Black Hat Affiliate Takeover

Today’s Affiliate Rant:  The networks supposedly “screen” their applicants on the way in.  But, in most cases, this is just industry schpeal to lend comfort to merchants coming on-board.  Now, we all know they can’t screen all affiliates…. but when they identify a known problem, perhaps dig into the rest of your base to ensure they aren’t still lurking.

One of my all-time favorites is a Black Hat Affiliate with a bazillion publisher accounts within a network.  Survey says, if two affiliates have the same uncommon last name, are from the same country, etc etc… they just might be the same Black Hatter.  But… that’s just my opinion.

It appears that more and more the industry is changing, but not the networks.  At least, not in the ways necessary to facilitate fairness in the affiliate world.  The inability to adapt hurts both the merchants and good affiliates, cheapening the relationship.  Get with the program folks!