Dynamic SubID Tracking for Smarter Affiliate Marketing

A SubID is a custom tracking value you append to your affiliate link so you can identify which click (ad, page, placement, author, keyword, etc.) led to a conversion. Think of it as your label for the click—saved by the network and returned in reports or postbacks.

Definition & common synonyms

Different networks and trackers call the field by different names. They all serve the same purpose: carry your metadata through the click → conversion flow.

Concept	Typical names you’ll see
Single free-form SubID	subid, sub_id, sub, sid, aff_sub
Multiple slots (granular)	sub1, sub2, sub3, sub4, sub5
Network-specific aliases (examples)	Awin clickref, CJ sid, Rakuten u1, ShareASale afftrack, Impact subId1–subId5, TUNE/HasOffers aff_sub(1–5), Tradedoubler epi/epi2, Partnerize clickref

Where it “lives” (in the URL)

SubIDs are added as query parameters on your affiliate deeplink. They can be attached directly to a network link or inside a redirect/url parameter when the link wraps a destination URL.

Direct example

https://track.network.com/click?affid=12345&subid=review-page_top

Wrapped/redirect example

https://track.network.com/click?affid=12345&subid=review-page_top
  &url=https%3A%2F%2Fmerchant.com%2Fproduct%3Fsku%3DABC

Multi-slot example

https://example.hasoffers.com/aff_c?offer_id=9&aff_id=101
  &aff_sub=blog
  &aff_sub2=airfryer_roundup
  &aff_sub3=hero_block
  &aff_sub4=creativeA
  &aff_sub5=item123

Who uses SubIDs (and why)

• Affiliates & publishers
  Tie earnings back to content: which post, comparison table, or product made the sale.
• Media buyers & performance marketers
  Track channel, campaign, ad set, creative, and placement to optimize bids and budgets.
• SEOs & content teams
  Attribute conversions to authors, templates, schemas, or internal links to guide editorial strategy.
• Data/analytics folks
  Join SubID values with BI tools, detect anomalies (fraud, broken funnels), and build segment-level profit views.

Quick mental model

• You choose the label → sub1=channel, sub2=post, sub3=placement, etc.
• The network stores it on click.
• Reports/postbacks return it on conversion so you can see what worked—and do more of it.

SubIDs turn every click into a measurable unit you can analyze, test, and improve—without guesswork.

Track the right thing

Use a simple SubID schema:

Slot	What to track	Example value
sub1	Website	kitchenhub
sub2	Post	best-air-fryers or p_4821
sub3	Block / Placement	hero, table_row_1, sidebar_top
sub4	Product	ean_590123 / sku_af123
sub5	Author/Editor	author_jlee

This answers—in every report—which site, which post, which exact block, which product, and which author/editor drove the conversion.

SubID vs. UTM vs. ClickID

These three are complementary—not interchangeable.

Aspect	SubID	UTM	ClickID
Primary audience	Affiliate network / tracker	Web analytics (e.g., GA4)	The network/program itself
Who sets it	You (publisher/marketer)	You (publisher/marketer)	Network (auto-generated)
Purpose	Carry your custom context to conversion (post, placement, creative, etc.)	Attribute traffic in analytics tools (source/medium/campaign)	Deterministic attribution key used by network/postbacks
Typical names	subid, sub1–sub5, sid, clickref, etc.	utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, utm_term, utm_content	clickid, cid, transaction_id (varies)
Lives in	Affiliate deeplink (query params)	Destination URL (visible to analytics)	Stored by network; often echoed back on conversion
Paid on?	Yes—used in conversion-side reports	No—analytics only	Drives attribution; critical for payout accuracy

When to use which

• Use SubIDs to answer what exactly converted (post/placement/creative/author…).
• Use UTMs to understand traffic acquisition in GA4 (source/medium/campaign/keyword).
• Preserve ClickID to ensure the network can match conversion to the right click.

Content Egg helps you add product blocks, lists, and price comparison tables to posts—sourcing offers from many affiliate modules (Awin, Bol.com, Linkwise, TradeTracker, eBay, feeds, and more), and rendering them via templates and shortcodes. Every one of those clicks can carry a SubID so you know which website → post → block → product drove the sale.

Where you can use SubIDs in Content Egg

You can insert SubIDs anywhere Content Egg asks for a SubID or a deeplink:

• Module settings (built-in SubID fields): when a network/program supports it (e.g., Awin, Bol.com, Linkwise, TradeTracker, eBay, Feed modules), put your SubID pattern directly into the module’s SubID.
• Deeplink settings: include SubID as part of the deeplink URL.
• Directly in shortcodes: add or override parameters inline using the add_query_arg attribute to stamp SubIDs per block/placement.

Dynamic placeholders: auto-compose SubIDs

Instead of hard-coding values, use dynamic placeholders to build SubIDs from the live post, product, and site context. Wrap placeholders in {{ ... }}—they resolve at render time. Examples: {{post_id}}, {{item_unique_id}}, {{post_url_encoded}}, {{site_domain}}.

Supported placeholder families (examples)

• Basic: {{url}}, {{url_encoded}}, {{url_base64}}, plus {{post_id}}, {{item_unique_id}}.
• Product: {{item_title}}, {{item_brand}}, {{item_sku}}, {{item_ean}}, {{item_upc}}, {{item_isbn}}, {{item_module_id}}, {{item_domain}}.
• Page/Post: {{post_title}}, {{post_slug}}, {{post_url}}, {{post_url_relative}}, {{post_author}}, {{post_date}}.
• Time/Utility: {{date}}, {{timestamp}}, {{uuid}}, {{post_hash}}.

Safe variants (recommended)

Many networks restrict characters/length. Use automatic variants to keep things valid:

• Generic transforms: {{..._encoded}}, {{..._base64}}, {{..._slug}}.
• SubID-safe transforms (best for network limits): {{..._subid}} (≤100 chars), {{..._subid64}} (≤64), {{..._subid32}} (≤32). If truncation happens, a short hash keeps values stable.

Per-block overrides via shortcode

1. Identify the parameter your network expects (e.g., clickref, sid, u1, afftrack).
2. In your Content Egg shortcode, add add_query_arg="PARAM=VALUE&PARAM2=VALUE2".
3. Compose VALUE with placeholders and safe variants (e.g., {{post_slug_subid}}, {{item_sku}}).
4. Test a click and confirm the SubID appears in the network’s click/conversion report.

Example (Awin-style clickref):

[content-egg module=Awin template=grid add_query_arg="clickref={{post_id}}-{{item_unique_id}}"]

Amazon note (important)

Amazon Associates doesn’t support SubIDs. Instead, use Tracking IDs and assign different tags per site / section / campaign. You can set the tag via shortcode, e.g.:

[content-egg module=Amazon add_query_arg="tag=YOUR_TAG"]

Create/rotate tags to maintain visibility by section without relying on SubIDs.

Tips

• Prefer {{..._subid}} / {{..._subid32}} variants for network-safe, compact values.
• Always URL-encode the merchant destination when it’s passed as a parameter.
• Test clicks in your network to verify SubIDs appear as expected; some programs trim or reject characters.

Master Table — SubID Support in Affiliate Networks & Programs

Network / Program	SubID Parameter(s)	Max Length	Allowed Characters	SubID Support & Notes
Admitad	subid, subid1–subid4	50–120 chars	Letters, digits, symbols	Yes – Supports 5 SubIDs. Each up to 50 chars (SubID4 up to 120). Wide character support including Latin/Cyrillic.
Adtraction	epi	128 chars	Alphanumeric	Yes – Single SubID (EPI) supported.
Affiliate Future (UK)	tracking	–	Alphanumeric	Yes – Single SubID supported (tracking code).
Awin	clickref, clickref2–clickref6	50 chars each	ASCII	Yes – Supports up to 6 SubIDs. Each 50 chars.
AvantLink	ctc	64 chars	Alphanumeric	Yes – Single SubID (custom tracking code).
Bol.com Partner Program	subid	–	Alphanumeric	Yes – Single SubID supported. Commonly used for campaign or post IDs.
CAKE (Platform)	s1–s5	100 chars each	ASCII	Yes – Supports 5 SubIDs. Each up to 100 chars.
CityAds	sa–sa5	–	Alphanumeric	Yes – Supports 5 SubIDs for custom tracking.
CJ Affiliate (Commission Junction)	sid	64 chars	ASCII	Yes – Single SubID supported.
ClickBank	tid	100 chars	Alphanumeric	Yes – Single SubID (tracking ID).
ClixGalore	OID	–	Alphanumeric	Yes – Single SubID supported.
Coupang Partners	subId	–	Alphanumeric	Yes – Single SubID supported. Common for advanced tracking.
Daisycon (NL/BE)	ws, ws2, ws3	100 / 50 / 50 chars	Alphanumeric + symbols	Yes – Supports 3 SubIDs. Allows various characters including punctuation.
eBay Partner Network	customid	–	Alphanumeric	Yes – Single SubID supported (custom ID).
Envato Market Affiliate	subId1–subId3	255 chars each	Alphanumeric	Yes – Program runs on Impact platform; supports multiple SubIDs.
Everflow (Platform)	sub1–sub5	–	Alphanumeric	Yes – Supports 5 SubIDs.
FlexOffers	fobs	–	Alphanumeric	Yes – Single SubID supported. Recommended to keep under 100 chars.
Flipkart Affiliate (IN)	affExtParam1, affExtParam2	–	Alphanumeric	Yes – Supports 2 SubIDs for campaigns or placements.
GdeSlon	sub_id–sub_id5	–	Alphanumeric	Yes – Supports 5 SubIDs.
HasOffers (TUNE Platform)	aff_sub–aff_sub5	255 chars each	Alphanumeric	Yes – Supports 5 SubIDs. Widely used in CPA networks.
Impact (Impact Radius)	subId1–subId3	255 chars each	Alphanumeric	Yes – Supports up to 3 SubIDs.
LinkConnector	atid	100 chars	Alphanumeric	Yes – Single SubID supported.
LinkTrust (Platform)	SID	500 chars	Alphanumeric + “-”	Yes – Single SubID. Very large max length.
Linkwise (GR)	subid1–subid5	–	Alphanumeric	Yes – Supports 5 SubIDs.
Lomadee (BR)	Internal field	–	–	Yes – SubID handled internally. Uses click ID for tracking.
Partnerize (Pepperjam)	pubref	100 chars	Alphanumeric	Yes – Single SubID.
Post Affiliate Pro (SaaS)	data1, data2	25 chars each	Alphanumeric	Yes – Supports 2 SubIDs.
Rakuten Advertising	u1	72 chars	Alphanumeric	Yes – Single SubID supported.
Refersion (SaaS)	subid	–	Alphanumeric	Yes – Single SubID supported.
ShareASale	afftrack	255 chars	Alphanumeric	Yes – Single SubID supported.
Shopee Affiliate Program	SubId	–	Alphanumeric	Yes – Single SubID supported. Shown as “Sub ID” in dashboard.
Sovrn Commerce (VigLink)	subId	32 chars	Alphanumeric	Yes – Single SubID field.
TradeDoubler	epi, epi2	64 chars each	Alphanumeric	Yes – Supports 2 SubIDs.
TradeTracker	r	–	Alphanumeric	Yes – Single SubID supported.
Udemy Affiliate	subId1–subId3	255 chars each	Alphanumeric	Yes – Program runs on Impact; multiple SubIDs supported.
Walmart Affiliate (US)	subId1–subId3	255 chars each	Alphanumeric	Yes – Runs on Impact; multiple SubIDs supported.
Webgains	clickref	255 chars	Alphanumeric	Yes – Single SubID supported.
Amazon Associates	N/A	–	–	No – SubIDs not supported. Use Tracking IDs instead.
Best Buy Affiliate	subId1–subId3	255 chars each	Alphanumeric	Yes – Program runs on Impact; multiple SubIDs supported.
Booking.com Affiliate	subId1–subId3	255 chars each	Alphanumeric	Yes – Runs on Impact; multiple SubIDs supported.
Target Affiliate	subId1–subId3	255 chars each	Alphanumeric	Yes – Runs on Impact platform; supports multiple SubIDs.
AliExpress Affiliate	subId, subid1–subid4	~50 chars each	Alphanumeric	Yes – Supports up to 5 SubIDs (via Admitad / Alibaba Affiliate).

Notes:

• Most global networks accept URL-safe SubIDs (letters, numbers, dashes, underscores).
• When no official character limit is documented, keep values under 100 chars for safety.
• Amazon Associates and some smaller in-house programs do not support SubIDs—use tracking tags instead.
• Always URL-encode SubIDs when nested in redirect URLs.
• SubID fields may be case-sensitive in some networks.