How to Track Affiliate Links: A Beginner's Guide to Knowing What's Actually Working

Best when: Always — this is your baseline

Every affiliate network (CJ Affiliate, Amazon Associates, ShareASale, Impact) has a built-in dashboard that shows clicks, conversions, and commissions. This is your starting point. Before adding any other tracking, make sure you understand what your network already shows you.

Best when: When you want to know which content drives clicks

UTM parameters are tags you add to your URLs that tell Google Analytics where a click came from. For example, you can track whether a click came from a blog post, an email newsletter, or a social media post — even if the destination link is the same affiliate URL.

Best when: When you want clean URLs and click tracking in one place

Link cloaking tools like Pretty Links (WordPress plugin) or ThirstyAffiliates let you create short, branded links (e.g. yoursite.com/go/bitwarden) that redirect to your affiliate URL. They track every click automatically and let you update the destination without changing every link on your site.

Best when: When you want a simple overview across all programs

A simple spreadsheet can be surprisingly effective. Track each affiliate link, which post it's in, the program name, monthly clicks, and monthly commissions. This gives you a bird's-eye view that no single dashboard provides — especially if you're across multiple networks.

Best when: When you're scaling and need advanced attribution

Tools like Voluum, ClickMagick, or RedTrack are built specifically for affiliate marketers who need advanced tracking: split testing, multi-touch attribution, bot filtering, and detailed conversion funnels. These are overkill for beginners but worth knowing about as you scale.

Click-through rate (CTR)

What it is: How often people click your affiliate link compared to how many see it.

Why it matters: Low CTR usually means the link placement is poor, the anchor text is weak, or the recommendation doesn't feel natural.

Conversion rate

What it is: Of the people who click your link, how many actually buy?

Why it matters: Low conversion rate often points to a mismatch between your audience and the product — or a weak product page on the merchant's side.

Earnings per click (EPC)

What it is: Your total commission divided by total clicks.

Why it matters: EPC lets you compare programs fairly. A program paying 20% commission but converting at 0.5% may earn less per click than one paying 8% that converts at 3%.

Top-performing posts

What it is: Which pieces of content generate the most affiliate clicks and commissions?

Why it matters: Once you know your top performers, you can update them, link to them internally, and use them as templates for new content.

Mistake: Using raw affiliate URLs everywhere

Fix: Cloaked links are cleaner, easier to update, and give you click data. Switch to a link management tool as soon as possible.

Mistake: Not labelling your links

Fix: If you don't use UTM parameters or a naming convention, you won't know which post or platform generated a click. Label everything.

Mistake: Checking stats daily

Fix: Daily stats are too noisy to be useful. Review weekly for trends, monthly for decisions. Daily checking just creates anxiety.

Mistake: Ignoring low performers

Fix: A post with lots of clicks but zero conversions is telling you something. Either the product isn't right for your audience, or the way you're presenting it isn't working. Investigate — don't ignore.

Mistake: Tracking clicks but not commissions

Fix: Clicks without commissions data is incomplete. Always connect your tracking to your actual earnings so you can calculate EPC and make informed decisions.