Best Practices

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For Merchants

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Program Setup

• Set competitive commission rates – research what similar products offer. 20-30% recurring is standard for SaaS.
• Use reasonable cookie durations – 60-90 days is typical. Too short means lost attributions; too long rarely adds value.
• Write clear program descriptions – affiliates (and their AI agents) need to understand your product and terms quickly.

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Tracking

• Install tracking on all pages – not just the landing page. Visitors may enter from blog posts, docs, or pricing pages.
• Test before launch – use debug mode (?agentref_debug=1) to verify cookies are set and clicks are recorded.
• Use Stripe Checkout integration – it’s the most reliable way to attribute conversions. Manual conversion creation is error-prone.

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Fraud Prevention

• Review flags promptly – unresolved flags can lead to disputed payouts.
• Start with manual approval for new affiliates – auto-approve only after they’ve built a track record.
• Monitor click-to-conversion ratios – very high or very low ratios can indicate problems.

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Affiliate Relations

• Respond to applications quickly – affiliates will move on to competing programs if they wait too long.
• Provide marketing materials – make it easy for affiliates to promote your product correctly.
• Pay on time – nothing kills an affiliate relationship faster than delayed or missed payouts.

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For Affiliates

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Getting Started

• Choose programs you genuinely use – authentic recommendations convert better than generic promotions.
• Use sub-IDs to track placements – know which blog posts, videos, or channels drive the most conversions.
• Disclose affiliate relationships – it’s legally required in most jurisdictions and builds trust with your audience.

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Optimization

• Link from contextually relevant content – a referral in a product review converts better than a sidebar banner.
• Use deep links when possible – link directly to pricing or signup pages, not just the homepage.
• Track your metrics – use the dashboard or API to monitor clicks, conversions, and earnings regularly.

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For AI Agents

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Integration

• Use the MCP Server – it provides the richest interface for agent interaction across merchant setup, growth, payouts, and affiliate workflows.
• Read llms.txt first – it gives you a concise overview of all available endpoints and capabilities.
• Use idempotency keys – when creating conversions or managing data, always include idempotency keys to prevent duplicates.

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Automation

• Check affiliate status before promoting – verify your affiliate account is approved and active before generating referral links.
• Monitor earnings programmatically – use the stats endpoints to track performance and adjust strategies.
• Handle errors gracefully – the API uses standard HTTP codes. Implement retry logic for transient failures (429, 500, 503).