How to Cloak Your Affiliate Link Using URL Shortening Services
You do not have to use the actual Clickbank hoplink if you prefer not to in order to generate referrals. Something called cloaking is a popular way to embed the hoplink into a different, shorter URL. For example, you could sell a special ebook on flowers, and use your Clickbank affiliate link, which contains a long string of information as well as your tid or tracking ID. Alternatively, you can create a website specifically designed for selling this item, but make it easier to remember and more “catchy”, such as www.flowerbookforpros.com (this URL is used purely as an example and is in no way affiliated with Clickbank). You can have this home page redirect to your hoplink or embed it into the script, so people who buy something are actually doing so through your Clickbank account.
Unfortunately even with all of the security measures that Clickbank has put in place, Internet thieves can still try to steal your affiliate links and get credit for your sales. This is where cloaking becomes extremely important. A service called Tiny URL (www.tinyurl.com) is a great way to make sure this does not happen. The service converts your hoplink into a new link that will be coming straight from tiny URL.

While it looks totally different from a traditional Clickbank hoplink, it will actually sort of “redirect” the person to your website using the cloaked URL, but it will go directly through your Clickbank affiliate link. It masks the Clickbank link so people up to no good have no way of seeing your original hoplink. Therefore, no nickname data or affiliate tid numbers can be stolen.
Another reason that the Clickbank links are open to potential fraud is that anyone can easily manipulate your hoplink and change it to their own Clickbank nickname. While this is an obvious violation of policy and is considered theft, it is
also easy for people to do yet difficult to track in some instances.
A good way to protect your links is to cloak them and then upload the links on your own private server. Then, you can upload them to the website. Cloaking the links converts your affiliate link into an easy to see yet difficult to decipher referral link that only you know. There are even programs out there designed to specifically help users cloak their links as well as protect them from thieves.
There are many other link shortening services out there besides tiny URL, so do your homework and see which one will suit your needs best. Aside from the fact that cloaking is a good way to help deter Internet theft, it also appeals to
customers much more. Think about it: would you be more likely to click on a long, number and letter filled Clickbank hoplink, or a sleek, easy to understand .com website? Obviously, you’d choose the latter, and there’s no doubt your
customers would, too. Cloaking your affiliate links really opens the door to many more customers and gives you a lot more exposure, while your website looks more professional and polished.
Another good point when it comes to cloaking is that you now have full and total control over your links and where they lead. Find a good link cloaking service that you like, and be sure that they offer tracking stats much like Clickbank does. This way you’ll be able to watch not only how many sales you’re getting but where the sales are coming from and how well you are doing in the virtual marketplace.
A good rule of thumb is that if you find a link-cloaking program that does not offer stats or reports, it’s best to stay away. Try to find services that offer trusted advice and are stable without any problems. Read reviews, talk to fellow Clickbank affiliates, and check that they have a good solid reporting feature. In the event that the software program fails or goes under, you don’t want to lose your links! It’s also a great idea to save your URLs onto your hard drive
somewhere in case this happens. Since cloaking links can be rather complicated, it’s a good idea to try to do as
much research as possible in order to ensure that you choose the best URL, service and method that will work for you. While the hoplink feature through Clickbank is easy and pretty direct, there are more and more possible threats of
fraud and theft than there were in years past.
Thanks to new technology and people becoming more and more computer savvy, the window is open for potential loss of revenue for you. That’s why it is so important to properly cloak and track your links as thoroughly as possible.








