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Short.io Link Tracking

Set up Short.io affiliate links so AnyTrack can track them. Tag each short link with its Tracking Group, and Short.io sends the SubID with the AnyTrack click ID to the affiliate network.

Short.io is a link shortener that puts a short, branded URL in front of a long affiliate offer link. Tag the Short.io link on your page, and AnyTrack attributes the conversions from that link.

Section titled “How Short.io Links Keep the Click ID”
  1. The Tracking Tag adds the SubID parameter of the network to the short link on your page. The value is the AnyTrack click ID.
  2. The visitor clicks the short link.
  3. Short.io merges the query parameters of the short link into the destination URL. Short.io does this by default for every short link.
  4. The affiliate network receives the SubID with the click ID.
  5. When a conversion occurs, the network sends the click ID back to AnyTrack in the postback.

Example with Impact, which uses the subId1 parameter:

Short link on your page:  https://go.example.com/offer?subId1=<click_id>
Destination after merge:  https://partner.sjv.io/c/123/456/789?subId1=<click_id>
Section titled “Step 1: Create the Short Link in Short.io”
  1. Copy the standard offer link from your affiliate network dashboard.
  2. Remove the SubID parameter from the offer link, if the link has one. AutoTag adds the SubID to the short link.
  3. In Short.io, create a short link with the offer link as the destination URL.
  4. Copy the short link.

Step 2: Add the Short Link to Your Page

Section titled “Step 2: Add the Short Link to Your Page”

Put the short link on a page that loads the Tracking Tag. Then tell AnyTrack which Tracking Group the link belongs to. Use one of the two methods below.

Method A: Add the Tracking Group Attribute

Section titled “Method A: Add the Tracking Group Attribute”

Add the data-tracking-group attribute to the link. The value is the Tracking Group of the network:

<a href="https://go.example.com/offer" data-tracking-group="impact">Get the offer</a>

For the Tracking Group of each network, see Tracking Group ID. Use this method when you can edit the HTML of the link.

Method B: Assign the Integration in AutoScan

Section titled “Method B: Assign the Integration in AutoScan”

Use this method when you cannot edit the HTML of the link.

  1. Open Property Settings > Auto Scan.
  2. Enter the URL of the page that shows the short link.
  3. Click Scan Page. If AutoScan scanned the page before, click Rescan.
  4. Click VIEW RESULTS.
  5. Find the short link in the Found Elements list.
  6. In the Integration dropdown, select the affiliate network.

Step 3: Verify the Setup

Section titled “Step 3: Verify the Setup”
  1. Open the page that shows the short link.
  2. Hover over the short link, or right-click it and copy the link address.
  3. Verify that the URL contains the SubID parameter with a click ID value. For Impact, look for subId1=.
  4. Open the developer tools of your browser, then open the Network tab.
  5. Select Preserve log.
  6. Click the short link.
  7. In the Network tab, find the request from Short.io to the affiliate network.
  8. Verify that the URL of that request contains the same SubID and click ID.

After a conversion, open the integration in AnyTrack and verify the conversion in the Events Log.

Section titled “Use Short Links on Pages, Not in Ads”

Send ad traffic to your own page, and put the short link on that page. For paid traffic, read Redirectless Tracking.

Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ was last reviewed on 2026-11-06

Does Short.io pass query parameters to the destination URL?
Yes. Short.io merges the query parameters of the short link into the destination URL by default. You do not change a setting. The merge stops only if the destination URL contains shortio_nomerge=1. Remove that parameter from every short link that you use for affiliate offers.
What happens if the destination URL already has a SubID?
Short.io keeps the value from the short link. If the same parameter is on the short link and on the destination URL, the short link value replaces the destination value. AutoTag adds the SubID to the short link, so the click ID reaches the network. To avoid confusion, remove the SubID from the destination URL when you create the short link.
Why does my short link have no click ID?
AnyTrack does not know which network the short link belongs to. Add the data-tracking-group attribute to the link, or assign the integration in AutoScan. Also verify that the Tracking Tag loads on the page. After an AutoScan change, wait about 15 minutes, or test in a new incognito window.
Can I use Short.io with a network that is not in the Integration Catalog?
Yes. Add the SubID parameter of the network and the --CLICK-ID-- token to the short link on your page, for example https://go.example.com/offer?subid=--CLICK-ID--. The Tracking Tag replaces the token with the click ID. Short.io then merges the parameter into the destination URL. See Custom Affiliate Networks.
Can I put a Short.io link directly in a Facebook or Google ad?
You can, but AnyTrack cannot attribute those clicks. AutoTag adds the click ID to links on a page that loads the Tracking Tag. A short link in an ad redirects the visitor to the network before any page loads the Tracking Tag. Send ad traffic to your own page, and put the short link on that page.
Section titled “Related Articles”