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You can integrate Control Panel with an external affiliate program
(referral program) script by passing signup info (e.g. account
number, amount, etc.) to an affiliate program script.
How Do Affiliate Programs Work?
Affiliate programs involve four types of players:
- Affiliate Program Company/Server;
- Affiliate Site potential customers are referred from;
- your Control Panel Server;
- Potential Control Panel Customer.
This process is as follows:
- You place a referral link (text or banner) on an
Affiliate Site.
- The Potential Customer visits the affiliate site and clicks
this link. It sends
a request to Affiliate Program Server with an assortment of
variables that define the affiliate transaction (such as the
unique ID of the exchange participant).
- Affiliate Program Server sets cookies in Potential
Customer's browser about the Affiliate Site and which text link,
banner advertisement, or product link was used in the
exchange. This cookie will identify the opened transaction.
- Next, a new record is opened in the database of referrals
on the Affiliate Program Server. The opened record consists
of two parts -- the first one is filled with customer-related data,
the second one remains empty.
- Then Potential Customer is redirected to your signup (order)
page.
- Once the signup is complete, Control Panel sends a request
back to the Affiliate Program Server, including some registration
data. Depending on the Affiliate Program, this request would
have to pass different parameters, which has to be configured
in the Control Panel interface. At the same time, Affiliate Program
Server reads cookies from the customer's browser.
- When Affiliate Program Server gets this request, the
related database record is found using the cookie information,
and the received data are added to the record in the database.
Then, a new sale transaction is opened.
How Do I Set Up an Affiliate Program?
- Sign a contract with an external affiliate program company or
set up and configure affiliate software according to the
included instructions.
- Read the instructions on how to make the signup confirmation link. It must contain the variables required for the affiliate program to authenticate
a sale transaction.
- Go to your Admin control panel and select Affiliate Program in the Settings menu.
- On the page that appears, make up the signup confirmation link:
Use the drop-down box and the Insert button to add required parameters to the URL.
- Click the Submit button. Now this URL will be executed right after customer signup.
- Put the referral link on affiliate sites to refer Internet users to your signup page. Depending on the affiliate program, it can be emailed or otherwise communicated to you. See affiliate program documentation for details.
- Now your affiliate program is ready for use.
* The commission is based on sales, not visits or clicks.
* In terms of Control Panel, a sale transaction
is a user signup, even if the account hasn't been moderated
(i.e. activated). Trial registration is also a sale transaction.
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