Affiliate Marketing on Squarespace: Redirect Links Made Easy

Affiliate marketing is still one of the most powerful and beginner-friendly ways to monetize your online presence. Whether you run a blog, host a podcast, or simply share product tips on social media, affiliate links allow you to earn commission for recommending the tools, services, or products you already love.

But there’s a problem—especially if you’re using Squarespace.

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If you're pasting raw affiliate links all over your website, blog posts, or YouTube descriptions, you’re setting yourself up for a massive headache later.

That’s why today we’re walking through a smarter way to do affiliate marketing on Squarespace—using one powerful built-in tool that most Creators overlook: URL Mappings.

Let’s get into how you can turn your Squarespace site into an affiliate marketing machine—one redirect at a time.

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Why Affiliate Marketing Still Works

First, let’s talk about the why. Affiliate marketing is a favorite income stream for Creators because:

• It’s low-effort once set up.

• You can start with no product of your own.

• You earn based on trust and recommendation, not hard selling.

It’s also scalable. As your traffic grows, so do your clicks. But only if you’ve set it up right—and that means clean, functional links that don’t break after 12 months.

The Problem with Raw Affiliate Links

If you’re just copying and pasting raw affiliate links (think: https://affiliate.program.com/ref=12as9h8) into your website, you’re likely to run into these issues:

• Affiliate programs change platforms or link structures.
  When that happens, your old links break—and you’ll have to hunt them down across your entire site.

• You can’t track or control your links.
  It’s impossible to manage 20+ random URLs with no naming convention.

• It looks messy.
  Long, cryptic links are not user-friendly and don’t convert well.

The solution? Use custom redirects—right inside Squarespace.

What Are URL Mappings in Squarespace?

Squarespace has a lesser-known but super powerful feature called URL Mappings, found under:

Settings → Developer Tools → URL Mappings

This lets you create short, memorable URLs like:

yourdomain.com/go/toolname

…which automatically redirect to your actual affiliate link.

Why Use Redirects for Affiliate Links?

Here’s what this setup solves instantly:

✅ You can say your link out loud in podcasts or videos
✅ You only need to update links in one place
✅ You maintain brand consistency and control
✅ You protect your links from future breakage
✅ You improve the user experience

It’s also just easier to remember and organize your links when they follow a consistent structure.

How to Set Up URL Mappings in Squarespace

Let’s walk through the exact steps:

1. Go to Settings → Developer Tools → URL Mappings

2. Use this structure:
   /go/toolname -> https://actual-affiliate-link.com -> 301
   Use [301] for a permanent redirect (which is what you want for affiliate links).
   Example:
   /go/notion -> https://partner.notion.so/abc123 -> 301

3. Click Save.
   Now, when someone visits yourdomain.com/go/notion, they’re redirected to your affiliate link—and your tracking works just fine.

Best Practices for Naming Your Links

Here are some tips for setting up clean, consistent URLs:

• Use /go/toolname, /link/toolname, or /recommend/toolname

• Avoid using slugs you might want for future blog posts

• Keep it lowercase and hyphen-free for simplicity

• Always test your link in an incognito browser window

Choose one structure and stick with it across all your affiliate links.

Where to Use These Links

Now that you’ve created clean redirect links, here’s where to use them:

✅ Blog Posts

Mention your tools naturally in your content and hyperlink the text to your custom URL.

✅ Resource Page

Create a dedicated “Tools I Use” or “Recommendations” page with all your top links.

✅ YouTube Descriptions

Instead of pasting raw links, use your branded short links. Looks way more professional.

✅ Podcast Show Notes

Makes it easier for listeners to remember the link when spoken aloud.

How to Build a Resources Page on Squarespace

If you don’t have one yet, now’s the time. A Resources or Tool Recommendations page acts like a landing page that does the selling for you.

Here’s how to build one:

1. Create a new page and name it “Resources” or “Recommended Tools”

2. Add a clean layout with sections like:

   • My Favorite Business Tools

   • Content Creation Essentials

   • Tech I Use Every Day

3. Add image blocks, short descriptions, and call-to-action buttons like “Try Tool” or “Get the Deal”

4. Link each button to your custom redirect (e.g., /go/notion)

5. Enable “Open in New Tab” so users don’t leave your site

Want to go full minimalist? Hide the header and footer so it becomes a conversion-focused landing page.

Don’t Forget the Legal Stuff

Most countries require disclosure when you’re using affiliate links. Here's how different websites have decided to handle that:

• Add a short note at the top of your resources page (e.g., “This page contains affiliate links. I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.”)

• Consider an asterisk (*) next to each link with a disclosure in the footer

• Include links to your Privacy Policy and Terms in the footer, especially if you remove navigation

⚠️ This is NOT legal advice—make sure to follow your country’s specific regulations.

Keep Your Affiliate Links Organized

As your affiliate strategy grows, keeping track of links becomes essential. A simple spreadsheet can help. Include:

• The program name

• The original affiliate URL

• The short redirect URL you created

You can use this to copy/paste links quickly, track what goes where, and stay consistent with naming.

Test and Troubleshoot Regularly

Always test your links before publishing:

• Open them in an incognito window

• Make sure the redirect works as expected

• Periodically check older links (especially after program updates)

If you get an error in the URL Mapping section, double-check for:

• Extra spaces

• Incorrect formatting

• Missing brackets or slashes

Final Thoughts: Small Setup, Big Results

Using custom redirects for your affiliate links may seem like a small tweak—but it’s a gamechanger. With just a few simple setups:

• You gain full control over your affiliate strategy

• You protect your content from broken links

• You create a better user experience

• You save time, stress, and missed revenue down the road

If you’ve been meaning to take your affiliate marketing more seriously, this is your sign. Start with your top 3 affiliate programs, create your redirects, build your resource page—and grow from there.

And next time someone asks, “Hey, what’s that tool you always recommend?”—you’ve got a beautiful, branded link ready to go.

Et voilà!