Long, messy affiliate links are a real eyesore. They clutter up blog posts and make your content look less professional and trustworthy. But there's a simple solution: the best affiliate link cloaking WordPress plugins!
They transform your ugly affiliate links into short, branded, and trustworthy URLs that blend right into your website.
In this guide, I'll dive into affiliate link cloaking and explore the best WordPress plugins that help you create cleaner, more pro-looking affiliate links (and maybe even boost your conversions!).
Ready to ditch the link chaos and welcome clean affiliate marketing links? 🔗 Keep reading!
Why you need affiliate link cloaking WordPress plugins
Sure, cloaking affiliate links in WordPress and on social media makes them look prettier.
But there are other good reasons to use affiliate link cloaking WordPress plugins. Here are a few of them:
- Make your links look trustworthy. Nobody likes clicking on messy, suspicious-looking links. Cloaked links are short, clean, and match your brand, so they feel more trustworthy.
- See how your links are doing. Most link cloaking plugins let you track clicks in real time to see which products your audience is interested in.
- Protect your hard-earned cash. Cloaking prevents other people from stealing your affiliate links and taking your earnings.
- (Maybe) even help your SEO. Great content is still the most important thing. But cloaked links sometimes give your SEO a small boost.
So, why use a cloaking plugin instead of trying to cloak links yourself?
Well, manually cloaking links is tricky and time-consuming. An affiliate link cloaking WordPress plugin does it for you. That way, you can focus on your favorite tasks and promote those affiliate links to your favorite products.
The 4+ best affiliate link cloaking WordPress plugins
Affiliate link cloaking plugins do exactly what they sound like. They cloak (hide) your long and complicated affiliate links behind a prettier, more user-friendly URL.
Imagine you're promoting a new blender on Amazon. Your affiliate link might look something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Ninja-Professional-Plus-Blender-Single/dp/B07L5G5Z4V/?&_encoding=UTF8&tag=yourblogname-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=1234567890abcdefghijklmno&camp=1789&creative=9325
That's a mouthful! A link cloaking plugin would turn that into something much cleaner and easier to share, like:
yourwebsite.com/ninja-blender
Now, let's get to the best best link cloaking plugins for WordPress.
1. Pretty Links 🥇
🌟 Pretty Links is more than one of the best WordPress plugins for affiliate marketing. It's the best affiliate link cloaking WordPress plugin on this list.
It lets you shorten long links into affiliate URLs that are easy to share and remember. For example, instead of sharing a long, messy affiliate link, you could use Pretty Links to create a short, branded link like:
yourwebsite.com/favorite-cookbook.
Here's what else makes Pretty Links the best affiliate link cloaking WordPress plugin:
- Affiliate link tracking: See how many people are clicking on your links and where they're coming from so you know what's working (and what's not!).
- Organize your links: Keep all your links in one place, so you can easily find and update them.
- Protect your affiliate income: Stop link hijackers in their tracks by cloaking your affiliate links.
- Start for free: Dip your toes in with the free version to try it out!
🚨 Remember, even with cloaked links, it's important to be transparent with your audience. Always add an affiliate disclosure and use the right link attributes.
How much is Pretty Links?
There's a free version. It helps you create clean, simple URLs that redirect to any other URL.
Want more advanced features like product displays, link health reports, and more? You need Pretty Links Pro. It starts at $99.60 per year.
2. ThirstyAffiliates 🥈
Remember Pretty Links? Well, ThirstyAffiliates is another affiliate link cloaking WordPress plugin from the same team.
Think of it as Pretty Links' cloak-savvy sibling. It's also dedicated to turning long affiliate links into short, sweet, branded ones. But ThirstyAffiliates has its own unique flavor.
It's particularly focused on keeping your affiliate links organized and healthy, but it also has other link benefits:
- Track your clicks: See how many people are clicking your Amazon links and which ones are performing best.
- Get organized: Easily categorize and manage all your affiliate links in one place.
- Uncloak Amazon links (Pro): Easily uncloak Amazon links to show the full product details on your site.
How much is ThirstyAffiliates?
ThirstyAffiliates has a free affiliate link cloaking WordPress plugin too! The Pro version starts at $99.60 per year.
3. Simple URLs & Lasso 🥉
I already know what you're thinking. Two affiliate link cloaking WordPress plugins in one place? That's technically right!
But, Simple URLs is just the free version of Lasso's plugin.
Simple URLs is your starter outbound links cloaking plugin for WordPress. It also does basic product displays, link management, and more. It's free, easy to use, and a great way to test out a Lasso plugin before paying.
Looking for something more advanced? Lasso is the premium version of Simple URLs.
With Lasso, you can bring in Amazon product details, create product displays, and even get smart suggestions for the best products to promote within your content.
Here's why bloggers love using Simple URLs & Lasso for link cloaking in affiliate marketing:
- Makes your affiliate links short and pretty
- Helps you cloak a URL link and track your clicks
- Boosts your click-through rates with eye-catching product displays (Lasso)
- Helps you find the perfect affiliate products for your content (Lasso)
How much are these affiliate link cloaking WordPress plugins?
Simple URLs is free. Lasso is on the pricier side of things at $24 per month, billed annually.
4. WooCommerce Cloak Affiliate Links
The WooCommerce Cloak Affiliate Links plugin by Datafeedr lets you cloak affiliate links in your WooCommerce store.
This hides the ugly affiliate code and replaces it with a clean, branded URL. That way, your store looks more professional and trustworthy.
Need more than a URL shortener? No problem!
Here are some more things you can do with this link cloaking WordPress plugin:
- Protect your affiliate commissions: Make it almost impossible for people to steal your affiliate commissions.
- Test tracking features: Track how many clicks each affiliate link gets.
- Get more sales: By making it easier for people to click on your affiliate links, you can increase your sales.
If you are a WooCommerce store owner, I highly recommend using the WooCommerce Cloak Affiliate Links plugin.
How much is the WooCommerce Cloak Affiliate Links plugin?
To top things off, this plugin is also free. 🆓
5. Tasty Links (Bonus!)
Interested in Tasty Links?
Monetizing your site shouldn’t be hard. Tasty Links makes it easy by managing all your affiliate links and magically inserting them into your posts.
Don’t forget about our 14-day money-back guarantee! Trying out Tasty Links is risk-free!
Tasty Links might not mask links in WordPress, but it's still my go-to WordPress affiliate plugin.
It's packed with benefits that go far beyond cloaking external links. It makes your affiliate marketing life easier and more profitable.
Still want a link cloaking plugin? That's fair. And that's exactly why I use Pretty Links and Tasty Links.
I cloak my links with Pretty Links, then easily add those shortened links to my keyword list in Tasty Links for automatic linking.
Here's why else Tasty Links pairs perfectly with another affiliate link cloaking WordPress plugin:
- Auto-link to content when you type your keywords.
- Featured link blocks make it a snap to add images, call-to-action buttons, and more to your links.
- Connect your Amazon Associates account and get product details and images directly into your featured link blocks.
- Automatic affiliate disclosures
How much is Tasty Links?
Tasty Links is a premium WordPress link plugin. The first year is $49 for one site.
Here's one last budget-friendly tip: Want to save compared to Pretty Links Pro or Lasso? Pair Tasty Links with the free version of one of the affiliate link cloaking WordPress plugins on this list.
How to cloak your WordPress affiliate links with a plugin
Okay, you've got your fancy new affiliate link cloaking plugin installed and activated. 🟢
Now let's put it to work on your WordPress site! I'll use Pretty Links as an example, but the process is similar for most plugins.
First, go to your WordPress dashboard and go to Pretty Links > Add New.
Then give your link a name. This is for your own reference, so you can easily find it later. Let's say you're promoting a Vitamix blender. You might name it Vitamix Blender, as I did in the example below.
Next, choose your redirect type. For most affiliate links, you'll choose the 307 (Temporary) Redirect option.
Paste in your target URL. This is the long, ugly affiliate link you want to cloak. Grab it from your affiliate program dashboard and paste it into the Target URL field.
Then, in the Pretty Link field, enter the short, branded URL you want to use. For example, it could be yourblog.com/vitamix.
🚨It's important to note: The link in the example above is NOT a REAL affiliate link. I created it just to show you how cloaking affiliate links works.
Last, hit Update. That's it! You've just created a beautiful, cloaked affiliate link that's ready to share with the world.
Remember: Always include a clear and concise affiliate disclosure near your cloaked links, so your readers know that you may earn if they buy.
Cloak those links and up your affiliate marketing game!
So there you have it — the 4+ best affiliate link cloaking WordPress plugins to turn those messy links into beautiful, branded ones.
Remember, choosing the right affiliate link cloaking WordPress plugin depends on your specific needs and goals. So, explore the options, give them a try, and find the one that fits your affiliate marketing strategy like a glove!
Want to learn more about affiliate marketing for bloggers?
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