Every week I get emails from merchants/networks etc. thanking me for promoting their discount codes on my site UKOffer.com. They then go on to politely ask me if I would kindly remove the old expired discount codes. Nothing wrong with that is there? Its a perfectly reasonable request. So why do I always say no then?
Content is King
We all know that the search engines love a site which has unique fresh content. The more content, then the more chances you have of being indexed for search terms/keywords related to your site. And as each discount code is displayed in a way that it has its own page then I would be foolish to actually delete these pages just because the discount code has expired. As even if a visitor comes across a page in my site that has an expired discount code who's to say they won't browse the site and find some live discounts?
Also, if I build up a lot of various discount codes over time then it all adds to the content for my specific merchant pages. Let's say that somebody is searching for "Tesco discount codes", if I have a page that contains 12 Tesco discount codes then it gives the page more chances of appearing high in the search engine rankings. If I deleted the old codes then this page would only ever have 1 or 2 entries and a lot less content and therefore less chance of ranking well.
Expired discount codes still generate sales
One of my most popular discount codes is the Setanta offer that actually expired last November. As you can see the offer has a clear expiry date of November 9th 2007. Unlike other discount code sites I don't have a "click here to reveal the offer" type of link, I'm clear and open about whether there is a discount or not and when it expires. However by putting a line of text at the end of the page that says "Offer expired? No problem - Setanta Sports run special offers all year round. Simply click here to see the latest Setanta offers." I simply give my users the option of visiting the Setanta site to see what they have on offer. As a result of this, I still make money from this expired discount code as every week I generate a few sales from Setanta - even though the original discount code expired some 3 months ago.
Google AdSense
On some posts I also display Google AdSense ads like here. This is another revenue stream for my site as it gives users more choices to visit related sites relavant to the main topic. Its also a great way to monetise expired discount codes, as again it gives my users more choices if they find a code has expired and they have missed it.
I guess its all about squeezing as much out of my site as possible in terms of monetisation. By leaving up expired discount codes then I'm still giving users the chance to find my site. And as long as merchants/networks give me accurate information and the correct expiry dates then I can't see any harm. I can't be accused of trying to pull the wool over the eyes of my visitors as expiry dates are clear for all to see.
I hope this explains why I don't remove old discount codes, I'm not trying to be awkward, I just want to generate as many sales as I'm sure you do!
What I'm listening to right now: NLT – "I Choose You"
Kieron, why don’t your remove your old discount codes?
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23 Responses to Kieron, why don’t your remove your old discount codes?
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Welcome to my blog. My name is Kieron Donoghue and I am the founder of ShareMyPlaylists.com, ContentNow.co.uk and some other stuff. I have no idea why I'm blue on this photo though but I like it!
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Absolutely agree, I do from time to time delete old codes, however some get missed, but on reflection its better to have an old code with a clear expiry date than a 404 or a redirect.
You are totally right. Surely the merchants can see this too? After all, its fresh traffic for an old code that if they handle right will become a new customer. The emphasis is on them handling it rather than you.
Totally agree and I faced this dilemma when building my site as each discount code is in it’s own post and obviously I didn’t want to delete the post in case visitors are sent there; so when it expires I add it to the category ‘Expired’ which (thanks to the wonders of WordPress!) automatically changes how it is displayed, link to more codes etc.
Surely you don’t have to remove the pages, just the code? Isn’t it simple to replace the code with “code expired”?
My view is that having expired codes is tantamount to forced clicks when you know that the code won’t work.
At the end of the day if a merchant wants their site advertised in a certain way then we have to respect that. Sending visitors that are ultimately disapointed is not in the best interests of the merchant specifically and the industry as a whole.
I can understand Nick Robinson’s assertions that some are “grubby little affiliates” when we flaglarently ignore the wishes of the merchant to generate more commissions ourselves.
I’m sorry to disagree with everyone, but Kieron you’re always telling people to work with merchants and for them to work hand-in-hand with us affiliates. But how can we improve relationships when we totally ignore the wishes of merchants for our own self interest?
To me its very short-sighted.
But if it works for you, good luck!
Lee. My voucher code posts CLEARLY display an end date for the code (when they are supplied by merchants). So if a visitor decides to visit a merchants site when I CLEARLY state that the code is expired then where is the harm? The merchant gets some free traffic from me from a highly qualified visitor who found my site looking for a particular merchant. And as Setanta will tell you, a LOT of these visitors result in sales. What’s wrong with that?
And to qualify, NO merchants have complained to date about getting sales from my site. And when I explain why I don’t remove old codes then without exception they have all understood my reasoning.
I think your point comparing my methods to Nick Robertsons comments is just ridiculous. I do work closely with all my merchants and unlike a lot of other discount codes I don’t deceive my users by forcing them to click a link to see if a code exists or not.
I personally don’t see the problem with removing old codes as long as I know or have been requested to do so, leaving the content in place and maybe having a bit of text explaining the code is no longer valid but why not check out the merchants site for any offers, discounts or sales that may be currently valid.
Removing a page of content is just daft, as all roads on your site should lead to some place, indeed on one of my sites when an offer is expired we but a great big notice up saying “Sorry This Offer Is No Longer Valid!” but I leave the rest of it intact as it could be a week or a month later the merchant comes back with something new and when you update the page you hit the ground running with your SEO.
So what’s wrong with replacing the code if the merchant asks?
Your page is still there and you can still send the traffic.
There’s no benefit from rejecting the merchant’s request.
A very interesting post. On balance I think it’s important to respect merchants’ views on this matter. It is perfectly valid for a merchant to ask that no details of previous promotions remain public, including the code itself.
Lee, I’ve never been asked to simply replace a code. I’ve only ever been asked to delete old codes, and after I’ve explained why I would prefer not to, the merchant has always agreed with me and the code remained live. As per my original post, this results in lots of further sales for the merchant is some cases.
David – yes I agree it is always important to respect merchants views. That was why I made this post in the first place, so I could explain to a wider audience, the reasoning behind my leaving old codes on my site.
As old codes/promotions were widely available in the public domain I don’t see any reason why a merchant would want them hidden after they have expired. Especially as they can lead to incremental trafic and sales even after the expiry date.
I agree with Clarke and Lee on this great subject for a post by the way.
I think you should keep the page and content, and just remove the expired discount code, and advise that this has expired but he take a look at x merchants site for other offers.
I think in the long term your visitors will come back more. I think sites with lots of expired codes will be a turn off for visitors, sure you have still seen conversions but i think you will get more if you admit there is no code currently and instead suggest they check out latest offers etc.
Totally agree you should not delete page thats madness as you then not got a page for when a new code is available.
“Especially as they can lead to incremental trafic and sales even after the expiry date.”
If a person was going to buy from XYZ merchant and they see a discount code that ended up being invalid I don’t think that they would buy to a greater extent than if they didn’t see an invalid code at all. Infact I think it would work to the contary.
If a person was going to buy from XYZ merchant and then sees a code for ABC merchant that was invalid perhaps that would drive incremental sales.
But from my evidence users search in far greater quantities for discount codes for a particular merchant rather than a vertical so I doubt that has any great impact on your argument.
So I would assert that the “incremental sales” are for yourself and not for the merchant. The merchant doesn’t care if you get them or any Joe Bloggs affiliate.
Hence, I would argue that there is no advantage to the merchant to allow old codes to remain and, when asked, they should be replaced with “code expired”.
If a user was going to buy from them anyway, you’d still get a sale.
The point is that your argument can only stand if a user searches for an individual code. And this would only be a case if affiliates enmass left out dated codes on their sites and encouraged those users to search for them.
My suggestion would be for merchants to take greater control of the codes they issue. When they expire they should ensure that their affiliate partners remove them. And more beneficially, they should keep a steady flow of unique codes.
Afterall, the purpose of the codes should be that they issued for specific marketing purposes. If merchants allow codes to be constantly offered then they are only devaluing there own offering.
So greater control by merchants, greater use of exclusive codes and greater co-operation between expert code affiliates and responsible merchants.
Lee – you’re missing my point by miles.
The merchants who have previously asked me to remove old discount codes have asked for the whole entry to be removed. I.e. delete the entire page which contains my discount code as well as all mention of it from my site. I don’t do this for the reasons I listed above. And again, as I have explained before, every merchant (in fairness it hasn’t been many) who I have explained this to has accepted it. Some have even told me later that it was a good idea as they are seeing sales and traffic from my old post.
If a particular merchant spoke to me and said “Kieron I insist that you remove the actual discount code itself from the body of the page (i.e. discount code UKOFFER10 or something) then I would oblige. As the main content of the page would be unaffected. Thankfully no merchant has ever asked me to to do this, as it would be pretty pointless.
So back to the point of my post – which is that I will not remove entire pages/posts relating to discount codes as it will have a negative overall effect on how my site ranks in the search engines.
Its really that simple.
I missed it so far by miles – I hope I’ve got back round and met it at the beginning?
I don’t see why Kieron needs to remove the code at all, unless the merchant absolutely demands it, even after an explaination. The reason i say this is that i don’t feel a visitor is any more likely to feel forced through to a merchants site, whether that be with a code showing with a clear message saying when it expiries, or when the code is replaced with ‘code expiried’, so i can’t see why Kieron needs to spend more time removing old codes when they aren’t doing any harm!
Kieron, speaking of which, can i ask, where do you get your discounts from, do they all come through the same affiliate channels as the rest of us, or do you get any exclusive ones from the merchants directly? I have to wonder how many merchants you are now signed up to, must be hundreds, your mailbox must go crazy each day lol
Hi Ian,
yes I get about 90% of my codes from merchant/network emails and the same channels as you. And yes I do get loads! However these emails are invaluable as without them I wouldn’t have any content from my site!
I do get some unique discount codes from certain merchants too, and these are always very much welcome
I see what you are saying Kieron but I guess the merchant is trying to control their presence online, in the same way as they want to control ad copy, what banners we use, and if we can bid on brand on ppc.
I guess this merchant does not want the message that they are offering a discount code when in fact they are not.
In your example of setanta you are advertising a £5 a month for 3 months which is now finished. Setanta are happy for you to still promote which is their decision. However some merchants would not want their customer getting confused message suggesting this deal is still available.
I guess it is like if they had a billboard advert they would want it changed when their offer had run out, so the billboard ad agency would either put a new billboard up or sell space to someone else.
I guess this merchant is requesting that you remove the advert from your virtual billboard as it is out of date.
From your point of you you want to keep it as you still potentially benefit, from the merchants point of view he wants only new offers advertised hence the request to take page down.
All merchants are different so some would still be cool with it.
Kieron, I respectfully disagree with your argument. This strategy is an SEO trick that in the end provides poor content to your users. If content is what gets SEO, then in the end this tactic will cease to help your site. Google has a history of discovering these tactics and the consequences for sites expoiting these loopholes is never good. Just look at all the sites whose pageranks got decreased when Google discovered they were selling links.
At Codes.co.uk we do not eliminate expired codes from ouy database but they are not displayed to the user. Why? Because a user has no interest in expired offers. When an offer expires contact the merchant and find out their plans for future codes. This facilitates good communication with merchants and will ensure good content for your users in the future.
Matt, its no “trick” as there is nothing untoward, unethical or even slightly black/grey hat about leaving old content up on a website. Why would Google ever penalise a website for this???? Have you ever done a search for something on Google and found that the top result is say a story from BBC news that is 2 years old? I have, on many occassions. So will the BBC or any website with lots of historical content be banned? How absurd.
I also disagree that a user has no interest in viewing old codes and offers. By seeing what was available in the past they can gauge what may be available in the future. It may also suggest to users that some merchants are more proactive than offers in offering discount/codes, all which goes towards giving users more information so the can make an informed buying decision.
Take the case of Setanta again, if someone searches for “setanta offers” then my Setanta page gets listed. What is wrong with a user viewing an old offer which I CLEARLY state has expired but then clicking on the Setanta link anyway just to see what is on offer from Setanta themselves? I’m not giving anyone false promises or being deceitful or even forcing clicks.
It sounds like you are saying that all old content must be removed, well that’s not what the web is about. For me, on UKoffer.com at least its about keeping a historical record of what offers and codes were available as well as new and up to date offers. Absolutely nothing wrong with that.
I’d agree with Kieron on this one. Purple gave an analogy about billboard advertising. Billboard adverts go up, then they come down – that’s the nature of the medium. On the web, you write a post, it gets cached, scraped, archived, aggregated, reproduced by various sites and services. Once it’s out in the ether, it seems a futile task trying to eliminate any record of its existence so why even try. If a merchant absolutely insisted on it, I’d take it down, but I think it’s completely reasonable to retain details of an offer that existed at some previous point in time as long as the expiry date is made clear.
Rob I agree with your comment that it seem futile for a merchant to try to get all the content about an offer off the internet. I was trying to put the view from this merchants point of view.
I think what Kieron has done with the setanta offer is the best way, as an old code is not listed but the vistor is invited to see what new offers setanta have. Merchant and Kieron win which is cool.
I am against listing of old expired codes, as a customer it is annoying getting all these expired codes i dont even bother with discount codes when shopping online now.
Kieron I agree!!!
I do the exact same thing. I need to keep that content.
As to everyone who is talking about going back to replace codes. I just can’t be bothered combing hundreds of posts looking to update codes everyday. If it’s a big problem for merchants, they need to give us links that will automatically update. That wouldn’t be hard to do, would it. Somehow I don’t think merchants are very keen on the idea though.
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It’s a good point. Pages with lots of old codes on rank higher sometimes. It’s not good to keep them in the main page and sometimes you’ve got to have a good clean out of dirty codes, but when it kills your ranking you get very depressed about it. It’s now even more stressful as I’m supposed to differentiate specifially whether something is a voucher or an offer or a discount. Well it’s a saving.
Once sites are in trouble for showing codes that are not intended to be for the general public and have some punishment inflicted the playing field might get a bit more level.
There’s whole sites built around codes for merchants who don’t like you using codes and because they use adsense for income and not affiliate links directly there’s little a merchant can do. Is google’s adsense team involved in the IAB discussions?