: Backlinks received FROM affiliate sites through affiliate links. Bad for SEO? I run a money site, and we also offer an affiliate program system. My question is, will the backlinks created from

@Reiling115

Posted in: #Backlinks #GooglePenguinAlgorithm #Seo

I run a money site, and we also offer an affiliate program system.

My question is, will the backlinks created from people posting my affiliate links on their website hurt or help my ranking?

Example:

My site is example.com and I have a product on example.com/product1. An affiliate link to that product would be: example.com/product1=?trackingaffiliatekey.
Do these links (in case my affiliates do not block them or use nofollow) count as backlinks to my site?

As an example, Amazon use this method, and to avoid duplicate content the page example.com/product1=?trackingaffiliatekey is CANONICAL to example.com/product1.
However, this is Amazon, not a small business like me so I think Google might treat them differently.

So do you think it's OK for SEO to use this method with Canonical to the original product URL, or do you think it is better to implement a separate domain example-affiliates.com and from that the affiliate links should 302 redirect to the appropriate example.com product page?

I could go either way, I just don't want my site penalized by Google in case they think the affiliate links found on other websites are paid links. Do you think this is their approach?

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