You’ve set up your affiliate links with PassiveWP, people are clicking, but you’re not seeing any sales credited in your affiliate dashboards. Frustrating! Let’s troubleshoot why conversions might not be tracking:

1. Low Conversion vs. Tracking Issue:
First, determine if it’s truly a tracking malfunction or just low conversion:

• Check if you have click reports in the affiliate program. For Amazon, you can see clicks on your links in the Amazon Associates dashboard (Reports > Tracking ID Summary). If you see clicks recorded but zero orders, it could be just that no one purchased yet (common if sample size is small).
• If you see zero clicks on the affiliate program side, but PassiveWP shows clicks, then tracking might be broken (the clicks aren’t being recognized as yours).
• For non-Amazon, similarly check if the network shows clicks/impressions.

If it’s been a while and decent traffic, likely something’s off if absolutely no sales across the board.

2. Amazon Affiliate Tag Issues:
Amazon requires your affiliate tracking ID (tag) be present in all affiliate links:

• PassiveWP usually appends your tag automatically when using the API. Verify that it’s doing so: hover an Amazon link on your site and check if the URL contains tag=yourtag-20.
• If not, maybe your tag wasn’t set in PassiveWP settings. Add it and update links (PassiveWP might retroactively ensure all links include it).
• If the tag is there and clicks show in Amazon reports, but no sales, it might be genuinely no purchases or perhaps those buyers didn’t complete checkout or were not “qualified” (maybe they purchased later than 24h without adding to cart, etc.).
• Also ensure your tag is correct for that locale. If you send traffic to Amazon UK but use a US tag, it won’t track (OneLink can partially handle this, but ideally have separate tracking for each locale).

3. Cookie Windows and Attribution:
Remember that different programs have different cookie windows or attribution rules:

• Amazon standard cookie is 24 hours (except for certain bounties or added to cart = 90 days for that item). If users click but buy later, you might not get credit.
• If a user clicks your link, then clicks someone else’s later, whoever’s cookie is last gets the commission (Amazon is last referrer wins within 24h).
• So it might not be tracking due to user behavior (not necessarily a tech fault).

4. Ad-Blockers Stripping Affiliate Tags:
Some browser extensions could remove affiliate parameters or block redirect links:

• For example, an adblocker might see tag= in URL and strip it, or block the redirect entirely.
• PassiveWP cloaking can help a bit by hiding the tag in an intermediate redirect, but when it lands on Amazon, the tag will be in the URL. Most adblockers don’t tamper with Amazon’s own URL though, they usually block known affiliate redirect domains (like VigLink, etc., PassiveWP uses your domain which is usually safe).
• To test, click your own links with an adblocker on and see if you appear as a click in the affiliate report. If not, that could be a cause for some users. Not much you can do aside from maybe recommending disabling adblock for your site (rare) or using a different approach.

5. Wrong Affiliate Links (Non-Amazon):
Maybe for a ShareASale merchant, you accidentally used the wrong affiliate ID or link:

• Verify each cloaked link’s target URL actually contains your affiliate info. For instance, ShareASale links have ?afftrack= or &affid= usually. If that’s missing or wrong, sales won’t credit.
• Or you might have linked to the merchant directly by mistake, not through your affiliate link. PassiveWP will happily cloak any URL; it doesn’t inherently know if it’s your affiliate link or just a normal link. Double-check you used the affiliate URL from the network.

6. Tracking IDs and SubIDs:
Some networks allow multiple tracking IDs. If you set up PassiveWP with one but your links use another, you might be checking the wrong ID’s stats.

• E.g., Amazon lets you create multiple tracking IDs (like site1-20, site2-20). Ensure you’re looking at the correct one in Amazon’s reports.
• Or if you added custom SubIDs in links, see if the network requires special steps to view those conversions (some networks might not show if a subid was wrong format).

7. Affiliate Program Terms Violations:
If you broke a rule, some programs might not credit you:

• Amazon example: If you didn’t have a proper affiliate disclosure, technically Amazon can void commissions. Or if you emailed affiliate links (not allowed) – but PassiveWP usage wouldn’t cause that usually.
• Check if your Amazon account is in good standing (no warning emails).
• For other programs, if they detect cloaked links and disallow it (rare, but maybe Amazon doesn’t like cloaked as we know – PassiveWP addresses Amazon specifically though).
• Geniuslink notes Amazon might void if referrer is hidden – PassiveWP’s 301 should still pass referrer as your domain, so likely okay.

8. Testing with a Purchase:
As a last resort, you (or a friend) could do a test purchase:

• Click your affiliate link, buy a cheap item, and see if it shows up in your reports (and you can always return or so if needed).
• Amazon forbids buying through your own links (don’t test Amazon that way; they will not pay and could ban you if you do it often), but for some other programs it’s okay to test.
• Instead for Amazon, ask a trusted friend to use your link to buy something they already wanted. Then check if it shows in your earnings (ensuring you credit after shipped).
• If it doesn’t appear and you’re sure a purchase happened via your link, something’s definitely wrong in tracking setup.

9. Conversion Tracking in PassiveWP:
PassiveWP itself doesn’t track sales, only clicks. So “tracking sales” means checking the affiliate network’s side. PassiveWP’s job is mostly to ensure the link is formatted right and clicked. If PassiveWP shows healthy click numbers, the issue is beyond PassiveWP’s scope.

• Except if PassiveWP cloaking somehow interfered (it shouldn’t if nofollow, etc., is fine). But some smaller programs might require certain ref info that cloaking obscures. Usually not though; standard affiliate links track fine through a 301 redirect.

10. Delay in Reporting:
Many affiliate programs have a delay in reporting sales (especially if they wait for approval or shipping). Amazon usually reports next day for shipped.

• Give it some time. Don’t panic if first week has no sales; it could just be timing and not a technical flaw.

11. Focus on Improving Conversions:
If everything’s technically correct and still no sales, it may not be a tracking problem but a content issue:

• Are the products you chose things people actually want to buy?
• Is your content convincing and targeting the right intent (informational vs transactional)? For instance, lots of clicks but no buy could mean your audience was just curious but not in purchase mode.
• Consider adding more persuasive content around links (e.g., reviews, pros/cons) or choose products with better offers.

12. Consult Affiliate Manager:
If a particular program (like an independent one) isn’t tracking, contact their affiliate support. They can often check if your clicks are registering on their end and if any sales came through but perhaps got misattributed.

13. Use One Test Link Uncloaked:
To isolate if PassiveWP cloaking might be an issue (rare):

• Try placing a raw affiliate link (ugly as it is) on a hidden test page, click it and see if a sale tracks. If raw works but cloaked didn’t, maybe some redirect quirk (again, unlikely with a 301).
• Could also use a link shortener allowed by program (except Amazon doesn’t allow 3rd-party shorteners that mask, but some programs do) to compare.

In summary, 90% of the time, “links not tracking sales” is either just no one has bought yet or a small config mistake like a missing affiliate ID or using the wrong link. PassiveWP ensures your links are consistent, but ensure the info (keys, tags, URLs) you feed it are correct. Once everything is verified, it’s often a patience game and continually improving your content’s ability to convert visitors into buyers. Keep at it, and the sales will come. 💰