How do I set up tracking

If you’re running a blog, niche site, or content-driven business, affiliate links are probably a big part of your monetization strategy. You might already know which pages get traffic, but here’s the real question:

👉 Which affiliate links are actually making you money?
👉 Which pages send the most affiliate clicks?
👉 Which buttons, text links, or banners perform best?

That’s where proper affiliate link tracking comes in.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through exactly how to set up affiliate link tracking in Google Analytics, using modern GA4 best practices. No fluff, no theory overload — just what you need to actually see results.

Why Tracking Affiliate Links Matters (More Than You Think)

A lot of bloggers make this mistake early on:

“If I’m making commissions, the links must be working.”

Sure — but which links? And why?

Without tracking, you’re flying blind.

When affiliate tracking is set up properly, you can:

Identify high-converting content
Find dead links nobody clicks
Optimize link placement (top vs middle vs bottom)
Compare text links vs buttons
Scale what works and cut what doesn’t

In other words, tracking turns guesswork into data.

Important Note: Google Analytics Does NOT Track Affiliate Sales

Before we go any further, let’s clear this up.

Google Analytics:

✅ Tracks clicks
❌ Does not track affiliate conversions or commissions

Affiliate networks (Amazon Associates, CJ, ShareASale, etc.) handle the sale and payout.

Your goal with Analytics is to measure outbound affiliate clicks, which act as your conversion event.

What You’ll Need Before You Start

Make sure you have these basics in place:

A GA4 property set up in Google Analytics
Your GA4 tracking installed on your site
- Via theme
- Via plugin (WordPress)
- Or via Google Tag Manager
Affiliate links on your site
Access to Google Analytics admin settings

Once that’s ready, you’ve got two main tracking options.

Option 1: Track Affiliate Links Using GA4 Enhanced Measurement (Easiest)

This is the simplest method and works well for most bloggers.

Step 1: Check If Outbound Click Tracking Is Enabled

Go to Google Analytics
Click Admin
Select your GA4 property
Click Data Streams
Choose your website stream
Scroll to Enhanced Measurement
Make sure Outbound clicks is toggled ON

That’s it. GA4 is now tracking outbound link clicks automatically.

Step 2: Confirm Affiliate Clicks Are Being Tracked

GA4 treats affiliate links as outbound clicks, as long as they:

Go to a different domain
Aren’t excluded by settings

To check:

Go to Reports → Engagement → Events
Look for the event called click
Click into it
Look at the parameter link_url

If you see affiliate URLs there, you’re tracking clicks successfully.

The Limitation of This Method

Here’s the catch.

GA4 tracks all outbound clicks — not just affiliate links.

That means:

Email links
Social links
External references
Affiliate links (mixed in)

This is fine for basic insights, but not ideal if you want clean affiliate-only reporting.

That’s where custom events come in.

Option 2: Track Affiliate Links as Custom GA4 Events (Recommended)

This is the best approach if you want clear, actionable data.

The Core Idea

You’ll create a custom event that fires only when:

A link contains /go/
Or contains affid=
Or goes to a specific affiliate domain

Examples:

yourwebsite.com/go/product-name
amazon.com/?tag=yourid
partner.site/ref=yourname

Step 1: Decide How Your Affiliate Links Are Structured

This part matters.

Common setups:

Pretty Links or ThirstyAffiliates (/go/, /recommend/)
Raw affiliate URLs
Redirect plugins

Pro tip:
If you’re not using a redirect structure yet, start now. It makes tracking, updating, and managing links far easier.

Step 2: Create a Custom Event in GA4

Go to Admin
Click Events
Click Create event
Click Create

Now fill in:

Event name:

affiliate_click

Matching conditions:

event_name equals click
link_url contains /go/
(or your affiliate identifier)

Save the event.

Congrats — GA4 is now listening specifically for affiliate clicks.

Step 3: Mark Affiliate Clicks as Conversions

This step is huge.

Go to Admin → Events
Find affiliate_click
Toggle Mark as conversion

Now GA4 treats affiliate clicks as conversion actions, which unlocks:

Conversion reports
Funnel analysis
Better comparisons across pages

Step 4: Verify Everything Is Working

To test:

Open your site in an incognito window
Click an affiliate link
Go to Reports → Realtime
Look for the affiliate_click event

If you see it — you’re golden.

Using Google Tag Manager (Advanced but Powerful)

If you want maximum control, Google Tag Manager is your friend.

This lets you:

Track specific buttons
Track link position (top, sidebar, footer)
Track individual affiliate programs separately
Add parameters like product name or page category

The setup is more advanced, but the flexibility is unmatched.

If you want, I can walk you through a full GTM setup step-by-step in a follow-up.

How to Actually Use Affiliate Click Data (This Is the Fun Part)

Tracking is pointless unless you use the data.

Here’s how smart bloggers leverage it.

1. Find Your Top Money Pages

Go to:
Reports → Engagement → Pages and screens

Add:

Event count
Affiliate click conversions

You’ll quickly see:

Pages with traffic but no clicks (optimize)
Pages with clicks but low traffic (promote)

2. Optimize Link Placement

Try:

Moving affiliate links higher
Adding comparison tables
Replacing text links with buttons
Adding contextual links mid-paragraph

Then compare click data week over week.

3. Identify Underperforming Programs

If you track by domain or ID, you can see:

Amazon clicks vs niche affiliate clicks
High click / low payout programs
Opportunities to switch partners

4. Improve Content Strategy

Affiliate tracking reveals:

Topics that actually convert
Intent-driven keywords
Content worth updating or expanding

This is how random blogging turns into a system.

Common Affiliate Tracking Mistakes (Avoid These)

❌ Tracking raw outbound clicks only
❌ Not marking affiliate events as conversions
❌ Mixing affiliate and non-affiliate links
❌ Not testing after setup
❌ Ignoring the data once it’s live

Set it up once — then let the data guide decisions.

Final Thoughts

Setting up affiliate link tracking in Google Analytics isn’t just a technical task — it’s a growth unlock.

Once you know:

Which links get clicked
Which pages drive revenue
Which placements work best

You stop guessing and start scaling.

Affiliate Marketing Tools And Software

How Do I Set Up Tracking For Affiliate Links In Google Analytics