Cross-traffic detection and reports with evidence for each site
Cross-traffic detection and reports show which sites in your branded results take the visitor who searched for your brand and send that visitor to other brands. Within the Brand protection service, Best Boost Partners checks every site in the results: its type, where its buttons and redirects lead, the redirect chain, visible affiliate identifiers, the hosting, the registrar and the domain data. The work suits brands whose legal and affiliate teams act themselves. You receive a table of sites and an evidence file for each of them.
What exactly do we check on each site?
Type of site
Each site in the branded results is assigned a type: the brand’s own page, an honest affiliate that sends the visitor to your brand, or a site doing cross that sends the visitor to other brands.
Buttons and redirects
We follow every button, banner and link that offers to go to the brand and record the address where the visitor finally lands. The check is made for the country and the device in which the site ranks.
Redirect chain
For every transition we save the full redirect chain: all intermediate addresses up to the final page of the other brand. The redirect chain shows through which intermediate domains the traffic passes.
Affiliate identifiers
When an affiliate identifier is visible in the link or in the redirect chain, we record it. With the identifier, the affiliate programme of the brand that receives the traffic can find the partner behind the site.
Domain and hosting data
We record the hosting provider, the domain registrar and the available registration data of the domain. These data show to whom a complaint can be addressed.
Dated screenshots
Each step is confirmed by a dated screenshot: the search results, the page of the site, the button and the final page. The screenshots go into the evidence file of the site.
What do you get in a cross-traffic report?
- A table of the sites in your branded results by country: address, type of site and the brands it sends traffic to.
- An evidence file for each site doing cross: screenshots, the redirect chain, dates, domain and hosting data.
- A list of the affiliate identifiers found, grouped by the brands that receive the traffic.
- A list of the hosting providers and registrars to which a complaint about each site can be addressed.
- A regularly updated report: new sites and changes on the sites already in the table.
When are cross-traffic detection and reports needed?
- Your legal team files complaints itself and needs prepared evidence for each site.
- Your affiliate team wants to know which partners rank for the brand’s name and where they send the traffic.
- You plan to contact the affiliate programmes of other brands and need the identifiers of the partners who do cross.
- You want to assess the scale of cross in each country before deciding on a clean-up.
Frequently asked questions
How do you tell an honest affiliate from a site doing cross?
The difference is where the visitor ends up. An honest affiliate ranks for the brand’s name and sends the visitor to that same brand, while a site doing cross sends the visitor to other brands. We follow the buttons and redirects of each site and compare the result with your list of approved affiliates.
Can the affiliate identifier always be found?
No, the affiliate identifier is visible only on some of the sites. Many links pass through intermediate domains that hide the identifier. In such cases the report contains the full redirect chain and the final address, which the affiliate programme of the receiving brand can use to look for the partner.
In what form is the evidence handed over?
The evidence is handed over as a separate file for each site: dated screenshots, the redirect chain, the dates of the checks, and the domain and hosting data. A summary table links each site to its file. We agree the structure with your legal or affiliate team in advance, so that the materials can be attached to a complaint without rework.
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