You shared the link, people clicked, a few probably booked, and your dashboard shows nothing. It's one of the most frustrating moments in affiliate marketing, and it can almost always be fixed. This guide gives you a method you can repeat. Confirm the link is built correctly, follow the click all the way to the landing page, check the cookie, check the merchant side, then compare your own click data with the commission reporting. Work through the steps in order and you'll find the break much faster than by guessing.
What is affiliate link tracking?
An affiliate link is an ordinary web address with extra information attached that says who sent the visitor. That information is usually an affiliate ID, sometimes a campaign tag, and ideally a sub ID that labels the exact placement. Affiliate link tracking is the chain of events that logs the click, remembers the visitor, and matches a later booking or purchase back to you so a commission can be calculated.
Each link in that chain can fail independently. The click may never be logged, the identifier may get lost along the way, the cookie may never be stored, or the merchant may record the order without the attribution. Those four failure points give you a short checklist to work from.
How does affiliate link tracking work?
When a visitor clicks, the request usually goes through a tracking domain run by the network or the merchant. That server logs the click, stores a cookie or a server-side record against the visitor, and redirects them to the landing page. When the visitor later books, the merchant's checkout reads the stored identifier and reports the order to the network with your ID attached.
That's why small changes matter. If a redirect strips the query string, a browser blocks the cookie, or the visitor comes back later on a different device, the booking can complete normally and still arrive with no affiliate attached. Social platforms work the same way. On TikTok, for example, attribution is tied to the platform's own product links, which the TikTok Shop affiliate creator guide covers.
Is the affiliate link formatted correctly?
Start with the simplest explanation. Copy the exact link you published and read it slowly, looking for these common mistakes:
- A second question mark in the URL. It should appear only once, before the first parameter, and further parameters are joined with an ampersand.
- Spaces, line breaks, or smart quotes pasted in from a document or chat app.
- A truncated link, where a messaging app or link shortener cut off the last parameter, which is often your ID.
- An old program ID, or a link generated for a different merchant, region, or product category.
- A link edited by hand to point at a different landing page without being regenerated in the program dashboard.
💡 TIP
Generate links from the program or network dashboard instead of building them by hand. If you have to add a sub ID, change only that parameter, then retest.
Are the URL parameters being passed correctly?
Some networks, Avantlink among them, depend on specific URL parameters surviving from the first click to the final page. Click your link in a private browser window and watch the address bar through each redirect. On the final landing page, check whether your affiliate ID or tracking parameter is still there, or whether a cookie was set. Your browser's developer tools list the network requests and any cookies stored for the domain.
If the parameter disappears, find the hop that removed it. The usual culprits are a link shortener, a redirect plugin on your own site, a merchant page that forces a clean URL, and a deep link that sends the visitor into an app instead of a browser. Deep linking can help conversion, but it may drop the parameters unless the program explicitly supports it.
Is the cookie being set properly?
Even when the URLs are right, attribution can fail at the cookie. Modern browsers shorten or block third-party cookies under their privacy settings, and visitors who clear their data or switch devices lose the identifier. Check that the program states its cookie window, and keep in mind that a long gap between click and booking may fall outside it.
Travel and booking programs are especially sensitive to this because people research for days before they commit. A visitor who clicks your link, leaves, and later books through a search ad or a saved bookmark may be credited to the last click instead. Programs that use server-side or first-party tracking handle this better, so ask the program manager which method they use.
Is the merchant tracking sales properly?
Sometimes you did everything right and the fault is on the merchant's side. The tracking pixel or API call on the confirmation page may be missing, may fire before the order is finalised, or may not run for certain payment methods or for bookings made by phone. The terms may also exclude cancelled or edited orders, and orders paid at the property, from commission.
Ask the program manager three direct questions. Did you receive my click on the date in question? Was an order recorded with my ID? If it was, why is it pending, reversed, or declined? The answers tell you whether to fix your side or escalate. Reversals have their own explanation in why a TikTok Shop commission gets clawed back.
What is SubID tracking in affiliate marketing?
A sub ID is a label you attach to a link so reports can split results by source. Use one for each placement: a pinned comment, a bio link, a newsletter, a specific video. Without it, you can see that bookings came from your account but not which post produced them.
Keep sub IDs short, lowercase, and free of spaces and special characters, since some networks reject or alter them. Keep a simple sheet that maps each code to its placement. If a booking fails to appear, a unique sub ID also lets you show which click it should have come from.
How do I set up affiliate link tracking?
Generate the link in the program dashboard
Use the official link builder for the exact product or landing page. Avoid copying links from other creators.
Add a sub ID per placement
Append one label for each channel or post so reporting can separate them.
Test in a clean browser
Open a private window, click the link, and confirm the final URL or cookie still carries your ID.
Record the click on your side
Log outbound clicks in your analytics so you have an independent count.
Make a test booking if allowed
Some programs let you place a small test order or have the manager confirm a test click.
Check the report after the reporting delay
Many programs update daily, others only after validation. Wait for that window before assuming a failure.
How can I track affiliate link clicks with Google Analytics?
If you have affiliate links on your website and want to track them, Google Analytics can count outbound clicks, though it can't see the sale. There are two common approaches. One is to add campaign parameters to links in your own content so you can tell which page or email sent the visitor. The other is to record an event whenever a visitor clicks a link to the affiliate domain, using Google Tag Manager with a click trigger that matches the link URL.
Once the event is coming through, build a report filtered to that event and break it down by page, channel, and landing page. Mark it as a key event if you want it treated as a conversion. The report shows which content generates affiliate interest. Compare those numbers with the network's own click and booking report. If your analytics shows many clicks and the network shows few, the loss is happening in the redirect or at the tracking domain.
📝 NOTE
Analytics counts clicks and can't see commissions. Use it to diagnose problems, and rely on the network or merchant report for the money.
Which tracking problems look alike, and how do I tell them apart?
Why isn't my affiliate link working on TikTok or in an app?
Social apps open links in their own in-app browser, which handles cookies differently from your normal browser, and some strip or rewrite parameters. If a link works on desktop but not from a profile, test it from the actual app on a phone. Also confirm that the platform allows external affiliate links in that location, since policies on bio links and captions differ.
If you promote products through TikTok Shop, the platform handles tracking itself, so the problem is more often eligibility than parameters. Check that the product is open for affiliate commission, that the order came through your video or showcase, and that the order is past its return window. For payout timing, see the TikTok Shop affiliate payment schedule. If you're weighing different programs, the comparison of TikTok Shop and Amazon affiliate explains how their attribution differs.
What metrics should I track for affiliate links?
Beyond raw clicks, watch the numbers that show how healthy your tracking is and how well your content performs:
- Click-to-order ratio per sub ID, to spot placements that lose attribution.
- Landing page behaviour, such as bounce rate and time on page, to tell a tracking fault from a weak offer.
- Commission earned compared with reversed or declined commission.
- Time between click and booking, to check against the cookie window.
- Device and browser mix, since tracking failures often cluster in one environment.
Reviewing these weekly makes tracking a routine task. For a wider view of what to expect from commission, read how much money you can make with TikTok affiliate marketing.
When should I escalate to the program or network?
Escalate once you've ruled out your own link and browser. Send the manager a short, factual package: the exact link, the sub ID, the date and time of a test click, a screenshot of the final landing URL, and your analytics click count. Ask them to look up the click in their logs. Specific evidence gets a faster answer than a general complaint that tracking is broken.
If the program can't trace clicks at all, consider whether it deserves your traffic. Reliable reporting is part of what you're being paid for, and a program that can't show you its data puts your income at risk. Our guide on earning commission on TikTok Shop shows what transparent attribution can look like.
How do I keep affiliate tracking healthy over time?
Tracking tends to break quietly. A site redesign, a new redirect plugin, a changed merchant checkout, or a browser update can each interrupt attribution without any error message. Set up a short monthly routine: click your top links in a private window, confirm the parameters survive, compare analytics with the network report, and remove links to products that are out of stock or no longer in the program.
Keep a record of every link you publish, with its sub ID and date. When something does go wrong, that record can cut the investigation from days to minutes, and it gives the program manager what they need to fix the problem.
Turn your affiliate data into decisions
Explore ENTRO.LY for creator guidance on commissions, payouts and tracking on TikTok.
Explore ENTRO.LY →FAQ
Why isn't my affiliate link working?+
Usually the URL is malformed, a redirect drops the tracking parameter, or the merchant does not recognise your ID. Open the link in a private window, follow it to the landing page, and confirm your affiliate ID is still in the address or set in a cookie.
How does affiliate link tracking work?+
Your link carries an ID and often a sub ID. When someone clicks, the network or merchant logs the click and usually stores a cookie. If the visitor books or buys later, the merchant matches the order to that stored identifier and credits your commission.
What is SubID tracking in affiliate marketing?+
A sub ID is an extra parameter you add to a link to label the source, such as a video, a bio link or an email. Reports then show which placement drove each click and booking, so you can double down on what works.
What metrics should I track for affiliate links?+
Track clicks, unique visitors, landing page behaviour, conversions or bookings, commission earned, and reversals. Compare clicks to orders by channel and sub ID. A gap between clicks and orders points to tracking or landing page problems that you can then investigate.
How do I track affiliate link clicks with Google Analytics?+
Add campaign parameters to your outbound links or fire a click event on those links, then build a report filtered to that event. This shows clicks per page and source, though only the network or merchant can confirm real bookings and commissions.
