Cookie Stuffing you own site

T

topnotch20k

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Dec 31, 2010
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Been looking into the ethics of this and whether or not its counts as fraud

If you have a site promoting a particular product and you drop a cookie for that product on everyone that visits, what say you?

Most campaigns are last past the post so to speak. The last person to drop the cookie gets credit for the sale.

In theory, the only way you would make a sale using this method is if the person visits your site, doesn't click a link but gets cookied anyway, and then goes direct to the advertisers site to make the purchase shortly after (or while the cookie is still valid).

Is it stealing/fraud if you get credit for this sale? Your site must of had some impact on them to make the purchase shortly after visiting but they didn't actually click on a link voluntarily...


If they had visited your site, got cookied, then went to another affiliate's site and clicked a link to the offer, your cookie would have been overwritten anyway and the other affiliate would have been credited the sale so you are not taking food out of their mouth.

thoughts?
 


I do it, one of my gambling sites promotes a certain poker company but they do not download the software till the 5th page or so. Sales have obviously increased after doing this (implemented it about 2 months ago) because like you said, if they hit the index and leave shortly after but end up signing up later, you get the credit.

As for it being sketchy, slightly, but that's the game. Also, sometimes affiliate products track the first cookie placed, so in your instance, you would technically be "stealing" his sale but on the other hand, the user visited your site first. I say, do it.
 
Pretty sure most of my campaigns are last past the post otherwise I would be getting a lot more sales for my heavily trafficked sites that get regular clicks

Any AM's on here with some input?
 
Some programs allow it and some don't. The key thing to look for is not being allowed is "no forced clicks" because that's essentially what you are doing. You are sending the user through your affiliate link without them clicking on a link for you to do so.

Most popular CPA networks here have no problem with it. CJ and GAN on the other hand will ban you if they catch you.

The reason why one group of advertisers cares and another doesn't is organic traffic/type in traffic. E-mail submits and rebill offers don't aim to have their LPs rank and get free organic traffic. Sites like say Stubhub aim to get plenty of sales through people coming directly to their site - sales they won't want to pay commission on because you cookie stuffed a user that just visited your site.
 
Great input. I'll be looking for the 'no forced clicks' in the the T&C of the offers I run and probably doing this on the offers that do not have the wording or something similar
 
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