Affiliate marketing glossary

Cost Per ActionCPA

A payout model where the affiliate earns a fixed amount each time a referred visitor completes a defined action.

Earnings Per ClickEPC

Average revenue an affiliate earns per click — total earnings divided by total clicks.

Revenue ShareRevShare

A payout model where the affiliate earns a percentage of the revenue their referrals generate, often recurring.

Server-to-Server PostbackS2S

A server-side callback the brand fires to confirm a conversion, instead of relying on a browser pixel.

Attribution Window

The period after a click during which a resulting conversion is still credited to the affiliate.

Deep Link

A tracked affiliate link that points to a specific page on the brand's site, not just the homepage.

SubID Tracking

Custom parameters an affiliate passes through a link to break their own reporting down by placement or campaign.

Escrow

Holding the brand's budget with a neutral third party until the agreed work is delivered.

Offerwall

A page listing many affiliate offers at once, letting a publisher monetize with whichever fits their audience.

Clawback

Reversing a commission already credited when the underlying sale is later refunded or voided.

Incentivized Traffic

Visitors rewarded (cash, points, entries) for completing an action — often low-intent and disallowed by many brands.

Co-RegistrationCoReg

Collecting a lead for one brand as part of signing up for another, usually via a bundled checkbox.

Smartlink

One link that routes each visitor to the best-matching offer based on their geo, device or other signals.

First-Party Tracking

Tracking clicks and conversions from the affiliate's own domain, so it survives ad blockers and cookie loss.