Affiliate marketing has its own language.
If you’re new to the industry, you’ll quickly encounter terms like CPA, EPC, attribution, conversion rate, cookies, sub-affiliates, recurring commissions, tracking links and dozens of other phrases that can seem confusing at first.
The good news is that most affiliate marketing terminology is fairly straightforward once you understand the basics.
This glossary contains over 100 of the most common affiliate marketing terms used by affiliates, advertisers, networks, agencies, publishers and performance marketers.
Whether you’re just getting started or looking for a quick reference guide, bookmark this page and refer back to it whenever you encounter unfamiliar industry jargon.
A
Advertiser The business or brand that pays affiliates to promote its products or services.
Affiliate A person or company that promotes products or services in exchange for commissions.
Affiliate Agreement The terms and conditions governing participation in an affiliate program.
Affiliate Link A unique tracking URL used to identify affiliate referrals.
Affiliate Manager The person responsible for managing an affiliate program and supporting partners.
Affiliate Network A platform that connects advertisers and affiliates while providing tracking and payment infrastructure.
Affiliate Program A business’s formal partnership program that allows affiliates to earn commissions.
Attribution The process of determining which marketing channel receives credit for a conversion.
B
Banner Ad A graphical advertisement used by affiliates to promote offers.
Brand Partner A company that collaborates with affiliates, influencers or publishers.
Bounce Rate The percentage of visitors who leave a website without taking further action.
C
Call To Action (CTA) A prompt encouraging visitors to take a specific action.
Chargeback A reversal of a transaction that may result in commission deductions.
Click A visitor interaction with an affiliate link.
Click-Through Rate (CTR) The percentage of users who click after seeing a link or advertisement.
Commission The payment earned by an affiliate for generating a qualifying action.
Content Publisher A website, blog or media company that monetises through affiliate partnerships.
Conversion The successful completion of a desired action such as a sale or lead.
Conversion Rate The percentage of visitors who complete a desired action.
Cookie A small data file used to track affiliate referrals and user activity.
Cookie Duration The period during which an affiliate remains eligible to earn commission after a click.
CPA (Cost Per Action) A commission model where affiliates are paid when a specific action occurs.
CPL (Cost Per Lead) A payment model based on lead generation.
CPC (Cost Per Click) A pricing model based on individual clicks.
CPM (Cost Per Mille) A pricing model based on one thousand impressions.
D
Dashboard The reporting area used to monitor affiliate performance.
Deep Link A tracking link that directs visitors to a specific page rather than a homepage.
Digital Publisher A content business operating online through websites, newsletters or media platforms.
E
Earnings Per Click (EPC) The average amount earned per click generated.
Email Marketing A marketing strategy involving communication with subscribers via email.
Evergreen Content Content that remains useful and relevant over long periods.
F
First Click Attribution Credit is assigned to the first marketing touchpoint.
Fraud: Invalid traffic or deceptive activity intended to generate illegitimate commissions.
G
Geo-Targeting Targeting visitors based on geographic location.
Gross Revenue Total revenue generated before expenses.
H
High Ticket Offer A product or service that generates relatively large commissions.
Hybrid Commission A combination of multiple commission models.
I
Impression A single display of an advertisement or marketing asset.
Influencer Marketing A marketing model where creators promote products to their audiences.
In-House Program An affiliate program operated directly by a business rather than through a network.
J
JavaScript Tracking Tracking technology used to record affiliate activity.
K
Keyword A search term used by users in search engines.
Keyword Research The process of identifying search opportunities.
L
Landing Page A page designed to encourage a specific conversion action.
Last Click Attribution Credit is assigned to the final marketing touchpoint before conversion.
Lead A prospective customer who has provided contact information.
Lead Generation The process of acquiring prospective customers.
M
Merchant: another term for an advertiser or vendor.
Media Buyer A marketer who purchases advertising traffic.
Multi-Touch Attribution A model that assigns credit across multiple touchpoints.
N
Niche A specialised market segment.
Native Advertising Advertising designed to blend with surrounding content.
O
Offer A product, service or promotion being marketed.
Organic Traffic Visitors acquired without paid advertising.
P
Partner Marketing A broader category encompassing affiliate and partnership marketing.
Pay Per Call A commission model based on phone call leads.
Performance Marketing A marketing model based on measurable outcomes.
Pixel A tracking mechanism used to monitor conversions.
Publisher An affiliate who owns traffic-generating content or media assets.
Q
Qualified Lead A lead that meets predefined advertiser criteria.
R
Recurring Commission A commission paid repeatedly while a customer remains active.
Referral A visitor sent to an advertiser by an affiliate.
Return On Ad Spend (ROAS) A measure of advertising profitability.
Revenue Share A commission model based on a percentage of revenue.
S
SaaS Software as a Service.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) The process of improving visibility in search engines.
Sub-Affiliate An affiliate recruited by another affiliate.
T
Tracking Link A unique URL used to monitor affiliate activity.
Traffic Visitors arriving at a website or digital property.
Traffic Source The origin of visitors.
U
Unique Click A click counted once per individual visitor.
Upsell An offer presented after an initial purchase.
V
Vendor Another term for advertiser or merchant.
Visitor A person who arrives at a website.
W
White Label A product or service rebranded and sold by another company.
Whitelist An approved list of affiliates, traffic sources or partners.
X
XML Feed A structured data feed often used for product information.
Y
Yield The return generated from traffic or marketing activity.
Z
Zero Click Search A search result that satisfies user intent without a click.
Final Thoughts
Affiliate marketing terminology can seem overwhelming when you’re first starting.
However, once you understand the language of the industry, it becomes much easier to navigate affiliate programs, networks, reporting dashboards, commission structures and partnership opportunities.
As affiliate marketing continues to evolve alongside AI, creator economies, ecommerce and digital publishing, new terminology will undoubtedly emerge.
We’ll continue updating this glossary to help Australian affiliates, advertisers and industry professionals stay informed and up to date.
