How to Make an Affiliate Link That Converts

Do not index

Canonical URL

Ready to jump in and create your first affiliate link? It's a lot simpler than most people think. The whole thing really boils down to three key actions: join an affiliate program, pick a product you actually want to promote, and then generate your unique link from the program's dashboard.

Your First Steps in Affiliate Link Creation

Getting that first link is a milestone. It's the moment your content officially gets the power to earn you money. This link is the bridge between your recommendation and your commission, so getting the setup right from the start is essential for your success down the road.

This process is the same no matter which program you're using.

As you can see, grabbing a link is the final piece of the puzzle. First, you need a place to get it from.

Joining Top-Tier Affiliate Networks

Before you can promote anything, you need to partner with merchants. The easiest way to do this is by joining an affiliate network, which is basically a big marketplace connecting publishers (that's you!) with all sorts of brands.

A few of the heavy hitters I'd recommend starting with are:

Amazon Associates: This is the classic starting point for a reason. You can link to pretty much anything on Amazon, which makes it perfect for virtually any niche you can imagine.

ShareASale: With over 15,000 merchants, this is where I go to find more specialized or niche products. Whether it's software, clothing, or home goods, you can probably find a relevant brand here.

CJ Affiliate (formerly Commission Junction): If you're looking to partner with big, global brands, CJ is your network. It's a massive platform with tons of high-quality programs to choose from.

You'll have to apply to these networks, which usually just involves sharing some info about your website or social media presence. Once you're in, you get access to their dashboard—that's where you'll find everything you need.

Generating Your First Raw Link

Once you’re approved and have a product in mind, it's time to generate the actual link. The process varies slightly between platforms, but the idea is the same. On Amazon Associates, for example, the easiest way is using the SiteStripe toolbar that appears at the top of any Amazon page once you're logged in.

Over on ShareASale, you’d head to the "Links" section for a merchant you've been approved for. There, you can grab pre-made banners and text links or create a custom one yourself. If you're looking for a more detailed walkthrough, this guide on how to create an affiliate link is a great resource.

That raw link you get will have your unique affiliate ID baked into it. It’s just a string of code, but it's what tells the merchant that you're the one who sent them that customer.

While a basic link works, you can get more strategic. For a more advanced approach, check out our guide on how to create deep links. Sending users directly to a specific product page instead of a generic homepage can make a huge difference in your conversion rates.

Why You Should Never Use a Raw Affiliate Link

You've just generated your first affiliate link. It's tempting to copy and paste it straight into your content and call it a day, right? Slow down. Using that raw, unedited link is one of the most common—and costly—mistakes I see new affiliates make.

Those long, clunky URLs stuffed with tracking parameters just scream "spam" to potential customers. They look suspicious, and in a world where everyone is wary of phishing and malware, that hesitation can kill your click-through rate before you even get started. From a user's perspective, a clean link feels trustworthy; a messy one doesn't.

The Hidden Problems with Unedited Links

It's not just about looks. Raw affiliate links can create some serious technical and logistical headaches down the road.

Social media platforms, for instance, are notorious for flagging or completely blocking standard affiliate links. Imagine pouring your ad budget into a Facebook or TikTok campaign, only to discover your post's reach has been throttled because the algorithm tagged your URL. That's money down the drain.

But the real nightmare is link management.

When Offers Change: If a merchant updates their offer or the program moves to a new network, you're stuck manually hunting down every single place you've ever posted that raw link to replace it. It's a logistical disaster.

Broken Links Kill Commissions: A single outdated link sends your hard-earned traffic to a 404 page. You lose the commission, and the user has a bad experience.

You're Building Their Brand, Not Yours: Every time someone clicks a raw link, they see the affiliate network's domain. It's a missed opportunity to reinforce your own brand and build authority with your audience.

There's a Much Better Way

The good news is that these problems are completely avoidable. The solution is to turn those ugly, raw URLs into clean, branded links that you control. This isn't just about making them look pretty; it's a fundamental strategy for protecting your commissions and making your life easier.

This is where understanding the benefits of link cloaking comes in. Professional affiliates do this to ensure every click is tracked, to protect their commissions from being hijacked, and to maintain complete control over their traffic. If you're serious about making affiliate marketing a long-term success, properly managing your links is non-negotiable.

Taking Control of Your Links with AliasLinks

Okay, now we get to the fun part. This is where you graduate from simply having an affiliate link to truly managing it like a pro. Those long, clunky URLs the affiliate networks give you? We're going to stop using them directly. It's time to start cloaking them with a dedicated tool, a simple move that will level up your entire affiliate game.

Tools like AliasLinks are designed for this exact purpose. They let you take those ugly, parameter-stuffed URLs and transform them into clean, branded links that people actually want to click. This process is called link cloaking, and it's about much more than just looks. It’s a smart way to build brand authority, protect your hard-earned commissions, and boost audience trust.

Creating Your First Branded Link

So, how does this work in practice? Instead of sharing a random string of characters from the network, you create a link that uses your own domain, like yourbrand.com/recommends/product-name. It immediately looks more professional and trustworthy.

Imagine you're recommending a cool piece of software on your Instagram profile. Which link do you think gets more clicks? A clean, branded one, or a raw affiliate URL that screams "spam"? The choice is obvious.

Getting started is surprisingly simple:

First, just copy the raw affiliate link you got from the network's dashboard.

Next, jump into your AliasLinks dashboard and start creating a new alias (that's what they call a cloaked link).

Finally, paste your long affiliate link in the "destination" field and then create your own custom, branded slug.

In less than a minute, you have a powerful, professional link that you completely control. If you want to see a full walkthrough, the AliasLinks team has a great guide on how their system works.

The Strategic Edge of Cloaking

Beyond just looking better, cloaked links solve some of the biggest headaches for affiliates. Have you ever had a link blocked on social media or flagged by an ad platform? It happens all the time with raw affiliate URLs. A cloaked link on your own custom domain almost always flies under the radar, protecting your reach and campaign spend.

This approach also makes managing your links a breeze, especially as you scale. Let's say a product you promote changes its URL or the offer expires. Without a cloaking tool, you’d have to manually find and update that link on every single blog post, video, and social profile where you shared it. What a nightmare.

With a tool like AliasLinks, you just update the destination URL once in your dashboard. That's it. Every branded link you've ever shared—across your entire digital footprint—will instantly redirect to the new page.

Think about that for a second. Over years, a single popular blog post could have dozens of affiliate links. Managing them one by one is not just tedious; it's impossible. By centralizing control, you save yourself hundreds of hours and prevent lost revenue from broken links. This is how you stop just making links and start building a sustainable business.

Fine-Tuning Your Links for Maximum Impact

Getting a clean, branded link is a huge first step, but honestly, that’s where the real work begins. Top affiliates know that the secret to maximizing profits lies in constantly optimizing those links to squeeze every bit of performance out of the traffic they send. This is what separates a decent campaign from a truly profitable one.

One of the most powerful things you can do is test multiple offers using a single cloaked link. This is often called traffic splitting or A/B testing, and it’s an absolute game-changer for finding what actually works.

For instance, you could split your traffic right down the middle—sending 50% to Offer A and 50% to Offer B. A week later, the data will do the talking. You'll see exactly which page is getting more conversions, and you can confidently push all your future traffic to the winner. No more guesswork.

Reaching the Right Person with the Right Offer

Beyond simple A/B tests, you can get incredibly specific about who sees what. This kind of targeting ensures your audience is always landing on the most relevant page, which can do wonders for your conversion rates.

Here are a couple of smart targeting tactics I use all the time:

Geo-Targeting: Why send a visitor from the UK to a landing page priced in US dollars? Instead, you can automatically route them to a page with local currency and shipping options, making the offer feel much more relevant.

Device-Targeting: A detailed sales page that looks great on a desktop can be a nightmare to navigate on a phone. With device targeting, you can send mobile users to a simpler, faster-loading page built for their screen.

This stuff really matters. With mobile traffic now making up around 62% of all affiliate visits, you can't afford to ignore the mobile experience. When you consider that businesses are seeing an average return of 1 spent on affiliate marketing, as noted by FirstPromoter, these seemingly small optimizations are what drive those impressive returns.

Choosing the Right Redirect for Your Campaign

The way your link redirects traffic has a real impact on both user experience and your SEO. Two of the most common types are the 301 and 302 redirects, and they serve very different purposes. Knowing which one to use in a given situation is a fundamental skill for any affiliate marketer.

A 301 redirect is permanent. Think of it as filing a change of address with the post office. It tells search engines that a page has moved for good and passes most of the SEO value to the new URL. You’d use this when you’re swapping out an old offer for a new evergreen one that isn't going anywhere.

On the other hand, a 302 redirect is temporary. This tells search engines, "Hey, we're just sending traffic here for a little while, but the original link is still the main one." This is perfect for running short-term promotions, A/B testing landing pages, or sending users to different pages based on their location without messing with your main link's SEO.

To help you decide, here’s a quick breakdown:

Redirect Type	Best Used For	SEO Impact	Example Scenario
301 (Permanent)	Permanently replacing an outdated offer with a new one.	Passes most of the link's authority ("link juice") to the new URL.	An old product you promoted is discontinued, so you permanently redirect its link to the new, updated version.
302 (Temporary)	A/B testing, geo-targeting, or running limited-time promos.	Tells search engines not to update their index; the move is temporary.	You're testing two different landing pages for a Black Friday sale to see which one converts better.

Choosing the right redirect helps keep your campaigns organized and your SEO in good standing.

Mastering these strategies is how you build a reliable, profitable affiliate system. If you're ready to go even deeper and really dial in your results, be sure to read our guide on conversion optimization techniques.

Tracking Success and Maintaining Compliance

Getting a great affiliate link set up is just the start. If you want to build a sustainable income from it, you have to get serious about two things: tracking what works and staying on the right side of the law. Honestly, one without the other is a surefire way to see your efforts go down the drain.

Long-term success in this game is all about playing smart.

Before you even glance at your analytics, your first priority has to be transparency. Not disclosing your affiliate relationships isn't just bad form—it's illegal. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) doesn't mess around, and the penalties can be steep.

Disclosing Your Affiliate Links Correctly

Your audience has a right to know when you might get paid for their clicks. Being upfront about this builds trust, which is your most valuable asset. The trick is to make your disclosure impossible to miss, not hidden in the fine print.

Here’s how to handle it in the real world:

On Your Blog: Put a simple, clear disclaimer right at the top of any post with affiliate links. Something like, "Heads up: This post contains affiliate links. If you buy something, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you." works perfectly.

On Social Media: Use straightforward hashtags like #ad or #affiliate at the beginning of your caption. Burying it in a pile of 20 other tags won't cut it.

In Videos: A quick verbal shout-out or a clear text overlay at the start of your video is all it takes. This lets viewers know before they click anything.

And remember, every program is a little different. Always take a few minutes to review the terms in each merchant's affiliate program agreement to make sure you’re following their specific rules.

Measuring Your Performance to Scale What Works

Once your disclosures are squared away, it’s time to geek out on the data. You can't improve what you don't measure. Tracking your links is the only way to figure out what your audience actually responds to so you can do more of it.

Most affiliate dashboards will give you the basics on clicks and conversions. But for a deeper dive, many serious affiliates turn to tracking pixels. A tracking pixel is just a tiny piece of code that goes on the merchant's "thank you" page. When someone buys, it sends detailed data straight back to your analytics platform.

This data-first mindset is what separates the pros from the amateurs. It shows you exactly which blog posts, which social channels, and which products are making you money. With that insight, you can stop wasting time on what isn't working and double down on your winners.

Common Questions About Affiliate Links

Once you start creating affiliate links, a few questions always seem to come up. These are the little details that can feel a bit fuzzy when you're starting out, but getting them right is crucial for a successful affiliate strategy. Let's tackle some of the most common ones I hear.

So, can you just find a product you like online, grab the link, and start earning from it? Not quite.

Can I Make an Affiliate Link for Any Website?

The short answer is no. To promote any product, you first have to be an official member of that company's affiliate program. This is the one step you can't skip.

Many big players, like Amazon, run their own massive in-house programs (you've probably heard of Amazon Associates). You apply directly on their site, and once you're in, they give you the tools to create your links.

But countless other brands prefer to work through larger affiliate networks. Think of platforms like ShareASale or CJ Affiliate as giant marketplaces connecting publishers (that's you!) with thousands of different merchants. You'll join the network first, then apply to the specific brands you want to work with inside that network.

What Is the Difference Between Link Cloaking and a URL Shortener?

This is a great question because, at first glance, they look pretty similar. Both take a long, messy URL and make it shorter. But that's where the comparison ends.

A basic URL shortener has one job: it gives you a shorter alias for a link. That’s it.

A real affiliate link cloaking service, on the other hand, is a full-blown management system designed specifically for marketers. Here's a quick look at what that extra power gets you:

Branded Domains: Instead of a generic bit.ly link, you can use your own domain (like yourblog.com/deal), which builds instant trust and brand recognition with your audience.

Centralized Management: Imagine having to update a dead link in 50 different blog posts. With a cloaking tool, you change it once in your dashboard, and every single link you've ever placed updates instantly. It's a lifesaver.

Advanced Tracking: You can move beyond just counting clicks. Split-test different landing pages from the same link, see which offers convert best, and really dig into what’s making you money.

Campaign Protection: Cloaked links on your own domain are far less likely to get flagged or blocked by social media platforms and ad networks, which protects your traffic and your ad budget.

At the end of the day, a shortener is a simple utility. A cloaking service is a strategic marketing tool.

How Do I Properly Disclose Affiliate Links?

Okay, let's get to the most important rule of all: you have to be transparent. Disclosing your affiliate links isn't just a nice thing to do—it's a legal requirement from the FTC. Your disclosure needs to be clear and conspicuous, which is just a fancy way of saying your average reader shouldn't be able to miss it.

For a blog post, a simple statement right at the top of the article is perfect. For social media, add #Ad or #Affiliate right at the beginning of your caption, not hidden in a long string of other hashtags. If you're doing a video, a text overlay or even just a verbal mention near the start gets the job done.

The goal is simple: let your audience know what's up before they click.

Ready to stop juggling messy affiliate URLs and start using powerful, branded assets? AliasLinks gives you the tools to cloak, manage, and optimize every link, giving you complete control and better performance. Start your 7-day free trial and see the difference for yourself!