Definition

Vanity redirect

A vanity redirect is a branded short URL on your own domain or subdomain (go.yoursite.com/product) that forwards to an affiliate link. It exists to be memorable, speakable, and — critically — editable after publication.

Vanity redirects are the only durable link strategy on frozen or distributed surfaces: podcast audio, syndicated show notes, repinned pins, and uneditable posts. The published wrapper never changes; you re-point what's behind it.

Their characteristic failure: the redirect service or slug dies and clicks bounce back to your own homepage. Afterlink detects this specific pattern (a redirect subdomain landing on its parent domain's homepage) as a distinct warning.