Answer To The Viglink Issue On Bubblews And Persona Paper

Take a look at this screenshot.

Remember this? Yeah, does that look spammy to you or what? So, I wrote about that in an earlier post, which you can find here. It seemed that no one had the answers though. I was looking for more information, and, after doing a bit more research, I've found the answers to exactly what's happening and what's going on.

What is Viglink?

Viglink is an affiliate program which can help you earn some money by turning your regular or normal links into affiliate links. If people decide to click on those links, they will get taken to sites where they can choose to buy the item or product you mentioned in your article. If they decide to purchase something from that website (like Amazon or eBay) after clicking on your affiliate link, then you will get a commission. That's good, right? Sure it is if you want to earn some money 😃.

The issue with Viglink

Th problem is with the screenshots which you can see on this post. Note that I've noticed this happening on both Bubblews and Persona Paper. If you look at the screenshot, you can see that there are 5 links in 1 single post and they all go to the same page on the same site.

On Bubblews, 1 post I can recall reading mentioned Viglink 3 times, which caused said program to insert 3 links to their site's homepage on that article. How is this not spammy? I mean, how many links do you need for 1 site anyway? What's the point of linking to the same site more than once in an article unless those links go to different pages on the same domain? In this case though, they all go to the homepage of Viglink, so, isn't that pointless?

Skimlinks

Note that this is also possible with Skimlinks, which is another affiliate program that is pretty much similar to Viglink. I'm focusing on Viglink though because this is what I've seen on Bubblews and Persona Paper and so you can see an example of how it works.

Affiliate programs = not bad as long as you avoid spam

Also, note that I'm not saying that either of these affiliate programs are bad. In fact, I wanted to find out more about them and am even considering / thinking of using them on my own blogs and sites (haven't gotten 'round to it yet though as I wanted more info plus needed to make sure they won't end up looking spammy. I think I'm going with manual rather than automation on this one - no automatic insertion of links, which can make your post spammy).

Edited to add: I've created an account on Viglink though I haven't really used it on any of my blogs/sites yet.

There's nothing wrong with these programs. What's wrong is how they can appear spammy to your readers and visitors. If you can make them less spammy, if you can make the links look natural and not just there for the sake of being there, if you can make them relevant to your content, then it's perfectly fine to have those links on your posts.

Some sites where you can use your affiliate links

Actually, there are some sites that let you add affiliate links to articles you publish on those platforms. For example, you can add affiliate links to your HubPages, Writedge and Daily Two Cents articles, but they do have rules about this - and those rules are there to prevent your posts from being spammy.

What's the deal with the Viglink spam on Bubblews and Persona Paper?

After doing a bit more research, I discovered this feature known as Viglink Insert and I highly believe that this is what Bubblews and Persona Paper are using on their sites.

What is Viglink Insert?

This is actually a pretty cool feature (when used properly) and I think you know what it does and how it works already 😃. This feature automatically inserts affiliate links into your content so you don't have to do anything except write. Plus, Viglink says they will be inserting the link to the highest-paying merchant at that time so if someone decides to use your link to buy stuff, you can get a higher commission. Pretty cool, right?

What's wrong with Viglink Insert?

Well, nothing, I suppose, except when it gets too spammy. But what I've found is that you can actually control the settings of this feature on your site. You can see a screenshot of this on the Viglink website, but, basically, you can do things like:

• Add the automatic disclosure (Bubblews and Persona Paper do this. It's that title that shows up when you hover your mouse on the links. It says "link added by Viglink")
• You can set the link target like having it open in the same or new window when clicked
• You can decide the "allowable link destinations"
• You can decide how many links are inserted and the "minimum space between" these links

So, it looks like the problem is with the last bullet point - the total number of inserted links allowed and the space between these links. What do you think about all this? Do you think having too many links that go to the same page is spammy?

Additional information

The screenshot that I'm referencing in this article is the one that shows up in the first post that I wrote about this here on Persona Paper. It's the first pic on this post. But I took another screenshot of this article because, as you can see in the pic below, it did pretty much the same thing as the first article.

It's also interesting to note that the links are so near to each other even though I've mentioned Viglink in other parts of the post too plus why are the links near the top of the article? If you scroll down further, you see nothing at all even though Viglink was mentioned even at the end of the article. On the plus side, at least they made it easier for me to screenshot the post.

Again, just like I did with the first article, I'm changing one of the letters in the program's name to destroy / get rid of these annoying, spammy links. Actually, I just noticed that the program decided to add in the rest of the links after I removed the initial 5 and, after I got rid of all those links, it decided to add links to Amazon and eBay, so I had to get rid of those links too.

Here are some of the comments from this article, back when it used to be posted elsewhere:

LeaPea2417 wrote on February 23, 2015, 12:49 PM:
That is interesting. I have not given it much thought before.

FreyaYuki replied to LeaPea2417 on February 24, 2015, 8:54 AM:
I wouldn't have minded much at all if it didn't look so spammy. I mean, 5 links and all to the same page is spammy, isn't it? What's the point of linking to the same page 5 times in 1 article?

j2jworkz wrote on February 23, 2015, 1:02 PM:
It may be worth considering if used manually. I believe the auto does make pages look spammy; of course I assume manually controlling the insertions would be much more work.

FreyaYuki replied to j2jworkz on February 24, 2015, 8:57 AM:
If I ever decide to use either of these affiliate programs on my own blogs/sites, I'd also choose to add the links manually. It might take more time, but at least it would stop your posts from being so spammy. Besides, will people (your readers and visitors) really like it if they see 5 links to the same page in your posts? They might think you added the links yourself or something.

BarbRad wrote on February 23, 2015, 1:12 PM:
I have added Viglinks to my Blogger blogs, but have not noticed any links being added automatically, even though I've set it to add them. I have added some of my own Zazzle and Amazon links. I don't usually talk about any products by brand name, so maybe that's why I'm not seeing any links. I do talk about places and wineries occasionally, so I thought they at least might add links or wine tasting tours or travel, but so far nothing. All I see is their disclosure at the bottom.

FreyaYuki replied to BarbRad on February 24, 2015, 9:18 AM:
Have you tried contacting their customer support? Maybe there is an error in their code or something? It seems like even just mentioning shopping sites will cause a link to automatically be added to that site. For instance, you mentioned Amazon in your comment and I see that an affiliate link was automatically added.

I think it might be best to just add the links yourself to prevent the posts and articles from looking too spammy or at least make sure that the affiliate program won't end up linking to the same page 5 times in a single article.

AliCanary wrote on February 23, 2015, 1:31 PM:
I've noticed that some of my Bubbs articles are full of these, although I have not noticed on PP. I have actually been deleting the links on any articles I transfer from there to here, because they seemed like they might be affiliate links, and that's not allowed here. Thanks for more information on the subject!

FreyaYuki replied to AliCanary on February 24, 2015, 9:19 AM:
You're welcome 😃. I noticed these links on some Bubblews articles too.

GemstonePink wrote on February 23, 2015, 2:27 PM:
It does seem that Viglinks could cause a problem for quite a few sites if not monitored carefully.

FreyaYuki replied to GemstonePink on February 24, 2015, 9:24 AM:
Yes. It's best to either manually add the affiliate links yourself or really look into the settings of the automation feature to make sure that the links being automatically added won't end up making your articles look spammy.

ViperGirl85 wrote on February 23, 2015, 2:52 PM:
If I'm reading correctly, you mean the random links inserted into our posts? I noticed it on Bubblews, not on here yet, but it doesn't bother me anyways.

FreyaYuki replied to ViperGirl85 on February 24, 2015, 9:30 AM:
Yes, I'm talking about the random links that are automatically inserted in our posts both here on Persona Paper and on Bubblews. I wouldn't have minded at all except the links seem very spammy. If you look at the screenshots, you can see that the affiliate program inserted 5 links to the same page in one single article. Isn't that too much especially since all the links go to the same place anyway?

BrenndaMarie wrote on February 23, 2015, 3:47 PM:
I really do not know, much about it at all. Thank-you for informing me. I have never even heard of viglink before.

FreyaYuki replied to BrenndaMarie on February 24, 2015, 9:33 AM:
You're welcome. It can be a good affiliate program when used properly. If you look at the comment you just made, you can see an example. The word Viglink that you included was automatically turned into a an affiliate link. And, when you hover your mouse on this link, you will see the words "Link added by Viglink".

SLGarcia wrote on February 23, 2015, 3:50 PM:
I do know that is not something I would ever use, nor would I open the link. Thanks for pointing this out so I can avoid it :)

FreyaYuki replied to SLGarcia on February 24, 2015, 9:35 AM:
You're welcome 😃. I agree that I wouldn't click on these spammy-looking links. But if used properly, these affiliate programs can be good. It might be best to just manually add the links by yourself to avoid the spam.

allen0187 wrote on February 23, 2015, 7:14 PM:
Haven't really noticed any of these links in any of my posts here in PP or even in bubble ooze. i guess my posts aren't worth the time of these companies. LOL!

FreyaYuki replied to allen0187 on February 24, 2015, 9:49 AM:
It depends on the things mentioned in the post. For example, if you mention shopping sites like Amazon or eBay or if you're reviewing a product or item and mention it by name, then it's highly likely that an affiliate link will automatically be inserted to your posts.

Kungfu123 wrote on February 24, 2015, 1:57 AM:
Actually, I don't think there will be someone click the link.

FreyaYuki replied to Kungfu123 on February 24, 2015, 10:07 AM:
Yeah, I don't think anyone will want to click on spammy-looking links. Besides, who needs 5 links to the same page anyway, right?

nbaquero wrote on February 25, 2015, 12:36 PM:
freyayuki Well as of yesterday Bubblews removed VigLin(k) from their site. It was too intrusive.

FreyaYuki replied to nbaquero on February 25, 2015, 4:23 PM:
Thanks for the info. Haven't heard of this yet. I think they could have just tweaked the settings of Viglin(k) Insert to make the posts look less spammy (like setting how many links a single post can have, etc), so they wouldn't have to remove or stop using this affiliate program. Were they able to fix the issue with AdSense ads yet? Haven't checked the site yet. I guess I better go log in to see if there are new updates from the CEO.

nbaquero replied to FreyaYuki on February 25, 2015, 4:36 PM:
No according to one of the staffers (who posted an update) they are using AdBlades? while the wait to fix the issue. It looks VigLin(k) wasn't really meeting their objectives. I don't know if the same happens here.

FreyaYuki replied to nbaquero on February 26, 2015, 11:59 AM:
I just saw that post. I do hope they get the AdSense issue sorted out already. From reading the comments on that post, it looks like many don't like how the Adblade ads look like.

For Viglin(k), I think it might have been better if the links were manually inserted to prevent the spammy links and make sure only posts that warrant an affiliate link will contain links like if the post is a review of a product, it would make sense for it to have an affiliate link but if the post is a personal one and doesn't mention any products, then there should be no affiliate links there, etc.

scheng1 wrote on March 1, 2015, 3:20 AM:
I think Bubblews has removed it, and I think their Adsense account is terminated by Google.

FreyaYuki replied to scheng1 on March 1, 2015, 11:49 AM:
Yes, I just read the post about them removing the affiliate links from Viglin(k). I don't think their AdSense account has been terminated since I just saw that the ads were back on their site. It looks like they were finally able to fix the problem with the homepage ads that was mentioned in one of their posts.

*Notes:
- First and last pic is a screenshot of this article from back when this was posted on another site
- Second pic is by FirmBee (Public Domain) from Pixabay
- Third pic is by FirmBee (Public Domain) from Pixabay
- This was previously published elsewhere

How Viglink Works On Persona Paper And Bubblews

Also known as "Something annoying about Viglink, some questions, and stuff about both Persona Paper and Bubblews (trust me, it's all related)".

So, I've heard about Viglink and how it's supposed to be good, useful- eh, you get the point. I was thinking I might want to try it too. But then I saw how it works on the-site-that-shall-not-be-named (a.k.a Bubblews), and now, I'm not so sure.

What is Viglink and how does it work?

Viglink is an affiliate program. It works by automatically adding links to stuff you mention in your posts. For example, if you mention a product or a site or whatever, then Viglink will automatically add an affiliate link which, when people decide to click on, will take them to the site where they can choose to buy the item. You then get a commission from that. Cool, right?

What's the problem then?

But the issue I noticed is that Viglink tends to link to the same site several times. I saw this on a few posts I've read that use this affiliate program (like articles from you-know-who (*coughBubblewscough*)). For example, there was this one article I saw that was about Viglink. It mentioned that word around 3 times, maybe more.

Do you know what Viglink did? They automatically inserted a link to their site on that article not once, not twice, but three times. Doesn't that seem way too spammy to you? It was 3 different links to the same site. Is that even necessary? Do you like that? Do you think that's a good idea?

Some readers or visitors might be under the impression that the author of the article did that. Thankfully, if they hover their mouse on the link, they can see "link added by Viglink," but that's not really going to help much if they don't know what that means, right?

Question about Viglink

If you use Viglink on your own sites or blogs, can you be the one to add the affiliate link yourself? Like, can you get the affiliate link from Viglink and be the one to insert it on your post and then make it so that Viglink will not automatically add any links? Is that possible?

Edited to add: I've created an account on Viglink though I haven't really had the chance to use it yet. From what I can see so far, you can add the inks yourself. But the program also offers a feature which automatically inserts them for you. You can change the settings of this feature, so it won't go overboard when it comes to creating affiliate links for you.

Question about Skimlinks

Oh, and since we're asking questions and all, anyone know anything about Skimlinks? It's similar to Viglink, but I have to wonder which of the 2 is better, and, more importantly (okay, maybe just as important 😃 LOL), does Skimlinks do the same thing as Viglink? Will it also automatically insert several links to the same site in your article or can you stop this from happening and just do it yourself?

Using Viglink on Persona Paper

I can't believe it's happening here on Persona Paper too. Look at the screenshot below:

5 links to Viglink. Including the title. Seriously? This is what I've been seeing on Bubblews. Do you think that looks spammy or what?

Aside: I really don't like what Viglink is doing, so, to get rid of or destroy these annoying links, I'm changing one of the letters in the aforementioned word, so don't be surprised if you don't see what the screenshot shows when I publish this post.

Yet another aside: It's interesting to note that Viglink didn't link to Skimlinks in this post, considering I mentioned it a few times too. Must be because they're competitors. LOL. Okay, that does it then. There should be no other links on this post now except the tags at the very end or right below this line.

Here are some of the comments from this article, back when it used to be posted elsewhere:

MsBiz wrote on February 19, 2015, 2:46 PM:
I don't know much about said advertising program. Do you add it on your own? Can you use it on many sites?

FreyaYuki replied to MsBiz on February 20, 2015, 10:30 AM:
I've been doing a bit more research about this. I'll try to write a post about it soon. But, basically, you need to sign up for the programs first. Once they approve you, you can start adding affiliate links to your posts. It's similar to the Amazon Associates program. And you can even use Amazon with Skimlinks and Viglink.

Kasman wrote on February 19, 2015, 5:04 PM:
If that isn't spam I don't know what is. At the very least it's undesirable and not something we really want on PP.

FreyaYuki replied to Kasman on February 20, 2015, 10:35 AM:
Yeah, I think it looks spammy too. I mean, why would anyone want 5 links that all go to the same site? I hope something can be done about this or many might end up thinking the site is too spammy with all the links.

GemstonePink wrote on February 19, 2015, 5:54 PM:
It does sound like it could lead to a lot of problems for a site.

FreyaYuki replied to GemstonePink on February 20, 2015, 10:38 AM:
Yes. It can make a site seem really spammy especially with lots of articles swimming in clickable links that all go to the same site. It's also pointless to link to the same site several times in one post. One link should be more than enough unless they all go to different pages on the same domain. In this case, all the links go to that site's homepage.

inertia4 wrote on February 19, 2015, 6:30 PM:
FreyaYuki I saw those links on the B site also. I do think that people who frequent these sites know that we did not add those links ourself. But they are somewhat annoying. I find it annoying when I am reading a post. The light blue words on the B site turn me off to reading a post. But it is ad revenue for the site them and here as well. And since we get paid from ad revenue, I am not complaining.

FreyaYuki replied to inertia4 on February 20, 2015, 10:44 AM:
I don't mind the links. I add affiliate links on the other sites I write for too and they are allowed though there are rules. But what I don't like is if it ends up making the article look spammy, like in this case. Just because you mention a site or product or something several times doesn't mean a link needs to be added that many times too.

Like in that screenshot I included, Viglink even added a link right in the title. Plus, all the links they added go to their site. Isn't that redundant and pointless? If someone was going to go to a product or site, don't they need only 1 link to do so? What's the point of having so many?

j2jworkz wrote on February 19, 2015, 9:30 PM:
Have hard of Vlinks, but no experience with it. Good questions re: targeting and options.

FreyaYuki replied to j2jworkz on February 20, 2015, 10:46 AM:
Thanks. I'm doing more research about the 2 affiliate programs in question. Have found some things about them already so will try to write a post about this soon.

scheng1 wrote on February 19, 2015, 10:10 PM:
They use it because Adsense policy allows other advertisers that display in-text links.

FreyaYuki replied to scheng1 on February 20, 2015, 10:49 AM:
I don't mind that a site uses either of these affiliate programs. But what I don't like is if an article ends up swimming in clickable links that make it too spammy. Like in that screenshot, there are 5 links that go to the same site. Isn't that redundant and pointless, not to mention spammy? People don't need that many links since they all go to the same site anyway. Plus, one of those links was inserted right in the title.

nbaquero wrote on February 20, 2015, 7:30 AM:
FreyaYuki Well I was doing a little research on my own becasue I saw the links being added here at Persona Paper and there. I do know that those links can be disabled by the user, but then it would be like the Ad blockers.

FreyaYuki replied to nbaquero on February 20, 2015, 10:59 AM:
I did a bit more research too and am planning to write a post about it soon. From what I've found though, it looks like both Persona Paper and Bubblews are using the Viglink Insert, which will automatically insert affiliate links for you.

However, it is actually possible to decrease the amount of links that are automatically added by fine tuning the settings and options of this feature. If they can at least stop this program from linking to the same site several times in the same article, then that should help with making the posts look less spammy because 5 links to the same site is way too much, isn't it?

*Notes:
- First image is by kaboompics (Public Domain) from Pixabay
- Second pic is by GraphBerry (CC:BY-SA) from deviantArt
- Third pic is a screenshot of this article from back when this was posted on another site
- This was previously published elsewhere