A controlled link test must create one click, one registration and one FTD in the expected campaign. It runs in a clean session with a preselected SubID.
What happened
The source tracking URL from the dashboard
Campaign ID and test SubID
A clean browser or device
Expected events and reporting timezone
Control questions
- Test through an existing player session
- Lose the SubID in an intermediate redirect
- Create several clicks and lose the registration mapping
Practical steps
- Open the URL without old cookies
- Verify the final domain and parameter retention
- Complete the permitted test path
- Match click, registration and FTD identifiers
What a successful test means
One click, one registration and one FTD should form a single chain with the expected SubID. A clean session removes old-cookie effects and the saved URL proves whether parameters survived. Mass traffic then starts from a known baseline.
Testing without old cookies
Open the link in a clean browser profile or on another device. Save the original URL, final host and SubID after every redirect, then perform only an approved test action. Locate the same identifier in the tracker and affiliate dashboard.
Repeat the path once with identical parameters. If it creates a duplicate or loses the campaign ID, solve that before acquisition starts; volume cannot reconstruct data that never reached the first event.
Validate the chain before buying traffic
Start with one click in a clean session. Record the original URL and SUB_ID, then inspect redirects, registration and the resulting dashboard event. If the parameter disappears between redirects, fix it before budget is committed rather than trying to reconstruct attribution later.
Repeat the test on mobile and in the browser type used by the target audience. Desktop and in-app browsers can behave differently around redirects and parameter persistence.
The link is ready when all three events form one traceable chain and every redirect is explained. Screenshots and timestamps stay beside the URL.
Frequently asked questions
How do you properly test an affiliate link before buying traffic?
Run the full click → registration → FTD path in a clean browser with no old cookies and a pre-chosen SubID, then match all three events by ID in both the tracker and the dashboard.
What most commonly breaks attribution during testing?
Testing through an old session with existing cookies, or losing the SubID in an intermediate redirect — both mask how the link actually performs.
Is one test pass enough, or should you repeat it?
Repeat it once with the same parameters — if the system creates a duplicate or drops the campaign ID, fix that before scaling up traffic.