When Sponsors Change their URL's

[tigermom]

Sigh.

Just got an email from Corbin Fisher about their site re-design which includes changes to pages URL's... So, every link to their sites that was using the &html to direct surfers to specific pages needs to be changes.

It's not the first time that a sponsor does that, of course. And yes, I have learned the lesson and I am now using redirects for most of my links. Still, not for all of them (with over 1000 different sponsor links to work with - it's just too much).

I wrote back to CF suggesting that they look into setting up redirects on their end. I have only seen one sponsor do this so far. They switched from CCBill to Nats and managed to redirect all of their url's including those to FHG's. I wonder why don't more sponsors who switch systems do that?

[gaybucks_chip]

CCBill makes it easy to switch ccbill links to NATS; their system allows an intercept of the link and a redirect.

I got the same email, and I would guess that it would not be difficult for CF to simply look at their traffic logs and generate a bunch of 301 redirects for all the pages that are being hit with affiliate traffic. It might take a ton of work to redirect to the exact equivalent page, but at the least, they could redirect to the main tour without difficulty.

However, I also want to say that I think it's great that CF emailed its affiliates in advance and let them know that the change is going to be happening. How many programs simply change their tour, don't tell the affiliates, and the affiliate discovers months later that their links are going to a 404 page?

[Badpuppy Lisa]

I'm sure that CF will set up redirects. It is not that difficult of a task and to ask affiliates to manually change their links should not be an option. We would never ask our affiliates to manually change all of their links to Badpuppy. With many affiliates having dozens upon dozens of sites, that would be very affiliate friendly and could leave many simply removing all aspects of promotions, in fear that they might have to do it again.

I'm sure that if enough affiliates ask, they'll accomodate. At least I'd hope they would.

[Hammerhead]

Strange but I didnt get any email from Corbin Fisher today about changing links or a site re-design, and this is a site I promote very heavily. Maybe only certain affiliates are affected?

[terrytowel]

I get upset when sponsors change billing companies, and don't tell affiliates. Example changing from CC Bill to another company. Which means I wind up sending free traffic to their site, for nothing in return. I have only found out by accident, wondering why I'm not making any sales. This just happened as late as last week, when I found out a site I was promoting, switched billers six months ago! And I wasn't informed. I'm not going to mention what site it was, but it has happened to me more than once.

[gaybucks_chip]

I get upset when sponsors change billing companies, and don't tell affiliates.

A responsible program will both tell affiliates AND intercept the old links and send them to the new biller.

That is, unless the biller terminated them, or the biller itself went out of business.

[terrytowel]

Well like I said this has happened to me TWICE. I'm not going to name the websites, but suffice to say they were both CC Billers, who switched to a new billing company. And I only found out months later after the fact. And I didn't get any email at all.

[milivanili]

I don't see anything bad with telling which sites you mean. It's not drama so... and maybe there are still some of the affiliates promoting those sites thinking it's ccbill site.