Creating an Affiliate Program - Need Some Help

[wrecker]

Hello All,

I've been asked to create an affiiliate program. I've already written
code to track clicks from affiliate links and log the information in a
database. I am now about to create the interface that will allow the
stats to be reported. I guess what I'd like to know, before I get too
far along, is if I'm on the right track? I log whether the person
hitting the site came from an affiliate link in the Session_Start of
global.asax.. Is this the best place to do this?

Are there any example affiliate programs out there that I could look
at or a Best Practices listing? A google search only turned up sites
that ask is people would like to join their affiliate programs

Thanks

Ren

 

[Kevin Spencer]

Hi Ren,

Your plan looks solid to me. I once did an affiliate ASP application, and
used Session_Start as well. It is really the only reliable way to do it,
since you only want to count the link once, and it doesn't make sense to
duplicate code across pages. You might also want to track the IP address of
the linker, since some affiliates might try to pad their stats by automating
some links.

--
Say "hi" to Stimpy,

Kevin Spencer
Microsoft MVP
..Net Developer
Ambiguity has a certain quality to it.

 

[bradley]

Did you use http referrer?

Hi Ren,

Your plan looks solid to me. I once did an affiliate ASP application, and
used Session_Start as well. It is really the only reliable way to do it,
since you only want to count the link once, and it doesn't make sense to
duplicate code across pages. You might also want to track the IP address of
the linker, since some affiliates might try to pad their stats by automating
some links.

--
Say "hi" to Stimpy,

Kevin Spencer
Microsoft MVP
.Net Developer
Ambiguity has a certain quality to it.

 

[Kevin Spencer]

No. They may link from an email, for example. You never know where the
affiliates might post their links. They might put it into their signature in
a newsgroup posting, or whatever, and you don't want to limit your
affiliates. After all, you want lots of people to link to your site.

--
HTH,

Kevin Spencer
Microsoft MVP
..Net Developer
Ambiguity has a certain quality to it.