- Definition
- Direct linking is an affiliate sending ad clicks straight to the merchant's site through a tracking link, without a page of its own in between.
In plain words
Normally an affiliate sends visitors to its own page first, such as a review or a list of deals. With direct linking, the ad goes straight to the merchant's site; only a tracking link in between records that the affiliate sent the visit.
To the searcher, the ad can look almost exactly like the merchant's own.
Why it matters for brand and paid search teams
Direct linking makes affiliate brand bidding harder to spot, because the display URL and the landing page belong to the merchant. The tracking link is often the only sign that a partner was involved.
Some programs allow direct linking and some forbid it, especially on brand searches. Affiliate managers need to see the full destination URL to tell the brand's own ad apart from a partner's.
How it works
Google requires the display URL in an ad to match the domain visitors land on. It also documents tracking templates and final URL suffixes that add measurement to the click, and parallel tracking, which sends people to the final URL while the tracking runs in the background.
This means an affiliate's ad can show the merchant's domain, land on the merchant's page, and still carry the affiliate's parameters in the URL that was clicked. Google's destination requirements also say the ad must reflect where people are taken.
Networks use different formats: a query parameter on the merchant URL, a redirect through a network domain, or a click identifier the network recognizes.
Example
An ad reads "Northstar boots, official site" with the display URL northstar.example. Its destination is https://northstar.example/boots?aff_id=2231&utm_source=partner. Northstar's own ads never carry aff_id.
The parameter points to a partner in the program. The affiliate manager checks whether that partner is allowed to direct link on brand searches before contacting it.
Fictional brands and domains, for illustration only.
Common mistakes and misconceptions
If the ad lands on our site, it is our ad. Partners can land on your site too. Compare the destination parameters with those your own campaigns use.
Direct linking is always forbidden. It depends on the program. Some allow it outside brand searches or with conditions.
The tracking always appears in the visible URL. Redirects and background tracking may not be written in the captured URL. A missing parameter does not mean that no partner is involved.
How to monitor it in Ads Lighthouse
Each saved ad keeps its destination URL as captured. The ad details view splits it into landing page, UTM values, click identifiers and other parameters, so an affiliate marker next to your own domain stands out.
Once you set your affiliate parameter, Ads Lighthouse matches Google ad destinations against your ID registry and reports them by partner. For eligible destinations, it also traces the redirect chain from its servers and records any affiliate IDs found in later hops.
Frequently asked questions
How can I tell a direct-linking affiliate from my own ad?
Compare the destination parameters. Your own campaigns use known tracking; a partner's ad usually adds an affiliate ID or network parameter.
Why is direct linking common on brand searches?
It removes the extra page between the search and the merchant, so more clicks turn into sales and commissions. That is also why many programs restrict it.
Official sources
- Google Ads Help: About the different types of URLs
- Google Ads Help: About tracking in Google Ads
- Google Advertising Policies Help: Destination requirements
Sources checked on .