What is Link Status?
Link Status shows whether tracking for an advertiser is currently online or offline, that is, whether clicks and sales can be recorded and commissions earned. This status reflects the advertiser’s payment balance and gives you clear visibility to decide whether to continue promoting an advertiser or temporarily switch to another programme to protect your earnings.
Note: The Link Status feature currently applies only to advertisers upgraded from ShareASale. Original Awin advertisers will always show their link status as ‘Online’, regardless of their payment status.
This article explains how Link Status works, how to check an advertiser’s Link Status, and how you can minimise disruption to your site and earnings.
How Link Status works
When an advertiser’s available balance falls below $0, their Link Status automatically changes to offline, and your affiliate links will redirect to your chosen fallback URL.
At that point:
- Your affiliate links for that advertiser automatically redirect to your fallback URL (if set).
- If you haven't set a fallback URL, users land on an inactive page with a default message.
- Once the advertiser’s balance returns to positive, their payment status turns green and Link Status returns to online. Your links resume working as normal automatically.
The advertiser’s payment status will also update from green to amber, but this may take longer. For the most accurate information, use the Link Status as the main indicator of whether an advertiser’s tracking links are active or offline.
To learn more about advertiser payment statuses, see What does the Traffic Light in the Advertiser Payment Status mean?
What you can do to manage Link Status
Because Link Status is triggered by the advertiser’s account balance, you can’t control when it activates, but you can take the following steps to limit disruption.
1. Set a fallback URL
By setting a fallback URL in your Awin account, you ensure traffic is redirected to a useful destination when an advertiser’s Link Status is offline.
This could be:
- Your homepage
- A similar product or category from another advertiser
- A search results page
- A custom landing page that explains the redirect
To set your fallback URL, see How do I add a URL to my profile?
2. Contact the advertiser
If you're unsure about a program's Link Status or downtime, contact the advertiser to ask when they expect their account to return to green. This can help you decide whether to keep links live or update your content.
To learn how to contact an advertiser, see How can I contact an advertiser?
3. Replace affected links if needed
If your links remain offline for a while, consider replacing the affected links with ones from active advertisers. This helps protect your user experience and your commission potential.
How to check an advertiser’s Link Status
Link Status changes do not trigger automatic alerts. You can check an advertiser’s current Link Status in several ways:
Using the Advertiser Directory
- Go to Advertisers > My Programmes. You’ll see a Link Status column with coloured indicators showing the advertiser’s current availability:
- Green: The advertiser is active, and you can continue promoting them as usual.
- Red: The advertiser is currently offline, and your affiliate links will redirect to your fallback URL if set.
You can also check the advertiser’s payment status. An amber payment status often indicates an offline Link Status.
Testing your links
- Click one of your links. If it leads to a page that says 'This link is inactive', their Link Status is offline.
- Inspect the link format. If the URL includes
https://awin1.com/closedMerchant.html, Link Status is offline.
Using the Publisher API
The Get Program Details endpoint includes a linkStatus value (online or offline).
Support
For more information about the ShareASale to Awin upgrade, see:
