- 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.
With direct linking, the ad can look like the merchant's own ad because the visitor lands on the merchant's site. The affiliate's tracking link or parameters are the main sign that a partner was involved.
Some programs allow direct linking and some do not. Platform rules also require that the ad reflects where the visitor is taken.
How Ads Lighthouse observes it
Each saved ad keeps its destination URL as captured, split into landing page, UTM values, click identifiers and other parameters. Redirects are not followed, so hops that are not written in the URL are not shown.
Official sources
- Google Ads Help: About the different types of URLs
- Google Advertising Policies Help: Destination requirements
Sources checked on .