How to Make Your Own Tracking Links

By Tracie Johansen
Posted Tuesday, November 16, 2004

Are you tired of promoting your site and your affiliate programs and not knowing what's working and what's not?

If your web host offers stats that at least let you know what page's people are going to. This will work for you.

Below you will find a simple HTML code to use to make your own redirect pages. You can use it for pages on your site and use a different name for them.

Say the URL to the page you want to advertise in a particular eZine or classified is (http://www.yourdomain.com/products.html) put this link in the HTML code below in this area of the code.

Now name it with a different name such as product2.html and save it to your web site files. Next upload this page to your site.

Now when you place your ad list the URL in it as: (http://www.yourdomain.com/products2.html)

This URL will redirect to: (http://www.yourdomain.com/products.html) but will show in your stats as: (http://www.yourdomain.com/products2.html)

When you check your stats you will be able to see exactly how many hits you received from the eZine or classified or wherever you placed your ads. You can also do this with your affiliate programs following the same instructions as above. This will also make your affiliate links look better.

To keep track of your advertising, here is an example of a file to set up. Say you want to use the same ad and test several different ways to promote it. Simply make your file like this.

1. Yahoo ads
(http://thisaffiliateprogram.com) the redirect page file will be named thisaffiliateprogram1.html and you will list it in your ad as: (http://www.yourdomain.com/thisaffiliateprogram1.html)

2. eZine Number 1

(http://thisaffiliateprogram.com)
(http://www.yourdomain.com/thisaffiliateprogram2.html)

3. eZine Number 2

(http://thisaffiliateprogram.com) (http://www.yourdomain.com/thisaffiliateprogram3.html)

Get the Idea? Just continue making and uploading these redirect pages to your site until you have all on your list done.

Also on each redirect page be sure to list your title, description and keywords. If your site is spidered by search engines, they will very often pick these-up.

Here is the code.

Put Your Title Here

Very Important: Be sure to check each one of the redirect page links to make sure they are working before you place your ads.

Good Luck! If you have any questions or need any help with this email me and I will do my best to help you. ipromoteit2@yahoo.com

About the Author
Tracie Johansen is the publisher of Action eZine. Sign-up and receive Promote-O-Matic Mega Site Submit Software and eBook Ideas - The Ultimate Guide to eBook Promotion Free! (http://www.ipromoteit.com/actionezine2.html)