Link Cloaking

Short.cm provides “Link cloaking” feature to keep the original URL in privacy and safety.

How does it work?

Short.cm converts a short link to a long one, which helps a person read links and remember them more easily. After clicking on the short link, the system redirects users to the original URL, which they can see in the browser’s address bar. When you activate a link cloaking feature, the original URL is replaced in the address bar with the shortened one.

For example, instead of this link, "http://www.test12345.com/click-8452066-12015878,”

users will see this one, “https://domain.com/characters.”

Why do you need link cloaking?

The link cloaking function is spread in affiliate marketing. Therefore, there are some reasons why brand owners prefer to use it.

1. Prevent commission loss

There are some occasions when you can lose earnings:

• The malicious software on your visitor’s computers can change your affiliate code to another one and steal your commission.

• Before you get the registered customer’s purchase, someone else can deliberately remove your affiliate link of the product to another.

• In dealing with affiliates, who also are rewarded for customer clicks, you can set different prices for them. The technical usage is similar to UTM tags. The long link includes a unique parameter with a unique ID for each partner. As a result, you can easily calculate the payment for the service for each affiliate partner separately.

2. Easy-to-track

The Short.cm service keeps track of how often users click on your short links. This is very useful for understanding which posts and pages are driving your commissions.

3. Social platforms

As many frauds promote affiliate links with viruses, some social networks consider posts with such links dangerous. After cloaking URLs, you can easily stop your links from being blocked.

4. High email open rates

If you use the links in the emails, cloaked links are less likely to be marked as spam. When your emails are considered as spam, spam filters will probably blacklist them. Therefore, any email you send with a blacklisted link might never reach your subscribers.

5. Ad blockers

Many Internet users may add browser extensions that prevent them from seeing ads. Ad blockers look for affiliate links to determine if they are ads. By cloaking, the links will avoid advertisement blockers.

How to set up link cloaking in Short.cm

Link cloaking is available for users with PERSONAL and higher plans.

Open the “Link cloaking” tab in the link manager pop-up window and activate the cloaking feature. Watch a step-by-step video instruction below to customize the link cloaking feature quickly.