How To Better Track Affiliate Program Links for Your Brand in 2025

One moment you're celebrating a surge in sales, and the next you're scrambling to figure out what actually drove those numbers. It's about understanding how to properly track affiliates, measure link clicks, and analyze other important metrics for maximum impact

Cognitive estimates an 8% growth in the global affiliate marketing industry between 2024 and 2031. As a brand or marketing manager, it’s important that you’re tracking your program growth so you capitalize on this growing market, as well.

So, here’s how to better track your affiliate programs and campaigns. Let’s begin!

Key Summary

Here are the key takeaways you'll discover in this comprehensive guide:

• Master the fundamentals: Learn what affiliate tracking really means and explore the most effective methods available for tracking affiliate links and measuring campaign performance.
• Choose your tracking approach: Compare free manual tracking methods (like Google Analytics) with dedicated affiliate management software to determine what works best for your business scale and technical expertise.
• Implement advanced tracking solutions: Discover how modern affiliate management platforms can automate your tracking processes, provide detailed analytics, and save you countless hours of manual work.

The Basics of Affiliate Tracking

Before we dive into specific tracking methods, it’s important to understand the core concepts of affiliate tracking.

What is Affiliate Tracking?

In short, affiliate tracking is the process of monitoring the performance of your individual affiliates and those related campaigns. 

fThis includes data regarding clicks, conversions, sales, and commissions generated through your affiliate partners' promotional efforts.

Every click, every conversion, and every dollar earned gets recorded and attributed to the correct affiliate. This data is foundational for calculating commissions, measuring ROI, and having a successful affiliate program for the long term.

Current Routes for Tracking Affiliates and Programs

There are many ways to track affiliate programs, each with their own pros and cons, and limitations that you should be aware of. So you can make an informed decision for your business. 

UTM Parameters and URL Tracking

UTM parameters are tags added to URLs that help track the source, medium, and campaign of traffic. While primarily used for general marketing attribution, they can be used for basic affiliate tracking. This method is basic and easy to implement, offering a quick way to track a simple campaign.

Cookie-Based Tracking

This isn’t your cookie from the jar. Traditional cookie-based tracking is very popular, though it faces increasing challenges with privacy regulations and cookie deprecation plans. This method stores a small file on the user's device to track their journey from affiliate link to conversion. The main downside is the required management of cookie lifespans and compliance with data protection laws, such as GDPR.

First-Party Data Integration

This is the most sophisticated tracking method and it involves direct integrations with your existing customer data systems. This approach combines affiliate attribution with your CRM to provide a complete view.

Server-Side Tracking

Another advanced method for tracking affiliate links is server-to-server tracking using postbacks, sometimes initiated by a tracking pixel. In this approach, when a user clicks an affiliate link, a unique click ID is stored by the affiliate network. Upon conversion, the advertiser's server sends a postback URL containing that click ID directly to the affiliate network’s server. This reduces reliance on cookies and issues caused by browser restrictions, ad blockers, and privacy settings. 

Modern affiliate platforms like LeadDyno leverage this server-side and first-party data approach to ensure more accurate and reliable attribution. LeadDyno also uses additional methods like our REST API and Zapier integration to further bypass browser restrictions, ad blockers, and privacy settings for accurate tracking in any environment. This multi-method approach improves accuracy and overall program tracking reliability.

Recommended Reading: The Top Questions to Ask Affiliates Applying to Your Program

The Manual & Free Way to Track Affiliate Program Links

If you’re looking for a manual way to track affiliate program links, this approach requires significant time investment and technical know-how. 
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Let's walk through the comprehensive process of setting up manual affiliate tracking.

Jump to the Quick and Easy Way to Track Affiliate Programs

Step 1: Generate Unique Affiliate Links

To begin, assign each affiliate a unique tracking URL that directs users to your product or landing page. You can add unique parameters to links, such as UTM codes.

These parameters will help you identify traffic sources and attribute conversions correctly. You can also use a tool like GA Dev Tools to do this (pictured below).

Each affiliate will need their own custom link so you can track each affiliate individually for clicks and conversions.

Step 2: Set Up Analytics Tools

Next, you’ll need to use an analytics platform like Google Analytics to monitor affiliate traffic and performance. If not already configured, set up ‘Events’ in Google Analytics to track conversions such as purchases or signups. 

You’ll want to make sure that the UTM parameters in your affiliate links are integrated into your analytics reporting to connect visits and conversions to specific affiliates.

1. Go to your Google Analytics account.
2. Navigate to the ‘Admin’ section, then click on ‘Events’, under ‘Data display’.

3. Create a new event (e.g., ‘Purchase Completed’) and define the event parameters, such as the ‘Thank You’ page URL users see after a successful order.

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4. Use the ‘Source’ and ‘Campaign’ dimensions in your reports to track which affiliates are driving these conversions.

Warning: Make sure you follow applicable laws and regulations for your site when using GA4 cookies and related capabilities. 

Step 3: Monitor Affiliate Tracking Events

Now, you’ll be able to share those links with affiliates and track traffic and conversions within Google Analytics. 

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Regularly review your medium and campaign related affiliate traffic, matching conversion data with key events for each affiliate. This can provide insights into which affiliates deliver the most clicks, leads, and sales.

To do this:

1. In GA4, go to Reports > Acquisition > Traffic acquisition.
2. Use the dropdown above the data table to change the primary dimension.
3. Choose from: Session source, Session medium, Session campaign, etc.

4. Analyze traffic based on UTM parameters (sessions, conversions, revenue).

Step 4: Calculate Commissions for Affiliates

Now, it’s time to fulfill your side of the bargain and pay those commissions based on your program terms. 

For example, if an affiliate earns 10% per sale, multiply their total attributed revenue by the 10% commission rate. Use Excel or Google Sheets to streamline the calculations:

1. Create a table with columns for "Affiliate ID," "Total Revenue Generated," "Commission Rate," and "Earned Commission."
2. Input the revenue data, apply the commission rate formula, and verify the totals.

Perhaps the most time-consuming aspect of manual tracking is calculating commissions. This process includes:

• Exporting transaction data from Google Analytics.
• Cross-referencing sales with affiliate attribution data.
• Manually calculating commissions based on your program's structure.
• Creating detailed payment reports for each affiliate.
• Maintaining records for tax and accounting purposes.

Warning: Affiliates can take advantage of basic tracking systems like this, that’s why it’s recommended to use the easier tracking route.  The last thing you want is to under or overpay your affiliates.

Step 5: Provide Transparency with Manual Reports

Next, create a report that can be shared with each affiliate. This helps with affiliate retention for on-going or upcoming campaigns and promotions. Things to include are metrics for traffic, conversions, and total earnings. Transparency fosters trust and motivates affiliates to perform better.

Step 6: Quality Assurance and Fraud Prevention

Finally, you’ll need to have a second manual check in place to avoid mispayment and prevent fraud. You can do this by:

• Regularly auditing traffic sources, by affiliate.
• Cross-reference affiliate sale times with other sales data.
• Investigate discrepancies in conversion rates.
• Monitor for click fraud or invalid traffic sources.

While this manual approach can work for small-scale operations, it quickly becomes overwhelming as your affiliate program grows. The time investment often exceeds the cost savings and the potential for human error along the way.

The Easy & Better Way for Affiliate Link Tracking

Modern affiliate management software is an amazing tool for any size of affiliate program for easy end-to-end management. You can get started in a few clicks, for accurate and reliable affiliation link tracking.

And you can forget about all those warnings in the manual tracking section. Here is how:

Automated Link Generation and Management

LeadDyno automatically generates unique tracking links for each affiliate, eliminating the need for manual UTM parameter creation. The platform provides affiliates with a personal dashboard where they can generate links for specific products or campaigns that align with your foundational setup instructions.

Advanced Attribution Modeling

The platform uses sophisticated attribution models that track the complete customer journey. Including multiple touchpoints, and can attribute conversions based on your preferred method.

Real-Time Analytics and Reporting

LeadDyno provides real-time visibility into affiliate performance through automatically updated dashboards. You can track clicks, conversions, and revenue as they happen. You can see top performers and optimize underperforming campaigns.

Seamless Integration Capabilities

The platform integrates with popular e-commerce platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, and Wordpress, as well as payment processors like Stripe and PayPal. This creates accurate tracking across your entire sales funnel.

Automated Commission Management

The software also automatically calculates what each affiliate has earned based on your commission structure and can facilitate payments through integrated payment systems.

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Multi-Tier Affiliate Programs

For businesses looking to scale, LeadDyno supports multi-tier reward structures where affiliates can earn different tiers and rates for complex programs. This creates a network effect that can significantly amplify your program's reach and effectiveness.

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Frequently Asked Questions on Affiliate Link Tracking

Can affiliate links expire?

Yes, affiliate links can expire based on several factors. Cookie-based tracking typically has expiration dates ranging from 24 hours to 90 days, depending on your program's attribution window. 

If a customer clicks an affiliate link but doesn't purchase until after the cookie expires, the affiliate won't receive credit for that sale. Not good! Regular link auditing helps prevent these issues from affecting your program's performance.

How much time does software save me?

Overall, most businesses save 15-25 hours per month by switching from manual tracking to automated software, like LeadDyno. For larger programs and teams, the time savings can be major. Often justifying the software cost within the first month of use.

How to track affiliate sales on Shopify?

There are a couple options. Shopify's built-in analytics can track UTM parameters, allowing basic affiliate attribution. However, this method requires manual link generation and lacks advanced features like automated commission calculations.

Again, and typically the preferred option for accuracy purposes is using a platform like LeadDyno, which has a great Shopify integration. These solutions automatically track conversions, calculate commissions, and provide comprehensive reporting.

Transform Your Affiliate Tracking Strategy Today

Whether you're just starting your affiliate program or looking to optimize an existing one, the tracking method you choose will significantly impact your success. 

Manual tracking might seem cost-effective initially, but the hidden costs are your time and your team’s time. Along with any mismanagement of important details, this can ruin the revenue potential of an affiliate program. 

So, if you’re ready to take your affiliate tracking to the next level, LeadDyno's affiliate management platform can transform your affiliate program from a time-consuming challenge into a real revenue driver. Start your free trial now.