Affiliate Marketing Glossary

A platform used to create, manage, and scale affiliate or referral programs — replacing manual spreadsheets and custom-built tracking with purpose-built infrastructure.

A category of software providing businesses with the infrastructure to run affiliate programs at scale — covering tracking, partner management, commission automation, and reporting.

A native connection between Partnero and Stripe that automatically tracks subscription events and attributes recurring commissions to the correct affiliate partner.

A native connection between Partnero and Paddle that tracks subscription changes and payment events for accurate affiliate commission calculation.

An automated HTTP notification sent from one system to another when a specific event occurs — used in affiliate marketing to pass conversion data between platforms in real time.

A programmatic connection between Partnero and another system using Partnero's REST API — enabling custom workflows, partner creation, and data retrieval for technical teams.

A JavaScript code snippet placed on a website that enables Partnero to track affiliate-referred visitors and conversions without requiring a platform-specific integration.

Data and reporting tools that track the performance of an affiliate program — including clicks, signups, conversions, revenue, and partner-level breakdowns.

The percentage of people who click an affiliate's link after seeing it — calculated as clicks divided by impressions or link views.

The percentage of referred visitors who complete a desired action — such as a purchase or signup — out of the total number who clicked an affiliate's link.

The average revenue generated per affiliate link click — calculated by dividing total commissions earned by total clicks — a key metric affiliates use to compare program profitability.

The average dollar amount of each order generated by referred customers — relevant for programs that pay percentage-based commissions.

The central reporting view in Partnero showing an aggregated overview of program performance — total partners, clicks, conversions, revenue, and commissions paid.

Analytics that update immediately as events occur — clicks, signups, and sales — rather than processing in batches or with a reporting delay.

The transfer of earned commissions from a program owner to an affiliate partner — the moment an affiliate receives payment for their referrals.

A feature that processes affiliate commission payments automatically on a predefined schedule without requiring manual review for each transaction.

A service where Partnero handles the entire affiliate payout process on behalf of the program owner, consolidating payments into a single invoice.

The cadence at which affiliates are paid — weekly, biweekly, or monthly — providing predictability for both program owners and their partners.

The process of generating, collecting, and managing payout invoices between a program owner and their affiliate partners.

The legal obligations related to collecting tax documentation from affiliates and reporting commission payments to relevant tax authorities.

A PayPal feature that allows businesses to send payments to multiple recipients simultaneously — widely used in affiliate programs for bulk commission disbursements.

A dedicated dashboard where affiliates and referral partners track performance, access links, view earnings, and manage their relationship with the program.

A partner portal that is fully branded to the program owner's business — using their domain, logo, and brand identity — with no visible reference to the underlying software.

The process of welcoming new affiliates into a program and equipping them with everything they need to start promoting effectively from day one.

A vetting step where program owners review affiliate applications and manually approve or reject them before granting access to the program.

A section of the partner portal where program owners provide affiliates with pre-approved marketing materials — banners, email copy, product images, social templates, and brand guidelines.

The process of attracting and signing up new partners to an affiliate program — focusing on quality and audience alignment over raw partner count.

A time-limited competition among affiliates where top performers earn bonuses, prizes, or elevated commission rates — creating urgency and short-term performance spikes.

Direct communication tools within the affiliate platform that allow program owners to send announcements, updates, or personalised messages to their partner network.

The process of identifying and preventing invalid traffic, fake referrals, self-referrals, and other abusive activity within an affiliate program.

A custom commission rate assigned to a specific affiliate that overrides the program's default rate — used to reward top performers or negotiate special terms with strategic partners.

The payment earned by an affiliate or referrer when they successfully drive a defined conversion — the core incentive mechanism of any affiliate or referral program.

The percentage or fixed amount a partner earns per successful conversion — the primary variable in determining how financially attractive your affiliate program is.

A reward model where an affiliate earns a payment every time a referred customer makes a repeat purchase or subscription renewal — not just on the initial sale.

A single commission paid for the initial conversion, with no further earnings from that customer regardless of subsequent purchases.

A commission structure where affiliates earn progressively higher rates as they drive more conversions or revenue within a defined period.

A flexible commission model where rates adjust automatically based on real-time partner performance metrics rather than static volume thresholds.

A commission structure where different products or product categories carry different commission rates within the same affiliate program.

An automatic reward triggered when a partner reaches a predefined performance threshold — such as a number of sales, total revenue referred, or new customers in a period.

A referral incentive structure where both the person making the referral and the new customer receive a reward when the referral converts.

The length of time during which an affiliate earns commissions on payments from a referred customer — a key program design variable for subscription businesses.

The minimum accumulated earnings an affiliate must reach before they can request or receive a payout from the program.

The process of recording and attributing conversions — sales, sign-ups, or other goals — back to the specific affiliate who generated them.

A unique URL assigned to each affiliate that contains a tracking identifier, enabling conversions to be attributed to the correct partner.

A method of affiliate tracking that stores a small file in a visitor's browser when they click an affiliate link, attributing any subsequent conversion within the cookie window to that affiliate.

The period during which a tracking cookie remains active in a visitor's browser — any conversion within this window is attributed to the referring affiliate.

A tracking cookie set directly by the website a visitor is browsing — more reliable than third-party cookies and largely unaffected by modern browser privacy restrictions.

The rule that determines which affiliate receives credit for a conversion when a customer has interacted with multiple affiliate links before converting.

A server-to-server tracking method that records conversions by sending a real-time HTTP notification directly between platforms, without relying on browser cookies.

A method of attributing sales to affiliates through unique discount codes rather than clickable tracking links.

An affiliate tracking link that uses a branded custom domain rather than the affiliate platform's default URL, improving click-through rates and brand consistency.

Tags added to a URL that let analytics platforms identify the traffic source, medium, and campaign responsible for a visit.

A completed action that triggers a commission — typically a purchase, subscription sign-up, free trial activation, or form submission.

An arrangement where a business pays external partners a commission for driving sales, leads, or other defined actions — paying only when results are delivered.

A word-of-mouth marketing strategy where existing customers are rewarded for inviting friends or colleagues to try a product or service.

A type of referral program designed for consumer audiences where customers share a personal link with friends in exchange for a reward when those friends convert.

A growth strategy where newsletter subscribers earn rewards for referring new subscribers using a unique referral link.

A broad category covering any formal arrangement where a business works with external parties — affiliates, resellers, agencies, or integrators — to drive growth.

A partnership model where third-party businesses purchase or license your product and resell it to their own customers, earning a margin or commission.

An affiliate program structure where partners earn commissions not only on their own referred sales but also on sales generated by affiliates they recruit into the program.

An affiliate program designed for content creators and social media influencers who drive conversions through their audiences using unique links or coupon codes.

A performance-based marketing channel where businesses pay external partners a commission for driving measurable results — paying only when results are delivered.

A growth strategy that encourages existing customers to recommend a product or service to people they know — leveraging trust to drive acquisition.

An umbrella term for digital marketing strategies where advertisers pay only when a specific measurable action is completed — a sale, lead, download, or signup.

Organic promotion driven by satisfied customers recommending a product to people they know — the most trusted form of marketing and the foundation of referral programs.

The practice of equipping affiliates and partners with the knowledge, tools, and materials they need to promote a product effectively.

The revenue generated by an affiliate program relative to the total cost of running it — used to justify program spend and compare affiliate marketing against other acquisition channels.

The process of setting up and going live with a new affiliate program — from platform selection and commission configuration through partner portal setup and initial affiliate recruitment.

A directory or platform where businesses list their affiliate programs and affiliates browse opportunities to join — connecting supply and demand in the affiliate ecosystem.