In a previous post, I mentioned how sometimes things just happen to make sure you’re on the right path to doing what you need to do.

Over the last several months, I’ve had one huge headache with a couple of affiliates. Links changing, reporting programs changing and even a complete re-branding of one of my biggest income generators.

Certainly, I couldn’t just shove those aside and not change with them. I had to figure out a way to make the changes I needed and devise a plan that would minimize my own personal frustrations should anymore affiliates undergo such drastic changes themselves.

I begin researching redirects by calling on several friends I knew who used them to get their opinions. It was almost as if I were WANTING someone to say something bad so I could talk myself out of moving forward and doing redirects myself.

It just seemed like such a huge undertaking and well, being the creature of habit I am, I don’t like change!

Fortunately, I didn’t find one person who had a thing bad to say. I had no choice, I had to begin my redirect project and there would be no turning back.

The steps I took to implement my redirect program are:

1. Put together a spreadsheet of all my affiliates. You can see a sample here of what I did to keep track:

2. I uploaded all my php redirects into a named file into the root of each of my sites/blogs — as an example — my GoDaddy affiliate link is now sitename.com/hosting/godaddy.php On the chart above, I have all my “hosting” type affiliates listed under the hosting heading that would become the “heading” file in my root directory.

Other sites that have more files in the root, I created a sub-directory dedicated to redirects called “Links” so those new links would become sitename.com/links/hosting/godaddy.php

Now, any time I reference any of my affiliates, I can easily create text links throughout my content simply by linking to a specific php file.

They say the proof is in the puddin’ so here’s proof of what creating redirects did to just one of my affiliates in a single month:

Screenshot of sales from April

Screenshot of sales from May

That’s just a sampling of what redirects or link cloaking has done for my affiliates across the board and how I nearly doubled my entire income in a single month.

I’m completely addicted to redirects – for several reasons – not just the increase in profite, but for the accountability and tracking methods it provides.

To create redirects yourself, it’s as simple as creating the php files in Notepad – As shown below:

Here’s the text you’re welcome to copy to begin utilizing your own redirects.

<?php
header(“Location:http://www.yoursite.com”);
?>

Just make sure you change the www.yoursite.com to your exact affiliate link, name it something easy to remember and that’s it!

Once you’ve got your php files created, upload them to your directory and begin inserting text links like a madman.

Whatever you do, don’t make this seem more difficult then it is. There’s no need to overthink it like I did. It really is quite simple.

I only wish I’d begun with mine much sooner.

Tags: blogging, weblog, affiliate links, link cloaking, redirect, php redirect

Related posts:

1. To Use or Not To Use Redirects
2. Text Link Ads and Tiny URL – WTFlip?
3. I just tipped the scale of $5,000 in the month of May
4. Beef with Adbrite
5. Bigger Than Blogger?

Tagged as: affiliate link, com, creature of habit, drastic changes, income generators, personal frustrations, root, Screenshot, sitename, text