Affiliate link

Users with access to a specific Offer can view its details together with allowed propagation options (Link, iFrame, API).

Affiliate links can carry multiple tracking parameters, all of which are stored in the system and available for reporting and optimization. Each click generates a unique click ID, ensuring that every action can be tracked accurately. The redirection process itself is optimized for speed and reliability, so customers experience minimal delay when clicking a link.

Link Parameters

The most common parameters are:

• pcid – the identifier PalDock assigns to every click. Always present unless you rename it, see below.
• affcid – a custom click identifier provided by the affiliate.
• affs1 to affs10 – custom fields where affiliates can pass their own IDs or values for tracking and reporting.
• destination – a URL pointing to another page within the same advertiser domain instead of the default landing page. This allows affiliates to send traffic directly to a specific product or category page, for example an online shop linking users to a chosen product detail. The URL must be URL-encoded, for example destination=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.example.com%2Fproduct%2F123. See Deep link.

For the full list, see Tracking parameters.

pcid is the Origin ID

pcid is the parameter name. The value it carries is the Origin ID, which is what identifies a click everywhere else in PalDock: in postbacks, in the Tracking API, in logs and in reports. One value, two names, depending on where you meet it. In a URL it is pcid. In everything that talks about it afterwards it is the Origin ID. See Conversion IDs explained.

pcid is generated automatically, but you can rename it to anything using ?anything={pcid}. Once {pcid} is used in a differently named parameter, the default pcid parameter is not added. Only your custom parameter containing the value remains. This is for advertisers whose systems expect the identifier under a name of their own, for example ?clickid={pcid} or ?subid={pcid}.

Domains and URLs

Redirects can run over different domains, giving flexibility in how links are displayed:

• PalDock domain – default option. (e.g., go.paldk.com/)
• Custom top-level domain (e.g., www.example.com/).
• Subdomain (e.g., go.example.com/).
• Folder redirect (e.g., www.example.com/out/). While this method is slower, it can be useful in email campaigns, allowing the sender domain and the button URL to match, which helps improve deliverability.

Redirect Chaining

Redirects can sometimes chain together, for example:

1. A shortened link (e.g., example.com/go/offer)
2. An affiliate link with parameters (e.g., go.paldk.com/offer=1&affiliate=1)
3. A tracking link that points to the advertiser (e.g., www.advertiser.com/?source=paldock&id=1)

When all of these are handled through PalDock, the system automatically optimizes the path by skipping redundant steps and sending the user directly to the final destination.

Remarketing and Scripts

Admins can enhance redirects by injecting scripts during the redirect flow via Server-side Google Tag Manager. While this may slightly slow down the redirect, it can be well worth it when combined with lead collection. This setup enables advanced remarketing scenarios based on user behavior with the redirects. For example, sending a follow-up email when a customer (known from lead) clicks through a specific link or activating targeted ad campaigns for users who interacted with certain offers.