How To Update Text Link Ads Affiliate Links
From tomorrow onwards, Affiliate Links to Text Link Ads, using the old style link will not work anymore.
As a Text Link Ads affiliate, you should have received an email which looks like this;
Gary,
As a Text Link Ads affiliate we're pleased to let you know that we've begun using tinyurl.com to shorten and secure our affiliate referral links. We encourage you to update your affiliate links using the following:
Homepage URL
--
http://tinyurl.com/2u9u69Starter Promo URL
--
http://tinyurl.com/2lf4cw** Please note that our old affiliate urls will no longer work in one week so please update today. Thank you!
What a total PITA - why on earth TLA couldn't let the old Urls continue to function is anyones guess.
In this post, I'm going to show you how to update your links easily and without fuss - and also how to ensure that you won't have to bother again in the future.
Step 1
You need to have your own Redirect Script running on a domain of your own. This places you in full control of your own destiny.
There are quite a few about, you can search google, or you can download my own script at www.pxcloaker.info - it's free of charge, simple and supremely usable.
Step 2
You need to insert your NEW Text Link Ads Affiliate URL into your chosen redirect script.
This will give you a Redirect URL which you will use on all of your sites, blogs etc. Let's say, for arguments sake, that your Redirect URL is http://www.yoursite.com/go.php/tla
This means that you now have 3 ways to refer people to Text Link Ads;
- The OLD way, that will be defunct in a day or two; http://www.text-link-ads.com/?ref=16137
- The NEW way, that should be OK from now on; http://tinyurl.com/2u9u69
- The REDIRECT Url that you control, this one simply redirects to the same URL as in #2; http://www.yoursite.com/go.php/tla
You are probably thinking, "why would I want to have two different addresses that go to the same place?"
Well, the answer is that by using your REDIRECT Url on all your blog posts etc, you will have to update only the REDIRECT file (on your webhosting) the next time that Text Link Ads decide they want to be a bit silly.
Step 3
If you have already posted about Text Link Ads on your blog, it's really easy to update the Url you used to your new REDIRECT Url - simply use a small piece of SQL code to interrogate your database.
-
UPDATE `wp_posts` SET `post_content` = REPLACE(`post_content`, "OLD-URL", "REDIRECT-URL");
-
UPDATE `wp_comments` SET `comment_content` = REPLACE(`comment_content`, "OLD-URL", "REDIRECT-URL");
Obviously, you will replace OLD-URL with your old TLA Url, and REDIRECT-URL with your new REDIRECT Url.
What this code will do is update all the links in your wordpress blog from the old url that you have been using, to the new REDIRECT Url that you will use at all times from now on.
Before making this SQL change, I highly suggest that you make a backup of your database in case of any errors.
Test It Out
Text Link Ads - this is a REDIRECT Url which goes to the TinyURL system that all Text Link Ads Affiliates are now required to use!
Comment by Empress — August 28, 2007 @ 4:29 pm
When I got the email from Text Link Ads - honestly I thought it was like those paypal emails we all get… that aren't actually from the company - a scam. Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought it was a bit fishy to be using those tiny urls.
If I'm wrong - I'll change them… but doesn't it seem a bit odd?
Comment by Gary — August 28, 2007 @ 4:40 pm
Empress; Yep, you're wrong
If you go to Tiny URL you can choose to "preview" the tinyurl link. If you do that, you'll see that it does redirect to your old-style TLA aff link.
I do think that TLA have really shot themselves in the foot with this change. It was unwarranted and un-needed in my opinion.
All; In effect, if you go down the route of NOT using Tiny Url, and make your own redirect, you'll be doing this;
REDIRECT Url >> Tiny Url >> Original Aff Url >> TLA
Long winded, but at least you have some control over it. If you can help it, don't use the Tiny Url they give you, as it's likely to change at some point in the future, and if you use it on any sites that you are not in control of…well, that becomes a wasted linkage.
Hope this makes sense?
Comment by Will — August 28, 2007 @ 6:11 pm
It would have been nice to have had a little more explanation as to why they changed the format especially since it's got the potential to upset so many affiliates.
I don't understand what real benefits changing to a third-party owned redirection system is going to provide and I also had to log into my TLA account to confirm that my affiliate URLs really were going to change.
I've learnt the hard way that relying on free, third-party services can be costly which is why I always use my own redirects where possible in order to be able to sail through situations like this.
The biggest benefit of the new system I can see will be to the TLA bank balance as many affiliate links will no longer credit the affiliate.
Comment by Oli — August 28, 2007 @ 9:59 pm
I believe TLA staff have commented here before, so maybe we'll get an explination…
Comment by Brian — August 29, 2007 @ 11:37 am
My cynical theory is that they're trying to cutback on affiliate payouts by making it more difficult for a person to reach their site through an affiliate link. It has less chance of alienating their users than by completely killing the affiliate system all together.
I'm typically not a cynical person, but I really can't find any other reason for the change.
Comment by thatedeguy — August 29, 2007 @ 4:11 pm
I emailed Patrick Gavin (the CEO/President/Founder) and he confirmed the change to the tinyURL URLs. However, I also got an email the next day from one of the staffers saying that they were currently working on something else and not to change my links.
I haven't heard anything about that since, so not sure when they are planning on releasing it.
Just one more good reason to redirect affiliate links. I went through and updated all my links to my redirect and now when they change it again, all I have to do is change one little bit in one little file and I'm done.
Comment by Gary — August 30, 2007 @ 4:31 pm
Well, who knows - it's surely a very strange thing to do - can't understand a company like TLA having to rely on some 3rd party site.