=== AffLoc — Affiliate Link Localization for Amazon & More ===
Contributors: affloc
Tags: amazon affiliate, affiliate links, geo targeting, link localization, affiliate marketing
Requires at least: 6.0
Tested up to: 6.9
Stable tag: 0.2.0
License: GPLv2 or later
License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html

Stop losing affiliate commissions from UK, Canada, and 190+ countries. Auto-redirect affiliate links by visitor country — no coding required.

== Description ==

**Are your Amazon affiliate links not working for international visitors?** If you have traffic from the UK, Canada, Australia, Germany or other countries, you're likely losing a large chunk of your affiliate commissions every day.

**AffLoc fixes this automatically.** It detects each visitor's country and instantly swaps your affiliate link to the correct regional store — Amazon UK, Amazon CA, Amazon DE, and 190+ countries. One shortcode. No coding. No per-click fees.

= Why You're Losing Money Right Now =

When a UK visitor clicks your Amazon US affiliate link, they get redirected to Amazon UK — but **without your affiliate tag**. You get zero commission. The same happens for Canada, Australia, Germany, France, and every other country.

International traffic can account for 20–40% of a blog's total visitors. Without geo-targeting, all of that traffic earns you nothing.

= How AffLoc Solves It =

1. Visitor arrives on your page
2. AffLoc detects their country (via IP, cached in browser)
3. The affiliate link instantly swaps to your regional URL
4. Visitor clicks — **you earn the commission**

It's the simplest geo-targeting affiliate plugin for WordPress.

= Key Features =

* **Automatic Country Detection** — Detects visitor country accurately via HTTPS geolocation. Cached in the browser to minimize API calls.
* **Unlimited Countries** — Set country-specific links for all 190+ countries. Assign Amazon US, UK, CA, AU, DE, FR, ES, IT, JP, and any other regional store.
* **Global Fallback Link** — A default URL for countries without a specific mapping, so no visitor ever lands on a dead link.
* **Cache-Friendly** — Uses a client-side JavaScript approach. Works perfectly with WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache, LiteSpeed Cache, and all major caching plugins.
* **One Shortcode** — `[affloc_link slug="your-offer" text="Buy Now"]` is all you need. Works in posts, pages, widgets, and the block editor.
* **Lightweight** — No bloat. Scripts only load on pages that use the shortcode.
* **Import / Export** — Manage all your link mappings easily. Migrate between sites in seconds.

= AffLoc vs Amazon OneLink =

Amazon's free OneLink tool only works if you're enrolled in multiple Amazon Associates programs. Setting it up requires separate accounts for each country. AffLoc works with **any affiliate program** — not just Amazon — and requires zero extra registrations.

= AffLoc vs Geniuslink =

Geniuslink charges per click (starts at $9/month for 2,000 clicks). AffLoc is a flat $29/year — no per-click fees, no limits. For WordPress bloggers, AffLoc is the smarter choice.

= AffLoc vs ThirstyAffiliates Geo Targeting =

ThirstyAffiliates geo-targeting requires MaxMind database setup. AffLoc works out of the box — no database downloads, no configuration, no cron jobs.

= Perfect For =

* **Amazon Associates** who want to earn commissions from UK, Canada, Australia, Germany and beyond
* **Travel bloggers** linking to regional booking and gear stores
* **Finance bloggers** with international readers
* **Niche site owners** targeting multiple countries
* Anyone tired of losing affiliate revenue from international traffic

= How to Set Up Amazon Affiliate Links for Multiple Countries =

1. Install AffLoc from the WordPress plugin directory
2. Go to **AffLoc** in your WP admin menu
3. Add a mapping: enter your offer slug (e.g. `laptop`), select country `US`, paste your Amazon US affiliate link
4. Add another mapping: same slug `laptop`, country `UK`, paste your Amazon UK affiliate link
5. Repeat for CA, AU, DE, or any other country
6. Add a fallback link for all other countries
7. Use `[affloc_link slug="laptop" text="Buy on Amazon"]` in your post

That's it. Your readers automatically land on the right regional store.

== Installation ==

1. Upload the plugin files to the `/wp-content/plugins/affloc` directory, or install the plugin through the WordPress plugins screen directly.
2. Activate the plugin through the **Plugins** screen in WordPress.
3. Navigate to **AffLoc** in your WordPress admin menu.
4. Add your first mapping: enter a slug (e.g. `amazon`), select a country, and paste your affiliate URL.
5. Use the shortcode `[affloc_link slug="amazon" text="Buy Now"]` in your posts or pages.

== External Services ==

This plugin relies on the following external services to function:

1. **ipapi.co** — Used to detect the visitor's country via HTTPS by resolving their IP address. Privacy policy: [https://ipapi.co/privacy/](https://ipapi.co/privacy/). No personal data other than the visitor's IP address is transmitted.
2. **flagcdn.com** — Used to deliver country flag icons in the WordPress Admin Dashboard.

== Screenshots ==

1. The **AffLoc admin page** — Add New Mapping form with Offer Slug, Country search, Affiliate Text and URL fields. Sidebar includes the Shortcode Helper and Import/Export tools.
2. The **Existing Mappings** table — all mappings grouped by slug, showing country flags, destination URLs, and ready-to-copy shortcodes.
3. Inserting the shortcode in the WordPress block editor (Gutenberg) — add a Shortcode block and paste `[affloc_link slug="your-slug" text="Buy Now"]`.
4. The front-end result — a geo-localized "Buy Now" button automatically swapped to the correct regional affiliate URL based on the visitor's country.

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

= Are my Amazon affiliate links not working for international visitors? =

Yes — this is the most common affiliate revenue leak. When a UK or Canadian visitor clicks your Amazon US link, they get redirected to their local Amazon store but **your affiliate tag is stripped**. AffLoc fixes this by automatically serving country-specific links so every visitor lands on the correct regional store with your tag intact.

= How much money am I losing from international traffic? =

It depends on your traffic split. If 30% of your visitors come from the UK, Canada, and Australia — and your average EPC (earnings per click) is $0.10 — you're losing roughly $0.03 per click from those visitors. For a site with 50,000 monthly clicks, that's $1,500/month in missed commissions.

= Does AffLoc work with caching plugins? =

Yes. The link substitution happens in the visitor's browser (client-side JavaScript), so your pages remain fully cacheable. AffLoc is compatible with WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache, LiteSpeed Cache, Cloudflare, and all major caching solutions.

= Which countries are supported? =

All 190+ countries with ISO country codes. You can set unique affiliate links for any country — Amazon US, UK, CA, AU, DE, FR, ES, IT, JP, IN, BR, and more.

= Does it work with affiliate programs other than Amazon? =

Yes. AffLoc works with any affiliate program — just paste any URL as the destination link for each country. Use it for Booking.com regional links, eBay affiliate links, Etsy, or any program with regional stores.

= Is it compatible with the block editor (Gutenberg)? =

Yes. Use the standard Shortcode block in Gutenberg and paste your `[affloc_link]` shortcode.

= What happens if my visitor's country doesn't have a specific link? =

AffLoc falls back to the default URL you set for that offer, so no visitor ever sees a broken or missing link.

= How is this different from Amazon OneLink? =

Amazon OneLink only works for Amazon affiliate programs and requires you to join the Amazon Associates program in each target country separately. AffLoc works with **any affiliate link**, requires no external account registrations, and runs entirely within your WordPress site.

= How is AffLoc different from Geniuslink? =

Geniuslink charges per click ($9+/month). AffLoc is a flat annual fee with no per-click charges — making it far more economical for WordPress bloggers with high traffic volumes.

= How is AffLoc different from ThirstyAffiliates geo-targeting? =

ThirstyAffiliates' geo-targeting feature requires downloading and configuring the MaxMind GeoIP database. AffLoc uses a lightweight API and works out of the box with zero configuration.

== Upgrade Notice ==

= 0.2.0 =
Major release introducing Free version usage limits, new "Affiliate Text" field, improved Admin UI responsiveness, and WordPress.org code compliance improvements.

= 0.1.5 =
Important security update adding strict IP validation and full HTTPS geolocation API support.

== Changelog ==

= 0.2.0 =
* Feature: Added maximum mapping limit for Free plan.
* Feature: Added Affiliate Text field support in shortcode.
* Refactoring: Conformed strictly to WordPress Database APIs for SQL queries.

= 0.1.5 =
* Enhancement: Added copy-to-clipboard functionality for shortcodes.
* Enhancement: Admin UI improvements — country flags, grouping, search, date sorting, and row actions.
* Security: Switched to secure HTTPS endpoints for IP geolocation.
* Security: Added comprehensive IP validation including Cloudflare/proxy support.
* Performance: Frontend scripts now load only on pages containing the shortcode.

= 0.1.0 =
* Initial Beta release.
