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AnyTrack AnyTrack Knowledge Base

Link Tracking

Learn how AnyTrack tracks outbound link clicks automatically using AutoTrack, appends SubIDs with AutoTag, and enables redirectless tracking for Facebook and Google Ads compliance. Covers link attributes for passing event data to Conversion APIs.

Link tracking is the automatic collection of outbound link clicks on your website by the AnyTrack Tracking Tag, generating a unique Click ID that travels with the visitor to third-party destinations. It connects the click to any downstream conversion — affiliate sale, partner checkout, external payment — so revenue attributes back to the original ad even when the conversion happens off-site.

AnyTrack adds the Click ID to tracked affiliate links, product links, and external checkout URLs when it scans the page. When a visitor clicks one of these links, AnyTrack fires an OutboundClick event. This is what makes server-side affiliate attribution work end-to-end.

Section titled “How Link Tracking Works”

The Tracking Tag scans the links on your page. It tracks the links of platforms in the Integration Catalog, such as an affiliate network, whether or not you added the integration to your property. A link that AnyTrack recognizes as belonging to a catalog platform uses that platform’s tracking group, whatever rel or target it carries. Otherwise, a link with rel="nofollow", rel="sponsored", or target="_blank" with an external URL, or a link that uses a redirect path such as /go/, can enter the unknown tracking group, and AnyTrack sends an event for it only when you enable Catch-all Events. When a visitor clicks a tracked outbound link:

  1. AnyTrack fires an OutboundClick event
  2. AnyTrack sends the event to each connected ad platform that has a mapping for it (see Event Mapping)
  3. The link carries the SubID parameter of the destination platform, which AutoTag added when the Tracking Tag scanned the page
  4. The Click ID travels with the visitor, enabling server-side conversion matching

No code changes are needed. Install the Tracking Tag and link tracking runs automatically for tracked links.

Redirectless Tracking

Section titled “Redirectless Tracking”

Traditional affiliate tracking uses redirect URLs that get flagged by Facebook and Google as cloaking. Redirectless tracking eliminates redirects entirely — visitors go straight from your landing page to the offer, while AnyTrack collects full attribution data client-side.

This eliminates click loss from browser blocking, keeps ads compliant, and maintains accurate attribution.

Section titled “Link Attributes”

Add data attributes to your links to pass event data (payout, brand, label) to your analytics and Conversion APIs:

<a href="https://example.com/offer"
   data-payout="2.1"
   data-brand="nike"
   data-label="hero-button"
   data-tracking-group="impact">
  Try It Free
</a>
AttributeExamplePurpose
data-payout2.1Event value passed to analytics
data-brandnikeBrand or product name
data-labelbuttonLabel for the element
data-tracking-groupimpactAssigns the link to this tracking group. AutoTag adds the Click ID parameter of that group (subId1 for impact)

Server-Side Conversions

Section titled “Server-Side Conversions”

Link tracking is the foundation for server-side tracking. When the Click ID travels with the visitor to an affiliate network or external checkout, the platform can return it via webhook or postback — connecting the offline conversion back to the original ad click.

FAQ & Troubleshooting

FAQ was last reviewed on 2026-11-13

Do I need to modify my links for tracking to work?
No. Once the Tracking Tag is installed, AnyTrack tracks clicks on links of platforms in the Integration Catalog automatically. Link attributes are optional and only needed if you want to pass extra data like payout values or brand names.
Do I need to add rel attributes for outbound clicks to be tracked?
No. Once the Tracking Tag is installed, AnyTrack automatically tracks clicks on outbound links of platforms in the Integration Catalog, such as affiliate network links, and sends an OutboundClick event to your pixels and analytics. A link that AnyTrack does not recognize as belonging to a catalog platform, and that has rel="nofollow", rel="sponsored", or target="_blank" with an external URL or uses a redirect path such as /go/, can enter the unknown tracking group. AnyTrack sends an event for these links only when you enable Catch-all Events. Links of catalog platforms do not need Catch-all Events. If outbound clicks are missing, check that: (1) the Tracking Tag is installed on the page where the click happens, (2) the links use standard HTML anchor markup, and (3) if needed, enable Catch-All Events in your Property Settings to track other outbound clicks and form submissions (both options are disabled by default).
Does link tracking work with affiliate redirect plugins?
Yes. If you use plugins like ThirstyAffiliates, AutoScan discovers which affiliate networks the redirected links belong to and tags them automatically.
What is the difference between link tracking and redirectless tracking?
Link tracking collects outbound click events. Redirectless tracking is a specific method that eliminates redirect URLs from the click path, keeping you compliant with Facebook and Google ad policies while preventing click loss.
How does AnyTrack track clicks on links opened in a new tab?
The Tracking Tag fires the OutboundClick event the moment the user clicks the link, before the new tab opens. This ensures the event is collected even if the visitor closes the original tab immediately after.
Will link tracking slow down my website?
Link tracking scans the links when the page loads and when the page content changes, and it sends an event only when a click happens. The Tracking Tag loads asynchronously, so it does not block rendering. If you are auditing page speed, measure your own pages before and after installation rather than relying on a general figure.