recommend a product is an important part of commerce and loyalty rewards.
Sue
October 19th, 2007 12:35 am
I wouldn’t link to something I didn’t approve of in some way, whether or not it was paying me affiliate cash. But I don’t feel like I should have to apologise to my readers for affiliate links: I don’t see them queueing up to pay our hosting bills or for my time writing, though I *do* see our traffic going up and up, so the only way I can afford to keep doing this is affiliate links. If they don’t like em, they don’t have to click em (and if they don’t recognise what they are, then really, what difference does it make).
User3820
October 19th, 2007 2:10 am
Interesting comments. I’m not blogger but have been looking at ways to earn some money on the internet.
As an outsider looking in, I tend to agree with the reasoning used toward not making a big deal about affiliate links (ie, masking them is ok). If it’s a product - I really don’t care. I do hate being redirected to another site without being informed as such. Normal links read something like this:
* Visit {link} for more info
* Read me about the product at {domainName.com} (domainName = affiliateLink)
* To order the product, {click here}
* {Product Name} (opens in new window/tab)
Affiliate link or not - it’s not a big deal. The direction I’m heading is pretty clear and it’s this kind of honest linking that’s important.
What I’m seeing an awful lot of - which really bugs me - are multiple domains owned by the same person or organization promoting products, services, etc… under the pretense of being objective. So I’ll see mulitple “objective” review sites touting the greatness of domainX.com.
In alot of cases, these sites are owned by the same person. Deeper research eventually reveals that domainX.com is a scam, shoddy site with little support, bad products, etc…
These sites are often associated with how marketing works on the internet and it doesn’t take an awful lot for people to associate one type of marketing (direct affiliate links) to what so many dishonest get-rich quick schemers are also doing on the internet.
These are the sites that are giving advertising a bad name with dishonest self-serving claims, redirection to another site without warning, metafresh tags to redirect somewhere else, false testimonials, etc…
When I visit a site like ProBlogger, I know what the site is about and note that it isn’t using deceptive business practices. This is what it really comes down to.
Michael D
October 19th, 2007 5:23 am
There is an incredible disconnect between the way 1/2 the bloggers in these comments think of undisclosed affiliate links and the way the general internet user does. I don’t want to earn any money from people who don’t know I’m earning money from them. It’s that simple.
mcangeli
October 19th, 2007 5:58 am
I have a site wide disclosure page, I also disclose in the post if whoever I’m linking to asks me to. Otherwise, I don’t.
I don’t make it any secret that I receive compensation for some of my posts. If I like a product and I think others will, I write about it. Otherwise I don’t.
dan
October 19th, 2007 7:26 am
I read many times that it’s better to hide your affiliate links, because you loose commissions.
If a product is promoted for it’s value, we should not have to hide the links.
I will try with the same link - open and hidden over a period of one month.
Patrick Ryall
October 19th, 2007 9:53 am
Greetings all,
I hide most links with a simple redirect through my own domains, I find the click through rate much higher this way over say using tiny url or similar.
Have a B L O G G I N G good day!
Carleenp
October 19th, 2007 12:46 pm
I don’t hide/redirect my affiliate links, but I generally don’t mention that they are such either. Sometimes I make a mention of it because I am announcing a promotion or something. I also use the shopzilla publisher program, which I think is pretty clear to anyone who uses it that it is an affiliate program. In the area that I blog (beauty blogging and shopping sites), it is pretty much the norm to use affiliate links and I think the readers pretty much expect it. Many of them are looking for shopping information to begin with when they visit the sites.
Netvalar
October 19th, 2007 1:54 pm
On my blog I have actually only used a couple of affiliate links inside my posts. At the time they were relevant to the article and I joined the affiliate program as a bonus in case of any conversion. Now where I have used affiliate links elsewhere yes I disclose that it is an affiliate link. So in essence if it is part of an article then no if the article is written for the affiliate then yes.
Doug McCaughan
October 19th, 2007 9:42 pm
If it’s a sidebar link, I don’t label it as “affiliate link.”
If I personally give you the link and suggest the service to you I absolutely disclose that it is an affiliate link and that I make a buck or two because I want them to know I am referring the service because I believe in the service not because of the money.
In a post or comment, I fluctuate between disclosure and not disclosing depending on the circumstances. Basically I never want my integrity questioned over a buck.
Partha Bhattacharya
October 20th, 2007 4:08 am
For me it’s sometimes, and sometimes not. Often I’m too lazy to set up an intermediate page that redirects to affiliate site. Btw, isn’t mentioning ‘nofollow’ tag to ads necessary to avoid SEs’ ires?
Frank C
October 21st, 2007 1:38 pm
I used PHP redirects for a while on some blogs and mini-sites, particularly where I could change the PHP file and change the destination. More recently I’ve just used the links ‘as is’ since I didn’t notice any conversion difference between doing it and not doing it.
Of course, if you’re talking about a “reel them in” landing page a whole different set of considerations apply.
Rosalind Gardner
October 22nd, 2007 12:21 am
Other than providing a link to my disclosure in the footer of every page on my sites, I rarely state that a link is an affiliate link unless I’m incentivizing the offer.
It should be obvious to the reader (especially Internet and affiliate marketers visiting a business blog) that a link within or at the end of a product review is probably an affiliate link. That fact is confirmed when they cursor over the link anyway, because I seldom cloak the links or use redirects.
If an affiliate link influences their buying decision, then so be it - I figure that what goes around comes around in that case. :-)
Rich Owings
October 22nd, 2007 1:43 am
I don’t disclose them every time I use them. Instead, I disclose them in a post titled “About our reviews” that I link to from every review. So I said yes, I disclose.
Brad V.
October 22nd, 2007 11:14 am
Yes, I always disclose affiliate links (back when I used Amazon). It’s just one more way to make my blog more transparent and it shows I really have nothing to hide.
On the other hand, sometimes I will also go out of my way to make sure the reader understands that a product or service I’m writing about is in no way compensating me for the blog post.
The internet has lots of issues with credibility, and by giving full disclosure we can at least give blogs a better name!
Blogadeur
October 22nd, 2007 1:03 pm
on my blog I do show the affiliate links. I guess I’m too transparent, if the visitors wanted to click the link and buy - good for me. If not, that’s fine. I’m not earning that much but I am one of the milllions of bloggers that’s waiting for some extra bucks for their blogs.
But if someone here who have some time to look at my blog and advice me how to optimize my affiliate links to the next level….. WOW! That would be fantastic.
Thank God I subscribe to Darren’s blog. The best ever.
Mark Levison
October 25th, 2007 2:34 am
When I do use affiliate l make mention of them in the text of the blog post. With respect to books I will make explicit recommendations - but with more expensive stuff like camera gear I avoid it.
Michelle
January 12th, 2008 12:53 pm
Still working on my website (bestbuys4business.com), but I do indend to disclose them in my documents and on my site simply because I think that is honest.
Looking at it from a customer point of view; is the seller recommending the product because it is good or because they have an affiliate relationship. If I know up front this may still not be clear but atleast I know they have some sort of relationship.
Plus, and more importantly I think, is the ebook author losing sales from affiliate links placed inside the book because they have not clearly identified it is an affiliate link. Let me explain, say you print the book out and underline all the follow up tasks you intend to do. One link in the book asks you to go to a specified url to do whatever (ie. sign up to problogger.net) - this text ‘problogger.net’ for the url does not show the reader there is an affiliate relationship. Of course you could go back to the electronic version but not many of us would actually do that. I just go to the web and type in the link the author recommended.
Are you losing commission on sales because your product hasn’t clearly stated it is an affiliate link?
Michelle
Leave a Reply