By default WCT captures the Sub-ID into your own stats and does not touch the destination URL. The visitor is redirected to your clean destination with only wct_click_id appended. That default keeps every existing link behaving exactly as it always has.
Why You Might Need Forwarding:
Some affiliate networks expect the Sub-ID in their own URL format, for example https://network.com/offer/your-sub-id/ or https://network.com/offer?sub_id=your-value. If the network never sees the value, it cannot credit the source on its side. Forwarding solves that without changing anything about how WCT records the click.
Where To Turn It On:
Open the Create Link form or the Edit Link form, expand the ⚙️ Advanced Options panel, and set the 🔀 Forward Sub-ID to Destination URL dropdown. It is a per link setting, so you only enable it on the links that need it.
The Three Modes:
- Off. The default. The destination URL is untouched and only wct_click_id is appended. This is what every link did before the feature existed.
- Path-append. The Sub-ID is added as a path segment, producing something like https://dest.com/path/your-sub-id/?wct_click_id=123. Use this for networks that route on slugs, including CPS style networks and custom landing pages with slug based routing.
- Query-param. The Sub-ID is added as a query parameter, producing something like https://dest.com/path?sub_id=your-sub-id&wct_click_id=123. Use this for most CPA and pay per lead networks, for Google Analytics passthrough, and whenever the Sub-ID may contain spaces or unusual characters.
Choosing The Parameter Name:
In query mode a Custom parameter name box appears. Some networks and landing pages expect a different key, for example platform. Enter it and the destination becomes ...?platform=your-sub-id instead of ?sub_id=your-sub-id. Leave the box blank to keep sub_id. The name is limited to URL safe characters, and an empty or invalid entry falls back to sub_id.
A Worked Example:
- Create a link with the slug cpps-offer and a destination of https://llpgpro.com/cppslandnew, and set forwarding to Path-append.
- Share yoursite.com/cpps-offer/good as your tracking URL.
- A visitor clicks. WCT captures good as the Sub-ID, records the click, and redirects to https://llpgpro.com/cppslandnew/good/?wct_click_id=123.
- The network sees good in its own URL and credits the click correctly.
- Your own Sub ID Breakdown also shows the click against good, so both sides agree.
WarriorPlus Links:
Leave forwarding Off on links that go to WarriorPlus. WP Conversion Tracker already uses WarriorPlus's own sub-ID fields for its click ID, the aff_sub value and the +number on the end of the affiliate link, and that click ID is how a sale finds its way back to the click and the person. In WarriorPlus's stats it shows as a tracking code such as 0+542. Since version 3.574, Path-append and an aff_sub parameter name stand down on WarriorPlus links even if they are set, because either would break the link or take that field. Your Sub-ID is still recorded on the click and still reaches WP Sync with the sale.
Safety Behaviour:
Forwarding defaults to Off on every link, so nothing changes until you choose it. URL fragments, existing query strings and special characters are all handled. If a destination URL is malformed for any reason, the redirect falls back to the unmodified URL rather than failing.