The ClickBank Cookie…Yum!

For those of you that know that a cookie is something more than eat, please skip the next paragraph.

For the rest of us that are still learning about computers, let me quickly explain cookies! Whenever you enter a website, it is likely that the website will write a “cookie” onto your computer. Yes, this sounds scary, but most cookies are rather harmless. They are not executable. They just store data. Sometimes the data is for marketing purposes (such as the website that is monitoring when the last time you visited the website). Sometimes it is to store usernames and passwords (that is sometimes handy! In this world of 10,000 passwords, one less to remember is not a bad thing). In the cookies of affiliate programs (such a Clickbank, for example), the cookie is used to record affiliate information and dates of visits. Again, don’t get too freaked out about cookies! They are everywhere and they are not going to damage your computer. You can disable cookies, but it is usually not necessary and usually results in more trouble than it is worth (A lot of sites run their “sessions” through cookies, which means that a cookie is written to tell the website that you are authorized to view certain pages. Without the cookie, you may not get access to secure websites).

** Cookie Gurus Can Return to the Blog Here!

So we’ve established that cookies are used to store affiliate information. If I have a Clickbank hoplink, for example:

http: // [your id].dayjobkill.hop.clickbank.net/

Your Clickback ID would be simply placed in the section of the hoplink. When someone clicks on this link, it will take them to the website and create a new URL as follows:

http: //www.dayjobkiller.com/?hop=[your ID]

Note that your Clickbank ID appears at the top of the page. But the thing you don’t realize is that between the original click and this new URL, a cookie was placed on the user’s computer. This cookie contains your Clickbank ID as well as the date it was clicked. If the user was then to return within the next 60 days (the length of the cookie), you would still get credit for the sale. — Note, though, that if you link directly to the displayed URL, you may get credit for the sale, but no cookie will be created.

So what’s the “bad”? Clickbank’s cookies are not too bright. If someone first clicks on your link and the cookie is set and then they return again later through someone else’s link, the second link resets the cookie. So sale does not necessarily go to the initial visitor.

This is a very important piece of information to be successful at affiliate marketing!! Remember that the average visitor requires 6 visits to a website prior to buying. This gives the visitor a lot of opportunity to reset their cookie to someone elses link. Therefore a few tips about Clickbank (and many other affiliate programs as well!):

1) Get the Opt-in! With good, wholesome marketing, you can keep the visitor interested in the product through you.

2) Remember to link back using the hoplink! You do not get punished for resetting your own cookie signature.

3) Beware of seller’s that have their own squeeze page! (We’ll talk about this one later)

The goal of affiliate marketing is to have the customer buy from your link. But it is more difficult than that! You need to be the last link that the visitor clicked prior to actually buying. Remember, you are not necessary selling the product, you are selling your link as well!

- Matthew Bredel