What Is a Smartlink and Where to Get Traffic for It?

Today we’re talking about smartlinks — what they are, the different types, their pros and cons, and which traffic sources work best for them. Let’s dive in!

What Is a Smartlink and How Does It Work?

A smartlink is an intelligent link that automatically matches the most profitable offer and landing page to each individual user. The selection is based on parameters like GEO, carrier, connection type, device, operating system, and others depending on the vertical. The system also monitors offer caps (limits on installs or sales) and automatically switches to another active offer when a cap is reached.

Types of Smartlink Offers:

• Dating smartlinks — by far the most common use case. Dating offers have lead caps, and each GEO has a large number of competing brands, making it time-consuming to figure out what converts best in a given location. Smartlinks solve this problem automatically — which is probably why so many affiliates working in dating run smartlinks. Some networks specialize entirely in dating smartlinks. One we’ve worked with and can recommend is Profit Social — we’ve known the team for a long time, done an interview with them, and even published a full review. If you want to test dating smartlinks, they’re the place to start.
• Build your own smartlink — yes, it’s possible to create a custom smartlink. There are two ways to do it: the long and expensive route (hiring developers to write custom scripts), or the faster and cheaper method — using a tracker. Most affiliate trackers support this feature, so check with your tracker’s support team and they’ll help you set it up.
• Multi-vertical smartlinks — some networks offer smartlinks that span multiple verticals. These are rare, and in practice they tend to underperform compared to niche-specific smartlinks.

Where to Get Traffic?

Here are the 5 most popular traffic sources for dating smartlinks. The image above shows the top 10 countries by revenue per 1,000 clicks, pulled from Profit Social.

• Teaser networks
• Email
• Facebook
• Push notifications
• Social media marketing

Verdict:

Smartlink or direct offer — which is better? It depends on the situation. That said, smartlinks are generally more convenient, especially when using traffic sources that don’t support precise targeting. Key advantages: great conversion rates thanks to automatic matching of the best offers and landing pages, plus no need to monitor offer caps manually. Downsides: relatively few networks offer smartlinks, and building your own requires a paid tracker subscription.

If you want to give smartlinks a shot, start with Profit Social — their minimum payout is just $100.