A sub ID is an extra value an affiliate adds to their tracking link. Your tracker stores it with the click, shows it in reports and sends it back in the affiliate’s postback. It is how one affiliate link can tell you which campaign, ad or placement a conversion came from.
What a sub ID looks like
An affiliate adds values to the end of the link:
https://trk.yournetwork.com/c/abc?sub1=facebook&sub2=campaign42&sub3=video_ad
Every click from that link now carries those three values, and so does any conversion from it.
How affiliates use sub IDs
- Traffic source: which platform or site sent the click.
- Campaign and ad: which campaign, ad set or creative.
- Placement: which page, position or channel.
- Their own click ID: the ID from their ad platform, so they can send conversions back to it.
When the affiliate’s postback fires, the sub IDs come with it, so they can match the conversion in their own tools.
How networks use sub IDs
Find the bad source inside good traffic
Fraud often comes from one source inside an affiliate’s traffic, not the affiliate as a whole. Group your fraud report or conversion rate by sub ID and the bad source stands out. Then block that sub ID, for that affiliate or for everyone, instead of dropping a good partner.
Optimise offers
Group a report by offer and sub ID to see which placements convert. Share the winners with the affiliate and raise their caps.
Answer advertiser questions
When an advertiser asks where a batch of conversions came from, the sub IDs give a precise answer.
Good habits
- Agree on what each sub ID means with your affiliates: sub1 for source, sub2 for campaign, and so on.
- Keep values short and free of personal data such as emails or phone numbers.
- Use the same values every time, so reports group cleanly.
Affilix gives every link five sub IDs plus a source. All of them can be used to group reports, block traffic in anti-fraud rules, and are sent back in affiliate postbacks.