Affiliate marketers use link cloaking to turn ugly, long affiliate URLs into clean branded links. But there is confusion about whether it is allowed, what disclosure rules apply, and how to do it correctly.
What Is Affiliate Link Cloaking?
Link cloaking replaces a long tracking URL with a short, clean redirect like yoursite.com/go/product. When a visitor clicks it, they are redirected to the original affiliate URL. The tracking still works and your commission is preserved.
Why Affiliate Marketers Cloak Links
- Appearance — clean links look more professional and trustworthy to readers
- Commission protection — some browser extensions strip affiliate parameters; server-side cloaking protects your commission
- Analytics — centrally manage links and track clicks without editing every page
Is It Legal?
Yes — but the FTC requires clear disclosure of affiliate relationships near every affiliate link. Cloaking the URL is fine. Hiding the fact that it is an affiliate link is not. Check your network terms — Amazon and some other networks have specific cloaking rules.
301 vs 302 Redirects
Most affiliate marketers use 302 temporary redirects to avoid passing SEO value to merchant sites and to keep the cloaked URL as the canonical destination in Google.
Cloak Affiliate Links Free
Use the Anonymiz Affiliate Link Cloaker to create clean redirect links instantly. Choose redirect type, strip the referrer header, and get started with no account needed.
