If you’re just starting your affiliate marketing journey, you’ve probably come across a ton of unfamiliar terms, acronyms, and phrases. It can feel like a whole new language—CPC, CPA, EPC, backlinks, pixels… what does it all mean?
Understanding the terminology is crucial to making informed decisions, optimising your strategies, and ultimately increasing your affiliate income. In this guide, I’ll break down the key affiliate marketing terms you need to know, categorised by area. Plus, at the end, you’ll find a link to download a handy Excel sheet with all these terms and their meanings! You can add to these and build your own Affiliate Marketing Glossary, and guess what? You can offer this as a free lead magnet to build your audience, you are welcome!
1. General Affiliate Marketing Terms
- Affiliate Marketing – A performance-based marketing strategy where you earn a commission by promoting other people’s (or companies’) products.
- Affiliate Link – A unique URL given to you by an affiliate program to track sales and clicks generated from your promotion.
- Commission – The percentage or fixed amount you earn when a user makes a purchase through your affiliate link.
- Conversion Rate – The percentage of visitors who take a desired action, such as making a purchase or signing up.
- Landing Page – A dedicated webpage designed to convert visitors into customers or leads.
- Tracking ID – A unique identifier attached to your affiliate link to track sales and traffic.
2. Traffic & Performance Metrics
- CTR (Click-Through Rate) – The percentage of people who click on your affiliate link after seeing it. Formula: (Clicks / Impressions) × 100.
- EPC (Earnings Per Click) – The average amount you earn per click on your affiliate link.
- CPA (Cost Per Action) – The amount an advertiser pays when a specific action (sale, lead, etc.) is completed.
- CPC (Cost Per Click) – The amount paid for each click in paid advertising campaigns.
- Impressions – The number of times your ad, post, or affiliate link is displayed on a page.
- AOV (Average Order Value) – The average amount spent per order made via your affiliate link.
3. Types of Affiliate Programs & Payment Models
- PPS (Pay Per Sale) – You earn a commission when someone buys a product through your link.
- PPL (Pay Per Lead) – You get paid when someone fills out a form, signs up for a trial, or completes a lead action.
- RevShare (Revenue Sharing) – You earn a percentage of the revenue generated by customers you refer.
- Hybrid Commission Model – A mix of upfront commission (PPL) and ongoing revenue share (RevShare).
- Cookie Duration – The length of time an affiliate program tracks a visitor’s activity after they click your link. Common durations are 24 hours, 30 days, or even lifetime tracking.
4. SEO & Content Marketing Terms
- Backlinks – Links from other websites pointing to your content, boosting your SEO ranking.
- SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) – Strategies to rank higher in search results and get free (organic) traffic.
- Keyword Research – Finding the best search terms to target in your content for ranking in Google.
- Organic Traffic – Visitors who come to your site from search engines rather than paid ads.
- Bounce Rate – The percentage of visitors who leave your site without taking any action.
- DA (Domain Authority) – A score predicting how well your site ranks in search engines.
5. Paid Advertising & Retargeting Terms
- PPC (Pay Per Click) – A paid advertising model where you pay for each click on your ad.
- ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) – A metric that measures how much revenue you make for every dollar spent on ads.
- Retargeting (Remarketing) – Showing ads to people who have previously visited your website.
- Pixel – A piece of code placed on your website to track visitor behaviour and retarget them with ads.
- Lookalike Audience – A group of people who share similar characteristics to your existing customers.
6. Email & Affiliate Funnel Terms
- Lead Magnet – A free resource (eBook, checklist, etc.) offered in exchange for an email sign-up.
- Opt-in Rate – The percentage of visitors who subscribe to your email list.
- Autoresponder – An email sequence automatically sent to subscribers.
- Tripwire Offer – A low-cost product offered to turn leads into customers quickly.
- Upsell – Offering a higher-priced product after an initial sale.
- Downsell – Offering a cheaper alternative if a visitor declines a higher-priced product.
Final Thoughts
Learning these key affiliate marketing terms will help you navigate the industry like a pro! Whether you’re just starting out or refining your strategy, knowing these concepts will give you a competitive edge.
To make it even easier for you, I’ve compiled all these terms into a downloadable Excel sheet so you can refer to them whenever needed. Click the link below to grab your free copy! Download the Affiliate Marketing Terminology Excel Sheet.
Got any terms that confuse you? Drop them in the comments, and I’ll help break them down for you!
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Until next time, take care.
Atif
🚀 P.S. If you found this guide helpful, don’t keep it to yourself—share it with others who might be struggling with affiliate marketing jargon!
Hi Atif – Like starting anything new, each opportunity seems to have its own language, right? Affiliate marketing is no different and to decipher the code of all the many acronyms, terms and phrases can be taunting and intimidating. Thank you for breaking it down for us as some of these were foreign to me and now I can come back to this blog post as a reference. There were some new ones in there that I have not encountered but when I do, I will at least have some sort of understanding. Thanks, Atif!
Hi! You’re absolutely right—every new venture comes with its own set of terms and jargon, and affiliate marketing is no exception. It can definitely feel overwhelming at first, but I’m glad this breakdown helps make things clearer. Feel free to revisit the post anytime, and if you ever come across new terms that need decoding, I’m happy to help. Thanks for your support!
I appreciate your added value of creating a spreadsheet for the terms you outline. That is what I would call “an extra give.”
Happy blog hopping!
Thank you! I know how overwhelming all the terms can be, so I wanted to make it as easy as possible to reference and track. Sometimes, a simple tool like a spreadsheet can make a big difference in staying organized. Glad you found it helpful!
This is such a helpful guide for anyone starting out in affiliate marketing! It really does feel like learning a whole new language at first—CPC, CPA, EPC… so many terms to keep track of! I love how you’ve broken everything down in a way that’s easy to understand.
The idea of creating a personal Affiliate Marketing Glossary is brilliant. Not only does it help with learning, but turning it into a lead magnet? That’s a game-changer! Such a smart way to build an audience while providing real value.
When I first started, I had no idea what half these terms meant, and I definitely made mistakes because of it. A resource like this would have saved me so much time (and probably some wasted ad spend too!).
Sarah, Thank you so much! I totally relate—when I first started, all those acronyms felt like a foreign language, and I had to learn the hard way. That’s exactly why I wanted to break it down in a way that’s easy to grasp and create a resource that could actually help others avoid the same early mistakes. Turning it into a lead magnet just made sense—if it saves people time and confusion while helping build an audience, it’s a win-win!
This is such a great breakdown! Affiliate marketing jargon can definitely be overwhelming at first, but you made it so much easier to understand. I especially love how you’ve grouped the terms into categories—it really helps put everything into context. Also, the idea of offering an affiliate marketing glossary as a lead magnet is brilliant! I’m sure it will be super useful for anyone starting out. I’ll definitely be coming back to this post as a reference!
Thank you! I know how overwhelming affiliate marketing jargon can be, so I wanted to make it as simple and structured as possible. Grouping the terms into categories definitely helps connect the dots, and I’m glad you found it useful! Excited to hear you’ll be using this as a reference—let me know if there’s anything else I can add to make it even more helpful!
This is a great glossary of terms! It is very helpful for anyone involved in affiliate marketing, especially a beginner. And thank you for the lead magnet!
Thank you! I’m really glad you found the glossary helpful—affiliate marketing can feel like a whole new language at first. The lead magnet is my way of making things even easier, so I’m happy you appreciate it. Wishing you success on your affiliate marketing journey!
Hi Atif!
What a fantastic resource!
Affiliate marketing can feel overwhelming when you’re just starting out, but this guide breaks everything down in such a clear and approachable way.
I love that you included a downloadable glossary—such a helpful tool!
Thanks for making affiliate marketing a little less intimidating for all of us.
All the best for you, Atif!
Milissa Neirotti
Milissa, Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m really glad you found the guide helpful and that it made affiliate marketing feel a little less overwhelming. I know how confusing all the jargon and moving parts can be in the beginning, so I wanted to break it down in a way that’s easy to follow.
I’m especially happy to hear you found the glossary useful! My goal is to keep sharing insights and tools that make the journey smoother for everyone. If you ever have any questions or need further clarification on anything, feel free to ask—I’m always happy to help!
Wishing you all the best as well, and thanks again for your support!
Atif