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Affiliate Marketing Terms for Beginners

All the terms to know when you're just getting started with affiliate marketing

Published on April 21, 2026

Core concepts

These are the foundational ideas of how affiliate marketing works.

Affiliate Marketing - A performance-based marketing model where individuals (affiliates) earn a commission by promoting a company’s products or services.

Program template - A set of rules/settings such as commission percentage, custom commission rules for certain products or collections, coupon system, program progression or even turning it into a MLM program

Affiliate Network - A platform that connects businesses (merchants) with affiliates and manages tracking, reporting, and payments.

Merchant (Advertiser) - The business that creates and owns the product or service being promoted.

Affiliate - An individual or company that promotes a merchant’s product or service in exchange for a commission.

Tracking & Attribution

How performance is measured and credited.

Affiliate Link - A unique tracking URL assigned to an affiliate to monitor traffic and conversions.

Cookie Duration - The time period during which an affiliate can earn commission after a user clicks their link.

Platforms & Infrastructure

Tools and systems that enable affiliate marketing.

Affiliate Network - A platform that connects businesses (merchants) with affiliates and manages tracking, reporting, and payments.

Affiliate Software - Software used by companies to run and manage their own affiliate programs without a third-party network.

Affiliate Marketplace - A centralized platform or section within a platform where affiliates can browse, compare, and join multiple affiliate programs.

Performance Metrics

How success and effectiveness are measured.

EPC (Earnings Per Click) - A metric that shows the average earnings generated per click on an affiliate link.

CTR (Click-Through Rate) - The percentage of users who click on an affiliate link compared to how many people saw it.

Conversion & Optimization

Elements that directly impact whether traffic turns into revenue.

Commission Structure - The way affiliates are paid for their performance.

Landing Page - A standalone webpage designed to convert visitors into customers or leads.

Royalty mode (Revenue Share) - A commission model where affiliates earn ongoing payments for as long as a referred customer continues to generate revenue.