AffiliateWP Direct Link Tracking

Description

The Direct Link Tracking addon allows affiliates to promote your site using direct links to your own domain, without tracking parameters in the URL — when a visitor clicks and arrives at the site, the extension checks the referring domain in the database and stores the corresponding affiliate ID in the visitor’s browser cookie. Useful for programs that want to expand affiliates’ reach in content where links with parameters look aggressive, such as blogs, reviews, and editorial materials that rely on URL credibility.

Key Features

• Direct Links screen in the admin: adds a dedicated area in the WordPress dashboard to view and manage all direct links registered by affiliates.
• Domain approval: the affiliate only starts receiving commissions after the domain they submitted is approved by the program administrator.
• Global or per-affiliate control: enable direct link tracking for all affiliates at once or only for specific profiles, also setting the limit of domains allowed per account.
• Complete status management: approve, reject, mark as inactive, or delete domains directly from the admin screen, without having to edit each affiliate profile.
• Domain blacklist: block unwanted domains to prevent them from being registered and automatically discard visits coming from them.
• Email notifications: automatic alerts when an affiliate submits a new domain and when the request is approved or rejected.

Benefits of Direct Link Tracking

• More clicks in editorial content: clean URLs without visible tracking codes convey more credibility in reviews, comparisons, and sponsored articles.
• Affiliates with their own sites well leveraged: bloggers and influencers promote directly from their domain, without relying on redirects or shortlinks.
• Anti-fraud control: manual approval of each domain and the use of a blacklist prevent visitors coming from irrelevant sources from being attributed to affiliates.
• More attractive program: offers affiliates a differentiated way to promote, expanding the range of strategies within the same AffiliateWP dashboard.

Who Is It For?

• Stores and SaaS companies that run affiliate programs with bloggers, content creators, and niche sites.
• Program managers who need granular control over which domains can generate commissions.
• Companies that see SEO and CTR gains when receiving affiliate traffic through links without visible parameters.

Recommended for AffiliateWP administrators who work with editorial affiliates and want to offer a way to promote without apparent parameters in the URL, keeping case-by-case approval control.

Frequently asked questions