Affiliate Disclosure

Transparency about our affiliate relationships and how we earn commissions

What is an Affiliate Disclosure?

An Affiliate Disclosure is a statement that informs visitors to our website that we may receive compensation when they click on links to products or services and make a purchase. This disclosure is important for transparency and is required by law in many jurisdictions, including Australia and the United States.

When you see an affiliate disclosure on a website, it means the website owner has a financial relationship with the companies whose products or services they recommend. This relationship allows the website owner to earn a commission (usually a percentage of the sale) when visitors make purchases through their affiliate links.

Our Affiliate Relationships

At Aussie Business Tools, we participate in various affiliate marketing programs. This means that when you click on certain links on our website and make a purchase, we may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.

We are part of affiliate programs with companies such as:

  • Software and SaaS providers
  • Web hosting companies
  • E-commerce platforms
  • Marketing and business tool providers
  • Other business service providers

These affiliate relationships help us maintain and operate this website, allowing us to continue providing free, valuable content and reviews to help Australian small businesses find the right tools.

How Affiliate Links Work

When you click on an affiliate link on our website:

  1. You are redirected to the merchant's website
  2. A tracking code is placed in your browser (via cookies) that identifies you as coming from our website
  3. If you make a purchase within a certain time period (usually 30-90 days), we receive a commission
  4. The price you pay remains the same - you don't pay any extra

This tracking is done through cookies, which are small text files stored on your device. These cookies help the affiliate network identify that a sale originated from our website.

Our Commitment to You

We want you to know that:

  • Our recommendations are genuine: We only recommend products and services that we believe will genuinely help your business. Our reviews and recommendations are based on research, testing, and our honest assessment of each tool's value.
  • Commissions don't influence our opinions: We don't let potential commissions influence which products we recommend or how we review them. We prioritize what's best for Australian small businesses.
  • You pay the same price: When you purchase through our affiliate links, you pay exactly the same price as if you went directly to the merchant's website. We don't mark up prices to earn commissions.
  • We're transparent: We believe in full transparency about our affiliate relationships, which is why we have this disclosure page and include disclosure statements throughout our website.

Why We Use Affiliate Links

Affiliate marketing allows us to:

  • Keep our content free and accessible to all Australian small business owners
  • Maintain and improve our website without charging subscription fees
  • Invest in research and testing of business tools
  • Provide comprehensive, up-to-date reviews and comparisons
  • Continue creating valuable content and guides

Without affiliate commissions, we would need to charge for access to our reviews or rely on advertising, which could compromise the quality and independence of our content.

Legal Requirements

We comply with all applicable laws and regulations regarding affiliate disclosures, including:

  • Australian Consumer Law: Under Australian Consumer Law, we must clearly disclose any commercial relationships that could influence our recommendations.
  • FTC Guidelines (US): The Federal Trade Commission requires clear and conspicuous disclosure of affiliate relationships.
  • ACMA Guidelines (Australia): The Australian Communications and Media Authority requires transparency in commercial relationships.

This disclosure page, along with disclosure statements in our footer and on relevant pages, ensures we meet these legal requirements.

How to Identify Affiliate Links

You can identify affiliate links on our website by:

  • Looking for disclosure statements near product recommendations
  • Checking the URL - affiliate links often contain tracking parameters
  • Noting disclosure notices in our footer and on product pages
  • Seeing phrases like "We may earn a commission" or "Affiliate link"

If you prefer not to use affiliate links, you can always visit the merchant's website directly. However, using our links helps support our work at no cost to you.

Your Privacy

When you click on affiliate links, the merchant and affiliate network may collect information about your visit through cookies and tracking pixels. This information is used to:

  • Track that a sale originated from our website
  • Calculate commissions
  • Provide analytics to merchants

For more information about how we handle your data, please see our Privacy Policy.

Questions or Concerns?

If you have any questions about our affiliate relationships or this disclosure, please don't hesitate to contact us. We're committed to transparency and are happy to answer any questions you may have.

Thank you for supporting Aussie Business Tools! Your use of our affiliate links helps us continue providing free, valuable content to help Australian small businesses succeed.