Frequently Asked Questions

General
1. What is the Yahoo! Small Business Affiliate Program?
2. How do I join?
3. What is Yahoo!'s policy on adult content?
4. Can I participate if I live outside the U.S.?
5. Is a web site required to become a member?
6. Who will manage and administer the Yahoo! Small Business Affiliate Program?
7. What if forget my login name and/or password?
8. What if I have more than one web site?
9. What are my responsibilities as a Yahoo! Small Business Affiliate?
10. What are the responsibilities of Yahoo! Small Business?
11. When does payment start?
12. How do I cancel the program?
13. How can I contact the Yahoo! Small Business Affiliate Team?

New Terms of Service as of May 1, 2004
1. What has changed from the current Terms of Service?
2. Can I still bid on the keyword "Yahoo! Web Hosting or Yahoo! Small Business"?
3. Can I still bid on generic keywords?
4. Can I bid on other trademarked names?
5. How do Google's trademark rules work within the context of the Yahoo! Small Business Affiliate rules?

Commissions and Payments
1. How much will I be paid?

Your Links to Yahoo! Small Business
1. How do I find and add Yahoo! Web Hosting or Yahoo! Domains links to my web site?
2. Am I required to place a link on my web site?
3. Where should I place Yahoo! Web Hosting Yahoo! Domains links on my web site?
4. What if I experience problems with links or difficulty tracking?
5. How often should I change Yahoo! Web Hosting or Yahoo! Domains banners and text links on my site?
6. Can I publish your subscription prices on my site?

Tracking and Reporting
1. When do I receive my commission?
2. How do I find out how many clicks and impressions are generated from each link?
3. How do I know how many sales and commissions I have earned?

Email Restrictions
1. What is Yahoo! Web Hosting's policy on running my own email campaigns?

General

1. What is the Yahoo! Small Business Affiliate Program?
The Yahoo! Small Business Affiliate Program is a fast and easy way for you to generate income. If you have a web site, you can earn money by promoting Yahoo! Web Hosting and Yahoo! Domains, which offers highly-popular, world-class hosting and domain services, using banner and text links provided by Yahoo!. Every time a visitor clicks a link on your site to go to Yahoo! Web Hosting or Yahoo! Domains and then becomes a Web Hosting or Yahoo! Domains customer, you earn commissions. Back to top.

2. How do I join?
It's easy! First, read the terms of our affiliate agreement and complete an Application Form to apply to become a Yahoo! Small Business Affiliate. If you're accepted, just copy and paste the provided HTML codes onto your web site to display links to Yahoo! Web Hosting and/or Yahoo! Domains. The links will contain a unique account code to credit you for subscriptions that are generated from your site. When a visitor clicks on one of these links and purchases a subscription from Yahoo! Web Hosting or Yahoo! Domains, Commission Junction will track your code, calculate your commissions, and provide you with real-time reporting and monthly commission checks. Back to top.

3. What is Yahoo!'s policy on adult content?
The Yahoo! Small Business Affiliate Program prohibits sites with adult content and reserves the right to audit and review member sites for compliance to our policies. If your site(s) are deemed objectionable, we reserve the right to reject an application or revoke a site's membership at any time. Please see our affiliate agreement for further information on our adult content policy. Back to top.

4. Can I participate if I live outside the U.S.?
Yes. We welcome Small Business Affiliates from many countries so long as they primarily target U.S. customers. Please be aware, however, that the Yahoo! Web Hosting and Yahoo! Domains service is for U.S. residents only and that customers who subscribe to our service must pay in U.S. dollars. Back to top.

5. Is a web site required to become a member?
Yes. If you do not yet have a web site, please apply after your web site is live and fully functional. Without a web site, we have no means of evaluating your application. Back to top.

6. Who will manage and administer the Yahoo! Small Business Affiliate Program?
We've teamed with Commission Junction to provide you with trusted third-party tracking, real-time reporting, and monthly commission payments. Once you are accepted into our program, you'll be taken to Commission Junction's site to create your own secure, password-protected account.

Your Commission Junction account will give you access to a wide variety of Yahoo! Web Hosting text and banner links. Additionally, you will have the ability to view your account activity, calculate your commissions earned, and run reports that provide statistics on all your activities, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Back to top.

7. What if forget my login name and/or password?
If you have forgotten your login name or password, call Commission Junction at (800) 761-1072 and ask for Client Services. Alternatively, send an email to support@cj.com requesting your account information. Back to top.

8. What if I have more than one web site?
You may refer traffic and earn rewards using more than one site, subject to the same terms of the Affiliate Program Agreement. To add multiple sites to your account, log in to your Commission Junction account and add additional sites under Website Settings on the Account tab. Back to top.

9. What are my responsibilities as a Yahoo! Small Business Affiliate?
All you need to do is to drive potential subscribers to Yahoo! Web Hosting or Yahoo! Domains. Keep in mind that Yahoo! Web Hosting is a leading web hosting service that offers world-class, reliable hosting, and tremendous ease of use. Yahoo! Domains offers business-class domain registration and management services that are easy for users of every level. That means you're referring potential subscribers to a highly-popular product and that makes it easier to succeed! To keep track of how your links perform, be sure to follow the statistics of your site's performance via your Commission Junction account. Back to top.

10. What are the responsibilities of Yahoo! Small Business?
We will provide you with the tools and support you need to maximize sales across your site. We'll provide effective, high-performing banners and text links. On our side, we employ innovative strategies for converting visitors into Yahoo! Web Hosting subscribers. Also, we continually strive to enhance the Yahoo! Web Hosting products, to offer compelling, world-class web hosting services at great values for small businesses. Back to top.

11. When does payment start?
Payments will be issued on the 20th of the month. Back to top.

12. How can I cancel the program after signing up?
To formally end your relationship with the Yahoo! Small Business affiliate program, log into your Commission Junction publisher account. On your account home page select Yahoo! Small Business from the "My Advertisers" drop down menu, and click "Go". This will open the program detail page. At the bottom of the detail page you will find the "Expire" button. Click "Expire" to terminate your relationship. Back to top.

13. How can I contact the Yahoo! Small Business Affiliate Team?
If you have additional questions not covered in this FAQ section, please email Yahoo! Small Business Affiliate Program. Back to top.

New Terms of Service as of May 1, 2004

1. What has changed from the current Terms of Service?
There are several changes but the main change is to the rules regarding advertising on keywords that also may be trademarked names. Examples of such terms include "Yahoo! Web Hosting or Yahoo! Small Business." Back to top.

2. Can I still bid on the keyword "Yahoo! Web Hosting or Yahoo! Small Business"?
Yes, as an Affiliate partner, you may bid on the name Yahoo! Web Hosting or Yahoo! Small Business, if in your listing (title or description) you: (1) identify yourself as an Affiliate (denoted by Aff, Affil., Affiliate, etc. in the text of the ad) and, (2) link directly to the Yahoo! Small Business website (and related Web Hosting or Yahoo! Domains pages) or a similar Yahoo! Web Hosting web address approved by Yahoo!.

In other words, if you advertise using the term "Yahoo! Web Hosting" you cannot link to a page that offers information or links to any Yahoo! Web Hosting competitor, unless it's an objective service-comparison site (more on this later). Back to top.

3. Can I still bid on generic keywords?
Yes, you can bid on popular, generic, non-trademarked keywords (e.g. "Web Hosting, hosting) and use the name Yahoo! Web Hosting in the title or description of your ad. But you must link directly to either (1) the Yahoo! Small Business Web site, (2) a page on your site that primarily promotes Yahoo! Web Hosting (meaning more than 50% of the presence on the site), or (3) an objective service-comparison site, with Yahoo! Web Hosting as one of the represented services. Back to top.

In other words, if you bid on generic terms and include Yahoo! Web Hosting in the advertisement, you must link to the Yahoo! Small Business site, or a page that primarily promotes Yahoo! Web Hosting, or an objective service comparison site.

What you cannot do is advertise on a term like "hosting", use the Yahoo! Web Hosting name in your ad, while linking directly to a competitor's site, or to a page on your site that does not primarily promote the Yahoo! Web Hosting service.

4. Can I bid on other trademarked names?
Yes. As part of the Yahoo! Small Business Affiliate program, you may still bid on other trademarked terms, such as "Lunar Pages or iPowerWeb." But you must comply with 3 rules:
    (1) The trademarked name and Yahoo! Web Hosting name must both appear in the ad;
    (2) The ad must explain to users that it links to a product comparison site, or a web page that provides commentary on the trademarked product (e.g. "this is a comparison site of Web Hosting services…").
    (3) The ad must link to a web page that has objective, comparative information or reviews of services. This page must include information about the trademarked product and should reference Yahoo! Web Hosting, including links to the Yahoo! Small Business site.

5. How do Google's trademark rules work within the context of the Yahoo! Small Business Affiliate rules?
Google's trademark rules are less strict than those of the Yahoo! Small Business Affiliate program, but in order to protect Yahoo! and to avoid possible conflicts with other trademark holding companies, Yahoo! has decided to adopt these new Terms of Service, which within the framework of the Affiliates program, take precedence over Google's trademark related terms.

Yahoo! believes these new Terms of Service are fair and reflect the good business practices Yahoo! expects of all its affiliate partners. As a member of the Yahoo! Small Business Affiliate program, you are expected to operate within the rules laid out in the revised Terms of Service. Failure to do so may result in your removal from the Affiliate program.

If you have further questions, please contact your Affiliate program manager. Back to top.

Commissions and Payments

1. How much will I be paid?
You'll be paid $60 for every Web Hosting customer that you refer. For every Domains customer referral, you will be paid 20% of the total sale, based on the option purchased.

From time to time we will provide special promotions and incentives that will allow you to earn even more! For more information, go to the Yahoo! Small Business Affiliate Program homepage.

Please note that you will not be paid commissions on transactions that are not made in good faith, including, but not limited to, using any device, program, robot, I-frames, hidden frames, JavaScript popup windows, or redirects, and that chargeback's may be effected for refunds, fraudulent transactions, etc. Back to top.

Your Links to Yahoo! Web Hosting and Yahoo! Domains

1. How do I find and add Yahoo! Web Hosting and Yahoo! Domains links to my web site?
After you log in to your account at www.cj.com, go to the Yahoo! Small Business section. Once there, choose from an assortment of banners and text links, and copy the HTML code to your site. If you have technical questions, please call Commission Junction's Client Services at (800) 761-1072.

2. Am I required to place a link on my web site?
While it is not a condition of joining our Small Business Affiliate Program, you cannot earn commissions without adding a link to your site. Back to top.

3. Where should I place Yahoo! Web Hosting and Yahoo! Domains links on my web site?
Place Yahoo! Web Hosting links in areas where visitors to your site are most likely to see them. We suggest placement on your homepage, or other high-traffic pages. By putting these links in relevant areas of your site, your visitors will be more likely to click through and subscribe. Back to top.

4. What if I experience problems with links or difficulty tracking?
For technical questions like this, contact Commission Junction at (800) 761-1072 and ask for Client Services. Back to top.

5. How often should I change Yahoo! Web Hosting and Yahoo! Domains banner and text links on my site?
We encourage you to change links occasionally to keep your site fresh for visitors. Understanding your visitors' preferences will maximize click through to Yahoo! Web Hosting, earning you a higher commission. Back to top.

6. Can I publish your subscription prices on my site?
No. As prices, terms, and options are subject to change, we will only honor subscription prices listed on Yahoo! Web Hosting and not prices, special offers or discounts made by Small Business Affiliates on their referring web sites. If you have a request in regards to creating promotional content on your site dedicated to Yahoo! Web Hosting or Yahoo! Domains, please contact smallbusiness@cj.com for consideration. Back to top.

Tracking and Reporting

1. When do I receive my commission?
You will receive payment via Commission Junction on the 20th of each month for commissions made during the previous month. Back to top.

2. How do I find out how many clicks and impressions are generated from each link?
Sign in to your account and select Run Reports. Statistics and account activity are updated daily and running reports will tell you how effectively your links perform. Back to top.

3. How do I know how many sales and commissions I have earned?
To see how you have been performing in our program, view the statistics posted under your account at Commission Junction under Run Reports. You can also generate and customize transaction reports for a specific period of your choosing. Please note that there may be up to a 14-day delay before a subscription appears in your account and adjustments for chargebacks may be made up to 40 days after the sale. Back to top.

Email Restrictions

1. What is Yahoo! Web Hosting's policy on running my own email campaigns?
You cannot use the Yahoo! Web Hosting or Yahoo! Domains name, links or messaging in email-based marketing campaigns without the prior written consent of Yahoo! Web Hosting.If you are interested in starting an email campaign, or have other creative ideas in this area, please contact us at: smallbusiness@cj.com. Back to top.