Direct Link

A direct link sends traffic straight from your ad to the advertiser's offer page, skipping any intermediary pre-landing or landing page. This creates the shortest possible conversion funnel — the user sees your ad, clicks, and lands immediately on the offer. Direct links work best for offers with strong brand recognition or when the traffic source already provides sufficient warm-up. For instance, pushing a well-known dating app through push notifications often converts well with just a direct link because users already understand the product. The main advantage is simplicity: you do not need to build or host landing pages, which saves time and hosting costs. Some affiliate networks specifically offer direct-link campaigns where they handle the entire funnel. Typical conversion rates for direct links range from 1-5% for mainstream offers, compared to 5-15% when using optimized pre-landings. However, direct links have limitations — you cannot A/B test page elements, add your own tracking pixels, or customize the user experience. Media buyers often start testing new offers with direct links to gauge baseline performance before investing in custom landing pages. In affiliate marketing careers, knowing when to use direct links versus building custom funnels is a practical skill that impacts both efficiency and profitability across all verticals.