Cloaked Links

Introduction

Cloaked links are a powerful tool that allow affiliates to display their affiliate links in a 'clean' way to appear more trustworthy and enhance their SEO. This feature enables affiliates to use their own branded domains in conjunction with Routy, giving them greater control and flexibility over their affiliate marketing efforts.

For example, instead of the affiliate link looking something like:

https://affiliates.routy.app/route/98765?affId=12345&ts=12345

It will instead look like this:

https://track.yourwebsitename.com/brand

Key Features of Cloaked Links

• Beautify your affiliate links for improved SEO and a better user experience
• With cloaked links you are able to funnel traffic into whichever link you want, based on location
• Cloaked links are specific to each traffic source.
• They retain all the functionalities of standard Routy links, including Parameter A, Parameter B, and more

Prerequisites for Setting Up Cloaked Links

To get started with cloaked links, affiliates must follow these steps:

1. Request the Routy team to enable the cloaked links feature for you

1. • Set up a ticket or get in contact with us via our live chat
2.  

 2. Set Branded Domain:

1. • On the traffic source page, navigate to the settings tab and click the setup button by the disabled 'Branded link' text box.

3. Define Branded Domain:

1. • Write down the branded domain. Note that it doesn't have to be the same as the affiliate's website.

4. Specify FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name):

1. • For example, "track.domain.com" or "go.domain.com". This can be ANY subdomain.

5. DNS Configuration:

1. • Go to the domain's DNS provider and add a CNAME record pointing to Routy's AWS load balancer.

6. Verify DNS Update:

1. • Once the DNS update is complete, click "Verify". If Routy can resolve the FQDN and match it to the AWS load balancer, the "Submit" button will be enabled.

   • Note: For some DNS providers, it may take up to 24 hours to update the DNS record.

7. Check DNS Record:

1. • Before verifying with Routy, it's recommended to use a tool like mxtoolbox.com to confirm the CNAME was updated. Enter "cname:go.domain.com" and click the "CNAME Lookup" button.

8. Final Activation Check:

• • It takes up to 20 minutes for Routy to set up the domain. Use the test URL provided to verify the activation: https://track.yourwebsitename.com/ping.

By following these steps, affiliates can successfully set up and utilize cloaked links on Routy, enhancing their affiliate marketing strategies. If any issues arise during the setup process, feel free to reach out to our support team for assistance.

Adding your first cloaked link

Once your domain is fully set up, you can start adding your cloaked links. Before adding your first cloaked link, make sure all your affiliate links are added to Routy.

• Press the Add button to add a new cloaked link.
• When adding your cloaked link, you must select a default link. This will be the 'fallback' and default option if one of the conditions is not met.
• To add a condition, simply press the "+" button and select a country and/or region, and the link you would like to direct them to.

When a user in this country/region presses the link they will be redirected to the specified link.

The diagram below shows how users will be redirected, based on the above settings: