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Ripoff artists are a concern in the real world as well as a concern in the virtual one.Out in the brick and mortar world, thieves will take money and merchandise and it isn’t any dissimilar online. Real world merchants use alarms, locks and guns to deter thieves. Internet Business owners need to utilize software to protect their commissions.Here are some things you can do to protect yourself and your commissions:

1.     Make sure to use meta refresh: A meta refresh is a simple bit of HTML code which mechanically redirects your visitor to another page (your affiliate URL). It provides a neat way of presenting affiliate links in newsletters. It probably helps reduce commission bypassing and commission hijacking. A big advantage of using meta refreshes is that if merchants change their affiliate links, you can change links on dozens of pages quickly and substantially by fixing only one file.

Search engines do not like meta refreshes because they are typically used in black hat marketing. So use them sparingly.

2.     Get a URL redirection service.You can use free services or buy a unique domain name for each affiliate program you join. URL redirection makes affiliate links less visible, so this will reduce some commission thefts.

3.    Use a web-based ad tracking service. The ad tracking link initially hides the affiliate link, reducing thefts.

4.    Use an ad tracking script. Good ad tracking scripts hide the affiliate link as well as being useful for tracking. It has the advantage that it doesn't promote someone else's domain.

5.    Use JavaScript redirect. Because this initially hides the affiliate link, it should reduce commission thefts.

Be aware that thievery is a problem for online businesses and take the necessary steps to protect your commissions.

Steven Lanier is a professional marketer in the  Home Based Business Opportunity industry. For more information, click the highlighted text.