DL Guard – Download Security *   

What is it? 

DL Guard is a tool that protects your product download links from unauthorized and unpaid downloads.    

My Story:  Several years ago I was offering a specialty software product of my own.  I set up all of the links to my payment processor and created my download or success page, it’s the page that the buyer sees directly after making payment.  Within the Internet Marketing world it’s commonly referred to as the “Thank You” page.  The reason for this is that it becomes more than just the download link for your product but an opportunity to thank the buyer for buying your product and re-assure him or her that if it is not up to expectations that it will be refunded per your written guarantee. 

Everything worked perfectly and I went live with the product.  Sales were good and it looked like I would make a profit if the sales held up.  That’s what should have happened but didn’t because a few days after I introduced the product something occurred that I didn’t plan for. 

I was checking my log files one morning and noticed there were an unusually large number of .pdf downloads.   My first thoughts were that I hit the jackpot.  That’s what I thought until I checked my sales stats at the payment processor.  There were 10 times as many downloads as actual sales.  I immediately called the payment processor and asked how this could be.  I was politely told that a common problem is “unauthorized downloading,” and they could not help me. 

Once your product hits the free stage you are dead in the water because it then becomes viral and all of a sudden it’s on ebay for 99¢.  A common tactic used for getting email names. 

I was devastated, because it really takes a lot of effort to bring a product to market.  So I started to look for reasonable solutions.  I say reasonable, because when you run a small business, you need to keep your costs down.   

I very luckily stumbled upon DL Guard. Not only does it guard your url from any unauthorized access but it offers you a very simple solution to your problem. DL Guard is actually installed on your server or host and is managed solely by you. If that sounds too complicated for you it really isn’t. It’s a simple script that loads directly on your host or server. You don’t need to have it professionally installed. The instructions that come with it are very detailed and there is a live forum of other users so if you have a problem many other webmasters may have been there before and can offer a solution. The DLGuard people are fantastic and they respond very quickly to your needs and issues. 

The other thing that I like about DLG is that it’s more than just a means of protecting your download link; it also offers you a shopping cart and a site membership function as well.  It’s set up to run using 16 of the most prominent payment processors and yes ClickBank, eBay and PayPal are part of the 16. 

I haven’t had one unauthorized download of a product since I started using DL Guard several years ago.  For me and the rest of the folks at Home Business Research It’s been Godsend.   

Ease of use: 8 out of 10 

 

An 8 only because at first I was hesitant to load the script because I thought it was too complicated, only to realize that it was far less complicated than I thought.   Once I understood what I was doing it was very easy.  This is where the support from DLG and the forum come in to play.  Setting up a new product it very easy and only requires a few items about the product to be loaded into a form which then creates the html you need to create a buy button.  Single purchase items are your basis for the shopping cart and in one or two clicks can easily be put into your shopping cart. 

Product Functionality: 9 out of 10

This product works!  It does everything it says it does and more.  DLG creates buy buttons for your products, however you can create your own buy buttons if you desire.  If you use PayPal you won’t believe how simple it is to set up a product.  It’s very easy, although other payment processors work just as simply.

Cost Vs Payback: 10 out of 10

Depending on the cost of your product it may take 1, 2, or more sales to pay you back.  In actuality you can't put a pricetag  on virtualy eliminating fraud.  If you sell your own ebooks or other digital download products you need to use this product.

* Rick Carbone dba "Home Business Research" did not receive a promotional copy (and/or other material compensation), in order to facilitate His Honest opinion for this endorsement and Is a marketing affiliate for DLGuard.