If you have been using Pinterest as a way to make money online by adding affiliate links to your pins, then you have to look at other ways to make money from now on. Pinterest does no longer allow affiliate links and all affiliate links will be stripped according to an article by Elizabeth Holmes at Wall Street Journal.
To be honest I thought this was done a while back, I guess Pinterest cleaned it up but did not remove all affiliate links. This will now be done.
I don`t see anything wrong with this and it does not surprise me one bit. This is exactly what happened to article directories. From the beginning you could link with affiliate links to almost anything, over time it got restricted and you had to link to your own blog or site. Pinterest are following the same road.
I love Pinterest and use it, I think it is a fun way to share your pictures, but I use it to drive traffic to my own sites NOT to affiliate offers directly
Why not instead build something that will be lasting that will sustain any online changes… Why not build something that you yourself have 100% control of…
Posting On Sites You Do Not Own…
The fact is as long as you are publishing content, pictures, tweets and other material on other peoples sites, you are playing by their rules.
They own the site, they decide what to do with the content.
There can be all kinds of reasons for changing the rules, for allowing things to go on for a while then put an end to it.
Squidoo for example was a great way to make money back in the day. You would post squids, articles that ranked very well in Google. You would add in your affiliate link and could make great money. Google changed their algo rythems, Squidoo was forced to change their rules. And what was ones a big money maker for many has today very little to offer in that regards.
The same thing happened to article directories.
Things change very quickly on the internet and the site owners will do what`s best for THEIR site. Nobody wants spammy content on their site. Site owners want quality content that rank well within the search engines.
Take 100% Control
Your best bet is to spend time and effort building your own site. A place where you have 100% control.
If you provide helpful content on a regular basis search engines like Google will love your site and want it to show up and receive visitors.
That is a search engine`s job, to provide relevant, quality content to the searches that people type in.
Should you not use services like Pinterest?
This doesn`t mean you can`t use other services like Pinterest. In fact, Pinterest is a great addition to your own site, it is a great way to get traffic to your own site. Pin the pictures on your site, link them to your own website, write relevant content that will help your visitors and you have a great set up.
You can then use affiliate links, where they belong, on your own site.
How To Get Started With Your Own Site
It is simple and easy to get started and you can use this site here (it`s a review of a online training center) to learn all the ins and out about building your own website.
Not saying there is not hard work and lots of hours that needs to be put into a website, because there is. But it`s fun work, if you create your website on a topic that you enjoy, then you will look forward to working with it.
If you do not have your own site yet, I recommend you to go set one up right now. You can even get started for free. Yes, you can get a free site started and I show you how, right here.
I do recommend you to get your own domain, so that you are in 100% control. Starting out on a free domain and transfer it to your own, when you start making money will work to.
Do you use Pinterest to get traffic to your website? Did you use to add affiliate links to your pins? How has this effected your online busienss, I want to hear so please leave a comment below.
Hi Vickey,
I love the post. Hey, who doesn’t like making money? Iam not a big fan of Pintrest; it doesn’t surprise me they dropped url’s
Gary
Hi Gary,
It does not surprise me at all that they dropped the affiliate links.
Nobody want their website spammed with affiliate offers. It`s just not a good user experience.
I think Pinterest has a lot to offer in certain areas and it can help drive traffic to your site.
I welcomed the change,
Vicky
I have explored using Pinterest in the past to make money and was young in my internet marketing knowledge bank, so wasn’t entirely sure on the ins and out, but now I know. Thanks for making it soo easy to understand. Your information can save people a lot of time and money down the road.
Keep it up, Vicky!
Matt
Hi Matt,
Thank you.
You want to spend your time wisely. Creating quality content on your own blog is one way to do that.
Spending hours on affiliate offers on Pinterest… turned out to not be a good way.
Focus on your own website that`s the one thing you have 100% control over.
Pinterest can be a great way to create some traffic to your site though.
Vicky
I never really put Pinterest to use, so I’m not losing out much in that regard. It’s crazy how things can change so quick nowadays!
Yes, there are quick turns in the online world 🙂
That`s why it`s so important to build your own online real estate where you are in control.
Vicky
It doesn’t surprise me. Affiliates (in general) often ruin the integrity of a site by piggybacking off of someone else’s success. A perfect example is the spam comments we often get on our blogs.
Pinterest is a tool. Just like you can’t use only a hammer to build a house, you can’t just use one site to make money (unless it’s your own). That’s foolish. I don’t know why people try that. It’s folly.
Create your own site. Yes, the foundation is a lot of work, but if you do everything right, then you won’t have to worry about your revenue.
I agree with you.
Some try to take “shortcuts” it might work for a while but it will sooner or later come back to you…
Pinterest is a tool and it can be a great way to get traffic to your own site. They have lots of interaction,
and used in the right way it can be highly beneficial.
If you are in this for the long run, then you will need your own website. It`s not hard, it will take time and lots of work, but its fun!
The rewards can be amazing,
Thank Kinya for taking the time,
Vicky
I do use Pinterest for driving traffic to my website and have used affiliate links on there. However, I’m not upset by the change as I can still use it for traffic and I genuinely like the site.
I really enjoy the site too and like you say it`s a good way to get traffic to your site.
I admit I was active in hubpages and Wikinut before I had my own sites. It was frustrating because they often censor some of my articles even if I don’t write adult content. I eventually gave up and learned to created my own website and learn online business.
Hi Glen,
I did the same :).
When I started out in 2007 I was a HUGE Squidoo fan. I had lots of Squids and quite a few of them were making me good money.
Back then I build my own website the hard way. I remember looking at WordPress for the first time and I was sooo confused about domains and DNS settings and… I turned away from it. Back then it was a lot more complicated than what it is today.
I later went back to WordPress and today that`s pretty much what I use for my websites. Because when you have your own website you are in 100% control of that. Looking back at Squidoo and Hubpages, they were forced to change their rules to keep up with the search engines and their changes… Their site their rules, but it also meant closing down a lot of Squids and Hubs, that didn`t necessarily deserved it.
Vicky