When it comes to affiliate marketing, small details often create big differences.
One of the most overlooked yet powerful features is the custom affiliate slug — the part of your referral link that uniquely identifies each affiliate.
Instead of using a generic URL like
yourstore.com/?ref=123
you can create branded, human-friendly links such as
yourstore.com/?ref=john-smith.
This guide explains why custom slugs matter, how they help your branding, SEO, and conversions, and how to set them up in Ultimate Affiliate Pro in just a few minutes.
What Is an Affiliate Slug?
An affiliate slug is the unique portion of a referral link that identifies which affiliate referred the customer.
For example, in yourstore.com/?ref=alex, the slug is alex.
To better understand the concept of slugs in general, check out Ahrefs’ guide on URL slugs.
1. Stronger Personal Branding
Custom slugs make each affiliate’s link look professional and trustworthy.
They reinforce the affiliate’s personal brand — crucial for influencers and content creators who promote on YouTube, Instagram, or blogs.
People are much more likely to click a link that looks like
yourstore.com/?ref=travelqueen
than one that ends in ?ref=48219.
2. Better Click-Through Rates (CTR)
Clean, readable URLs get more clicks.
According to Shopify’s affiliate link best practices, human-friendly links can significantly improve click-through rates.
A custom slug feels intentional, legitimate, and transparent — qualities that directly influence user trust and engagement.
3. Improved SEO and Link Sharing
Search engines and social media platforms prefer URLs that are short and descriptive.
Custom slugs make affiliate links easier to share, remember, and include in articles or emails.
If an affiliate writes a blog post, a branded slug looks far more credible in both the text and the link preview.
4. Easier Management for Admins
For you, as the program manager, descriptive slugs simplify everything — from CSV exports to manual checks.
When you see ref=alex or ref=fitness-guru, you immediately know whose performance you’re looking at, without cross-checking ID numbers.
This saves time, reduces tracking errors, and improves your overall reporting workflow.
5. Enhanced Trust and Compliance
Affiliate marketing relies on transparency.
Using custom slugs helps maintain compliance with FTC disclosure guidelines and EU commercial practices.
When customers can see the affiliate’s name in the link, it feels open and honest — not like a hidden tracking code.
How to Set Up Custom Affiliate Slugs in Ultimate Affiliate Pro
Step 1 — Enable the Custom Slug Feature
In your WordPress dashboard, go to:
Ultimate Affiliate Pro → Extensions → Custom Affiliate Slug
Activate the option.
Each affiliate can now edit their slug from their Affiliate Dashboard → Account Settings.
Step 2 — Choose the Default Structure
Define your referral variable (for example, ?ref= or ?affiliate=).
If needed, adjust permalinks according to WordPress’ official permalink guide.
Step 3 — Let Affiliates Customize Their Slug
Encourage affiliates to use slugs that match their personal brand — e.g., “john-smith”, “eco-mom”, or “techguru”.
💡 Tip: Use lowercase letters and dashes for readability.
Step 4 — Test Tracking and Reporting
Once you’ve added a few test affiliates, generate sample referral links and verify that UAP correctly attributes conversions through the new slugs.
Step 5 — Combine with Pretty URLs
For an extra level of professionalism, combine slugs with pretty referral links, like:
yourstore.com/partner/john-smith
This can be configured via URL rewrite rules or your SEO plugin.
Best Practices
- Keep slugs short, clean, and descriptive
- Avoid symbols, numbers, or special characters
- Use lowercase and dashes instead of underscores
- Never reuse slugs across affiliates
- Combine with Bitly’s link branding tools for campaign tracking
Related Resources
- Ultimate Affiliate Pro Documentation
- Multi-Level Affiliate Program Guide
- Ultimate Affiliate Pro Pricing
- Affiliate Tracking Guide – Ahrefs
Conclusion
Custom affiliate slugs might seem like a small tweak, but they have a major impact on trust, SEO, and conversion rates.
They help affiliates strengthen their personal brands and give your program a more polished, professional look.
With Ultimate Affiliate Pro, you can enable and manage personalized, SEO-friendly affiliate links in just a few clicks.
Ready to level up your affiliate program?
👉 Activate custom slugs today and watch your conversions grow.
