PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT | FEBRUARY 2009

Getting Enabled for Deep Links
by Ian Rosenwach

Deep Linking functionality allows publishers the flexibility to generate links to particular areas of your sites, such as a category page or a product page. Some publishers may focus on particular areas of an advertisers site which is most relevant to them. A deep link will generally convert better than a generic home page link as the visitor has already engaged their interest to a particular product or category from the publisher's site.

We offer publishers several deep-linking tools including LinkBuilder and the new LinkShare Bookmarklet. We also have a new tool being released in March. With these tools available and new ones being produced, it is increasingly important that you enable deep linking for your site and empower your publishers to drive more sales.

LinkBuilder is a tool that allows publishers to easily create a LinkShare tracking link to any page or product on an advertiser's site. This is a popular tool among publishers in the LinkShare network because it allows publishers to select the links that are most relevant to their site. It also makes it easier for publishers to promote niche products while giving them the flexibility to focus on just what they need.

The Bookmarklet tool also makes it easier for publishers to use the LinkGenerator service to create a trackable link. Think of a bookmarklet as a web browser bookmark with some built-in functionality. For example, many social sites use bookmarklets to allow users to share sites from around the web. This tool will make it easier than ever for your publishers to create deep links to your site, without having to log in to the publisher dashboard. Please note that this is a beta tool currently in testing.

In March we will release a new feature in the Publisher Dashboard that will make it quick and easy for your Publishers to create "deep links" to any page on your site. The new deep link interface will be located in a more accessible part of the interface. It will look like this:

The functionality of this feature is identical to LinkBuilder, which you may be familiar with. After the publisher enters a URL for a page on your site, they will receive a LinkShare tracking link to that page.

Most advertisers have the technical requirements needed to offer deep linking, but the feature must be activated in the advertiser interface. We'd like to get as many advertisers on board as possible! Deep Linking allows publishers much more flexibility and efficiency when creating links, and will increase the commission potential. There are no costs associated with it. A few examples of publishers that rely heavily on Deep Linking are:
Beauty and the Dirt
Fashion Confidential
Iconic Chic
SheerLuxe
ShopStyle
To become technically enabled, advertisers must meet the following criteria:
  1. Your MLP syntax supports an absolute URL, i.e. you enter an absolute URL as the landing URL versus some other value.
  2. The URLs on your site do not include any session specific information.
  3. Your site supports framing.
    4.
Turning the feature on is as simple as checking a box in the merchant interface (see screenshot below.) We do ask that you consult with your LinkShare account manager to confirm that you can be enabled based on your link structure.
  1. Click on Individual Product Links in the Links/Merchandiser section

  2. Tick the box at the top of the page next to the text beginning "Enable affiliates..."
Enable deep linking today so you can empower your publishers to drive more sales!

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