LinkConnector’s Affiliate Ranking: Really Know Your Affiliates

CARY, NC — December 4, 2005 — LinkConnector (www.linkconnector.com), an Affiliate Marketing Network, today announced its launch of Affiliate Ranking, a new system that enables merchants to calibrate the criteria LinkConnector uses to rank affiliates in the network. Affiliate Ranking works by identifying and displaying a ranking value for each affiliate in the network, based on evaluation criteria customizable by each merchant. A merchant is able to assign individualized weights to a range of affiliate criteria, including affiliate network activity, affiliate earnings, traffic volume, and longevity in the LinkConnector network. Affiliate Ranking then scores affiliates on a scale of one to five stars, enabling LinkConnector merchants to save time and increase efficiency in selecting the best affiliates to promote their online campaigns. The system also incents affiliates to achieve excellence by rewarding outstanding activity in the network.
“We realize that no two merchants have the same set of success metrics and goals when looking for an affiliate partner,” said Ernie St. Gelais, LinkConnector’s Chief Technology Officer. “Our new Affiliate Ranking system enables each merchant to customize the way LinkConnector ranks affiliates and provides affiliate performance information. Merchants now have a quick and easy way to identify the best affiliates to promote their unique campaigns.”
In addition to having access to an affiliate’s ranking, LinkConnector merchants also have access to general affiliate information, such as company name, website, and business category. LinkConnector endeavors to maintain an open forum network where full disclosure and honest activity is upheld and encouraged.
The Affiliate Ranking system not only benefits LinkConnector merchants, but is also a significant bonus for top-performing affiliates. The Ranking system provides an important differentiator for performance and quality among affiliates. Affiliates with a high ranking are approached more frequently with merchant offers, and are approved more readily when they request to join merchant campaigns. By providing a quality indicator on behalf of affiliates, LinkConnector enables hard-working, high-performing affiliates to gain upfront credibility with merchants. The new Affiliate Ranking system, therefore, works to better equip top-performing affiliates to achieve success in the LinkConnector network.

About LinkConnector.com
LinkConnector is an Affiliate Marketing Network, helping merchants and affiliates increase online sales. LinkConnector is redefining affiliate marketing with its ground-breaking technologies like Naked Link Technology™, Affiliate Connections™, Pending Sale functionality, FraudFREE™ protection and Virtual Affiliate™ tracking.

• Naked Link Technology™ gives merchants a way to boost their organic rankings while they promote their site on LinkConnector’s Network. And, because promotional links are ‘naked’, Naked Link Technology™ gives affiliates a way to promote their affiliate programs transparently, making their websites seem more editorial in nature. It also works to defeat cookie hijacking so affiliates receive proper credit for all their traffic.

• Affiliate Connections™ provides affiliates with a quick and dynamic system to determine optimal promotions for their sites and helps match merchants to better performing affiliates.

• LinkConnector’s Pending Sale functionality opens up pay-per-sale campaigns to any merchant who begins their sale process online.
• Source Checker™, one of LinkConnector’s FraudFREE™ protection technologies, removes the cookie hijacking incentive for affiliates. It also gives merchants control to approve affiliates based on a recorded referrer coming from a valid website.

• Virtual Affiliate™ tracking allows merchants to track, in real time, virtual affiliates such as organic search engines.

Equipped with LinkConnector’s new technologies, merchants and affiliates can take their affiliate marketing efforts to new levels of success.
Affiliates can join for free and gain access to hundreds of merchant campaigns. Visit www.linkconnector.com/affiliatejoin.htm. For a limited time, merchant set up fees are waived. To join for free, visit www.linkconnector.com/merchantjoin.htm.
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PR CONTACT:
Jackie Lane Bates
Marketing
LinkConnector
www.linkconnector.com
919-468-5150 (t)
919-486-5585 (f)