How To Manage Affiliate Links & Protect Your Commissions

As an affiliate marketer, you're passionate about promoting the products you love and driving value for your audience.

But in the hustle of creating content and juggling multiple affiliate programs, it’s easy to overlook one critical aspect - managing your affiliate links.

No matter how much effort you pour into crafting compelling content, if your links aren’t properly managed, you’re leaving money on the table.

Broken links, outdated URLs, or missing tracking codes can mean missed commissions and wasted effort. The problem only grows as you join more programs, increasing the risk of losing out on the rewards you’ve worked so hard to earn.

We understand the challenges you face running an affiliate marketing business. That’s why we’re here to help you plug those leaks and ensure you’re rewarded for every conversion.

This allows you to focus on what you do best - creating great content and driving results.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to manage affiliate links effectively so you can maximize your earnings and protect the value of your hard work.

Let’s get started!

What are affiliate links, and how do they work?

Affiliate links are specialized URLs that track the traffic and sales you generate as part of an affiliate program.

You're automatically assigned a unique link when you join an affiliate program. This link contains a tracking code specific to you, ensuring that any clicks or conversions that result from your promotion are accurately credited to your account.

When someone clicks on your affiliate link, the tracking code embedded in the URL signals to the affiliate manager of the program that the traffic came from your affiliate campaigns. If that visitor makes a purchase or completes another desired action, the system records the conversion, and you earn a commission.

For example, if you join a SaaS affiliate program through the Reditus network, you'll receive a default link that looks something like this: https://app.brandplane.co/red=reditus

Many affiliate programs allow you to create custom links for specific campaigns in addition to the default link. For instance, you might generate one link for a blog post and another for a social media promotion, which can help you track affiliate sales data more effectively across different campaigns.

Why proper affiliate link management is essential for you?

Discovering the best way to manage affiliate links isn’t just about keeping things organized - it’s crucial for protecting your revenue and maximizing your earning potential. Here’s how proper link management can directly impact your success as an affiliate marketer:

• Avoid revenue loss from broken links: Broken links lead to missed sales opportunities because users cannot reach the intended product page, directly impacting your commissions. Regularly managing and updating your affiliate links ensures all links are functional, reducing the risk of lost revenue.
• Centralize tracking for better performance analysis: Managing your links allows you to keep track of all your affiliate activities in one place, making it easier to analyze performance data. This centralization helps you identify which links, programs or affiliate marketplaces are driving the most value so you can focus on what works best.
• Avoid revenue loss from expired affiliate programs: Sometimes, affiliate programs shut down or change their terms without notice. You won't earn any commissions if you’re still using links from expired programs. Regularly reviewing your affiliate links ensures they’re still valid and generating income.
• Maintain credibility and user experience: Properly managed links prevent users from encountering errors or irrelevant content, which can frustrate them and harm your reputation. Ensuring all links lead to the correct destinations helps maintain a positive user experience and preserves credibility.
• Fix tracking errors that could cost you money: If your affiliate link has an incorrect tracking code or the affiliate network updates its tracking system, you might not get credit for the sales you generate. Managing your links includes verifying that all tracking codes are accurate and current.
• Maximize earnings by swapping to more lucrative programs: If you discover a better affiliate marketing program offering higher commissions for the same product category, such as the “best video recording tool,” proper link management lets you easily swap the backend link to the new program. This allows you to transition smoothly to more profitable programs and increase your earnings without disrupting your content or confusing your audience.

Some helpful tools and techniques for simpler link management

With the right tools and strategies, affiliate partners like you can streamline how you organize and update your links, making it easier to keep everything in order. Here are some effective methods to help you manage your affiliate links more efficiently and stay on top of your promotions.

#1 Simplify updates with link shorteners

Screenshot of Bitly interface showing the destination link change feature.

Using link shorteners like Bitly can significantly streamline managing your affiliate links. These tools allow you to create shortened, branded links that are easier to share and update. A notable advantage of using a link shortener is the ability to change the destination URL without altering the link itself, saving you time and effort when you need to make updates.

For example, if you write a blog post about LinkedIn automation tools and include an affiliate link to a product like Expandi, you can later switch the link to a different tool if you find a better option - without needing to edit every instance of the link in your content. You simply update the target URL in the link shortener tool, and it automatically redirects all previous links to the new destination. This makes it easier to manage short URLs and affiliate links.

This capability is incredibly beneficial for content already widely shared or indexed by search engines. Changing a link directly in your content might require re-submission for indexing, potentially affecting SEO performance. However, using a link shortener, you can update the destination while maintaining the same visible link across your content, ensuring continuity and preserving your SEO efforts.

Another advantage is the ease of managing seasonal promotions or limited-time offers. If you’re running a campaign that includes time-sensitive links, you can easily redirect those links to new promotions as old ones expire, ensuring that your audience always finds relevant and active offers when they click.

Additionally, link shorteners like Bitly offer basic built-in analytics, often eliminating the need to use Google Tag Manager (GTM). This feature provides insights into metrics such as click-through rates, visitor locations, and referral sources, enabling you to monitor and optimize your campaigns more effectively.

#2 Organize your links with spreadsheet tracking

Screenshot from a Notion-based affiliate links tracker system.

For those who prefer more control over their affiliate link management setup, spreadsheets offer a straightforward and effective solution. Whether you use Google Sheets, Excel, or a modern alternative like Notion or Airtable, setting up a well-structured spreadsheet can help you easily manage multiple programs and links.

You can use a spreadsheet layout to organize basic information like affiliate program name, dashboard link, and default URL across your affiliate sites. Additionally, you can include columns for performance metrics and link statuses to keep everything in one place. This setup lets you quickly trace every link and make updates as needed.

If you prefer using Notion, you can start with a ready-made template like this Affiliate Links Tracker. The template provides a structured layout with pre-built columns to get you up and running quickly.

While spreadsheets offer great flexibility, they can become cumbersome as your affiliate promotions scale. Tracking dozens or even hundreds of links manually can be time-consuming, and maintaining accuracy becomes increasingly challenging. However, spreadsheets remain a practical and customizable option for those just starting out or with a manageable number of links.

#3 Automate link management using affiliate networks like Reditus

Screenshot from Reditus link management interface for affiliates.

If you’re promoting SaaS products, joining a B2B affiliate network like Reditus can significantly simplify your link management workflows. Reditus' affiliate software consolidates all your affiliate programs into one platform, making managing and tracking your links a breeze.

The Reditus Marketplace offers a wide range of lucrative SaaS affiliate programs for creators to join. Once you’re part of the network, you can manage all your links from a single dashboard, eliminating the need to juggle multiple platforms.

One key benefit of using Reditus is that it provides a consistent tracking parameter across all the programs you join. This means that while the company domain may change depending on the product you’re promoting, your affiliate link remains the same. This consistency ensures accurate tracking and eliminates the hassle of managing different tracking codes for each program.

By automating your link management through Reditus, you can focus more on creating content and driving conversions, confident that your links are managed effectively across all your affiliate programs.

Reditus also benefits the SaaS companies behind the programs you promote. For them, Reditus acts as a comprehensive affiliate management software, simplifying how they manage affiliates like you and related workflows. It supports them with everything from setting up the program and managing payouts to preventing affiliate fraud. This means that as an affiliate, you’re working with companies that have optimized their programs for better performance and affiliate management.

Tips to track and analyze affiliate links performance

To maximize your earnings, it's crucial to track and analyze how your links perform. Understanding which links drive the most traffic and conversions helps you optimize your efforts and make informed decisions about where to focus your attention.

#4 Set up Google Tag Manager for link tracking and analytics

While link shorteners like Bitly offer basic analytics, Google Tag Manager (GTM) provides a more comprehensive and customizable solution for tracking affiliate links. GTM allows you to track outbound link clicks with greater precision and flexibility, enabling you to capture detailed data on how users interact with your links across your website.

Here’s a concise overview to set up outbound link click tracking using GTM:

1. Create a GTM account: Sign up at tagmanager.google.com and set up a container for your website.
2. Install the GTM code: Add the GTM container code to your website’s <head> and <body> sections.
3. Set up a new tag: In GTM, create a new tag and set the track type to "Event." Configure the event category as "Outbound Links" and the action as "Click."
4. Create a trigger: Set up a trigger for "Click - Just Links" to fire on "Some Link Clicks." Configure the trigger to activate for outbound link clicks.
5. Filter by your affiliate parameters: You can refine this setup by filtering for links that include your unique affiliate tracking parameters, ensuring you track only the clicks relevant to your campaigns.
6. Publish and test: Submit your container to publish the changes and use GTM's "Preview" mode to ensure everything is tracking correctly.

Once set up, you can view this data in Google Analytics, where you can analyze the performance of your affiliate links and make data-driven decisions to optimize your campaigns.

For those looking to go further, GTM also allows for advanced setups, such as tracking specific user actions, customizing events, and integrating with other marketing tools. This gives you a complete view of how your audience interacts with your content.

Some advice to avoid common pitfalls

Even with the best tools and strategies, managing affiliate links can be challenging, and mistakes can happen. To ensure your affiliate marketing efforts remain effective, proactively avoiding common pitfalls is important. Below are two key strategies to help you keep your links up-to-date and performing at their best.

#5 Monitor for broken and outdated links regularly

Broken or outdated links can significantly impact your earnings and user experience. When users click on a link that leads to a 404 error or an irrelevant page, you lose potential commissions and risk frustrating your audience. To prevent this, regularly check your content for broken or outdated links.

Tools like Screaming Frog are invaluable for this task. Screaming Frog is a website crawler that scans your site and identifies broken links or outdated URLs. Regular audits allow you to quickly identify issues and update your links before they cause problems.

#6 Update links quickly when affiliate programs change

Affiliate programs can change or end unexpectedly, leaving you with outdated or inactive links. When this happens, it’s crucial to update your links quickly to avoid losing commissions or promoting products that are no longer available.

One effective strategy is to set up redirects for your affiliate links. If an affiliate program ends, you can redirect the link to a similar product or a new program you’ve joined, ensuring you don’t lose traffic. As mentioned earlier, using a link shortener like Bitly makes it easier to swap out links across your content with minimal effort. If an affiliate program ends, you can redirect the old link to a new product or program without manually updating every instance of the link in your content.

Closing remarks: Master affiliate link management to boost your revenue

Throughout this guide, we’ve covered the essential strategies to help you keep your affiliate links organized, updated, and performing at their best.

From using link shorteners like Bitly to simplify updates to setting up spreadsheets for record-keeping, each strategy we’ve discussed contributes to a more streamlined and efficient affiliate marketing process.

If you are a SaaS content creator, Reditus is an excellent choice for streamlining your affiliate link management.

As a leading affiliate marketing software, Reditus consolidates all your affiliate programs and associated links into a user-friendly affiliate dashboard, simplifying the entire process.

Now is the time for proactive management of your affiliate links and ensure they work as hard as you do.

Meet the author

Joran Hofman

Back in 2020 I was an affiliate for 80+ SaaS tools and I was generating an average of 30k in organic visits each month with my site. Due to the issues I experienced with the current affiliate management software tools, it never resulted in the passive income I was hoping for. Many clunky affiliate management tools lost me probably more than $20,000+ in affiliate revenue. So I decided to build my own software with a high focus on the affiliates, as in the end, they generate more money for SaaS companies.