Affiliate marketing is a popular way to earn money online. If you are hustling to earn commissions, shortening any affiliate link in WordPress is your secret weapon for boosting clicks and trust. This beginner-friendly guide answers all your FAQs about creating clean, professional links with plugins like BetterLinks. From setup to SEO, we have got the tips you need to make your affiliate links shine and skyrocket your success.
In this blog, you will learn how to shorten any affiliate link in WordPress for free. Let us dive in and explore how to shorten any affiliate link in WordPress.
Short URLs, Big Results: Why You Need to Shorten Any Affiliate Link in WordPress
Shortening affiliate links in WordPress is not just about appearance, it is about improving performance, gaining insights and building long-term credibility. Affiliate links are often long and filled with random characters. These links can look untrustworthy to visitors. Shortening them makes your links look clean and boosts your site’s credibility. Imagine you are recommending a product through your blog or social media and your affiliate link looks like this: https://example.com/products/productid?ref=12345&source=blog&utm_campaign=spring_sale
Would you trust this link? Probably not. It looks cluttered, confusing and potentially spammy to an average user.
Now, imagine this link instead: https://yourwebsite.com/recommends/productname
Cleaner, more professional and much easier to share, right?
If you are serious about affiliate marketing, link shortening is a must do step. If you are sharing affiliate links on your WordPress website without shortening them, here is why it might be holding you back:
📈 Boost Click-Through Rates (CTR): Studies show that branded and shortened links can improve CTR by up to 39%. When users feel confident about where they are clicking, they are more likely to follow through.
🛡️ Increase Trust & Credibility: Visitors are naturally wary of URLs. A shortened link builds confidence and makes your website look more polished and professional, especially important when you are trying to drive conversions.
📊 Track Performance & Optimize Strategy: Using a link shortener like BetterLinks allows you to monitor how your affiliate links are performing:
➡️ How many clicks each link receives
➡️ Where your traffic is coming from
➡️ Which affiliate products are converting the best
With this data, you can improve your strategy over time.
🧰 Easy Link Management: Need to update an affiliate URL? If you have pasted the full link across multiple blog posts, you have to manually update every instance. But with a shortened link, you only need to change the target URL once and it updates everywhere automatically.
🔍 SEO & User Experience Benefits: Clean, keywordfriendly URLs are easier for search engines to index and may help with on page SEO. Plus, they are easier to remember and share, especially helpful on podcasts, webinars or offline marketing materials.
🌐 Centralized Control with WordPress: You stay in control of your own branding, data and performance without relying on external services like by shortening affiliate links directly within WordPress.
How to Shorten Any Affiliate Link with BetterLinks
In this section, you will learn how to Shorten Any Affiliate Link in WordPress using BetterLinks. This free plugin is simple to set up and comes with powerful features. You can create clean and short affiliate links directly from your WordPress dashboard and use them anywhere, including your website, social media and email campaigns.
Step 1: Create a New Category in BetterLinks
From your WordPress dashboard, go to BetterLinks and click on Manage Links. In the center of the page, you will see the option to Add New Category. Click on it to create a category for organizing your links.
Click the blue plus icon (+) to add a new category. Enter a suitable name for your category, then click the Submit button. Your new category will be added, helping you organize and manage your links more easily.
Step 2: Create a New Link
Now it is time to create a new affiliate link using BetterLinks. You can do this in two simple ways. Either click on the Add New Link button at the top or select the plus icon under your chosen category to get started.
No matter which option you choose, a popup will appear where you need to fill in a few required fields such as Title, Redirect Type and Target URL. You can also customize and manage your shortened URL directly from this window.
Also, you can add a Description, assign a Category and include Tags based on your preferences. Here is what each input field means:
Title: This is a required field. You need to give your link a title to create it. It does not have to match the title of your blog post or product exactly. Feel free to use any clear and meaningful name that helps you recognize the link later.
Description: This field is optional. You can write a brief summary to describe the purpose of the link. It will help you quickly understand what the link is for when managing multiple links later.
Redirect Type: Choose your preferred redirect option from the dropdown menu. This is a required field. You can select from three available redirect types — 301 for permanent redirects, 302 for temporary redirects and 307 for temporary redirects with more specific use cases.
Target URL: Enter the full link you want to shorten. Simply copy the URL from your browser and paste it into this field. This is a required step to create your shortened link.
Shortened URL: Once you provide the target URL, BetterLinks will automatically generate a shortened version for you. You can customize this short link if needed and easily copy it from your BetterLinks dashboard to use anywhere.
Category: Choose a category for your new link from the dropdown menu. If you do not select a category, BetterLinks will automatically assign it to Uncategorized. When you click the plus icon under a specific category, that category name will be selected right away.
Tags: You can add new tags directly in the input field or select from tags you have created before. This field is optional. Using tags helps you organize your links more efficiently.
Link Options: You can set different attributes for your new link. Depending on your link’s purpose, you can select one or more options. Currently, there are four link options available: No Follow, Sponsored, Parameter Forwarding, and Tracking. Each option has a description beside it to help you decide which ones to choose based on your link’s characteristics.
Once you have completed all the fields carefully, click the ‘Publish’ button. Your new link will be created and saved under the category you selected.
This is how easily you can set up and create new links with BetterLinks, without any hassle. The entire process only takes a few minutes. BetterLinks makes shortening affiliate links in WordPress simple and efficient.
Why BetterLinks is Perfect to Shorten Any Affiliate Link in WordPress
BetterLinks is a powerful, beginner-friendly and freemium (mostly free, with low-cost advanced features) WordPress plugin developed by WPDeveloper. It is built specifically for WordPress users and offers all in one link shortening, tracking and management; right inside your dashboard. Such as:
🔗 Link Shortening: Create clean, short affiliate links (e.g.,yourdomain.com/product) to replace long, complex URLs, improving user trust and clickthrough rates.
🕵️ Link Cloaking: Hide affiliate tracking codes with branded URLs to prevent commission theft and make links look professional.
📊 Link Click Analytics: Track clicks on affiliate links with detailed reports (e.g., top referrers, browsers or social media) to measure performance and optimize campaigns.
📅 Link Scheduler: Filter affiliate link clicks by date to analyze performance trends over time, helping you refine strategies.
🔗 UTM Builder: Add UTM parameters to affiliate links to track campaign performance across platforms like social media or email.
⚙️ Affiliate Link Disclosure: Automatically add disclosures to comply with FTC guidelines, ensuring transparency for affiliate links.
🔄 Broken Link Checker: BetterLinks makes link management simple and improves your SEO. It helps you fix broken links, shorten URLs and organize links easily.
🔒 Role Management: Control who can create or edit affiliate links without needing admin access, ideal for teams.
For most WordPress users, BetterLinks is ideal because they work within your dashboard. There are many link shorteners out there. But most either:
| Feature | BetterLinks | Other Link Shorteners |
| 🔄 Integration | ✅ Built specifically for WordPress with full native integration | ❌ Most do not integrate natively with WordPress |
| 💰 Cost & Access | ✅ Freemium with powerful features included | ❌ Many tools limit key features behind paid plans |
| 🧩 Link Management | ✅ Easy link creation, organization and management within your dashboard | ❌ Lack important features like link categorization or tagging |
| 📊 Analytics | ✅ Built-in click tracking and performance insights | ❌ Often missing or require external tools for analytics |
| 🛡️ Data Privacy | ✅ Data stays on your WordPress site for full control | ❌ Some store your data externally |
| 🧑💻 User Experience | ✅ Beginner-friendly and intuitive interface | ❌ Can be complex or clunky for new users |
| 🔄 Maintenance & Support | ✅ Regular updates and responsive support from WPDeveloper | ❌ Some tools are not regularly updated or supported |
These features make BetterLinks a powerful tool for affiliate marketers looking to shorten, manage and track links in WordPress.
Common Use Cases for Affiliate Link Shortening
There are plenty of smart ways to use shortened links especially when you want to Shorten Any Affiliate Link in WordPress. From blog posts to social media, emails to YouTube descriptions, shortening your affiliate links makes them cleaner, more clickable and easier to track.
📄 Blog Content
If you are writing product reviews or listicles, you will often include multiple affiliate links. Shortened links keep your content clean and help with readability.
Example: A fitness blogger reviewing gym equipment can use:
🔗 yourdomain.com/go/treadmill
🔗 yourdomain.com/go/dumbbells
🎥 YouTube Descriptions
YouTube links often look messy. Shortened URLs look more appealing and are easier to remember or speak aloud.
Example:
Original: https://abc.com/products?ref=yt2025&item=mic001
Shortened: yourdomain.com/go/bestmic
✉️ Email Marketing
Long affiliate URLs in email newsletters can get cut off, look suspicious, or trigger spam filters. Shortening them makes your links look clean, improves click-through rates and helps ensure your emails reach inboxes. Example:
Instead of using: https://affiliatesite.com/products?id=123&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=july
you can send: https://yourdomain.com/tools/emailpro
💎 Social Media
Platforms like Twitter and Instagram limit character count and do not allow long, complex URLs in bios or captions. A short, clean affiliate link helps you say more and still send users exactly where you want. Example:
Instagram Bio or X (Twitter) Post:
🎯 My favorite SEO tool: https://yourdomain.com/go/seoapp
📖 PDF Guides or eBooks
If you are sharing affiliate links in downloadable content like free PDFs, checklists, or eBooks, shortened URLs are easier for readers to type manually and appear more professional in print. Example:
In a PDF guide:
Use this trusted tool to build landing pages: https://yourdomain.com/pages/builder
Let us jump into the bonus section, how to Get More Traffic by Shortening Links.
Best Practices to Shorten Any Affiliate Link in WordPress
If you are diving into affiliate marketing, just shortening the link is not enough. To truly get the most out of your affiliate strategy, here are six best practices to follow when you shorten any affiliate link in WordPress, especially when using a smart plugin like BetterLinks.
🎯 Pick Catchy Slugs
When you shorten any affiliate link in WordPress, do not just settle for random letters or default formats. Instead, create slugs that are clean, meaningful and keywordrich.
A good slug improves SEO, builds user trust and helps people understand what they are clicking on. It is also easier to remember and share on social media or verbally.
💡 Pro Tip: Use target keywords in the slug (like ‘bestlaptop’) to support your overall content strategy.
🛡️ Use Nofollow Tags
Google does not love affiliate links, especially when they pass SEO juice. That is why adding a rel=”nofollow” tag is essential when you shorten any affiliate link in WordPress.
Nofollow tells search engines not to pass ranking signals through your affiliate links, which keeps your site compliant with Google’s guidelines and avoids penalties.
💡 Pro Tip: Just toggle the ‘nofollow’ option when creating or editing your affiliate link. Easy and stressfree!
📢 Always Add Affiliate Disclosures
Transparency builds trust. Whether you are writing a blog post or a product comparison, always disclose your affiliate relationships clearly.
It is not just about ethics, it is the law. The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) requires you to disclose if you may earn commissions from links you share.
💡 Pro Tip: You can add an automatic affiliate disclaimer above or below posts with a shortcode or even customize your own template in the plugin settings.
Example: “This post contains affiliate links. If you click and purchase, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.”
🧩 Place Links Where They Matter
It is not just about shortening. It is also about placing your links strategically. When you shorten any affiliate link in WordPress, think about user intent.
📌 Where to place
- In product review sections
- As a call-to-action (CTA) button
- Midway through blog posts (after explaining a benefit)
- In comparison tables or “Top 10” lists
Links placed naturally within helpful content feel less salesy and more like a trusted recommendation.
🔍 Test Links Before You Publish
The worst thing you can do is promote a broken affiliate link. Before hitting publish, make sure your shortened link is working properly. Broken links mean missed commissions, a poor user experience, and lost credibility.
🔎 How to check
- Click each affiliate link manually before publishing
- Use a plugin like BetterLinks for ongoing scans
- In BetterLinks, you can review your links from the dashboard and quickly spot any that need attention
💡 Pro Tip: Test links on mobile and desktop both, especially if you use georedirects or different offers by region.
Your Journey to Smarter Shorten Links Starts Here
And that is it! Now you know exactly how to shorten any affiliate link in WordPress, the easy way. Clean, short links not only look better but they also help build trust, boost clicks and keep everything organized in one place. You do not need to worry about complicated setups or missing features with BetterLinks. Just install, create and share your links with confidence. Check out our guide on 20+ Affiliate Marketing Jargon for more game-changing ideas.
Is this blog helpful? Join our community to stay updated with the latest blogs, product reviews and WordPress solutions. Subscribe to our blog for in-depth tutorials, tips and product demos or visit our website for the newest updates.
FAQs About How to Shorten Any Affiliate Link in WordPress
Curious about how to Shorten Any Affiliate Link in WordPress the right way? Here are the most common questions affiliates ask; with clear, simple answers.
1. How do I shorten an affiliate link in WordPress?
To shorten any affiliate link in WordPress, use BetterLinks. Install the free plugin, go to “Add New Link,” paste your affiliate URL and create a clean slug like yourdomain.com/deal. It is easy, SEOfriendly and boosts clicks!
2. How do I make my affiliate links look professional?
Make your affiliate links stand out with BetterLinks. Shorten links to branded URLs like yourdomain.com/bestproduct, add nofollow and include disclosures. This keeps links tidy, trustworthy and compliant.
3. How do I customize my affiliate link?
Customize affiliate links with BetterLinks to make them clickable. Paste your affiliate URL, set a slug like yourdomain.com/toplaptop and add disclosures or nofollow. It is quick and builds user trust!
4. How do I shorten an affiliate link?
Use BetterLinks to shorten affiliate links. Install the plugin on WordPress, add your link and set a simple slug like yourdomain.com/offer. It increases trust and clicks!
5. Which website can I use to shorten affiliate links?
BetterLinks is the best free plugin for WordPress. Install it, add your affiliate link and create short, attractive URLs. It is user friendly and free!
