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Posted by Rochelle in Some people may be unsure if it is safe to buy on eBay. You may want to add a content page about why it is safe to buy on eBay and include a link to the page of your choice within eBay.
Of course, this will make a nice content page for your site but there’s another, better reason for doing this, too. If you have Build A Niche Store (aka BANS) stores then the number one goal is to get eBay’s cookie onto visitors computers. The number two goal is to have those visitors buy from eBay within your cookie’s time limit. What I’m going to explain here is a really easy way to get that cookie onto someone’s computer.
04/28/2008 Edit: I have updated these instructions to include eBay’s method of creating affiliate links since their decision to leave Commission Junction.
My instructions to add a ‘Safety on eBay’ page: |
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Step One
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| Go to eBay Help and choose what page you would like to send people to. | ||
| Copy the URL for that page. | ||
| Step Two | ||
| Log in to your eBay EPN account. Click the ‘Tools‘ tab and ‘Link Generator‘ link. | ||
| Enter or choose the following: | ||
| Advertiser = eBay | ||
| Link Type = Custom URL | ||
| Custom URL = URL to the page you are creating an affiliate link for | ||
| Geo-Target = Yes, if you can (I’ve not been able to get this option to work) | ||
| Select program to apply = country you are targeting (i.e. eBay US) | ||
| Campaign Name or ID = Name or ID for store you are creating link for | ||
| Custom ID = Something descriptive so you can see if link is working (i.e. shop-safely-on-ebay) | ||
| Link Action = Only check this if you are going to use eBay’s javascript or impression pixel since this won’t affect those using the ‘URL Only’ link | ||
| Link Text = Add anchor text only if you are going to use eBay’s javascript or impression pixel since this won’t affect those using the ‘URL Only’ link | ||
| Click the ‘Generate Link‘ button. | ||
| Copy the link code of your choice. | ||
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Step Three
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| Log in to your site’s Admin and click on the ‘Content Pages‘ tab and ‘Create New Page‘ link. | ||
| Create a new page and title it something that will generate interest in knowing if eBay is a safe place to do business. For example, you could call it, “Shop Safely on eBay,” or , “Is eBay Safe to Shop?” | ||
| Write whatever additional text you want for this page and paste the code in the ‘Page Content‘ section. Make sure you include the URL link code you created in step two in your text. | ||
| Save page and view site for errors. | ||
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That’s it. You now have a content page that helps put visitors minds at ease while you put your affiliate cookie onto their computers.
Want to know a secret? I just did the same thing to you. I hope you will forgive me but I did it to show you just how easy it can be to get your affiliate cookie on a visitor’s computer. Do you know where I did it? (It was in the eBay Help link up above.)
Rochelle
[...] Safety on eBay [...]
Hi Rochelle
I have been following Mark’s 12-week BANS course and you have kindly helped me on that forum a couple of times. When there has been anything that I have not understood, I’ve come over to your website and without fail your instructions clarify things – thank you for such a wonderful resource.
I used your “How to add a ‘Safety on ebay’ page” instructions a couple of weeks ago and it worked perfectly. Today, I have been trying to change the links through the new eBay Partnership site and I cannot get it to work. When you generate the code, it gives you 3 options. I have tried all 3 and cannot get the link in place. All I get is the HTML code showing on my website page.
I’m sure you will be sorting out your own links shortly and should be grateful if you could tell me how to do this out.
Thank you once again for your help – I don’t know where I should be without it!
Denise
Hi Rochelle
I’ve just thought, it probably won’t work until we have made whatever changes have to be made to the BANS software. Sorry!
Denise
[...] is to create campaigns for each of your niche stores. If you followed my instructions to create a Safety on eBay page then you will need to update the link in that page (thanks to Denise for bringing this to my [...]
Denise,
I’m so glad you asked about this because I had forgotten about it… I will work on one of mine and let you know what I am able to do (or not do).
Rochelle
Hi Rochelle
I hope you manage to sort it out. I have been trying for an hour and cannot do it, which ever piece of code I use. I either get the code showing on the web page or it shows in the Admin Page Content and nothing on the web page. I know it must be me!!!
Denise
Hi Rochelle
I thought you might like to know that the “safety on ebay” page that I put on my website from your instructions made 2 sales on the 1st April. The page had only been on the site for a couple of days at that point. So, a big thank you to you. Unfortunately, I deleted the link thinking that it would be easy to put the new link in after we transferred to eBay! Anyway, I think it indicates how powerful a page like this is in perhaps giving people confidence to give eBay a try.
I have had a total of 11 sales and one registration on this website and it has only been up for about 3 weeks. It shows that what Mark is teaching us works.
I hope you are getting to grips with updating your sites – I have been following Mark’s Blog and Forum and so have a good idea how things are going.
Thank you again.
Denise
Denise,
That’s great that you got a sale from this page! So far I haven’t but that doesn’t mean I won’t. Plus I think it makes our sites look more professional to have them.
I was able to change my link without any problems. Of course, I didn’t take note of the steps I took so I’ll go change another one now and tell you what I did.
Rochelle
Denise,
Ok, here’s what I did:
1) Log in to your EPN account. Click the ‘Tools’ link and choose ‘Link Generator.’
2) Choose the following:
- eBay
- Custom URL, then enter the destination URL (where you want to send people) in the area that shows up below this option
- ‘No’ to Geo targeting
- The eBay country of your choice (i.e. eBay US)
- Campaign Name or ID (the niche store you want associated with this link)
- text for your custom ID (something like shop-ebay-safely) to help you track sales that come from this link
- Choose to have link open in a new window if you want (Mark has adviced me that this may not be a good practice as pop-up blockers are beginning to block new tabs or windows that try to open)
- Choose the anchor text for your link (the wording you want for the link)
Now click ‘Generate Link.’
You should now have three different codes that you can use. Highlight and copy the desired code, log in to your site’s Admin and paste it into the content section of the page you created. Don’t forget to click the <> button if you are using a v2 store or higher.
Probably the best option for you would be the Javascript code. You can paste that code into the content section and have the anchor text clickable to your chosen page.
Let me know if this works for you.
Rochelle
Thank you for the very clear instructions. Unfortunately, I cannot get it to work. I have tried with all 3 codes that ebay provides and I get the code showing in full in my admin content page and on the web page. The java script is different, it shows correctly on the admin content page but shows the code on the webpage.
There is no problem generating the code.
When I press the button, a window opens showing the source code. Should I be doing something with this other than clicking “apply” and “ok”? I have been pasting the code on the content page and then pressing the button, apply, ok. This worked when I first set up this page.
I’m really grateful for your help.
Denise
Thanks for this…very tricky about the cookie. I have a question, though. Does the most recent eBay cookie override the previous eBay cookie? If I leave this site, then go to one of my BANS sites, and then go to eBay, which cookie rules?
Kay,
To the best of my knowledge, the most recent cookie is the one that gets affiliate commissions. So, if you clicked to eBay from my site, you got my cookie. Then, if you go to your site and click to eBay from your site, then your cookie overrides my cookie and you get commissions.
Rochelle
Hey Rochelle,
I’m a newbie and need help every now and then. I am going through your checklist and I have a few questions about it.
On ebay when I am trying to add a “safety on ebay” content page you refer to a “flexible destination tool” and you have a link for this on the checklist. It goes to my EPN page and I THINK I have found it elsewhere. On this “Link generator” page I am asked for a “campaign ID” Is this the CJ ID that you refer to? ALSO on my other sites referring to the “campaign ID”…should this be the CJ ID so it will track and pay commissions? I am confused about this!
Thanks a lot for all the work you have done and for helping newbies like ME!
TT
Terry,
I am so glad you asked about this! It has made me realize I need to update the instructions you are referring to because of the change to EPN. I am leaving tomorrow for a camping trip for the rest of the week and won’t be able to do anything until next week. But, you are correct. It is the ‘Link Generator’ tool within EPN that has replaced the flexible destination tool. And, yes, ‘campaign ID’ replaces CJ ID.
Rochelle
I have the same exact problem as Denise. Maybe she resolved it, if so I would like to know what the resolution is.
I have added the javascript code to the content using . The code is pasted in there but shows up blank in the web page.
Any assistance would be appreciated.
Thanks.
Jan,
Denise was able to resolve her problem. I actually went in to her Admin and everything worked fine for me, so I don’t know the exact problem she encountered.
Within the next week or so I will update these instructions so maybe that will help.
Rochelle
Hi Jan
The problem I had was that the “source box” would not accept the whole of the code – only half of it would go in. I have no idea why this was. I’ll describe below what I did.
First generate your code.
In order to get the code into the box, I first pasted it into notepad, making sure that “word wrap” was “off” (under the “view” tab), so the code was all on one line. I then copied the code from there and pasted it into the “source box” as described below.
In your Admin section, go to the content section of the page you are working on and click the hyper-link symbol. A box pops up into which you paste your code. Paste the code in to the second “source box”, having chosen the relevant pretext from the drop down list in the first box – eg http:// or javascript, etc. Then click insert and apply and ok.
It worked for me, but I have no idea why there was a problem. I hope that helps you. Let us know how you get on.
Denise
[...] How to Add a ‘Safety on eBay’ Page to Your Site [...]
I couldn’t get it to work either. I always have problems with the link tool in those editors, so I just used a cut&paste format that always works for me. No need to fool around with those silly boxes or worry whether the link is too long. Here’s what I use:
Visit W3Schools!
oops, looks like its not showing the code…
Click on this link and see the different ways to build a hyperlink!
Alice,
Thank you for the link! It has excellent information that should help those wanting to create hyperlinks.
Rochelle
Alice
Thank you – I think I’m going to be using this resource often!
Denise
I have been at this for hours and I’m at the end of my tither…hehehe
I have tried both (Rochelle’s and Denises) methods and still to no avail.
The Page creation I have achieved, it’s just the code which still appears in full html on both admin and website.
I have no idea what the problem could be. Probably something really simple but I certainly cannot find it….hehehe
Perhaps someone could give me a hand on this please.
Thanks
Kelly,
For some reason there are times when people are unable to create links using eBay’s link generator tool, and that may be what is happening to you. You might try creating this page in a totally different way.
Instead of creating a page on your site you can create an external link that takes people to whatever page in eBay you want to take them to. Try following the instructions at http://www.nichestorestrategie.....s-sidebar/ . This is now how I’m creating ’safety on eBay’ pages for all my stores.
Rochelle
This too is totally great!! Now, how does this apply to those of us using the PepperJam Network?
Thanks,
Shawn
Good question. The truth is, I do not know. I have not yet gotten involved with Pepperjam.
Hopefully someone reading this can give you a better answer.
Rochelle