Understanding and setting up SubIDs
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A SubID is a free-text label you add to your tracking link so you know exactly where each click came from. Publishers use it to segment their statistics, advertisers read it in the click details, in the conversion funnel and in exports.
Adding SubIDs in the link builder (publisher)
- In the left menu (Tools section), open Link builder.
- Under Global settings, enter the destination URL and check the Partnership that was detected.
- Expand the Optional settings section.
- Under Add SubID, fill the SubID 0 field with your label, for example
newsletter-june. - Click the + button to add another field, up to SubID 5. The button turns grey once all six fields are shown.
- Your Tracked link updates immediately: copy it with the copy icon and use it in your content.
The link you get, parameter by parameter
With the three SubIDs above, a program set to Parameter mode produces a link like this:
https://www.example.com/?ae=123456&aev=newsletter-june&aesubid1=header-block&aesubid2=product-page
ae=123456identifies your partnership: this is what triggers sale attribution.aev=carries SubID 0. This is the historical name of that first SubID, kept so that existing integrations keep working.aesubid1toaesubid5carry SubID 1 to SubID 5.
lb.affilae.com/r/ URL and SubID 0 is called cv. There is nothing to adjust on your side: the link builder always produces the right format.
Where advertisers find the SubIDs (advertiser)
SubIDs are set by the publisher but they are readable by the advertiser. You find them in the program menu, once the program is open:
- Clicks: open the details of a row. The SubIDs sent appear below the click ID and IP, as SubID 0, SubID 1 and so on.
- Conversions: in the conversion funnel, the contributor’s SubID 0 is shown directly. The View all SubIDs link expands SubID 1 to 5.
To analyse SubIDs at scale, use the exports or the API:
- Clicks export: the file contains the technical columns
subId0tosubId5. - Conversions export: tick the fields Contributor SubID 0 to Contributor SubID 5.
- Affilae API: SubIDs are returned on clicks and on conversions.
Reporting and the clicks and conversions tables have no SubID column and no SubID filter. To combine SubIDs with your figures, use the export or the API and group the values in your spreadsheet.
Do not mix SubIDs up with the other optional parameters
The same section offers three blocks that look alike but do different jobs:
- Add SubID: a value you write, reported back in Affilae statistics and exports. It is the only one of the three that feeds Affilae reporting.
- Add dynamic parameters: a value filled in automatically by Affilae when the link is generated, such as
{affiliateTrackingId},{affiliateName},{programId}or{programName}. It mostly feeds the advertiser’s own tools. - Add custom parameters: your own key and value added to the URL, for instance for your own analytics tool. It is not picked up in Affilae statistics.
What SubIDs change day to day
- You know which channel drives your sales: newsletter, social media, blog article, paid campaign.
- You know which placement works inside the same page: top banner, mid-page block, link at the end of an article.
- You can compare two versions of the same content and keep the one that converts best.
- As an advertiser, you understand the real mechanics behind a top performing partner, and you can discuss them concretely.
Naming your SubIDs well
- Pick a convention and stick to it: SubID 0 always for the channel, SubID 1 always for the placement, SubID 2 always for the campaign.
- Keep values short and readable, in lower case, with no space, no accent and no special character. Hyphens and underscores are your friends.
- Never put personal data in a SubID: they are visible in the browser address bar.
- Only fill the fields you need. A field left empty is simply not added to the URL.
Three concrete situations
- A monthly newsletter. SubID 0 is
newsletter, SubID 1 is2026-06, SubID 2 ismain-button. You then compare sends month by month. - An Instagram post. SubID 0 is
instagram, SubID 1 isstory-swipeup. You see whether the story converts better than the bio link. - A paid campaign. SubID 0 is
sea, SubID 1 is the campaign name. You match your commissions against your ad budget to check whether the operation pays off.
Learn more
Frequently asked questions
Up to 6, numbered SubID 0 to SubID 5. The + button in the link builder turns grey once all six fields are shown.
The platform enforces no limit. Still, keep values short and readable: lower case, no space, no accent, no special character, with hyphens or underscores. An overly long value only makes the URL heavier.
Yes, they appear in the browser address bar. So never put personal data in them: no name, no email address, no customer ID.
Not from the interface: there is no SubID column and no SubID filter in the tables. Use the clicks export (columns subId0 to subId5), the conversions export (fields Contributor SubID 0 to Contributor SubID 5) or the API, then group the values in your spreadsheet.
Because this first SubID keeps its historical name: aev in Parameter mode, cv in Redirect mode. The value is exactly the one you entered, and it is returned as SubID 0 in the interface, the exports and the API. Nothing is required on your side.
It is no longer offered when configuring a program: only Parameter and Redirect modes are available today. SEO links already in circulation keep working and keep passing SubIDs. If you are unsure which mode your program uses, simply regenerate your link from the link builder, it always produces the current format.