Want to cloak those long, ugly affiliate links on your WordPress site? Unsure about link cloaking? As WordPress experts who've powered sites like WPBeginner with affiliate revenue for years, we'll explain what link cloaking is and share proven methods to hide affiliate links securely.
Link cloaking transforms lengthy affiliate URLs into short, branded ones that look professional and trustworthy.
Affiliate links are typically cumbersome and revealing, like: https://www.affiliatesite.com/products/?product_id=123&affiliate=123
Cloaking shortens them to clean URLs such as: https://www.yoursite.com/refer/productname
Use any base like 'refer,' 'go,' 'out,' or 'recommend'—we rely on 'refer' across WPBeginner.
If you're monetizing your blog with affiliates, cloaking is essential. It helps manage links centrally, creates memorable URLs, adds click tracking for accurate commissions, protects against hijacking, and simplifies admin control.
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Affiliate marketing fuels many bloggers' income, so we've vetted the best WordPress plugins for cloaking and management. These tools let you add, cloak, and track links effortlessly for optimal results.
ThirstyAffiliates is our top pick for affiliate link management and cloaking. Add links via a central dashboard and insert them into posts/pages with editor buttons.
It auto-replaces keywords with affiliates, lets you customize base URLs, adds nofollow, supports A/B testing, geo-targeting, stats, and more. We use it daily on WPBeginner—check our full guide on adding affiliate links with ThirstyAffiliates.
Pretty Links Lite excels at cloaking, adding nofollow, shortening, and redirecting affiliate links with built-in analytics. It also clears old database logs to keep your site lean.
Easy Affiliate Links offers a simple interface for hiding and managing all your affiliates from one panel—everything you need without complexity.
WP Wizard Cloak delivers full-featured shortening and hiding with intuitive tools for WordPress affiliate management.
Links Auto Replacer stands out by auto-linking keywords while supporting standard management—ideal for hands-off cloaking.
For WooCommerce stores, this plugin auto-hides external links. Set your URL slug in Settings » Permalinks and choose redirect type—note it's cloaking-only, not a full manager.
Affiliate Link Manager uses keywords as slugs instead of bases for simple cloaking, with basic stats—straightforward and effective.
This guide equips you to cloak links confidently. Explore our roundup of the 10 best affiliate marketing tools and plugins for WordPress too.
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