A publisher, content creator, or website owner who promotes a merchant's products or services in exchange for a commission on sales or leads they generate.
A unique tracking URL assigned to an affiliate that records clicks and conversions so commissions can be accurately attributed.
The person responsible for recruiting, onboarding, supporting, and managing relationships with affiliate partners in a program.
A marketplace platform that connects merchants with publishers, handling tracking, reporting, and payment processing. Examples: ShareASale, Awin, CJ Affiliate.
A structured arrangement where a business rewards partners for driving specific actions — usually sales — through tracked referral links.
The process of assigning credit for a conversion to the correct affiliate, based on tracking data and agreed attribution rules.
The time period after a click during which a conversion is attributed to the affiliate. Common windows are 30, 60, or 90 days.
One of the world's largest affiliate networks, with a large publisher base particularly strong in the UK and European markets.
A graphical creative asset provided to affiliates to display on their websites, linking to the merchant's site with affiliate tracking.
The standard commission rate offered to all affiliates in a program, before any performance bonuses or tiered rates apply.
A fixed payment made to an affiliate for a specific action, such as a free trial signup or app install, rather than a percentage of a sale.
The percentage of people who click an affiliate link out of all who see it. A measure of creative and placement effectiveness.
Commission Junction — one of the largest affiliate networks, particularly strong in retail, travel, and finance categories.
The reversal of a previously paid commission, typically when the original transaction is refunded or found to be fraudulent.
The payment made to an affiliate for a qualifying action. Usually a percentage of the sale value or a fixed fee per lead.
The enforcement of program terms to prevent affiliates from using prohibited promotional methods such as trademark bidding or coupon stacking.
An affiliate who promotes products through editorial content — blog posts, reviews, comparisons, videos — rather than through coupon or cashback sites.
The specific action a merchant wants the affiliate to drive — usually a purchase, but sometimes a signup, download, or lead form submission.
The percentage of visitors who complete the desired action. Calculated as: conversions divided by total clicks.
A small file placed in a visitor's browser when they click an affiliate link, used to track whether they later convert and attribute the commission correctly.
A fraudulent practice where cookies are placed on users' browsers without their knowledge, allowing affiliates to claim commissions for sales they didn't influence.
The amount paid per completed sale or conversion. An affiliate earning $50 per sale on a 500-sale month would generate a $25,000 CPA budget.
A payment model where affiliates earn a fixed amount for each click they send, regardless of whether a conversion occurs.
A payment model where affiliates earn a fixed amount for each qualified lead they generate, such as a form submission or free trial signup.
An affiliate that promotes products primarily through discount codes and coupon pages, often attracting price-sensitive buyers.
The ability for affiliates to link directly to specific product or landing pages rather than only to a merchant's homepage.
The process of removing duplicate commission payments when a sale is attributed to multiple sources — for example, both an affiliate and a paid search ad.
A commission structure where the rate paid varies based on the product category, order value, or affiliate performance level.
A metric showing the average earnings generated per 100 clicks through an affiliate link. Helps affiliates compare program profitability.
An arrangement where an affiliate agrees to promote only one brand within a specific category in exchange for higher commissions or preferential terms.
An attribution model that gives full commission credit to the first affiliate who referred the customer, regardless of subsequent touchpoints.
Any intentional misrepresentation, manipulation of tracking systems, or prohibited activity designed to generate illegitimate commissions.
A leading affiliate tracking and management platform, widely used by B2B companies and enterprise brands for its sophisticated attribution and reporting capabilities.
A social media influencer or content creator who promotes products to their audience through affiliate links, often via unique discount codes.
The most common attribution model — full commission credit goes to the affiliate whose link was most recently clicked before conversion.
A commission structure where the affiliate earns a recurring payment for the lifetime of the customer they referred, common in subscription businesses.
The practice of disguising the destination of an affiliate link, often for aesthetic reasons or to prevent commission theft.
An affiliate program that is actively run by a dedicated affiliate manager or agency, as opposed to a self-serve program left to run without oversight.
An attribution model that distributes commission credit across multiple affiliates who contributed touchpoints during the customer journey.
The ability for a merchant or affiliate manager to manually adjust commission rates or approve exceptions outside the standard program rules.
An affiliate who focuses on a specific topic or audience segment, often achieving higher conversion rates due to audience relevance.
An affiliate and partnership management platform built specifically for B2B SaaS companies, with strong integrations for software businesses.
An additional payment offered to affiliates who exceed specific targets — for example, an extra 2% commission on sales above 100 per month.
Another term for an affiliate — the entity that publishes content or runs media placements to drive traffic to the merchant's website.
The process of identifying, approaching, and onboarding new affiliate partners to a program.
A commission paid to an affiliate for every renewal or subscription payment made by a customer they originally referred.
An affiliate tracking platform commonly used by eCommerce and product-based businesses, known for its clean interface and Shopify integration.
For affiliate programs, the ratio of revenue generated from affiliate sales to the total commissions paid out.
The percentage of affiliate-attributed sales that are subsequently reversed due to returns, chargebacks, or fraud.
One of the largest affiliate networks, particularly popular in the US market, with a diverse publisher base across most verticals.
A network that aggregates multiple smaller affiliates under a single tracking entity, passing commissions through to individual publishers.
A high-performing affiliate who drives a disproportionately large share of a program's revenue, often warranting special treatment and higher commissions.
A commission structure where the rate increases as affiliates hit higher performance thresholds — for example, 10% up to 50 sales, 15% above 50.
The practice of an affiliate bidding on a merchant's brand name in paid search, often prohibited in program terms as it cannibalises direct traffic.
A small piece of code placed on a merchant's conversion page that fires when a sale occurs, triggering the commission attribution in the affiliate platform.
A discount code assigned to a specific affiliate, allowing both the affiliate and the merchant to track conversions and attribute commissions even without cookie tracking.
