Since there are many several types of affiliate url cloakers available, it should come as no surprise to you that they come in several shapes, sizes, and (of course) prices. Varying from totally and completely cost-free to more than $100, affiliate url cloakers definitely seem to take up a different price range and even though the free versions could be the most tempting for newbies, the question that you are certain to be asking yourself is: What’s the difference between them?
Honestly speaking, it depends a lot on the certain affiliate url cloakers that you happen to be looking at, but there are many general trends that you ought to know of.
Above all among these is always that many free affiliate link cloakers are not really ‘link cloakers’ in the true sense of the words. Rather these are really just link shorteners that are being used to mask affiliate links to a certain degree. An example of this type of link shortener is the ever-so-popular tinyurl.com service. Though these shorteners do hide links somewhat, as soon as those links are clicked the full affiliate URL will appear in your prospective customer’s browser anyway – which is why this sort of free link cloaker is really very limited with regards to usage.
Alternatively, there are genuine full fledged link cloakers that are available for free and can even mask your affiliate link after it has been clicked. Normally, these are slightly better and for the simple function of covering the affilite link from view – they could suffice. However, a lot of them contain the ‘real’ URL somewhere in the source code, which is why they aren’t really all that protected.
Generally, the hallmark of paid affiliate link cloakers is the fact that they mask affiliate links the best. By going above and beyond what other link cloakers have to deliver, you can feel comfortable knowing that your link is as hidden as you possibly can, and should not even surface in the source code.
Having said that – the true advantages of paid affiliate link cloakers are the many other capabilities that they include. Many allow for double redirecting or other solutions of redirecting to a URL which you decide on while still receiving the affiliate product ‘cookie’ to enable you to gain commissions from every sale that is made. Others include pop up or pop under advertisement opportunities.
All said and done, there are a lot of other features that paid affiliate link cloakers provide, and this really is what separates them from their ‘free’ counterparts.
Now you are sure that the differences, you may make a more informed choice.
