What are Affiliate Links and Why We Use Them

Many websites today use affiliate links to promote products and earn commissions on customer product purchases. It can be difficult to find a site that doesn’t include affiliate links somewhere in their content. Just what is an affiliate link and why is nearly everyone using them? If you’re confused or just interested, read on to learn, in plain English, what an affiliate link is and why we use them.

What is an Affiliate Link

In the simplest terms, an affiliate link is a hyperlink that has a unique tracking cookie embedded in its code that tells a website where a visitor came from. For example, if you are on our site - Verdurous Environment - and you click on one of our affiliate links you will be taken to an external site such as Amazon. As your device loads Amazon’s page, the tracking cookie in the link you clicked tells Amazon you arrived there from our site.

While that might sound scary and get your thoughts racing that your information is being tracked there are a few things to note. First off, affiliate links are designed to ensure a promoter (someone recommending a product) gets the recognition they deserve for encouraging someone to buy the item. It’s the same way a salesperson is paid for selling a companies’ products by recommending products. Affiliate links are not scary and are an integral part of internet commerce. 

Secondly, once an affiliate link is clicked and the product page or website is loaded, if a customer makes a purchase (from Amazon for example) the promoter may receive a small commission based on the sale. It’s important to note that products do not cost anything extra is purchased after using an affiliate link. If a salesperson comes to your house to sell you on installing solar panels, the panels don’t cost more because they are going door to door. They will get a commission if you decide to install the panels however, affiliate links work much the same way.

Why We Use Affiliate Links

It is our goal to make the world a better place for all living things, period. This site is not funded by any business or organization to have bias toward a specific brand. We recommend products that we believe based on science and trust make the world a better place for everything in it. Our sole commitment is to the life on this planet and to trying to help it be healthier and safer. 

Our aspirations go far beyond simply operating this website and as such we need funding to reach our goals. Affiliate marketing (using affiliate links) is one of the most appropriate monetization methods we could think of for our content. We strive to make money and what better way to do that than by helping people choose quality products that can improve not only their lives but the lives of everything on Earth.