AffiliateWP External Referral Links

Description

The External Referral Links add-on captures the ?ref= parameter on external WordPress-based sites, storing the affiliate ID or username in a browser cookie and automatically injecting that identifier into menu links and pages that point back to the main AffiliateWP site. Recommended for multi-domain operations where the institutional site is separate from the store, it allows affiliates to promote external marketing pages without losing referral credit when the visitor reaches checkout.

Key Features

• Cross-site referral cookie: stores the affiliate identifier in the browser as soon as the visitor arrives at the external domain via a link with ?ref=.
• Automatic injection into internal links: rewrites URLs of menus and pages on the external site that point to the main domain, appending the affiliate ID.
• Support for numeric ID and username: accepts both ?ref=123 and ?ref=joao in the source URL.
• Customizable referral variable: lets you change the parameter name if the affiliate program uses a different string than “ref”.
• Configurable cookie expiration: sets how many days the affiliate identifier is stored in the visitor’s browser on the external site.

Benefits of External Referral Links

• Correct attribution across domains: keeps the referral valid when the visitor navigates on a marketing site before reaching the store.
• More freedom for the affiliate: makes room to promote content pages, blogs, or landing pages hosted outside the main domain.
• Centralized configuration: adjust the variable name and cookie time on dedicated screens, without needing to modify the template.
• Preserved funnel: prevents clicks originating from multi-domain campaigns from losing the link to the corresponding commission.

Who Is It For?

• Businesses that keep the institutional or marketing site separate from the store where AffiliateWP runs.
• Affiliate programs that want to expand promotion channels to external WordPress-based pages.
• WooCommerce stores, Easy Digital Downloads, or membership platforms that rely on traffic coming from secondary domains.

Recommended for affiliate program managers operating in a multi-site architecture who need to ensure that every referral is recorded, even when the visitor passes through external domains before conversion.

Frequently asked questions