I would not run affiliate or referral links without UTMs boring enough that future-you can read the report. Partners will ask what worked. You should have an answer that is not vibes.
Bad tagging is how you keep paying the wrong partner after a campaign clearly flopped.
Tag the partner, not the vibe
Examples:
- utm_source=partner_newsletter
- utm_medium=affiliate
- utm_campaign=march_tool_promo
Use the partner name or handle consistently. Do not rename every week.
Match tags to payout reality
Affiliate networks track their own clicks and sales, while GA shows onsite behavior after the click, and you need both stories to line up when a partner disputes payout in Slack at month end.
You do not want two conflicting reports when someone asks why their commission looks wrong.
Landing page discipline
Send affiliate traffic to a page that matches the promise.
If the partner pitched a discount, the page should show it above the fold.
Broken promises waste UTMs and burn partners.
Do not over-tag consumer-facing links
Long ugly URLs scare clicks in some channels.
Use a short redirect you control if needed, with UTMs on the final hop you measure.
Affiliate UTMs exist to end arguments about who sent the buyer. Use them like accounting, not decoration.
