Affiliate cloaking and sponsored tags
 

I received an e-mail from one of my VR porn sponsors today, requesting that I add rel="sponsored" tags to all my affiliate links. This was due to Google updating their spam policy yesterday regarding third party content : https://developers.google.com/search...putation-abuse

I had previously cloaked all my affiliate links, primarily for analytical purposes, as well as the assumption that visitors are more likely to click on a cloaked link than an affiliate url, and less likely to just type in the affiliate domain rather than click.

Then I was hammered by the recent Google Core updates, especially the HCU, and I noticed that one of my rivals has gone from strength to strength with every new Google update. I've been trying to figure out what he is doing that Google likes, as his content does not appear superior to mine. The most obvious thing is that he does not cloak his affiliate links. However, he doesn't add the sponsored tag either (or 'nofollow').

So what do you guys think? Is it best to NOT cloak affiliate links, AND to add the rel sponsored tag to them?

Bump for actual webmasters & Affiliates.

That's your opinion, not Google.

"The most obvious thing is that he does not cloak his affiliate links. However, he doesn't add the sponsored tag either (or 'nofollow')."

100% it's not only that. Without url's to compare, nobody can say anything.

Well the issue is not so much whether his site is better than mine, it's what is he is doing so right? Because, probably the vast majority of niche affiliate review type blogs have been totally decimated by the Google updates. I'd like to be able to work out why Google manages to recognize the quality of his site so much, instead of letting it be submerged below all the crappy tube site clones and Social Media posts in the rankings as other quality sites have.

https://www.findvrporn.com/

I think the site is great and definitely one of the better VR porn review sites, if not the best. Still, even high quality sites like his haven't been spared by the Google purge.
Obviously, the affiliate cloaking and the nofollow aren't the only factors, although it might have been the tipping point that got my site penalized.

Here's another really good site, in fact, probably the best in its category, that's been around for over a decade and constantly updated with well-written and often very original content, and yet it also has been decimated by Google updates, despite not even having many affiliate links : https://futureofsex.net

Your affiliate link cloaking is not the issue (or at least it's not the main issue).

Without knowing which site is yours or having access to more information, it's hard to pin point the exact problem, however, as long as your affiliate links are nofollow (or flagged as sponsored), that shouldn't be an issue at all.

Like nowhere said, set the links to nofollow and you're golden. Sponsored is new and can be used too, but I hope most people have nofollow setup since atleast 2019.....

I accept that an AI algorithm that is designed ultimately to earn Google the biggest profit, a company that is about to be broken up by the DoJ, rates my rival site's content superior to mine. OK, my opinion is biased, but it's a human opinion based on being familiar and educated on the niche for the last 20 years.

I'll give you an example of why I don't think my content is poor quality. All these sites list the 'best' Black Friday deals. Well, most of the pay sites in the niche are advertising massive BF discounts, when in most cases their prices have dropped slightly, or in some cases not all, from what they were this time last month. But of course, nearly every other affiliate blog just wants to make maximum sales, so don't mention this, and just list either the biggest advertised discounts, or the ones that will make them the most sales.

On the other hand, every year I take screenshots of the membership prices of all the top paysites in the niche, and compare them with their 'Black Friday sales'. I rank my list on the basis of the real savings.

Yet it's just my opinion that my list is better quality for a surfer looking for the best Black Friday deals? OK.

BTW, these paysites that are so willing to scam their members or prospective members - I can only imagine how equally willing they are to scam their affiliates.

Are you taking into account user behavior, pageviews, time on site, and bounce rate? What about inbound link quantity and quality?

Actually in this scenario, the affiliate is the customer and the members are the product.