So You’re Telling Me This Isn’t Content?
Ok, we have the EXCLUSIVE code. We have the product. We have the deeplink. The blurb. The price. The expiry date.
We have an image of the product.
We have instructions on how to use the code. We even have a screen grab of the checkout process highlighting how a code is used.
So you’re telling me this isn’t content?
It’s all content in my eyes and it happens to be on a damn good domain too. It happens to be a site called Shop Codes and so primarily it promotes Shop Codes.
Some affiliates out there don’t like sites that promote shop codes but I tell you one thing customers love these sites and what they provide. As a site owner that promotes save £6 here on a Christmas present, I’m capitalising in on those savvy shoppers who want to save a few pounds here and there.
Once I’ve gone through all September’s expired codes and added all the new ones for October, I’ll add even more codes and content and screengrabs and banners and drive more sales, whilst others watch on.
Good post Ray
There is a faction in the affiliate marketing industry who see the term codes or vouchers and immediately think cookie cutting, forced clicks and other unsavory practices, this has been brought about by the nefarious activities of a few less ethical although not unsuccessful affiliates.
These people don’t see the value that is added by sites such as yours.
Unfortunately it has tainted the entire sector like the old saying “It only takes one bad apple to spoil the barrel.”
My feeble attempt in the codes arena takes back seat these days partly because of the nay sayers, in fact I am seriously considering selling the site.
hehe it takes me back to what I mentioned here:
http://www.befuddled.me.uk/2008/03/affiliate-future-losers-revealed/
“# Lee McCoy March 13, 2008
Mate,
Set up redirects instead of using affiliate tracking codes. Put them in 301 redirects and into a folder that you robots.txt out.
Does Google like affili tracking codes? Who knows for sure – just getting shut of them would be a good start!
Also the majority of the text in each merchant’s “post” is vertually identical. All you seem to change is the merchant name and offer code.
You need to write more desicriptive text and make sure each code you list is as unique as possible.
If you do these two things I’m sure It’ll come back. (or let me buy the site off you and I’ll do it myself
)
Good luck,
Lee
# you March 13, 2008
Good advice there Lee and I was just day dreaming about changing all my links.
That’s my first offer of the year and I’d consider if a sale would buy me a nice apartment in Leeds”
Lee, yup I’ve started adding more redirects in. Don’t know if this is a good or bad thing. And with the product codes it’s typically easier to grab a unique line or two to pad the voucher out with. The screen grabs are a slow burner but once I’ve created them I can re-use. Hmm, maybe I need to watermark them lol.
Try http://browsershots.org for making your screenies, may save you some time maybe.
As for “Some affiliates out there don’t like sites that promote shop codes”, if site A believes site B is overwriting overwriting site As cookies, A will see it as site B is eating off site As table. It’s understandable site A will take that as agressive competition (it is).
They are, fundamentally, enemies in a catfight. It’s black and white really. (The Japanese have a saying along the lines of ‘your business competitor is trying to steal the shoes from your children’s feet’).
Whether you’re a site B or not I don’t know – I’m not having a go at you at all, or accusing that you are. But I for sure see where the site As are coming from.