Deep linking
# Deep linking
Deep linking allows you to send prospective customers to a specific product, product group, shopping cart or registration page while still ensuring your affiliate account is credited. Instead of sending everyone to IllusionCloud's home page, you can append additional parameters to your referral URL to take visitors exactly where they need to go.
## Linking to a product group
If you want to promote a category of products (for example, all dedicated servers or all VPS plans), append `&gid=x` to your affiliate link, where `x` is the product group ID in WHMCS. When users click this link they are taken directly to the order form for that product group. WHMCS documentation provides the following example:
```
<a href="[AffiliateLinkCode]&gid=2"><img src="http://www.example.com/banners/468x60banner.gif" width="468" height="60" border="0"></a><br>
<(a href="[AffiliateLinkCode]&gid=2")><(img src="http://www.example.com/banners/468x60banner.gif" width="468" height="60" border="0")><(/a)>
```
Here, `&gid=2` directs the visitor to product group ID 2【338137942070381†L2790-L2799】.
## Linking to a specific product
To deep-link to a specific product, append `&pid=x` to your referral link, where `x` is the product ID. This takes the visitor directly to the order form for that product:
```
<a href="[AffiliateLinkCode]&pid=2"><img src="http://www.example.com/banners/468x60banner.gif" width="468" height="60" border="0"></a><br>
<(a href="[AffiliateLinkCode]&pid=2")><(img src="http://www.example.com/banners/468x60banner.gif" width="468" height="60" border="0")><(/a)>
```
In this example, `&pid=2` tells WHMCS to open product ID 2 directly【338137942070381†L2801-L2812】. Replace the ID with the one corresponding to the product you want to promote.
## Linking directly to the cart or registration page
You can also direct visitors straight to the shopping cart or account registration form:
- **Cart:** Add `&gocart=true` to the affiliate link to send users directly to the cart page【338137942070381†L2814-L2824】.
- **Registration:** Add `®ister=true` to take visitors to the client registration form【338137942070381†L2826-L2833】.
Examples:
```
<a href="[AffiliateLinkCode]&gocart=true"><img src="http://www.example.com/banners/468x60banner.gif" width="468" height="60" border="0"></a>
<a href="[AffiliateLinkCode]®ister=true"><img src="http://www.example.com/banners/468x60banner.gif" width="468" height="60" border="0"></a>
```
## Tips for using deep links
- **Determine the correct IDs:** You can find product and product group IDs in the WHMCS admin area. Use the ID numbers when constructing your deep links.
- **Stay consistent with your campaign:** Choose the most relevant landing page for the audience you are targeting (for example, a dedicated server category page for gamers or a VPS product for developers).
- **Combine with banners:** You can incorporate deep-link parameters into your banner embed codes (see the "Banners & embed codes" page) to ensure that clicks on your banners lead to the correct page.
- **Do not remove your affiliate parameter:** Always keep your unique `aff=` ID at the start of the URL; simply append the additional parameter with an ampersand (`&`).
Deep linking makes your promotions more efficient by taking visitors directly to the services they are interested in, increasing the likelihood of a conversion.