VigLink

VigLink offers us the incredible opportunity to instantaneously benefit from an affiliate relationship with tens of 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:

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 Merchant Explorer) 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 Walmart, ToysRus 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.

One 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.

Just keep in mind that eBay pays per click (CPC) and utilizes "click quality pricing". You will not receive commissions for individual sales, but rather a compensation for every click you send their way. This CPC will vary depending on how well your traffic converts into buyers.

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 links pointing to Amazon.com or eBay, which will be re-affiliated by VigLink.  
   
• What about the other Wizzley product modules?
  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. 
   
• 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! All those links will be affiliated through VigLink, even if you insert your own affiliate code, unless you chose to opt out of VigLink altogether. 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?
  Recently, VigLink introduced their Merchant Explorer Tool which lists 30,000+ merchants covered, along with some program specifics like commission rates. You can search for specific merchants or browse the list by category. Merchants labeled as "Insiders" may actually offer higher commissions through VigLink than you would be able to get on your own!

• If the description for a merchant doesn't include commission rates, these merchants may require explicit approval. These are typically merchants that apply certain conditions on affiliates. If you want to promote such a restricted merchant, please submit a support request to VigLink and just ask.
   
• 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.

Please give us and VigLink the benefit of the doubt if anything doesn't seem 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 all the additional opportunities to earn.