Affiliate Link

What is an Affiliate Link?

An affiliate link (also known as referral link) is a unique tracking link that an affiliate uses to promote a business, product, service, or offer.

Affiliate links are one of the core pieces of an affiliate program. They allow businesses to connect referrals and eligible purchases with the affiliate responsible for generating them.

Affiliate links are used to connect visitors, leads, and sales back to the affiliate who referred them. When someone clicks an affiliate link, the affiliate tracking system records the click and identifies which affiliate sent the visitor. If that visitor later signs up, makes a purchase, or completes another tracked action, the affiliate may earn a commission.

An affiliate link may look like a normal website URL, but it includes tracking information. In LeadDyno, an affiliate link often includes the tracking parameter ?afmc= followed by the affiliate’s unique affiliate code.

A regular link might look like:

yourstore.com/coffee-subscription

An affiliate link might include additional tracking information, such as:

yourstore.com/coffee-subscription?afmc=sarah10

When a reader clicks the affiliate link, the affiliate tracking platform records the referral. If that visitor later makes a qualifying purchase, the sale may be attributed to the affiliate according to your program’s attribution rules.

How affiliate links work

‍When an affiliate joins a program, they are usually given their own affiliate link. They can share this link in places like blog posts, YouTube descriptions, social media bios, newsletters, product reviews, landing pages, or direct recommendations.

The basic process looks like this:

1. An affiliate shares their affiliate link
2. A visitor clicks the link
3. The tracking system records the click
4. The visitor browses the website
5. If the visitor converts, the affiliate can receive credit

Depending on the program’s settings, tracking may use cookies, affiliate codes, coupon codes, or other attribution rules to connect the visitor back to the affiliate.

Affiliate link vs. referral link

‍The terms affiliate link and referral link are often used interchangeably. Both usually refer to a unique tracking link used to identify who referred a visitor.

However, “affiliate link” is more commonly used in formal affiliate programs where partners earn commissions. “Referral link” can be broader and may also be used for customer referral programs, ambassador programs, or invite-a-friend campaigns.