Affiliate Marketing and Traffic Arbitrage Glossary

Editorial team of Affiliate Index · Published October 30, 2026

People, deals, and payment models

Affiliate: A person or business that promotes another party’s product or service and may earn a commission when a specified action is completed.

Advertiser: The business offering a product or service and setting the terms for how it can be promoted. It may also be called a merchant or brand.

Offer: The advertiser’s promotion, including the action that qualifies for payment, the eligible audience, and any restrictions on promotion.

CPA: Cost per action, a payment model in which an affiliate earns a commission when a visitor completes a defined action, such as a purchase or registration.

CPL: Cost per lead, a model that pays for a qualifying lead, such as a submitted contact form. The offer terms define what makes a lead valid.

CPI: Cost per install, a model that pays when a user installs an app under the conditions specified by the offer.

Revenue share: A payment arrangement in which the affiliate receives an agreed portion of revenue attributed to referred customers. The terms explain how revenue is calculated and whether the share can continue over time.

Payout: The amount an affiliate is due for approved conversions, paid according to the partner program’s schedule and rules. Check the terms for payment methods, thresholds, and any fees or restrictions.

Hold: A period during which recorded conversions or commissions are not yet available for payout. It may allow time for the advertiser to review activity, verify actions, or account for cancellations.

Performance and offer limits

EPC: Earnings per click, a measure of revenue associated with clicks over a stated reporting period. It can help with comparisons, but results vary by offer, traffic, and tracking conditions.

ROI: Return on investment, a way to compare the value generated by a campaign with its costs. The calculation depends on which costs and revenue are included.

Cap: A limit on how many conversions or how much traffic an offer will accept within a specified period or from a particular source. When a cap is reached, further activity may not qualify.

Approval rate: The share of tracked conversions that the advertiser accepts as valid. Rejections can reflect offer rules, incomplete actions, duplicate activity, or other review criteria.

Audience, promotion, and traffic

Geo: The geographic location associated with a visitor, such as their country or region. Offers may accept traffic only from specified geographies.

Vertical: A broad category of products, services, or audiences, such as education, travel, or finance. Vertical-specific rules and audience expectations can shape how a campaign is planned.

Creative: The promotional material used to attract attention, such as an image, video, headline, or advertisement text. It should follow the offer’s rules and accurately represent what is being promoted.

Pre-lander: A page shown before the main landing page, often used to introduce an offer or provide context. Its content and use may be restricted by the advertiser or traffic source.

Landing page: The page where a visitor arrives after clicking an advertisement or promotional link. It presents the offer and guides the visitor toward the intended action.

Traffic source: The channel that delivers visitors to a campaign, such as search, social media, or display advertising. Each source may have its own policies and audience characteristics.

Tracking and reporting

Click ID: A unique identifier attached to a click so that later activity can be linked to that visit. It supports campaign measurement and conversion attribution.

Tracker: A tool used to record and organize campaign activity, such as clicks, visits, and conversions. Tracking settings need to be configured carefully so reports remain useful.

Postback: An automated message that sends conversion information from one system to another. It can help a tracker match a completed action to the click that preceded it.