Installing tracking
Place the conversion tag on the order-received page and pass order id, net order value, currency and coupon code. Deduplicate on order id so a page refresh doesn't double count.
Better still: fire a webhook when the status changes to 'completed'. Then you measure real sales, not every abandoned payment attempt.
Caching and plugins
Caching plugins can strip your tracking script or serve a stale version. Exclude the thank-you page from caching.
Watch for conflicts with consent plugins: if the affiliate tag falls under marketing and the visitor declines, you lose the measurement. Pick a consent category that matches your legal advice and tracking model.
Setting the commission base
Decide whether you measure on subtotal excluding VAT and shipping. In WooCommerce that is usually a setting or a small change in your conversion code.
Connect your returns process: a refund should automatically cancel the transaction in your affiliate system.
Feeds and content
Generate a product feed with a feed plugin and keep price and stock in sync. Include deeplinks so publishers can link straight to the product.
For content partners, clean product images, short USPs and current reviews are usually worth more than banner sizes.
Maintenance
WooCommerce updates and theme changes can break tracking. Put a monthly test order in your calendar and monitor for sudden drops in transactions.
Log anomalies: a day without conversions is almost always technical, not commercial.