Affiliate marketing Affiliate Scams – What to Watch Out for
Operating in an affiliate network is fully legal and in many cases profitable, however, as in any case, you have to take into account the possibility of becoming a victim of fraud. That’s why both affiliates and advertisers should familiarize themselves with the most common types of affiliate scams and how to respond to them. Frauds and extortion, on the other hand, most often concern unverified programs and are most often taken by beginners. So it’s worth knowing how to recognize trusted sources and keep educating yourself. If you want to do affiliate marketing and create effective affiliate campaigns , it is best to use the services of trusted agencies such as Onaffiliate.
Risks in affiliations
Both parties to the cooperation can fall victim to fraud. Often, fraudulent plays are related to payments, non-payment of commissions by companies or delays in transactions. A significant problem with changes in affiliate networks is that the terms and conditions of the programs are changed during their term or cancelled without prior notice. It is crucial to read the terms and conditions carefully. Affiliate fraud, on the other hand, is punishable by law and violates the law. The basic rule of avoiding them is good discernment. There are a lot of well-known and reputable programs that are worth joining. When a new program comes out, you need to do the proper research. It’s a good idea to ask the search engine what kind of program it is, what product or service it sells, what the website is, the model, and the amount of billing. If you suspect fraud, it’s best to contact the affiliate network or the company you’ve partnered with as soon as possible. In addition, evidence should be collected and any irregularities documented. In some cases, you may need to seek the help of a lawyer or cybersecurity agency. On the other hand, if you want to enter the world of marketing, it is also worth taking advantage of help. It will be offered by an affiliate agency such as Onaffiliate.
Insolvent affiliate networks
An affiliate network is an intermediary between a company that wants to advertise its products or services (i.e. an advertiser) and the owner of a website or blog (publisher) who wants to make money by placing affiliate links leading to the advertiser’s website. Thanks to affiliate networks, companies can increase sales as a result of cooperation with partners, by paying them a commission for each purchase made by a customer, as well as subscribing to a newsletter or creating an account. Unfortunately, some affiliate networks are insolvent. They can be recognized by their above-average deposit threshold. Even if someone achieves it, they will probably have to reckon with the constantly postponed transaction deadlines. It is very difficult to communicate with such companies from the very beginning. Other factors that indicate that you are dealing with an insolvent network are the negative feedback in the withdrawal sector and the lack of contact information on the website. This is one of the scams that people who want to do affiliate marketing need to watch out for. To create professional affiliate campaigns, it is worth using the services of Onaffiliate. In addition, when getting acquainted with a given affiliate network, you should read its terms and conditions, check the reviews and history, as well as the level of customer service. A good affiliate network has its own anti-abuse policy.
Conversion errors
In affiliate marketing, conversion is the conversion of a given action into another desired by the publisher. When a publisher converts a lead and a sale results from it, the lead is said to have converted into a sale. In a nutshell, a conversion is an action generated by the publisher, i.e. both a lead and a sale. Conversion rate is generally a comparison of the number of conversions to the total traffic to your site. It can be measured in a variety of ways, such as by session or individual users. It is assumed that the average value of this ratio in affiliate marketing is between 0.5% and 1%. Fraudulent affiliate networks can manipulate conversion counting results. Such practices are most common in Pay-Per-Click affiliate programs. Fraudsters can send fake click and impression data (including conversions generated by bots). Such actions also apply to CPS (Cost-Per-Sale) and CPL (Cost-Per-Lead). They manifest themselves through the use of fake transactions or generating fake leads from non-existent customers. Beginners will be helped to enter the world of affiliation by a good affiliate agency such as Onaffiliate.
Fake leads and visits
It is not uncommon for fraudsters to steal other people’s data and enter it into contact forms. They also use fictitious personal information for which they receive standard compensation from the advertiser. That’s why it’s important to verify your contact details thoroughly. If they are very close to each other, it may be fake leads. People associated with affiliation also use bots or programs that generate fake traffic, increase the number of clicks, or extort transactions. In order to detect these frauds, it is necessary to verify the sources of traffic – traffic coming from bots manifests itself, m.in, in clicks from unknown sources or sudden increases in visibility from a specific sector. It’s a good idea to check IP addresses to find repetitive activity and study user behavior. Bots and programs can also be responsible for automating clicks. To verify such a situation, you need to carefully analyze the decreases and increases in traffic.
To work in affiliate marketing, it’s a good idea to first familiarize yourself with the most common scams from affiliate partners and advertisers. Especially beginners should be careful. The information about each affiliate network must be verified in detail. Fortunately, most fake networks are easy to spot. However, there is no need to be afraid – affiliation can be completely safe, as long as both parties remember about a few most important rules.
