A new way to fix 404, Out of Stock and Inactive Merchant links is here

At any given moment, around 10% links across a publisher’s site are broken. This not only leads to a frustrating user experience for readers but more importantly, means Publishers are not being rewarded for their efforts and it can add up to significant revenue loss.

Which is why we are thrilled to launch Dynamic Link Optimization, which provides Publishers with an automated solution to fix 404, Out of Stock and Inactive Merchant links.

With the key holiday shopping season fast approaching, it’s vital to be able to fix these links. Dynamic Link Optimization ensures Publishers receive maximum revenue for every link they create and are able to offer a best-in-class reader experience.

So how does Dynamic Link Optimization work?

Fixing 404 Pages

Without Dynamic Link Optimization

You have a fantastic article and your reader really wants to purchase a product you’ve featured. When they click on a link, they land on a 404 page. Not a great user experience. They can’t buy the product they really want and will probably end their purchase journey there.

With Dynamic Link Optimization

The reader clicks on the same article link and instead of seeing a 404 page, Skimlinks optimizes the link and directs them to either the home page or category page for that merchant. This Improves the user experience by providing them with the option to purchase a similar product from the merchant and as the Publisher you will get rewarded for any purchase they make.

Fixing Out of Stock

Without Dynamic Link Optimization

A reader clicks on a link in that same fantastic article, but this time they land on a page and the product is out of stock. This is disappointing for the reader and for the Publisher, it’s another missed revenue opportunity.

With Dynamic Link Optimization

The reader clicks on the link to the product they’ve fallen in love with and because our technology knows the product is out of stock, Dynamic Link Optimization will direct the reader to an alternative merchant who has the product in stock. The reader is happy that they can purchase the product and the Publisher earns revenue from the sale.

Fixing Inactive Merchants

Without Dynamic Link Optimization

We know from time to time, a merchants affiliate program can become inactive. And when this happens, Publishers are not rewarded for the sales they generate. Publishers can manually update these links but it is not an efficient use of time.

With Dynamic Link Optimization

When a reader clicks on a link, Skimlinks knows if that merchant has an active affiliate program and if they don’t, the link will be optimized and directed to a merchant who sells the same product with an active affiliate program. This ensures that the reader can purchase the product they want and the Publisher is rewarded for the sale.

Giving Publishers Full Control

We know how important it is for Publishers to have control over the links in their content and with Dynamic Link Optimization, they have total control over what is being optimized.

To take advantage of Dynamic Link Optimization, Publishers will need to turn it on in the Publisher Hub. This can be done in Advance Settings. Dynamic Link Optimization is available to all Publishers who have the Skimlinks JavaScript installed.

To ensure the best user experience, where a Publisher has an article or a buy button that mentions a merchant’s name, we will not optimize any links on that page. We do this by default and there is an option for the Publisher to override this within the settings.

Where a Publisher has a link, page or merchant that they don’t want to have optimized, they can control this within the settings page as well. It’s easy to add and remove at any time.

Turn on Dynamic Link Optimization now and start earning the revenue you deserve.

Publishers not working with Skimlinks who want to dynamically optimize their links, sign up here.