Affiliate marketing can be a great way to drive new customers and incremental sales. But without the right controls, it can also open the door to abuse. One of the most damaging forms is affiliate ad hijacking, and if you’re not looking for it, you could be paying commission for sales you would have earned anyway.
Here’s what you need to know, what to watch for, and how to stop it before it costs you more.
What Is Affiliate Ad Hijacking?
Affiliate ad hijacking happens when an affiliate runs paid search ads using your brand name (often copying your exact ad copy) and sends the click through their tracking link before directing the customer to your site.
The affiliate earns commission on a sale you would likely have gotten directly or through your own marketing efforts. You pay twice: once in higher PPC costs and again in unearned commission.
Why It Hurts Your Business
- Wasted spend – You’re paying commission on sales you didn’t acquire through the affiliate’s marketing.
- Increased PPC costs – They’re bidding on your own brand keywords.
- Brand control risks – Customers may click their ad thinking it’s your official one.
- Distorted performance data – Inflated affiliate results hide true ROI.
Signs You’re Being Targeted
- Sudden spikes in affiliate sales from brand-term searches.
- Affiliates showing very high conversion rates on low click volumes.
- Rising brand PPC costs with no changes to your own campaigns.
- Feedback from customers about duplicate or misleading ads in search results.
How to Detect It
- Spot check – Search your brand terms regularly on different devices, times, and locations.
- Use monitoring tools – Services like BrandVerity, The Search Monitor, or AdPolice can scan globally and log violations.
- Review affiliate traffic – Look for quick “click-to-purchase” patterns (seconds between click and sale is a red flag).
- Analyze clickstream data – Use Impact or Google Analytics to see referring URLs and traffic patterns.
How to Prevent and Stop Ad Hijacking
- Set Strong Terms in Your Affiliate Program
- Ban bidding on brand keywords, variations, and misspellings.
- Prohibit direct linking from paid search to your site.
- Require affiliates to use their own landing pages for PPC traffic.
- Enforce Your Policy
- Use negative keyword lists in your campaigns.
- Monitor referrer URLs and promo code usage.
- Audit regularly: monthly and quarterly to catch violations quickly.
- Act on Violations
- Warn once, then remove or block non-compliant affiliates.
- Vet new affiliates manually and check their existing PPC activity before approval.
The Takeaway
Affiliate ad hijacking steals from your bottom line and rewards the wrong behaviour. The fix isn’t complicated: clear rules, consistent monitoring, and fast action. Protect your brand terms like you protect your products, because once you close the loopholes, your affiliate program can focus on what it’s meant to do: drive genuine, incremental growth.
Derrick Branco 