# Short.io Link Tracking

> Set up Short.io short links for affiliate offers so AutoTag adds the SubID with the AnyTrack click ID, and the affiliate network receives it.

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.

<Prerequisites
  title="Before you begin"
  items={[
    { label: "The AnyTrack Tracking Tag is installed on the page that shows the short link", done: true },
    { label: "The affiliate network integration is installed in your AnyTrack property", done: true },
    { label: "You have a Short.io account with a domain for your short links", done: true },
    { label: "You know the Tracking Group of the affiliate network (for example, impact)", done: true },
  ]}
/>

## 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:

```text
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>
```

<Callout icon="📘" theme="info">
**Why the short link needs a Tracking Group**

AutoTag recognizes an affiliate network from the domain of the link. A Short.io domain does not show the network. You tell AnyTrack which Tracking Group the short link belongs to.
</Callout>

## 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.

<Callout icon="⚠️" theme="warning">
**Do not add shortio_nomerge to the destination URL**

The `shortio_nomerge=1` parameter stops Short.io from merging parameters. With this parameter, the SubID does not reach the affiliate network, and AnyTrack cannot attribute the conversion.
</Callout>

## 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

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

```html
<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](/docs/tgid). Use this method when you can edit the HTML of the link.

### 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](https://dashboard.anytrack.io/asset/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.

<Callout icon="📘" theme="info">
**Allow 15 minutes for the change**

The Tracking Tag keeps the previous configuration for about 15 minutes. To verify the change sooner, open the page in a new incognito window. See [AutoScan](/docs/autoscan#when-the-override-goes-live).
</Callout>

## 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.

<Callout icon="📘" theme="info">
**The merchant page can show no SubID**

The affiliate network reads the SubID at its tracking URL, then redirects the visitor to the merchant. The URL of the merchant page does not need to show the SubID.
</Callout>

After a conversion, open the integration in AnyTrack and verify the conversion in the [Events Log](/docs/integration-event-log).

<Callout icon="✅" theme="success">
**The setup works**

The click ID is on the short link and on the request to the affiliate network. The network can now send it back to AnyTrack in the postback.
</Callout>

## Use Short Links on Pages, Not in Ads

<Callout icon="❗" theme="error">
**AutoTag cannot tag a short link inside an ad**

AutoTag runs in your page. If an ad sends visitors straight to a Short.io link, no page loads the Tracking Tag before the redirect. The short link then has no click ID, and AnyTrack cannot attribute the conversion.
</Callout>

Send ad traffic to your own page, and put the short link on that page. For paid traffic, read [Redirectless Tracking](/docs/redirectless-tracking).

<FaqAccordion
  title="Frequently Asked Questions"
  icon="fa-duotone fa-circle-question"
  items={[
    {
      question: "Does Short.io pass query parameters to the destination URL?",
      answer: "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 <code>shortio_nomerge=1</code>. Remove that parameter from every short link that you use for affiliate offers."
    },
    {
      question: "What happens if the destination URL already has a SubID?",
      answer: "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."
    },
    {
      question: "Why does my short link have no click ID?",
      answer: "AnyTrack does not know which network the short link belongs to. Add the <code>data-tracking-group</code> 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."
    },
    {
      question: "Can I use Short.io with a network that is not in the Integration Catalog?",
      answer: "Yes. Add the SubID parameter of the network and the <code>--CLICK-ID--</code> token to the short link on your page, for example <code>https://go.example.com/offer?subid=--CLICK-ID--</code>. The Tracking Tag replaces the token with the click ID. Short.io then merges the parameter into the destination URL. See <a href='/docs/custom-affiliate-networks'>Custom Affiliate Networks</a>."
    },
    {
      question: "Can I put a Short.io link directly in a Facebook or Google ad?",
      answer: "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."
    }
  ]}
/>

## Related Articles

- [AutoTag](/docs/autotag)
- [Tracking Group ID](/docs/tgid)
- [PrettyLinks](/docs/prettylinks)
- [ThirstyAffiliates](/docs/thirstyaffiliates)