Why Was My Affiliate Application Declined?
I hear a lot of affiliates ask this question, wondering why their applications to some affiliate programs are declined. As an affiliate manager, there’s a lot of reasons why I might decline an affiliate application. I’m a very responsive affiliate manager, and will always answer this question when asked, however I know there are many managers out there that are, shall we say, less than stellar in the communications department. In an effort to bridge this gap, here are some things affiliates should consider when they come to ask an affiliate manager, “Why was my affiliate application declined?”
Are my website URLs correct?
I’ve seen instances where affiliates have misspelled their domain names accidentally, added an extra http://, left off the extension (.com? .net?). Many affiliate managers are, of course, savvy enough to just omit the extra http:// or try adding the .com to see if a website comes up, but I know some are not so diligent, so it’s best that you make checking your websites as easy as possible for the affiliate manager.
Have I been declined a lot?
There may be a bigger issue at hand, like your website’s hosting company being down or your pages not loading correctly. If you’re having your affiliate application declined a lot, you should check to ensure that all your sites are up and running and displaying properly. Try viewing your website in different browsers (Firefox, Internet Explorer, Chrome, etc) to see if something isn’t loading correctly. Some affiliate programs are very sensitive to the content and look of a site where their advertisements will potentially be seen.
Do I have any unprofessional or questionable content on my website?
Some brands are much more sensitive when it comes to the content on a website where their ad will appear. For example, the Apple Store has very strict guidelines relating to website content and where you can and cannot place the banner advertisements for the Apple Store. Larger brands tend to have more guidelines regarding their advertising, and may choose to decline you if your websites do not convey a likewise professional image that is on par with the brand. You can consider changing your website, removing the possibly unprofessional content, or finding an alternative merchant with more lenient standards on the website content.
Are all my websites listed in my profile?
Of course, some networks like LinkShare and Google Affiliate Network give you a separate profile to apply per website, so this isn’t necessarily a blanket issue. But in other networks, this may be a detriment not to list all your sites. Often affiliate managers are checking the affiliate’s websites and looking for a good niche or category fit. If you’re applying for a sports gear affiliate program and only have your knitting website listed, the affiliate manager may not see a good fit and choose to decline you. Having all your websites listed shows the affiliate manager that you work in different verticals and they can see more potential for appropriate promotions. Personally, I don’t know why an affiliate would ever not list a website unless it was less than ethical, but please comment if you have a good reason for not listing all websites.
I’m sure there are hundreds of other individual reasons why you might be declined. Some affiliate managers really check content for a good niche fit, while others allow multiple categories in. It all ultimately depends on the merchant and if their product would appeal to a wider audience or a more narrow audience of customer. Always attempt to reach out to the affiliate manager if you’ve been declined for a program you really want to promote. Most of the time you should receive some kind of response, either explaining why you were declined or giving you a chance to promote the program.
Read MoreOnline Marketing Glossary: Interactive Agency
Interactive Agency:
- An agency offering a mix of Web design and development, Internet advertising and online marketing, or e-business/e-commerce consulting.
Speak of the devil, we finally come to a definition that describes my new company, New Edge Media! We offer PPC, SEO, Affiliate Marketing, and Email Marketing. Some stop by and take a look!
This actually concludes this series of glossary items! Huge thanks to Alexandra Wharton for having written this article and to Lisa Picarille for allowing me to republish them!
Have a series you want to see? Please feel free to leave a comment and let me know!
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Glossary Definition From ABC’s of Online Marketing by Alexandra Wharton, Issue 22, Revenue Magazine
Online Marketing Glossary: Residual Earnings
Residual Earnings:
- A program that pays affiliates not just for the first sale, but all additional sales made at the merchant’s site over the life of the customer.
It’s my understanding that not many programs offer this anymore due to the incredible expense it could lead to if the customer is a good customer. More often programs are offering second tiers and giving commissions to the affiliate on the sales affiliates they’ve referred to the program are making.
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Glossary Definition From ABC’s of Online Marketing by Alexandra Wharton, Issue 22, Revenue Magazine
Online Marketing Glossary: Widget
Widget:
- A small application designed to reside on a PC desktop or within a web-based portal or social network site offering useful or entertaining functionality.
These also appear on many blogs, even having a few in my sidebar. WordPress refers to any sidebar module as a widget, and there are millions of widgets out there. A great blog I read that keeps me up-to-date with what new widgets are coming out and what new released versions is Widgets Lab.
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Glossary Definition From ABC’s of Online Marketing by Alexandra Wharton, Issue 22, Revenue Magazine
Online Marketing Glossary: Link Bait
Link Bait:
- A useful, entertaining, creative Web content or Web tool that encourages website owners to link to it.
A lot of bloggers do this – write a post that has a headline that’s just RIPE for linking back. Create some controversy to get your blog linked to. Or, just create some damn good content to pass along for others. There’s nothing wrong with this; it’s a skillful art that some people have mastered and some haven’t.
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Glossary Definition From ABC’s of Online Marketing by Alexandra Wharton, Issue 22, Revenue Magazine
Online Marketing Glossary: Super Affiliates
Super Affiliates:
- The best affiliates in a program based on performance and earnings, usually the top 1%, who generate the majority of revenue for a program.
I’ve also used this term to refer to an affiliate who is well known across multiple programs to run a super successful affiliate site participating in many programs. Such well known super affiliates include John Chow, Zac Johnson, Connie Berg, Mike Allen, and Amit Mehta.
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Glossary Definition From ABC’s of Online Marketing by Alexandra Wharton, Issue 22, Revenue Magazine
