Affiliate Marketing Glossary: 30 Terms Every Beginner Must Know
Entering the world of affiliate marketing? You’ve likely come across terms like “CTR”, “CPL”, or “Smartlink” and wondered what they actually mean.
This glossary is your go-to cheat sheet for the 30 most common (and important) affiliate marketing terms — written in simple language and perfect for beginners.
Whether you’re launching campaigns, joining a new network, or trying to scale your earnings, knowing this vocabulary will help you navigate with confidence.
📘 30 Affiliate Marketing Terms You Need to Know
1. Affiliate
A person or business who promotes another company’s product or service and earns commission for driving conversions.
2. Advertiser (Merchant)
The brand or company that offers the product/service being promoted. They pay affiliates for performance.
3. Affiliate Network
A platform that connects affiliates with advertisers, offering access to offers, tracking tools, and payment management.
4. Offer
A product or campaign available for promotion — usually with specific payout terms, GEOs, and traffic rules.
5. CPA (Cost Per Action)
You earn when a user completes a predefined action (like signup, sale, install). Common model in affiliate marketing.
6. CPL (Cost Per Lead)
You get paid when a user fills out a form, signs up, or becomes a lead — no sale required.
7. CPS (Cost Per Sale)
Commission is only paid when the user makes a purchase.
8. RevShare (Revenue Share)
The affiliate earns a percentage of the revenue generated by the user over time (common in iGaming, dating, finance).
9. Smartlink
A single link that automatically redirects users to the best-performing offer based on their location, device, or behavior.
10. Conversion
When a user completes the desired action (purchase, signup, install, etc.) that triggers a payout.
11. Tracking Link
A unique URL used to monitor clicks, traffic sources, and conversions for each affiliate.
12. Landing Page
A dedicated page designed to convert users after clicking an ad. Can be provided by the advertiser or custom-built.
13. Prelander
A warm-up page between the ad and landing page that pre-qualifies or engages the user before they see the main offer.
14. Funnel
The user journey from seeing the ad to completing the conversion. Includes ad → prelander → landing → action.
15. Traffic Source
The platform or method you use to drive users (e.g. Google Ads, Facebook, Popunder, Push, SEO, Email).
16. Impression
A single view of your ad by a user.
17. Click
When a user interacts with your ad and visits the landing page or offer.
18. CTR (Click-Through Rate)
The ratio of clicks to impressions. A high CTR means your ad is engaging.
19. EPC (Earnings Per Click)
Average earnings you make for each click sent to an offer.
20. CPM (Cost Per Mille)
Ad cost per 1,000 impressions. Common in banner and display advertising.
21. ROI (Return on Investment)
How much profit you make vs. how much you spend. Positive ROI = your campaigns are working.
22. CR (Conversion Rate)
The percentage of clicks that result in a conversion. Important for offer and landing page performance.
23. Whitelist
A list of approved placements, websites, or zones where your ads convert well.
24. Blacklist
A list of poor-performing placements you exclude from your campaigns.
25. Pixel
A small code snippet used for tracking conversions on a page.
26. Postback URL (S2S Tracking)
A server-to-server tracking method that notifies the affiliate network when a conversion happens.
27. Split Test (A/B Testing)
Testing two or more creatives, landers, or offers to find the best performer.
28. Bot Traffic
Non-human or fake traffic that inflates metrics and doesn’t convert. Should always be filtered or blocked.
29. GEO
The geographical region where your traffic or conversions are coming from.
30. Offer Cap
The maximum number of conversions an advertiser allows on a campaign — daily, weekly, or monthly.
🎯 Final Thoughts
Affiliate marketing may seem full of buzzwords, but once you get the basics down, everything else clicks into place.
👉 Bookmark this glossary. Share it with your team. Or send it to that one friend who keeps asking what a Smartlink is 😅
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