Key takeaways
- Affiliate link tracking has two halves: the link that records the click, and the conversion event that closes the loop.
- Each partner gets a unique tracking link that mints a click ID when clicked.
- You install a conversion event — a postback or SDK call — that reports the sale back with that click ID.
- Verify by running a test click through to a test conversion before going live.
- Afflio generates per-partner links and accepts cookieless S2S conversions, so setup is link plus one conversion event.
Affiliate link tracking sounds like one task but is really two: capturing the click and capturing the conversion. Get only the first and you'll know how many people clicked but never who bought. Get only the second and you'll see sales with no idea which partner drove them. This guide walks through wiring up both halves and — the step most people skip — proving the loop actually closes.
How does an affiliate tracking link work?
An affiliate tracking link is a unique URL assigned to one partner that, when clicked, records a click event and mints a click ID before forwarding the user to your site. The link is what ties a visitor back to a specific affiliate; the click ID it generates is what later lets a conversion be matched to that affiliate.
- Every partner gets their own link — the partner identity is encoded in it.
- On click, the tracker logs the event server-side and creates a click ID.
- The user is forwarded to the destination with the click ID carried along.
- From here on, attribution rides on the click ID, not the link.
How do you install the conversion event?
You install the conversion event at the point where a sale or signup completes, and you make it report the click ID back to your tracker. There are two common ways to do it, and you pick based on where your conversion happens.
- Server-to-server postback: when an order completes on your backend, fire a server-side request to the tracker's postback endpoint with the click ID, value, and order reference. This is the most robust option.
- Tracking SDK call: include a lightweight SDK on your conversion page and call its conversion function, which forwards the same data. Useful when the conversion happens client-side.
- Either way, the click ID captured at click time is the key — it must be the same value that comes back at conversion.
Capture the click ID, don't lose it
The single most common setup bug is failing to persist the click ID between the landing page and the conversion. Read it from the inbound URL, store it where your conversion code can reach it, and echo it back unchanged. If the click ID doesn't survive, attribution silently breaks.
How do you verify tracking works?
You verify tracking by running one real click through to one real conversion and confirming it lands on the right partner. Don't trust that it works because the code deployed — prove it with a round trip.
- Click a test partner's tracking link and confirm a click is logged with a click ID.
- Complete a test conversion on your site.
- Confirm the postback or SDK call fired with that exact click ID.
- Confirm the conversion appears credited to the test partner in your dashboard.
Tracking that hasn't been tested end to end isn't tracking — it's a hope. One verified round trip from click to credited conversion is worth more than any amount of correct-looking config.
With Afflio the work is small: every partner gets a unique tracking link automatically, and conversions come back over cookieless S2S postbacks or the tracking SDK. You're effectively wiring two things — distribute the links, and fire one conversion event with the click ID — then running a single test round trip to confirm it all connects.
What do I need to set up affiliate link tracking?
Two things: unique tracking links for each partner that record clicks and mint a click ID, and a conversion event — a server-to-server postback or an SDK call — that reports completed sales back with that click ID. Afflio generates the links for you, so the main integration work is firing the conversion event.
Should I use a postback or an SDK for conversions?
Use a server-to-server postback when the conversion completes on your backend, because it is the most robust and fraud-resistant option. Use the tracking SDK when the conversion happens client-side. Both report the same data; the difference is where the call originates.
How do I test that my affiliate tracking is working?
Run a full round trip: click a test partner link, complete a test conversion, confirm the postback or SDK call fired with the correct click ID, and verify the conversion shows up credited to that partner in your dashboard. Always test before going live.