Affiliate Scam Alert: Bogus Merchants
Why would an affiliate marketer do this?
I caution those who read Super Affiliate Handbook AGAINST affiliating with merchants that place affiliate links on their sites. Links out for which you WON’T get paid.
Fortunately, most merchants ‘get it’. They don’t cheat their affiliates in that way.
However, yesterday I ran across a relatively new form of deviant… an affiliate site posing as a merchant site.
OK, they do have a product (a cheap little ebook) to sell, so I guess that’s qualifies them as a ‘merchant’.
HOWEVER, the site makes money strictly as affiliate site.
There are affiliate links and Adsense throughout the site, yet there is virtually no mention of the ebook, EXCEPT when you click on their ‘Affiliate Program’ link.
When you join the program, your affiliate link drives traffic to the homepage. Of nearly 20 links on the homepage there is only a brief mention of – and a nearly invisible link to – the ebook.
Why would an affiliate marketer do this?
Why, it’s yet another trick in an attempt to scam Google.
Having an “Affiliate Program” link on your site supposedly gives it more legitimacy and therefore likelihood of higher rankings.
Now you know that in some cases the “Affiliate Program” link is a scam.
Beware the scammers!
Don’t join their programs and warn other affiliates through forums (like the NPT) and in your own blog.
Cheers ~ Ros
P.S. I teach ONLY ‘white hat’ sustainable affiliate business practices in the Super Affiliate Handbook. My techniques worked in 1998, still work brilliantly NOW and will continue to work into the future. 
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Rosalind Gardner is a Super Affiliate blogger, author, speaker, and Internet marketing consultant.
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wow, didn’t know that, something to look out for….thanks, as usual Ros….