Is Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) Killing Your Affiliate Sales?
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Have you noticed a drop in affiliate sales since Microsoft's Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) was released?I have and I didn't really know why until my wife, kids, and friends started asking me why their computer wasn't working right.
While using Internet Explorer my son said, "Dad, nothing happens when I click on this link." I scratched my head for a minute and thought, "he isn't doing anything different, the only thing I recently installed was XP SP2"; then the light went off ... one of SP2's features is the incorporation of a pop-up blocker. After installing SP2, links that normally opened in a new window now don't open at all. The immediate way around it is to hold down the control key (Ctrl) then click the link or right click the link and select "Open in New Window". To permanently turn off IE's pop-up blocker, click Tools > Pop-up Blocker > Turn Off Pop-up Blocker.
So how does all this relate to lost affiliate sales?
If you have your affiliate links set to open in a new browser window, they are considered "pop-ups" by the post-SP2 Internet Explorer and many other pop-up stopping programs. The average Internet surfer with pop-up blocking software or SP2 installed will simply go to another site because they think the link does not work. If they do not see your affiliate product/page, they will obviously not buy what you are selling. Since the pop-up blocking feature is more-or-less automatic with SP2, you potentially lose a customer when they upgrade their copy of Internet Explorer.
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