Guide 🍪 What is cookie stuffing?

[dood]

I’ve noticed that “cookie stuffing” was mentioned on the forum a few times, and I assume most members don’t know what it is or how it works.

So, I decided to explain cookie stuffing in detail.

What is cookie stuffing?​

Cookie stuffing (sometimes called cookie dropping) is a black-hat affiliate marketing technique where someone secretly places tracking cookies on a user’s device without their knowledge or genuine interest. Basically, cookie stuffing is a way of forcing affiliate cookies onto users without valid clicks or intent.

How does cookie stuffing work?​

Let’s take a look at how referrals are normally acquired.

A fair affiliate has a website where they promote a product using a special affiliate link. If a user clicks that link and makes a purchase, the publisher earns a commission.

Now let’s look at the shady affiliate approach.

A shady affiliate has a website where they load invisible 1×1 pixel affiliate links or iframes for multiple stores like Amazon or eBay in the background. The visitor never sees them, but all those affiliate cookies are placed on the user’s device. If the user later shops at any of those sites, the cookie stuffer