Refersion tracking links have built-in support for SubIDs. SubIDs are additional custom URL parameters that allow for additional tracking of affiliate links, and they can be any string of text. For example, an affiliate might be interested in tracking if a conversion came through a Facebook post, a Twitter post, or the header/footer/specific page on their blog. SubIDs are great for more detailed tracking and tagging.
SubIDs also help businesses analyze and attribute the performance of their affiliate campaigns by storing additional information such as campaign details, affiliate sources, or other custom data. This additional detail allows for clearer insights into referral link performance and overall affiliate campaign metrics.
How do you set up one of these super useful subIDs? You can just start using them! There are no settings that you need to turn on, affiliates can simply start using subIDs when posting their links.
If the brand you promote has a direct store URL such as "awesomepetstore.com", you'll append the subid URL parameter to the end of your affiliate link. Be sure to keep your "rfsn" tracking parameter intact. Examples:
https://example.com?rfsn=123456.abc123&subid=header
https://example.com?rfsn=123456.abc123&subid=footer
If the brand you promote provides direct Amazon products links, you'll append your subID URL parameter to the end of the product link as shown in the example below:
https://refer.link/ABCD?subid=twitter
https://refer.link/ABCD?subid=blog
SubIDs cannot have spaces but can be any string of alphanumeric text. If you need to divide words into a readable format, using hyphens or underscores is a good way to break up the data.
https://example.com?rfsn=123456.abc123&subid=I_am_a_sentence
https://example.com?rfsn=123456.abc123&subid=I-too-am-a-sentence
Refersion will record clicks and conversions related to the subIDs you've added to your links once you've driven traffic to those links and converted sales via link conversion. In the first example above, 'header and 'footer' will appear in Account performance reports so you can review performance per subIDs.
However, it is important to note that SubIDs do not function with manual credits or draft orders entered in Shopify or directly in Refersion, as these transactions bypass affiliate referral links required for SubID tracking. Furthermore, SubIDs cannot trigger conversions related to coupon codes used at checkout.
If you have a Marketplace account, then you can see subID performance in the reporting section of your dashboard:
If SubIDs are not an applicable tracking method, consider alternative solutions such as using analytics software like Google Analytics for campaign-level insights, employing custom reporting tools, or leveraging unique coupon codes to track sales by specific locations or sources.
What's Next?
Best Practices for Affiliate Campaign Attribution in Refersion
How to Create and Manage Unique Coupon Codes in Shopify