Affiliate Marketing Blog

Ok so we are two weeks on since the launch of Google Checkout UK and still not all the UK Networks have been approved. Here is the list as it stands.

- Approved and Live on Google Checkout Vendor page.

• Advertising.com
• Affiliate Future
• Affiliate Window
• Commission Junction
• Paid On Results
• Tradedoubler

- Approved for Google Checkout awaiting listing on Approved Vendor Page.

• Affilinet
• Buy.at
• DGM
• LinkShare
• PrimeQ
• Profitistic
• Webgains

- In Process of getting Approved.

• OMG
• Zanox

So why is it 6 of the Networks are still not approved? I undertook the process for Paid On Results Monday of last week and it took 4 days in total to get approved and a further 2 days before showing on the approved vendor list (they do state it takes a few weeks before the list is updated). Merchants wishing to use Google Checkout UK should first check with your Network that they are approved or in the process and please whatever you do test the Network tracking before making it live on your site, many Networks will not tolerate you introducing a new payment gateway without testing that it tracks for Affiliate sales and you could possibly be suspended by the Network for non-tracking.

I will keep this list up to date should any Network wish to inform me directly or via posting at the A4U Forum.

I started to notice a bunch of emails coming in from “TradeDoubler - Response Team UK” I thought isn’t that nice they now have a response team, so I hit reply on one of the emails to ask a question about the promotion only to find the email address the Response Team was using is “no_reply@ext.tradedoubler.com” LOL classic, have to love whoever came up with that idea

Weekly update of new Merchants (to 20th April 2007) that have went live across all the UK Networks.

Affiliate Future

• Rafael Hotels

Affiliate Window

• EIL
• Marks and Spencer

Affilinet

• Lycos

Buy.at

• Specsavers
• The Magazine Group

DGM

• PlusNet
• Shakespeare Finance

Paid On Results

• Reid Furniture

PrimeQ

• Mosaic Holidays

Profitistic

• MotoTyres UK and IE
• TravelRes UK
• Viagogo

Zanox UK

• MotoTyres UK and IE
• TravelRes UK
• Viagogo

Google Checkout UK hit the streets last Friday with many early adopter Merchants jumping on the bandwagon. Some of them even wrote to Affiliates to let them know that because they where first, Google was offering all customers who bought goods via the Google checkout system £10 off any order over £30. What a cracking deal for the customer and something Affiliates could easily push except there is one tiny little problem - none of the sales track!!!

Yes that’s right any Merchant you are currently pushing that has Google Checkout enabled and is via a Network not approved by Google, means that the Merchant can not show the tracking code for that Network and in turn means no sales are tracked. So Affiliates lose out on any potential commission they could have made.

Now the Networks are not to blame here, most of them didn’t know Google Checkout UK was going live in the UK last Friday, indeed the only Network Approved already had to battle to get it sorted 6 months ago for the US side of the Networks Operation.

The shocking part is that the Merchant currently making money from Affiliate traffic that can not be tracked via Google Checkout actually think they are doing nothing wrong. One of them is quoted as saying “our agreement with Google does not permit us to restrict offering Google Checkout for a proportion of our customers”. All I can make from this is that they don’t much care about the Affiliate Network Terms that say they have to track all sales done online and worse still they are showing no matter what way they try to spin it, that they value Google Checkout above their current Affiliates supplying them sales. The theory must be “lets cash in now and hope the Affiliates will forget what we have done once it’s all sorted”, but who knows the true motives, we can only go on what we see as fact.

Affiliate sales are not tracking, Affiliates are losing money, the Merchant is not! If the Merchant was losing money do you think they stick to the Google Checkout Terms if that is in fact part of the terms.

Other people reporting about Google Checkout UK are Fraser Edwards and Jess Luthi, to keep up with the current state of play for UK Networks you will find a thread I have made over at A4U plus other threads highlighting the current issues.

A4U - Networks Status with Google Checkout
A4U - Google Checkout - Sales not being tracked
A4U - Merchants Seen Using Google Checkout

As I was away on Holiday for a couple of weeks this is a bit of a bumper update covering 3 weeks of new Merchants (to 13th April 2007) of Merchants that have went live across all the UK Networks.

Advertising.com

• Additions Brochure Request
• Littlewoods Brochure Request
• Ramblers Association

Affiliate Future

• 888Bootcamp
• Altec
• Consumer Info
• Emergency Abroad
• Flirty or Dirty
• Hotetur Hotels
• LoveHoney
• Makoosh
• Primepoker
• Rapid Home Sale
• sapphire villas
• Select Hire

Affiliate Window

• BT Tradespace
• DHL Express
• Fushi
• Gardening Direct
• Halifax Pet Insurance
• Heal’s
• La Redoute
• Nationwide Autocentres
• Mini Marvellous
• The Magazine Service

Afform

• Experian Just Rewards
• Get me a Quiz
• Get me Gaming
• Kingolotto
• Magazine Group

Buy.at

• Care International
• Energy Helpline Business
• Endsleigh Insurance
• Pipex

Commission Junction

• 123-reg

DGM

• Insure and Go Travel Insurance

Paid On Results

• Dead Good Undies
• Kiddies Kingdom
• Millet Sports

Profitistic

• Glow Girl

Webgains

• Davoom
• Soft UK
• XSFashion

Zanox UK

• Mobi Dada UK

With the Grand National coming up this weekend there is the normal flurry of activity around bookie sites. I have my own Grand National Betting site and normally rely on my email lists from UK Competitions and Free UK Stuff to bring in a coupe of quid, as I have never really spent any time on the SEO for this site.

This year I have taken a different tack and instead of promoting the normal run of the mill Bookie sites that require people to spend some money before I make a commission, I have been pushing Free Horse Racing Tips via Affiliate Network Paid On Results simply because for the whole of this month they are offer £2.50 per confirmed valid email address.

I have to say it been a bloody good alternative to promoting the bookies this time around, with a conversion rate on the busiest day so far of 56.25% and averaging around 36.05% click to sign up so far this month, that’s about £90.12 EPHC or £0.90 EPC not bad for just an email.

You may be wondering why I am giving away my own Affiliate “secrets” well it’s simple, if I find something that works on Paid On Results for me that others have not picked up on I like to share this because the more people making money via Paid On Results the better