Is the Company Reputable
Most merchants are reputable operators but just because someone has a Web site doesn't mean that they're legitimate and/or trustworthy.
Obviously, you don't have to ask Dell or eBay how long they've been in business. The concern here is about promoting an unknown merchant that may turn out to be a fly-by-night or dishonest operator.
A few years ago, I was robbed by just such an operator to the tune of more than $700! Despite many email and telephone messages demanding payment, I heard and received nothing.
That bad experience could have been avoided with just a little research.
Commission Junction posts the date that merchants join their affiliate network. When I see that the company has been associated with Commission Junction for a year or more, I feel confident that they are in business to do business.
Alternatively, you can see if either AssociatePrograms.com or Refer-it.com has reviewed the program. I've noticed that programs I've ended up having problems with turn out NOT to be listed at either site. (Lesson - check Allan's and Joe's directories FIRST!)
Another way to learn about a company that isn't part of an affiliate network or listed in an affiliate directory, is to determine how many links point to their site. If the company has thousands upon thousands of affiliates promoting its products, you may safely assume that the program is reputable.
To find out how many 'links in' a site has, go to AltaVista, http://altavista.com, and type 'link:' followed by the merchant's URL.
For example, type, 'link:http://friendfinder.com' into the AltaVista search box. Doing that today I see that 'AltaVista found 51,112 results' listed near the top of the page, just before the search results.
It was only after it was obvious that I'd been cheated out of my money in the case above that I used the 'link:' method to search for other affiliates promoting that product. I hoped to find other affiliates who HAD been paid or had better luck getting in touch with the owner. What I found instead was that my site was the ONLY one linking to his pages! At that point I knew I could kiss my money goodbye.
Using the link method on that site again today, I see that 'AltaVista found 172 results'.
Although it's cold comfort after being ripped off, I'm relieved to see that his affiliate program isn't exactly thriving. It IS good to see that he's cleaned up his act and is now using a third-party billing company to process both customer and affiliate payments. At least no more affiliates will get ripped off.
Continue reading here: Link Trading FFAs Banner Exchanges
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