Can AffiliateWP track visits and referrals across subdomains? By default, AffiliateWP can only track activity on the site where it is installed. This site is typically the one hosting your eCommerce store, as AffiliateWP needs to be active where purchases occur to record referrals and award commissions to affiliates.
Installing AffiliateWP on a Subdomain
You can install AffiliateWP on a subdomain like affiliates.yoursite.com. However, if you also install it on your main domain, yoursite.com, the two instances will operate as entirely separate affiliate systems. They won’t sync data, meaning affiliates and referrals tracked on one domain won’t appear on the other.
To avoid confusion and streamline tracking, it’s recommended to install AffiliateWP on your main domain (yoursite.com), where your eCommerce system is located. This ensures sales are tracked, referrals are created, and affiliates are rewarded accurately.
Using AffiliateWP on Both a Subdomain and Main Domain
If you absolutely need AffiliateWP installed on both a subdomain and the main domain, the only way to synchronize the two systems is by activating AffiliateWP network-wide on a WordPress Multisite installation. This approach allows database tables to be shared across sub-sites, meaning affiliates, visits, and referrals will be synchronized between affiliates.yoursite.com and yoursite.com.
Refer to our documentation on Setting Up AffiliateWP on Multisite for detailed steps on enabling this configuration. It’s worth noting that subfolders, like yoursite.com/affiliates, may provide a simpler alternative to subdomains in some cases.
That’s it! AffiliateWP is designed to track referrals and visits on the site where it’s installed. For most setups, this means installing AffiliateWP on your main domain alongside your eCommerce system. While you can use AffiliateWP across subdomains through a multisite network, this requires additional configuration and may not be ideal for all setups.