Awin parameter
What is the clickref parameter?
clickref is Awin's your sub-id / click reference. clickref is Awin’s publisher-defined sub-ID: set it per placement (per video, per article) and Awin echoes it back in transaction reports, giving you revenue attribution per piece of content. Power users key their entire content ROI analysis off it.
Where it appears
In the affiliate link you publish
Example
https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?...&clickref=youtube-video-42If clickref is missing
Nothing breaks — clickref is optional — but you lose the ability to see WHICH placement drove each sale in your Awin reports.
How Awin tracking fits together
A standard Awin deep link runs through awin1.com/cread.php. The awinmid parameter identifies the merchant, awinaffid identifies you, and ued carries the URL-encoded destination page. When a visitor clicks, Awin registers the click server-side, sets its tracking cookie, and redirects to the merchant with an awc click ID appended.
Because the destination is embedded inside the link, an Awin link can fail in two independent places: the Awin hop (program closed, merchant left) and the destination page (product removed, URL changed). A correct health check has to verify both.
Frequently asked questions
What does the clickref parameter do?
clickref is Awin's your sub-id / click reference. clickref is Awin’s publisher-defined sub-ID: set it per placement (per video, per article) and Awin echoes it back in transaction reports, giving you revenue attribution per piece of content.
What if clickref is missing?
Nothing breaks — clickref is optional — but you lose the ability to see WHICH placement drove each sale in your Awin reports.
Is clickref in my analytics affiliate traffic?
Yes — if clickref shows up in your site analytics or server logs, that traffic arrived via Awin affiliate links.
Related
Check every affiliate link you've ever published
Parameter checks are one of five validations Afterlink runs on every Awin link. Afterlink scans your entire YouTube channel or website, follows every redirect chain, and alerts you the day a link breaks.
Run a free scan