One thing that I’ve highly recommended for years now is using redirection. Redirect links are pages on your blog that take your readers elsewhere, so you can link something that looks crisp and clean (such as http://bloggerbabes.com/optin) but have it actually anchor somewhere else (in this case, a complicated url that begins http://bloggerbabes.us7.list-manage.com/ and ends with multiple strings of numbers–yuck!).
Redirection is useful for a handful of reasons that range from safety to partnerships to just making your blog look neater and more professional. I recommend this simple plugin by Jon Godley, or bit.ly or goo.gl if you’re in a hurry.
Masking Your Affiliate Links
Now that you know what an affiliate link is (and have totally signed up for our program 
), I advise that you mask your link ASAP. That way a long, complicated, and frankly ugly URL like…
- http://bloggerbabes.com/amember/aff/go/YOURIDHERE/?i=4
…can become the small, manageable, and neat…
- http://yoursitehere.com/bloggerbabes
Aside from being easier to remember, a redirect from your domain looks more trustworthy, and most importantly, it’s a good safety practice. You don’t want someone stealing your code and trying to nab your earnings for themselves.
Logging Statistics for Your Sponsorships
Jon Godley’s plugin also has a handy feature that logs the number of clicks your redirect links get. This gives you insight into traffic, but it’s also especially useful if you have paying sponsors. By checking your redirect statistics, you can share numbers and reassure any of your partners that you’re holding up your end of the bargain.
Shorter, Easier to Remember Links
And as I’ve alluded to, redirects mean easier, prettier links that won’t be difficult to remember. At Blogger Babes, we even use redirects so that
- http://bloggerbabes.com/learninglibrary
…reroutes to…
- http://bloggerbabes.com/learning-library
Can you spot the difference? It’s just a hyphen, but we want our site as user-friendly as possible, so if you type in URLs manually and forget something minor, it won’t be a problem at all.
Have you been using Redirection? What other plugins are you using or interested in? Let us know what you’d like to learn more about!
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