Skimlinks

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United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Description

Content monetizationAutomatic link affiliationGlobal reachFor publishers

Skimlinks is a content monetization platform for publishers, bloggers and creators that automatically turns ordinary product and store links into affiliate links. Instead of signing separate deals with every advertiser, a publisher installs a single JavaScript snippet, and the network's technology detects product and merchant references in the content and adds commission tracking to them.

According to the network, one integration and one contract provide access to roughly 48,500 merchants and 50+ affiliate networks worldwide. Skimlinks was founded in London in 2007 (by Alicia Navarro and Joe Stepniewski) and today belongs to Taboola — following the 2021 acquisition by Connexity, a company within the Taboola group.

Merchants

~48,500

Affiliate networks

50+

In market since

2007

How it works

Once a publisher's account is approved, they receive a short JavaScript snippet to place in their site's footer. From then on, links to merchants supported by the network are automatically "affiliated". When a reader clicks such a link, Skimlinks dynamically rewrites the URL into an affiliate link with a unique tracking code, so any resulting sale is attributed to the publisher.

This model differs from a classic CPA network where you manually generate links for individual campaigns. Here, monetization is built mainly on existing commerce content (reviews, buying guides, product lists), and settlement follows a revenue-share (RevShare) logic tied to completed sales.

At a glance

Network type	Content monetization platform / affiliate aggregator
Billing model	RevShare (commission on sales); the network states it pays 75% of earned commission and keeps 25%
Categories / industries	E-commerce, fashion, home, electronics, beauty — broad retail offering
GEO / market	Global reach; ~48,500 merchants and 50+ affiliate networks
Minimum payout	$65 / €55 / £50
Payout methods	PayPal and bank transfer (Direct Deposit for UK/US accounts)
Operator	Taboola (via Connexity); headquartered in London, office in New York
In market since	2007 (London)

Categories and offers

E-commerce / retailFashionBeautyHome & interiorsElectronicsTravelConsumer products

The offering mainly consists of retail merchant programs. Skimlinks aggregates programs from many external affiliate networks, so available brands overlap with those found in popular CPS/RevShare networks.

Billing and payouts

—RevShare model: commission is earned on completed and approved sales. The network states it pays out 75% of earned commission (keeping 25% as a platform fee); the actual rate can vary by merchant.

—Minimum payout threshold: $65 / €55 / £50.

—Payments are monthly, but only after the advertiser has paid the commission — in practice around 90 days (or more) from the transaction.

—Payment methods: PayPal, and for publishers with a UK/US account also bank transfer (Direct Deposit).

Tools and support

—Automatic link affiliation via a JavaScript snippet installed in the site footer.

—Publisher Hub — a publisher dashboard with stats, reports and payment settings.

—Deep links and APIs for integration and reporting.

—An extension/editor showing merchant rates and helping create commercial links.

—Documentation and a help center for publishers (support.skimlinks.com).

Who it is for

Skimlinks is aimed primarily at commerce content publishers: editorial sites, blogs, forums and creators who publish reviews, buying guides and product mentions. The network states that large publishers use it, including BuzzFeed, Condé Nast, Hearst, Yahoo and Mail Online. The solution works best where content naturally references products, and less so in classic performance marketing based on individual CPA/CPL campaigns.

Strengths

+One integration and one contract give access to ~48,500 merchants and 50+ networks.

+Automation — no need to manually build links for every advertiser.

+Established presence (since 2007) with the backing of the Taboola group.

+Free sign-up for publishers.

Limitations

–The network keeps a share of the commission (a stated 25%).

–Long payout cycle — around 90 days or more from the transaction.

–Model geared toward commerce content, less toward CPA/CPL campaigns.

–Direct Deposit available mainly for UK/US accounts.

Frequently asked questions

What is Skimlinks?

It is a content monetization platform that automatically turns ordinary product links into affiliate links, giving a publisher access to many merchants through a single integration.

What is the minimum payout threshold?

The network states $65 / €55 / £50. Payments are made after the advertiser has paid the commission.

How is commission settled?

It is a RevShare model — the network states it pays 75% of earned commission and keeps 25% as a platform fee.

How long does it take to get paid?

Payments are monthly, but commission is only confirmed and paid after the advertiser has settled it — usually around 90 days or more from the transaction.

Who owns Skimlinks?

Skimlinks belongs to Taboola — following the 2021 acquisition by Connexity, a company within the Taboola group. The company was founded in London in 2007.

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