The problem occurs when referral plugin code doesn't execute on first page load due to caching, server-level redirects, or WordPress initialization timing issues.

Step by Step solutionStep by Step solution

Phase 1: Quick Wins (Start Here - 70% Success Rate)Phase 1: Quick Wins (Start Here - 70% Success Rate)

Step 1: Test in Incognito Mode

1. Open private/incognito browser window
2. Test your referral link
3. If it works → Clear all browser cache and cookies
4. If still broken → Continue to Step 2

Step 2: Disable All Caching
For Cloudflare users:

• Log into Cloudflare dashboard
• Create page rule: yoursite.com/*ref* → Cache Level: Bypass
• Go to Caching → Configuration → Set "Caching Level" to "No Query String"[3][4]

For WordPress caching plugins:

• Deactivate WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache, etc.
• Test referral links
• If working, configure exclusions for referral URLs[5][6]

Phase 2: Server-Level Issues (25% Success Rate)Phase 2: Server-Level Issues (25% Success Rate)

Step 3: Check .htaccess File

1. Backup your .htaccess file first
2. Via FTP/cPanel, rename .htaccess to .htaccess-backup
3. Test referral links
4. If working, the issue is redirect order in .htaccess[7][8]

Fix .htaccess redirect order:

# Custom redirects MUST come BEFORE WordPress section
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} ^(.*)ref=(.*)$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ /$1?%1ref=%2 [L]

# BEGIN WordPress
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
# WordPress rules here
</IfModule>
# END WordPress

Phase 3: WordPress Code Solutions (30% Success Rate)Phase 3: WordPress Code Solutions (30% Success Rate)

Step 4: Force Early Plugin Execution
Add this code to your theme's functions.php file:

// Force early referral tracking
function force_early_referral_tracking() {
    if (isset($_GET['ref']) || isset($_GET['referral']) || isset($_GET['affiliate'])) {
        // Force WooCommerce session start
        if (class_exists('WooCommerce')) {
            WC()->session->init();
        }
        // Force session start
        if (!session_id()) {
            session_start();
        }
    }
}
add_action('init', 'force_early_referral_tracking', 1);

Step 5: Server-Level Cache Bypass
Add before WordPress rules in .htaccess:

# Bypass caching for referral URLs
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} (ref=|referral=|affiliate=) [NC]
RewriteRule .* - [E=no-cache:1]
Header set Cache-Control "no-cache, no-store, must-revalidate" env=no-cache
</IfModule>

Note Hosting-Specific Quick FixesNote Hosting-Specific Quick Fixes

The success rate varies significantly by hosting environment. Cloudflare users should start with CDN configuration, while shared hosting users often need to address server-level restrictions.

Why This Happens??

This issue occurs because

• server level caching serves cached pages before WordPress loads
• CDN/Cloudflare caches URLs with query parameters
• .htaccess redirects interfere with referral parameters
• WordPress hook timing - plugins load after other systems intercept requests
• Session management issues on shared hosting with limited PHP session timeouts

Advanced Solutions (If above Steps Fail)Advanced Solutions (If above Steps Fail)

Create Must-Use Plugin:

1. Create folder /wp-content/mu-plugins/
2. Add file force-referral-early.php:

<?php
function force_referral_plugins_early() {
    if (isset($_GET['ref']) || isset($_GET['referral'])) {
        while (ob_get_level()) {
            ob_end_clean();
        }
        if (!headers_sent()) {
            header('Cache-Control: no-cache');
        }
    }
}
add_action('muplugins_loaded', 'force_referral_plugins_early', 1);

To make sure this never happens againTo make sure this never happens again

1. Always backup files before making changes
2. Test on staging site first if possible
3. Document changes so you can reverse them
4. Contact plugin support with diagnostic data if nothing works

The key insight is that "something else takes charge before WordPress" meaning the issue occurs at the server/CDN level before your WordPress plugins can execute. Start with the highest success rate solutions first, and work systematically through the troubleshooting matrix.