How do I track my affiliate earnings?
Dashboard Tracking
Every affiliate program or network (like Amazon Associates, ShareASale, Impact) provides a dashboard where you can see clicks, conversions, and estimated earnings. These reports are usually updated daily or in real time, but final commissions may be confirmed later after returns are processed.
You can often filter by date, link, or campaign. Some dashboards show your conversion rate and average order value, which helps you see what's working.
Advanced Tracking with Sub-IDs
To know which specific page or ad drove a sale, use sub-IDs (also called tracking IDs or clickrefs). You add a unique code to your affiliate link, and the network reports it back to you. This lets you compare performance across blog posts, emails, or social channels.
For even more control, use a third-party tracker like Voluum or RedTrack, or add UTM parameters to your links and check Google Analytics for clicks (though Analytics won't show commissions). Combine network data with your own analytics to get the full picture.
- Check your affiliate dashboard daily for clicks and conversions
- Use sub-IDs to separate traffic sources
- Add UTM tags for Google Analytics click data
- Consider a dedicated tracker for paid traffic
- Export reports monthly to spot trends
Common mistakes
- Relying only on the network dashboard and missing which content actually drives sales.
- Forgetting that commissions can be reversed later, so 'estimated' earnings may drop.
- Not using sub-IDs, which makes it impossible to optimize individual links.
