Unfortunately there are people using the internet who are dishonest and will have no hesitation in changing affiliate links. Affiliate links are easily changed so it is strongly advised that you cloak your links prior to starting any advertising in order to avoid the loss of commissions. You can do this through your hosting panel if you own your own domain or by using tinyurl.



It is really important to check that all the links on your website as well as your affiliate links are working as there is nothing more off putting to a potential customer to click on a dead link. If you search on Google for `link checker` or `link validate` you will find some really helpful free online tools to check the links on your website.

It is not unusual for sites to go down for some reason or another, for example they may be having server problems and if that is the case you need to be in a position to immediately pause your marketing campaigns during the period the site is offline. You certainly do not want to be paying for clicks to a dead link. If you are using pay per click advertising (PPC) you can access your account and temporarily disable the display of your advert.

The same applies to credits you may have accumulated or purchased in the traffic exchanges. For example Traffic Swarm offers a facility where you can temporarily disable the display of your link. Once the site is back online you can then simply log in to your account and enable the links again. Most classified advertising sites also give you the option to open an account which will enable you to make changes to your adverts and put them on hold if necessary.

It is also unfortunate that some programs are short lived on the internet and so it is important that you ensure that you are not promoting an affiliate program that no longer exists.

If you are considering purchasing targeted traffic then be sure you will be given access to a panel where you can check your stats and change the targeted website if necessary.

Sure there are going to be places that you are promoting your online home business and affiliate links that you will not be able to change immediately, but at least for any paid advertising it is advisable to only use services whereby you have access to your account in order to be able to control when your adverts run.

Also be sure to read emails that you receive from the affiliate programs that you are marketing as they may include important information regarding changes to their links or advertising materials such as banners and landing pages. It is advisable to upload any banners you are using to your own hosting account so that in the event of the affiliate program discontinuing a banner your link will not be affected.

One of the very important things I have learnt while growing my own online home business is that you need to be in control of as much as possible on the internet and you can achieve this to a certain extent by owning your own domain. You then have more control of your online home business marketing and will be able to promote all your affiliate links on one website and be in a position to instantly access your hosting panel to change, cloak and redirect affiliate links.