Definition

Affiliate link

An affiliate link is a URL containing tracking information that attributes a visitor — and any purchase they make — to the specific marketer who referred them, so the merchant can pay commission. The tracking lives in query parameters, path segments, or a redirect through an affiliate network's server.

Structurally, affiliate links come in three families: network links that route through a tracking domain (awin1.com, pxf.io, jdoqocy.com), parameter links on the merchant's own domain (?rfsn=, ?fpr=, ?a_aid=), and wrapped links where either kind hides behind a shortener or vanity redirect.

Because attribution is the whole point, an affiliate link has a stricter definition of "working" than a normal link: it must load, land on the intended page, AND preserve attribution. Links failing the second or third condition look fine to a casual click.