Affiliate Link

An affiliate link serves as a unique identifier that helps advertisers track which affiliate referred the customer and is responsible for the resulting sale or action. 

Let’s discover the affiliate links definition, how they work and how to use them properly.

Affiliate Link Meaning

Affiliate link is an URL used by affiliates to promote products or services. When users click on this link, they are redirected to the particular offer and can make a purchase or take a specific action such as filling a form, registering, etc. Affiliates earn a commission when these actions are completed.

Affiliate links differ visually, but they typically share common components: a domain, page, affiliate ID. Meanwhile affiliate networks often provide links without affiliate IDs, but you can personalize them.

How to Get an Affiliate Link?

Affiliate links can be found in affiliate networks or programs. Typically they contain a unique identifier or tracking code which allows the advertiser to track the traffic and conversions generated by each affiliate. These links may also contain additional information, such as campaign identifiers or source codes, to help affiliates analyze the effectiveness of their promotional efforts.

There are the steps of getting an affiliate link:

1. Register at an affiliate network
2. Discover an offer that you wish to promote;
3. Check the requirements of the offer;
4. Receive your unique affiliate link that is specifically assigned to promote the chosen product.

When visitors click on your affiliate link and perform an action, you earn a commission.

How to Use Affiliate Links Properly?

Using affiliate links effectively can greatly contribute to the success of your affiliate marketing endeavors. Here are some recommendations on how to use affiliate links properly on the AllCPANetworks blog example.

Add Anchors

Include affiliate links within the body of a blog post by transforming specific words or phrases into clickable hyperlinks. This type of hyperlink appears much more visually appealing compared to a plain link inserted into a page.

The contextual anchor text is more attractive as it is clear, user-friendly, and visually pleasing, especially when compared to the plain link that contains dynamic parameters and appears cluttered.

When creating your affiliate link, ensure that the anchor text is descriptive and relevant to the destination it leads to. This way, your users will immediately understand where they will be directed once they click on the link.

Maintain a Balanced Link Density

Spreading links evenly means placing one affiliate link in each piece of content. This approach requires more time and effort compared to adding several links in one long post. It is important not to overload the content with too many links.

Improve Affiliate Links

Improve the appearance and usability of your affiliate links. Not only is it important to add anchor links, but it is also helpful to make them easier for users to understand.

Affiliate links that contain dynamic parameters are usually long and unattractive, which can discourage users from clicking on them. People are often wary of spam and react negatively to promotional links.

For example, our dictionary link might look like this:

http://www.allcpanetworks.com/r.cfm?b=601672&u=313242&m=49337&urllink=&afftrack=

However, if you tidy up the link, it will become more attractive and trustworthy:

https://allcpanetworks.com/blog/what-is/

Nofollow Affiliate Links

We recommend adding “nofollow” to your affiliate links. Google does not like affiliate links, so it is better not to specify them directly to avoid the risk of blocking the resource. But if you add the “nofollow” attribute, Google will ignore the link.

Affiliate links can be added wherever you want. When doing so, make sure you have thought about a strategy for their distribution. Also, make sure you don’t appear promotional or spammy.