I need some feedback on the value of affiliate aggregators like Link Share

[eTundra]

My company decided to start a Link Share affiliate program at the beginning of this year.  I've had serious reservations about the value of the program since the beginning but was overruled.

Here are my concerns:

1. The majority of publishers seem to be coupon scraper sites or borderline link farms

2. I am told the biggest revenue earners in our network are publishing articles about my company with links back to our site but if they are Google Alerts sure isn't finding them and a manual search hasn't turned up anything either.  This makes me think these publishers are using some sort of unsavory way to drive traffic to our site or maybe even cookie traffic that was coming to our site anyway in order to get credit for the sale.

Most of all I'd like to hear from anyone else who has used Link Share in the past.

Secondly I realize there's not a lot of information here but I'm wondering if this passes the smell test for anyone else.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

[RobertFisher]

OK, I am going to say this and I will follow up with you in another format. You must insure that they are not using your name, etc. and simply driving traffic by capturing what you would have already. I think you may be missing something important.

I am assuming the sale must take place on your site. (I went to it and drew the assumption).

[Highland]

One of the largest problems in the SEO industry is unquantified actions. "We'll fix your site and make it #1 but don't ask us how". SEO isn't some book of secrets, really. Sure there are some obscure tips and tricks but it's mostly links and content.

I don't like the smell here. Especially when it comes to them making third party content. The links don't sound high quality either. Last but not least, you're basically buying these links? That sounds like a recipe for devaluation.

[eTundra]

Thanks for the feedback Robert!

So far the people running the affiliate network have been excited because they have beaten the revenue goals they laid out for themselves in the first two months - although we have yet to approach the cost of setting the whole thing up, not to mention the cost of paying one person to manage the whole thing and having it take up about 70% of her time.

I just find it hard to believe some of the revenue numbers I see coming in.  Example: one site has a PA & DA of 1, claims to be an SEO firm based in Arizona, and I can't find where they've ever posted a link to our site, yet they have been credited with $2,800 in sales on our site.

Also, we are not a lead gen site but an ecommerce site - does that change the calculus any in terms of using affiliate aggregators?  Seems to me the Value Per Visitor is much higher for lead gen than it is for ecommerce.

Thanks again for your opinion!

[RobertFisher]

Back Burner

Our firm, years ago, was first a lead gen firm and then began using affiliate aggregators to assist in the production of those leads. I have worked with some of the bigger and a few smaller aggregators and there are plusses and minuses. We no longer do lead gen (other than having clients who develop leads for their own businesses) and we do not use publishers or aggregators.

That said, the issue is not necessarily Link Share itself. (and I have never used them), it is that having affiliates is a full time job requiring a full time tracker, modifier, enforcer, discoverer, etc. Many publishers are the original SEO Blackhats and I give them a lot of credit for exposing the flaws that existed. Unfortunately, for every solid high end publisher who is doing it legit, you have 100 sleazy, low end, pubs trying to simply beat the system if only for the evening. That is what makes it difficult. They are trying to minimize their cost in order to profit on your offer. That ultimately leads to abuse. So, it is not necessarily that any one aggregator is flawed, it is that the system is flawed. Remember the best publisher would be superb at SEO and have no cost to speak of yet drive you traffic. Most are not that.

I doubt this helps you, but if you are trying to convince people who believe it is good, ask this question: How many real site visits has it brought and from those how many sales? Was it worth it? Then you will have the answer.

I spent lots of $$$ in that world...I won't again.

Best,