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If there’s one thing the year 2025 taught me about affiliate marketing, it’s that there’s always more to learn—sometimes even relearning what I thought I already knew.
The affiliate marketing landscape changes fast. Just when I think I’ve got it figured out, a new idea, tool, or trend comes along and makes me rethink how I approach my strategies.
That’s what keeps me coming back to the PrettyLinks blog.
I find myself here often, revisiting posts that give me smarter ways to organize my links, fresh ideas for campaigns, and new ways to get more out of my favorite affiliate link management plugin.
These are the PrettyLinks articles that earned a permanent place in my bookmarks bar—the ones that keep me learning, experimenting, and leveling up my affiliate game.
My Favorite PrettyLinks Blog Reads of 2025
Here’s a roundup of the PrettyLinks articles I found most helpful this year—from hands-on tutorials to affiliate network insights, blogging guidance, and a few miscellaneous gems that were too good to leave out.
PrettyLinks Tutorials
PrettyLinks has an impressive library of support docs, but their tutorial-style blog articles give you something extra.
They translate the technical “here’s how a tool works” into the far more helpful “here’s how creators actually use it to earn more” approach.
The tutorials in this section are the ones that helped me better understand PrettyLinks’ biggest features and how to use them to their full money-making potential.
This article finally cleared up some confusion I had around link cloaking vs link shortening. I used to treat the two interchangeably, but this broke down the difference:
Shortening is purely about reducing character count, while cloaking enhances the entire link.
At the most basic level, cloaking rebrands an (often suspicious-looking) affiliate URL to your domain. That alone makes them more clickable, but it also keeps them from getting flagged as spam in places like email, where affiliate links often don’t stand a chance.
And because your affiliate ID is now hidden instead of exposed in the slug, cloaking also prevents it from being overwritten and your commissions stolen by link hijackers who come across the link online.
I’ve been using the PrettyLinks plugin for years, but seeing all the features listed in this guide made me realize there were tools I wasn’t leaning into as consistently.
After reading it, I took another pass through my setup to make sure I was actually using everything the plugin provides instead of staying in my comfort zone. Some quick upgrades I made included:
- Reorganizing a few categories to include past and upcoming campaigns;
- Adding more Keyword Replacement rules to older content;
- Turning my strongest affiliate mentions into product displays.
It was also great to see how much the plugin has evolved—dynamic redirects, Link Health, MonsterInsights integrations, and PrettyPay checkout links really show how much PrettyLinks has grown into an end-to-end tool for affiliate marketers.
This refresher on link expirations came at the perfect time as I was planning my Black Friday campaigns and wanted a clean way to manage multiple limited-time offers without babysitting every link.
The walkthrough reminded me how simple it is to set a link expiration and it got me thinking more strategically about when to use a date-based deadline versus a click-based limit.
For example, a date expiration works best for my timed sales, while a click-based expiration functions more like a supply cap—when it’s gone, it’s gone.
I went back through the few unique Black Friday affiliate links I received and added these expirations. That way, when each brand’s promo ended (all on different dates, of course), the link redirected to the original affiliate URL.
So anyone who clicked afterward still ended up on a product page that could earn me commissions instead of an expired sale page.
My affiliate content was performing fine, but it became clear my plain text links weren’t doing me any favors. Once I saw how Product Displays function almost like mini storefronts inside a blog post, it clicked that I was underutilizing one of PrettyLinks’ strongest conversion tools.
A display gives readers everything they need—an image, short description, price, and a strong CTA—without making them hunt through paragraphs to find a link. It makes the actual “affiliate promotion” more shoppable, which is something text links just can’t replicate.
And with the new update that allows up to two affiliate links per display, I can now pair products with variations, bundle offers, or alternative retailers without cluttering the page.
Between Google’s guidelines and the FTC’s expectations around transparency, affiliate links must be treated differently from editorial ones.
This article spelled out how leaving them as dofollow can look manipulative to search engines, pass ranking value where it shouldn’t, and open the door to penalties that impact your entire site.
It reframed nofollow as both an SEO signal and a legal safeguard for anyone earning through affiliate partnerships.
Before now, I’d always added it manually in the WordPress editor, writing it off as one of those unavoidable, detail-oriented tasks that came with staying compliant.
Once I found the PrettyLinks’ setting that applies the nofollow attibute automatically, it completely changed my workflow. It removed a tedious step I didn’t need to be doing in the first place and gave me far more confidence that everything I publish stays compliant.
Affiliate Program Best Practices
Affiliate networks are kind of like buffet lines—you could load up your entire plate, but you probably shouldn’t.
These articles walked me through how to be more selective about the programs I join, gave me a better grip on how big networks operate, and broke down what they actually look for before they approve an application.
One article even shares practical ways to boost those chances, so I’m applying with a plan instead of just crossing my fingers and hoping for the best.
As someone who’s been firmly rooted in Amazon Associates for years, I’d heard Rakuten come up as an alternative network—but I never had a clear picture of how it actually operated or what set it apart.
This article changed that. Instead of treating Rakuten like “just another place to grab links,” it broke down how the network actually works, applying to brands individually, getting approved one program at a time, and working with advertisers who each set their own commissions and creatives.
The article also clarified how naturally Rakuten fits into the systems I already use. While I don’t need to rely on Rakuten’s internal tools, I can run everything through PrettyLinks the same way I do with Amazon links.
With stronger brand-by-brand opportunities and more niche-specific partnerships, it makes sense why so many experienced affiliates diversify across both networks.
Re-familiarizing myself with the basics of getting accepted into affiliate networks felt timely after reading the Rakuten piece, so I clicked into this next PrettyLinks article.
Even though I’ve been approved for Amazon and a handful of other programs, I’d honestly forgotten how much your application presentation matters when you’re branching out into new networks.
This article explains how networks aren’t just looking at your content… they’re evaluating how polished your brand appears, how you plan to promote offers, and whether you’ve put real thought into how you’ll represent their advertisers/products.
It was a good reminder that acceptance isn’t automatic just because you’ve had success elsewhere. A clear plan, a professional digital footprint, clean site structure, and fully completed profile information still matter.
I love the idea of adding more earning potential to my mix. But I also know that every affiliate program comes with its own rules to follow, a product catalog to understand, and a brand you’re expected to represent accurately.
It’s easy to assume “more programs = more money,” but once you’re actually working those programs, it’s easy to fall into the cracks. You can’t fully stand behind products you barely know or write genuine content if you haven’t taken the time to research the brand.
And when that happens, your recommendations start slipping into the bad practice of, “I’ll promote anything,” which is the fastest way to lose trust. Your audience can always tell the difference between a product you truly know and one you added because you thought it would make you a quick commission.
That’s why most creators do best with a focused lineup of around three strong programs—enough variety to diversify income without turning your blog into a scattered mix of half-supported promotions.
Affiliate Blogging Tips
Blogging is the biggest part of what I do, but even after all these years, I’ll take any fresh insight I can get. Some days the ideas flow, and other days… well, I’m staring at a blinking cursor wondering why my brain has left the chat.
These articles helped on both fronts, giving me new ways to spark topic ideas, ways to switch up my blog’s look without a full site overhaul, and even how page design affects whether my affiliate links get clicked.
I’ve hit creative burnout more often than I’d like to admit, and when it happens, every blank page feels heavier than the last. The ideas that used to flow start sounding painfully dull, or I end up convincing myself I’ve already written everything worth saying.
That’s usually my cue to stop forcing inspiration and start hunting for topics the same way my readers hunt for solutions.
That’s why a roundup like this caught my eye. It pulls together all the places I forget to check when I’m stuck: Google suggestions, People Also Ask questions, trending searches, competitor angles, product reviews, forums, even social platforms.
The inspiration is already out there—sometimes I just need something like this to nudge me back into the habit of looking.
A-B-C-D-E-F & Z…??? I did not expect letters of the alphabet to play a role in how people read my website. But once I saw the heat-map patterns forming clear F’s and Z’s across my pages, I can’t unsee it.
On content-heavy pages, the F-pattern showed me exactly where readers paused, where their eyes drifted, and which lines actually held their attention.
And on my more visual pages, the Z-shape showed how readers zigzagged through the layout—moving from headline to subhead, image to image, and button to button—in a surprisingly consistent pattern.
Once I adjusted header lengths, tightened my content blocks, shifted image placement, and moved my buttons into those natural stopping points, the entire flow felt smoother—almost like the page and the reader were finally moving in the same rhythm.
I look at my website every single day… and ideally, a lot of my readers do too. Eventually, I had to wonder if they were seeing the same thing on repeat and quietly thinking, “This is getting a bit boring.”
I didn’t want a full overhaul or anything drastic—just a refresh that made my blog feel modern again without throwing readers off.
I started small—swapping in product displays where I still had plain hyperlink text, cleaning up old CTAs that no longer matched my tone, and giving images a quick tune-up so my pages didn’t load like dial-up internet.
And once I got moving, even the small tweaks made a difference: tightening outdated sections, fixing broken links, and sprinkling in a bit of interactivity to really wake the page up.
A smart refresh here and there gives readers something new to experience, keeps search engines happy, and makes your site feel like it’s actually evolving instead of sitting in the same outfit it’s been wearing since 2021.
Miscellaneous Affiliate Marketing Topics
This last batch of articles didn’t fit neatly into one category, but they still ended up being some of the most useful. They covered a few essentials every affiliate eventually has to deal with—taxes, disclosures, and even figuring out why certain links get ignored while others take off.
Not the flashiest topics, but definitely the ones that keep everything running smoothly (and sometimes legally) in the background.
The part no one tells you when you start earning commissions is that the IRS also pops in to say, “Congrats on your side hustle… here’s paperwork.”
Affiliate marketers—just like any other business owner who makes money—have to file taxes, or you’re going to have more than the FTC knocking on your doorstep.
This article actually prepped me for what to expect come tax season: the forms, what they mean, and how to fill them out. Suddenly all those acronyms (1099s, Schedule Cs, estimated payments) felt a whole lot less like a foreign language.
The section I honed in on was deductions. There are so many expenses tied to running even my simple affiliate business. I can deduct the tools I rely on every day—my hosting, my marketing essentials, and yes… even the PrettyLinks plugin.
And of course, everything I plan to claim, I’m disciplined enough to record and keep on file. Because if tax season has taught me anything, it’s that staying organized is the real key to not losing your mind—or paying more than you have to.
I used to think a “no-click day” meant people simply weren’t in a shopping mood… but it turns out, half the problem was me. Well, me and my links.
Sometimes my links were hiding in the middle of paragraphs. Other times, I cluttered my content with so many that they all blurred together. I also (embarrassingly) found a handful of pre-PrettyLinks affiliate URLs that were so chaotic, I wouldn’t have clicked them either.
I also stopped pretending outdated posts would magically keep converting. Refreshing links, updating product recommendations, and adding context instantly gave my existing articles a second life. Fixing a few broken links stopped sabotaging my efforts too.
These intentional link changes pointed to the main principles PrettyLinks stresses constantly: clean, branded links get clicked, product displays grab attention, and a clear call-to-action gives readers the nudge they actually need.
Once I lined up my content with those basics, the difference was… noticeable.
While my disclosure statement isn’t the most exciting line I add to a blog post, it’s one of those things that has to be there. Sure, it keeps me on the FTC’s good side, but this article reminded me how much reassurance it gives my readers, too.
Most people who land on a blog article may not be familiar with affiliate marketing. So when they see a line at the top of a post that starts with “If you click a link…,” it almost reads like a warning. Some might even wonder if clicking a link will automatically trigger a charge to their bank account.
That had me take a second look at the disclosure I’d been using across my site. It was the standard, bare-minimum version: “If you click a link on this page, I may earn a commission…”. It technically covered the requirement, but it didn’t do much to ease confusion or give readers context.
After I warmed up my disclosure statement, I followed another tip from the article: updating it to include a link to my full disclosure page. That page breaks things down in simple terms—what affiliate links are, how they work, and why they never cost anything to click.
With PrettyLinks, I can handle that in one of two simple ways:
- Adding a specific keyword to my disclosure text that automatically links to that page.
- Enabling Keyword Replacement to detect an affiliate link on the post and add a separate notice for me.
It’s a small bit of automation, but it keeps everything consistent, transparent, and easy for readers to understand without turning every blog intro into a full paragraph on affiliate marketing technicalities.
Wrap-Up
I can’t wait to see what the PrettyLinks 2026 blog calendar has in store. New tools, new ideas, new strategies—whatever they publish, I’m reading it!
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