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PPC Direct Linking Explained

Direct linking is one of the most powerful-and controversial-concepts in pay-per-click advertising and affiliate marketing. Direct linking is not recommended. But since it is a fact of life, I should at least explain it.

Direct linking means that an online marketer chooses to be affiliated with a program and uses the merchant’s domain as the destination URL. Direct linking means that you do not have to register your own domain or create your own website or landing page, in order to run affiliate offers.

Here is how direct linking works when you create a PPC ad. In the Display field, you enter the domain for the merchant whose offer you are promoting. But in the Destination field, you enter something completely different. What you enter here is a special code generated for you by your affiliate program. This code is usually nonsensical, but if you were to click to it, it would end up at DiscountLampsMore.com – but giving you credit for the sale.

Direct Linking is Temporary

The major downside to direct linking is that the PPCs actively discourage this practice. An ideal world for them is when every ad goes to a different URL. Below is YSM’s policy about direct linking:

Web Site Ownership/Affiliates

We will send traffic only to an advertiser’s own web pages.

·         Submit only sites owned or controlled by you.

·         Advertisers may not list a site they do not control (or an exact copy thereof) unless they are affiliated to the owner of the submitted URL.

Direct Linking for Research

Direct linking has some value as a research tool. No online marketer wants to direct link indefinitely. What they do, instead, is direct link just to get a campaign up and running. They can quickly, easily, and cheaply evaluate a campaign-without registering a domain or building a landing page. Once they have a good feeling for the campaign-whether it has potential or not-they can then pursue it further or drop it.