What is Tracking Link?

A tracking link is a unique URL embedded with affiliate identifiers — typically an affiliate ID, a campaign ID and an optional subID — that records every click and the player actions that follow from it. When a prospect clicks the link, their session is tagged, usually via a cookie and a click ID, and every later event (registration, first deposit, ongoing play) is attributed back to that link's affiliate and campaign. Tracking links are the foundational instrument of affiliate marketing: without them, no referral can be measured and no commission paid. Worked example: an affiliate runs two reviews and tags each with a different campaign ID — say campaign=review-a and campaign=review-b — inside the same operator's tracking link. A reader clicks the review-b link, registers three days later and deposits £80. Because the click ID persisted through the cookie window, the operator credits review-b with the acquisition, and the affiliate can see in the dashboard that review-b converted while review-a did not. That granularity lets the affiliate double down on what works. Why it matters: attribution drives every payout model, whether CPA or revenue share, and clean tracking is the difference between getting paid and not. The common mistake is assuming the link captures everything. If the user clears cookies, switches device, or another affiliate's link overwrites the cookie under last-click attribution, the referral can be lost. Server-to-server (S2S) tracking via the click ID is more robust than cookies alone. Affiliates should also disclose the relationship transparently to meet advertising and regulatory rules. Compare with the click ID, cookie duration and the affiliate cookie.