VigLink offers us the incredible opportunity to instantaneously benefit from an affiliate relationship with literally thousands of merchant partners, without actually having to apply to a single one of them. It would be next to impossible to sign up individually with some of the biggest names in ecommerce, without passing a rigorous application process. Here is just a tiny glimpse of the affiliate programs at your disposal:
Top VigLink Affiliate Programs
Top VigLink Affiliate Programs
Source: VigLink

VigLink.comThe general concept of VigLink may already be familiar to some of you. VigLink takes outgoing links and checks them against their database of covered merchants.

If said links point to merchants with an affiliate program, VigLink will automatically affiliate that link. Based on our Wizzley impression share model, the appropriate VigLink user ID will be inserted on the fly without any further action on our part.

For this service, VigLink takes a cut of any resulting affiliate commissions, usually 25% of the revenue. However, we have negotiated special rate of 20% exclusively for Wizzley authors. This means, you will receive 80% of any commissions generated by you.

  • Anyone, anywhere with a PayPal account can benefit from thousands of affiliate programs. 
  • No need to apply, and be approved, for specific merchants or networks. 
  • Save time by linking directly to the product page of your choice. No need to log into your affiliate program and build affiliate links manually.
  • You don't have to share commissions if you do build your own links. Existing affiliate links will not be touched.
  • VigLink will pay you monthly, no minimum required.
  • Stats Junkies Rejoice! VigLink gives you tons of stats to play with.

To use VigLink on your Wizzley pages, you must sign up through the direct link within your Settings page. Even if you already have an individual account with VigLink - existing accounts do not work on Wizzley! But don't worry, signing up through Wizzley is as easy as entering your email address and selecting a password. That's it. No application process, no approval necessary. Being an esteemed  member of our community is credential enough to be eligible to participate.

Once you registered your account with VigLink be sure to enter the same email address into the field we provide within your Wizzley account settings and you're all set.

Building monetized links to any covered merchant couldn't be easier. Just copy the URL of the page you wish to link to, and VigLink will do the rest.

Let's do an example together

Let's say we're writing about portable MP3 players and want to link to a great product on Walmart.com. We just need to create a simple text link to the product page in question, e.g this one:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sony-Walkman-8GB-MP3-Video-Player-w-Speakers-NWZ-S544-Black/11993292

So we go about writing our article, choose the word we want to hyperlink, hit the "chain" icon in the editor and insert our link. That's it. If the merchant is covered (when in doubt use the lookup tool) then VigLink will intercept that link and turn it into a valid referral link. If the visit results in a commission, the appropriate VigLink account (yours or ours) will be credited.

Another creative example for the use of viglinks would be alerting your reader to the different merchants that carry the particular item you are reviewing. Instead of just pushing one merchant, you could say:

This item is also available at WalmartToysRus and Buy.com.

As with all outgoing links, moderation is the key. This scenario would work best when your page is about reviewing one particular product. We certainly don't recommend that you abuse this feature to cast a drag net of commercial links all over your article.

eBay LogoOne of the biggest news is that, thanks to our friends at VigLink, everyone can participate in eBay commissions once more!

Due to the fact that the eBay Partner Network (ePN) doesn't allow individual affiliate links on third party sites, our beautiful eBay module didn't do much to work to your advantage. That is about to change now. Authors wishing to promote products on eBay can utilize our module again, and get credit for sales generated during their impression share. VigLink will manage all your links pointing to eBay, regardless of whether you are an eBay affiliate yourself or not.

VigLink provides an option to insert links automatically (called LinkWeaver) whenever it detects a keyword which could be linked to one of its affiliated partners. This feature can be enabled or disabled individually within your VigLink dashboard under "Features".

If you do not wish to have links automatically inserted on some of your pages, you can disable this option on a page-by-page basis in page editor. Just look at the very bottom of the right hand column and uncheck the box for link insertion.

We tried to anticipate most of the questions you might have. Check out our answers below and feel free to post anything else in the comments

  • Will VigLink change my own affiliate links?
    VigLink will not touch your existing affiliate links. So if you have an affiliate relationship with a merchant and built your own links, then they will remain yours and yours alone. The only exceptions will be text links pointing to Amazon.com or eBay, which will be re-affiliated byVigLink. On the other hand, if you want VigLink to re-affiliated all existing links you can turn this feature on within your VigLink account dashboard (under "Features").
     
  • What about Amazon, and the other Wizzley product modules?
    Amazon, Zazzle and Allposters links placed through the use of our modules will not be re-affiliated by VigLink either. If you have entered your partner ID for these programs in your account settings we will continue to use them as before. Special conditions apply to theeBay module since it is not possible to use your own EPN links on Wizzley.
     
  • Can we use text links to Amazon, Zazzle and eBay now?
    Yes! You can use text links to any site or product page, even to country-specific flavors of Amazon and eBay, like amazon.co.uk or ebay.ca! Just be aware that all text links leading to Amazon.com or eBay outside of our modules will be affiliated through VigLink, even if you insert your own affiliate code. Other affiliate links (like CJ or Share A Sale) will NOT be re-affiliated.

  • How much do I have to share with VigLink?
    If any commissions are generated through a "viglink", they will take 20% and give you the remaining 80%. If you have your own affiliate relationship with a specific vendor and created your own affiliate links then you will not have to share that revenue with VigLinkand get to keep 100%.
     
  • How much will I have to share with Wizzley?
    The impression sharing model with Wizzley remains unchanged, which means that you receive 50 - 60% of the impressions. You don't need to share with Wizzley any revenue generated during your impressions. 

  • How will I get paid for my VigLink revenue?
    VigLink disburses payments through PayPal, 60 days after the month in which they originated. This is the customary holding period to allow for merchant charge-backs. There is no monthly minimum payment threshold, so you will receive a payout every month during which you generated any revenue. Don't forget to submit your tax information.
     
  • How do I know whether a specific merchant is covered by VigLink? Is there a list somewhere?
    There is no list, but a very handy lookup tool. We provide the link at the bottom of the right hand column in the editor. Simply enter the URL of the merchant's website into the search bar (e.g. bestbuy.com) and VigLink will tell you instantly. Don't worry if you get a message such as this one:
    Merchant approval required

    Wizzley authors do not need to apply for these restricted merchants. We've already got you covered! ;)
     
  • VigLink is so cool! Can I use it on my own sites as well?
    The account you set up through Wizzley cannot be used for other sites, unfortunately. But you are always welcome to apply for an independent VigLink account for use outside of Wizzley.
     
  • I already have my own VigLink account. Can I use it here on Wizzley?
    Nope, sorry, that wouldn't work. However, it's very quick and easy to register your Wizzley sub-account through the direct link in your settings page.
     
  • Can I opt out of VigLink? 
    Certainly. Just don't register an account and don't enter anything into the VigLink field in your settings.
     
  • I have more specific questions about VigLink. Where can I get help?
    VigLink has an extensive knowledge base and forum where you will also be able to submit a support request if you still can't find a satisfactory answer.
Here are the members of the top 500 retail store merchants that have an affiliate program that VigLink gives you access to.

At this time, we consider this venture a beta feature. Please give us the benefit of the doubt if anything doesn't work as intended, and let us know if you experience any difficulties.

We hope the Wizzley community will embrace this new relationship with VigLink and get as excited as the rest of the team. Yes, we do have to part with a share of our earnings for the service they provide, but we'd rather focus on the additional opportunities to earn. 

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