SubID/Ad Channels Tracking
Post Affiliate Pro offers your affiliates an advanced tracking tool for maximum optimization of visitor traffic.
2 min read
Tracking
AffiliateMarketing
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SubID tracking attaches an extra reporting identifier to an affiliate link so the affiliate can distinguish traffic sources, placements, or content variants. Also called ad channel tracking, it segments referral performance without changing the identity of the affiliate entitled to commission.
Keep in mind: A SubID labels traffic within an affiliate account. It does not create a new affiliate or guarantee separate commission rules.
What can a SubID help measure?
A SubID can label a placement, channel, or creative so its recorded referrals can be compared with others. The identifier has to reach the relevant reporting record; a label visible in the original URL is not enough if a redirect or integration drops it.
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Distinguish the identifiers
| Identifier | Main purpose |
|---|---|
| Affiliate ID | Identify the partner |
| SubID or ad channel | Label that partner’s traffic segment |
| Click ID | Identify a tracked click or referral event |
| UTM parameter | Label traffic for analytics systems that read it |
subid might have a different role in another integration, so use the documented link builder and confirm the reporting meaning.An illustrative channel report
Assume two placements each send 100 clicks. A review article earns $40 in approved commissions; a newsletter earns $70. Their EPC values are $0.40 and $0.70 per click. That gives a useful starting comparison, but it does not prove that moving the review’s audience to the newsletter would reproduce the result.
Compare the same conversion maturity, offers, and eligible earnings. If a recurring offer continues earning later, a fresh traffic segment will look weaker than a mature one unless the observation period is aligned.
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What are the limits?
A SubID segments recorded activity; it cannot restore a lost referral, verify that a customer is new, or independently prove which content caused the sale. Avoid personal data in values and use a stable naming convention. Keep a map of labels to placements so historical results remain understandable after a campaign changes.
A useful SubID naming convention
Use short labels that answer a reporting question, such as newsletter_oct, review_sidebar, or video_description. Keep campaign, placement, and creative labels consistent so you can compare clicks, conversions, approved revenue, and EPC by channel.
An illustrative link might look like https://example.com/offer?affiliate=partner123&subid=review_sidebar. Parameter names and supported values depend on the actual tracker; this is not a universal Post Affiliate Pro URL format. Generate links through the platform when possible, then check that the label survives redirects and appears on the conversion record.
Do not put email addresses, names, or other customer information into a public tracking URL. Also avoid changing labels halfway through a test. SubIDs make a comparison possible, but different audiences and conversion windows can still make a simple channel ranking misleading.
For the corresponding Post Affiliate Pro settings, consult the subid ad channels tracking documentation . Confirm the configuration and integration requirements against your program’s rules.
