Affiliate links on the DinoToyBlog

[DinoToyForum]

I've finally implemented something on the blog I've wanted to do for ages but never had the coding ability to do. To be honest, I still don't have the ability but I got a little help from a 'friend' - Mr Arthur Intelligence.

Every review on the blog now has links to buy the product, placed at the top, just under the star rating on the full review page, and just before the "read more" button on archive pages. These are not generic links, they automatically conduct a real-time search using the words from the title of the review. So, if the figure is available on those sites it should find it. If it isn't available then the search will just come up empty (or suggest alternative similar products).

At the moment there are only Ebay and Amazon (affiliate) links, but I plan to add links to other stores in the future, which I can do easily if other stores are interested. I'd prefer to send traffic to independent stores over Ebay and Amazon anyway, and give our readers a broad choice of options.

The links also appear on news articles, which doesn't make sense, so I'll see if I can avoid that happening. However, given enough time (once the products are released) even those links should become fruitful, so long as there's enough info in the blog titles to make the search yield results.

Please test it out and let me know if it actually works, or if you encounter any glitches (which is possible) or other problems. The links should open in a new tab or window, which I think is best? And also, just generally speaking, please share any other feedback on what you like or don't like about this.

[DinoFan2010]

I just checked the post for the PNSO Cameron, and the purchase links are at the start of every paragraph. Just letting you know.
Also, is there a way to change time zones on the DTF?

[DinoToyForum]

I just checked the post for the PNSO Cameron, and the purchase links are at the start of every paragraph. Just letting you know.

Oopsie! Fixed now! Thanks for the heads up!

[DinoToyForum]

I've finally implemented something on the blog I've wanted to do for ages but never had the coding ability to do. To be honest, I still don't have the ability but I got a little help from a 'friend' - Mr Arthur Intelligence.

Every review on the blog now has links to buy the product, placed at the top, just under the star rating on the full review page, and just before the "read more" button on archive pages. These are not generic links, they automatically conduct a real-time search using the words from the title of the review. So, if the figure is available on those sites it should find it. If it isn't available then the search will just come up empty (or suggest alternative similar products).

At the moment there are only Ebay and Amazon (affiliate) links, but I plan to add links to other stores in the future, which I can do easily if other stores are interested. I'd prefer to send traffic to independent stores over Ebay and Amazon anyway, and give our readers a broad choice of options.

The links also appear on news articles, which doesn't make sense, so I'll see if I can avoid that happening. However, given enough time (once the products are released) even those links should become fruitful, so long as there's enough info in the blog titles to make the search yield results.

Please test it out and let me know if it actually works, or if you encounter any glitches (which is possible) or other problems. The links should open in a new tab or window, which I think is best? And also, just generally speaking, please share any other feedback on what you like or don't like about this.

Not much feedback on this one so I guess that means the links work and everyone's fine with them!

I have now put the links at the bottom of each review as well.

[Gwangi]

I'm indifferent about it. I suppose eBay links could be useful but most of what's on the blog won't be available on Amazon. I can only speak for the U.S. but on Amazon the selection for brands like CollectA and Safari are very limited. Mattel toys have a short shelf life so Amazon links won't be useful for long. Naturally, vintage and retired figures won't be on Amazon either. I tested out the links for my most recent two reviews. They work but the CollectA elk wasn't on eBay or Amazon (it probably won't ever be on Amazon) and the same was true for the Captivz Ankylosaurus.

[DinoToyForum]

I'm indifferent about it. I suppose eBay links could be useful but most of what's on the blog won't be available on Amazon. I can only speak for the U.S. but on Amazon the selection for brands like CollectA and Safari are very limited. Mattel toys have a short shelf life so Amazon links won't be useful for long. Naturally, vintage and retired figures won't be on Amazon either. I tested out the links for my most recent two reviews. They work but the CollectA elk wasn't on eBay or Amazon (it probably won't ever be on Amazon) and the same was true for the Captivz Ankylosaurus.

Yeah, it'll find the products if they're there, but you won't know until clicking the link if they're there. Catch 22.

There's certainly a case to be made for removing the Amazon links. Across all the reviews on the blog I'd guess there's a 5-10% chance of the Amazon link being actually useful. The question is does it hurt? It at least will present similar products - in the case of your Captivz review it comes up with lots of other 'Bumpys'! And most visitors probably know vintage figures aren't on Amazon anyway and won't click the link.

[Gwangi]

I'm indifferent about it. I suppose eBay links could be useful but most of what's on the blog won't be available on Amazon. I can only speak for the U.S. but on Amazon the selection for brands like CollectA and Safari are very limited. Mattel toys have a short shelf life so Amazon links won't be useful for long. Naturally, vintage and retired figures won't be on Amazon either. I tested out the links for my most recent two reviews. They work but the CollectA elk wasn't on eBay or Amazon (it probably won't ever be on Amazon) and the same was true for the Captivz Ankylosaurus.

Yeah, it'll find the products if they're there, but you won't know until clicking the link if they're there. Catch 22.

There's certainly a case to be made for removing the Amazon links. Across all the reviews on the blog I'd guess there's a 5-10% chance of the Amazon link being actually useful. The question is does it hurt? It at least will present similar products - in the case of your Captivz review it comes up with lots of other 'Bumpys'! And most visitors probably know vintage figures aren't on Amazon anyway and won't click the link.

I don't think it hurts anything. And some popular brands do have a strong presence on Amazon, like PNSO and Haolonggood.

[DinoToyForum]

I'm indifferent about it. I suppose eBay links could be useful but most of what's on the blog won't be available on Amazon. I can only speak for the U.S. but on Amazon the selection for brands like CollectA and Safari are very limited. Mattel toys have a short shelf life so Amazon links won't be useful for long. Naturally, vintage and retired figures won't be on Amazon either. I tested out the links for my most recent two reviews. They work but the CollectA elk wasn't on eBay or Amazon (it probably won't ever be on Amazon) and the same was true for the Captivz Ankylosaurus.

Yeah, it'll find the products if they're there, but you won't know until clicking the link if they're there. Catch 22.

There's certainly a case to be made for removing the Amazon links. Across all the reviews on the blog I'd guess there's a 5-10% chance of the Amazon link being actually useful. The question is does it hurt? It at least will present similar products - in the case of your Captivz review it comes up with lots of other 'Bumpys'! And most visitors probably know vintage figures aren't on Amazon anyway and won't click the link.

I don't think it hurts anything. And some popular brands do have a strong presence on Amazon, like PNSO and Haolonggood.

True. I think the pros do ultimately outweigh the cons. The link don't take up much space, they fit visually and contextually in the reviews, and the worst case scenario is that someone clicks a link that yields no results. But even in that scenario, at least they've then ruled it out being on Amazon if they're looking for it. And if the link does provide results then the visitor makes a purchase they're happy with and the blog gets a little kick-back in the process. It's certainly a better business model than Adsense ads.

[Justin_]

I was wondering, if we click on the Amamzon or eBay links, don't buy the linked item but buy something else, does that still benefit the forum?

[DinoToyForum]

I was wondering, if we click on the Amamzon or eBay links, don't buy the linked item but buy something else, does that still benefit the forum?

Yep. I believe the affiliate link applies to any purchases made within 24 hours after clicking it. In fact, I know it applies to any items because I can see a list of everything I make a commission on and it's not just dinosaur models, and it's often completely unrelated to dinosaur models! I've no idea who's buying what - its completely anonymous.

So, in principle, if someone was going to buy something on Amazon or Ebay anyway, they could click one of those links first, do their usual shopping, and help out the affiliate in the process. However, affiliates are forbidden from asking visitors to click their links, all affiliate traffic should be 'organic', and they rightly take this very seriously and kick out affiliates trying to 'game the system' like that. This is why I'd never ask anyone to click my affiliate links, and I'm sure they have ways of identifying suspicious behaviour.

[DinoToyForum]

If any of you have clicked the affiliate links to make a purchase and wondered if it worked... it did! Since adding the new links I've noticed an uptick in commissions. The list of products sold is interesting, especially on Amazon. They are often dinosaur toys, but I also see a lot of very random stuff as well. I've no idea who bought what, and it may well be visitors just passing through, but I feel I should say thanks for the support all the same!