After you find the right hosting, get a domain name and get WordPress installed, you may be wondering what the next step in the affiliate marketing process is for you. Often, new affiliates don't understand the importance of cloaking links and they forget about this step. However, it's very easy to do in WordPress. 

<h2>Why Cloak Affiliate Links</h2>

The main reason many cloak affiliate links is to take a very long link and make it much shorter. You will also be able to brand the new link with your own domain name. Not only will the process make the link shorter and brand it, but it can also add another layer of tracking to ensure you get paid. 

Sometimes, your affiliate links can become hijacked if you don't cloak them. This can cause your site to go from a profitable venture to nothing in a matter of hours. If you plan to make money with affiliate marketing, link cloaking is a necessary part of the process.

<h2>Cloaking Links in WordPress</h2>

There are multiple plugins to help you cloak your affiliate links for your WordPress website. Not all of the plugins are as easy to use and not all provide the same tools. Here are a few of the best choices.

<strong>WP Wizard Cloak</strong>

<img src="https://itxdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/WPWizardCloak.png" alt="WP Wizard Cloak" width="557" height="191" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-8236" />

An easy to use link cloaking tool with all the right features, <a href="http://www.wpbeginner.com/wp-tutorials/how-to-cloak-affiliate-links-on-your-wordpress-site/">WP Wizard Cloak</a> provides just what you need for link management. You will be able to shorten URLs and add tracking with this free plugin.

<strong>Thirsty Affiliates</strong>

<img src="https://itxdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/ThirstyAffiliate.png" alt="Thirsty Affiliates" width="748" height="232" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-8237" />

A complete link management plugin for WordPress, <a href="https://thirstyaffiliates.com/">ThirstyAffiliates</a> allows you to cloak, redirect and organize all yoru links. T has plenty of tools to allow you to do more with your WordPress website than many of the other plugins.

Not only will links be cloaked, but they will also provide a secure redirection. Your commissions will be fully protected to ensure you don't lose out on any sales when you use this plugin.

<strong>Links Auto Replacer</strong>

<img src="https://itxdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/LinksAutoReplacer.png" alt="Links Auto Replacer" width="654" height="226" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-8238" />

The <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/links-auto-replacer/">Links Auto Replacer</a> plugin isn't just a cloaking tool. It will actually allow you to automatically link specific keywords on your website with cloaked links.

<strong>Affiliate Link Manager</strong>

<img src="https://itxdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/AffiliateLink_Manager.png" alt="Affiliate Link Manager" width="754" height="228" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-8239" />

A very easy to use plugin with the ability to shorten links, the <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/affiliate-link-manager/">Affiliate Link Manager</a> plugin provides plenty of tools. You can shorten links with your own domain name and see reports of all the views for each link. It's a great tool for affiliate looking for something simple to use.

<strong>Pretty Link Pro</strong>

<img src="https://itxdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/PrettyLink.png" alt="Pretty Link" width="384" height="107" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-8240" />

If you don't mind paying for a premium plugin, there's plenty to gain from using the <a href="https://prettylinkpro.com/">Pretty Links Pro</a> plugin. This plugin will allow you to cloak, shrink, organize, share, test and track all of your links with your own server and domain. It's more than just a way to shorten URLs and provides one of the best cloaking plugins you will find.

Other link cloaking plugins to consider for WordPress include:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/simple-link-cloaker/">Simple Link Cloaker  </a></li>
<li><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/easy-affiliate-links/">Easy Affiliate Links </a></li>
<li><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/woocommerce-cloak-affiliate-links/">WooCommerce Cloak Affiliate Links  </a></li>

Any of these plugins will help you cloak affiliate links on your WordPress website. Many are free and will provide plenty more than just a simple URL shortener or cloaker.
