This article will cover the following:
What Is a Smart Link?
A smart link is a single tracking URL that automatically routes incoming traffic to one or more offers based on rules you set. Instead of sending traffic to one fixed offer, a smart link evaluates each click and decides where to send it based on rotation settings, performance data, or custom rules.
Smart links are sometimes called "rotation links" or "multi-offer links" in other platforms. In CAKE, you'll find them under the Smart Links section of your dashboard.
Rotation Types
| Rotation Type | How It Works | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Round Robin | Traffic is distributed evenly and in sequence across all active offers in the rotation. | Gathering baseline data when you don't yet know which offers convert best. |
| Weighted Rotation | You assign a percentage to each offer and CAKE routes traffic according to those proportions. | When you know one offer converts better and want to send it more traffic without cutting others out. |
| Performance-Based | CAKE automatically shifts traffic toward offers performing best by conversion rate or EPC. | Established campaigns with steady traffic volume and enough data to optimize automatically. |
Start with Round Robin to gather baseline data, then switch to Weighted or Performance-Based once you have a clearer picture of how each offer converts.
How to Create a Smart Link
Setting a Fallback Offer
A fallback offer is where CAKE sends visitors when no offer in your rotation can accept the click — because offers are paused, capped, or geo-restricted. Without a fallback, those clicks are dropped entirely.
Set the fallback at the bottom of the smart link creation form. Choose an offer with broad eligibility (few restrictions, no hard cap) so it can absorb traffic that would otherwise go to waste.
If you don't set a fallback and all offers in your rotation become unavailable, traffic will dead-end and affiliates will lose conversions. Always configure a fallback, even if it's a general or lower-priority offer.
Offer Routing Rules
Routing rules let you define conditions that override the default rotation — routing specific clicks to a specific offer based on the characteristics of that click. Rules are evaluated in order; the first matching rule wins.
- Country or region — send US traffic to one offer and UK traffic to another.
- Device type — route mobile users to a mobile-optimized offer and desktop users elsewhere.
- Operating system — separate iOS and Android traffic for app install campaigns.
- Day and time — route traffic differently during business hours vs. evenings or weekends.
- Sub-ID or affiliate ID — direct traffic from specific affiliates to specific offers.
Keep your rule list manageable. Too many overlapping rules make troubleshooting difficult. Start with broad conditions (country, device type) before adding more granular ones.
Smart Link vs. Direct Campaign Link
| Feature | Smart Link | Direct Campaign Link |
|---|---|---|
| Points to | Multiple offers (rotated) | One specific offer |
| Best for | Testing offers, maximizing fill rate, simplifying affiliate promotion | When you need traffic to go exclusively to one offer |
| Fallback support | Yes | No — if the offer is paused or capped, the link may fail |
| Routing rules | Yes — by geo, device, and more | No |
| Affiliate effort | Promote once; no link swaps needed | Must update link when the offer changes |
| Reporting | Aggregated across offers; can drill down per offer | Tied directly to one offer |
If you have any questions, please reach out to your dedicated CAKE Client Success Manager/Account Manager or contact the CAKE Support Team at support@getCAKE.com.