# How to work with your affiliate link

Your affiliate link is a ready-to-use working setup. It takes a person to the registration page, connects that visit to you, and passes data to analytics. Every part of the link has already been configured and checked for these jobs.

The key point is that the link works as one whole. The values after the ? are not random fragments: they are a connected structure. If you cut or change even one part, a visit may stop being credited without you noticing — the link can still open normally. Follow these four rules to keep your visit tracking and payouts accurate.

- **Outcome:** The working link stays intact, and you know the safe path for a new channel, redirect, or shortened address.
- **Duration:** 10–15 minutes
- **HTML:** https://playbook.affpartners.io/en/affiliate/lessons/affiliate-link-anatomy/

## 01. Do not edit

Do not change or remove anything already in the link — not individual characters, parameters, or their order. This also includes “cosmetic” edits: removing an apparently extra &, fixing a space, or shortening a long link to make it look nicer. Any such edit can silently break the connection between the visit and you. If the link looks unusual or overlong, that is normal: it is meant to be that way.

**Copy and paste the complete link.** When placing the link, move it as one piece. Do not correct or shorten the address by hand.

- Every character stays
- Order stays the same

## 02. Append only at the end

If you need to add something of your own — for example, a tag for your analytics or a channel note — append it strictly at the very end of the link, after everything already there. Everything we configured must remain untouched before your addition. The rule is simple: do not touch anything inside; append your own note at the end.

**Your own note goes only after the end.** A reporting tag or channel name comes only after the working link that is already there.

- Working link — unchanged
- Your note — at the end

## 03. Get a new link from the dashboard

If you need a separate link for a new channel, platform, or creative, do not rebuild it manually from an old one. Clone the existing link in the partner dashboard or ask your manager. The system will create the correct link with the right parameters, so you will not need to edit anything by hand — and will not risk accidentally breaking it.

**A separate channel needs a separate link.** That keeps channel results separate while the system creates the working link structure.

1. New channel
2. Dashboard or manager
3. New working link

## 04. Be careful with shorteners and your own domain

Link shorteners (bit.ly, clck.ru, and similar services), messenger editors, and wrapping a link in your own domain or redirect can silently trim or lose some of the parameters after the ?. The short link may still work and open, but the visit may not be credited.

### What to do safely

- If you want to wrap the link in your own domain or route it through your own redirect, first run a test visit and check that the full link — including everything after the ? — reaches the final page unchanged. If you are unsure, agree the setup with your manager before launching traffic and test it.
- If you need a short link, it is safer to use the link as it is or agree on an option with your manager than to pass it through a third-party shortener.

> The end user must reach our link in its full, unchanged form — no matter what you wrap it in.

## Grow with GameChange Partners

[Explore the partner program ↗](https://gamechange.partners/en?utm_source=academy&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=gcpacademy)

## Safety and constraints

**21+ · For persons aged 21 and over only.** Trading financial instruments involves significant risk and may result in the loss of invested funds. Affiliate Academy materials are for educational purposes only, do not constitute investment advice, and do not guarantee earnings.

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- [Affiliate Academy](https://playbook.affpartners.io/en/affiliate/)
- [Partner Playbook](https://playbook.affpartners.io/en/)