Affiliate marketing has its own language. Here's every term you need to know, explained in plain English.
Core Terms
Affiliate: You — the person promoting products and earning commissions.
Merchant/Vendor/Advertiser: The company selling the product.
Affiliate Network: A platform connecting affiliates with merchants (ShareASale, Digistore24, ClickBank).
Affiliate Link: A unique URL that tracks when someone clicks and buys through your recommendation.
Commission: The money you earn when someone buys through your link.
Money Terms
CPA (Cost Per Action): You get paid when a specific action happens — sale, signup, lead form.
EPC (Earnings Per Click): How much you earn on average per click on your affiliate link.
RPM (Revenue Per Mille): Revenue per 1,000 pageviews.
Conversion Rate: Percentage of clicks that result in a sale. 1-5% is typical for affiliate content.
Average Order Value (AOV): The average amount customers spend per transaction.
Recurring Commission: You earn every month the customer stays subscribed. The holy grail.
Tracking Terms
Cookie: A small file stored in the buyer's browser that tracks who referred them.
Cookie Duration: How long the cookie lasts. 24 hours (Amazon) to 180 days (Digistore24).
First-Click Attribution: The first affiliate whose link was clicked gets the commission.
Last-Click Attribution: The last affiliate whose link was clicked gets the commission. Most common.
Click-Through Rate (CTR): Percentage of people who see your link and click it.
Deep Linking: Linking to a specific product page instead of the homepage.
Content Terms
Money Page: A high-value article designed to rank for buyer-intent keywords and drive affiliate revenue.
Pillar Content: Comprehensive, authoritative articles that cover a topic in depth.
Buyer's Guide: Educational content that helps readers understand what to look for when buying a product.
Product Roundup: "Best X for Y" articles comparing multiple products.
Lead Magnet: A free resource (checklist, template, ebook) offered in exchange for an email address.
SEO Terms
SERP: Search Engine Results Page — where your content appears in Google.
Long-Tail Keyword: A specific, multi-word search phrase with lower competition. "Best noise-canceling headphones for programmers under $200."
Domain Authority (DA): A score predicting how well a site will rank. Higher = better.
Backlink: A link from another website to yours. Important for SEO.
Sandbox: The period (3-6 months) where new sites get little Google traffic. Normal and temporary.
Put These Terms to Use
Now that you know the language, pick a niche and start building. The best way to learn is by doing.
Start Your Affiliate Journey →