Affiliate link cloaking is the process of turning a long or unattractive affiliate URL into a shorter branded redirect.

WooCommerce cannot do this by default. If your site generates a link like this:

https://examplestore.com/product-name/?ref=affiliateID

...that's what affiliates will have to use unless they can change the appearance of the links on their own sites.

Using a Link-Cloaking Plugin

One option for affiliates to cloak WooCommerce affiliate links on their own sites is to use a plugin like Pretty Links, which allows you to change a link to something more attractive, like:

https://examplestore.com/recommends/product-name/

Of course, the same underlying link with the full affiliate ID is still sent to the vendor's site.

Why Cloak WooCommerce Links?

Raw affiliate links can often make shoppers feel suspicious of the added affiliate ID information, raising concerns that they are the ones being tracked.

In addition to removing these concerns, cloaked links are also:

• easier to read and remember
• better for reporting if the affiliate is tracking clicks on their own site
• easier to organize and manage if the link-cloaking plugin offers these features

Cloaking Links Using Solid Affiliate

Solid Affiliate is a plugin used by WooCommerce store owners to create and manage their entire affiliate marketing programs, including:

• Affiliate registration and approval
• Affiliate link generation
• Visit, referral, and conversion tracking
• Extensive commission options
• Order-based referral tracking
• Automatic commission calculation from real order data
• Refund, cancellation, and order-status handling
• Affiliate payout management
• reporting and analytics
• ...and more

The plugin also provides many features for affiliates, including:

• Easy affiliate registration
• Personal affiliate portal
• Access to approved creatives and promotional links
• Click, referral, and commission tracking
• Earnings and payout visibility
• Performance reports

Additionally, it can generate unique referral links with custom slugs (see the bottom of this screenshot):

These custom slugs effectively do the same job as a cloaked link, but from the store's site. Affiliates can then use these modified links on their own sites without needing to install another plugin.

Solid Affiliate also wraps all of its affiliate features into this powerful Affiliate Portal, effectively creating a one-stop shop without requiring affiliates to make any changes to their site setups.

Want to learn more about Solid Affiliate? Check out this short video:

Final Thoughts

Looking to cloak WooCommerce affiliate links? Solid Affiliate provides an excellent method of doing this from the vendor's site instead of forcing affiliates to make changes on their sites.

However, it's not the only affiliate marketing plugin. For a list of others, see the 8 Best WooCommerce Affiliate Plugins.