Affiliate Glossary

Short definitions of the terms you meet when setting up and running campaigns. Where a term means different things on different networks, the note says so.

1. Payout models

CPI (Cost per Install) — payout for an app or software install. For mobile apps, the install is usually counted at the first app open.

CPA (Cost per Action) — payout for an action set by the offer: registration, trial, purchase, subscription. Some networks use CPA as a general name for all fixed-payout models.

CPL (Cost per Lead) — payout for a submitted form or registration that meets the offer's lead criteria.

CPS (Cost per Sale) — payout for a purchase, fixed or a percentage of the order value.

CPT (Cost per Trial) — payout when the user starts a trial. On ad platforms CPT can also mean cost per time: a fixed price for a placement for a set period.

SOI (Single Opt-In) — payout for a one-step signup.

DOI (Double Opt-In) — payout for a signup confirmed by the user, usually through an email link or SMS code.

FTD (First-Time Deposit) — payout for the user's first deposit. Used in finance and gambling offers.

RevShare (Revenue Share) — a percentage of the revenue the advertiser earns from users you brought, often including subscription renewals.

Hybrid — a fixed payout per conversion plus a RevShare percentage.

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2. Tracking and attribution

Tracking link — the link you send traffic to. It records the click and redirects the user to the offer.

Click ID — a unique ID of a click that links it to the conversion. Called click_id, transaction_id, clickid and so on, depending on the platform.

Sub ID (subid_1–subid_5) — parameters you add to the tracking link to pass your own data, such as creative or ad ID. They can be returned in the postback.

Postback (S2S) — a server-to-server request that reports a conversion. Doesn't depend on the browser or cookies. Setup guide: How to Set Up and Test Postback.

Local / Global postback — a local postback works for one flow or offer; a global postback works for all offers and flows in your account.

Pixel — a code on the confirmation page that reports a conversion from the user's browser. Less reliable than a postback because of cookie and ad blockers.

Macro (token) — a placeholder in a URL that the platform replaces with a real value: click ID, payout, zone. Each platform has its own macro syntax. A macro in the wrong syntax is passed as plain text or empty.

Zone ID — the ID of the ad placement where your ad was shown. Used to see which placements convert and to build white- and blacklists. Networks call it differently (zone, spot, placement, widget, site). Which macro to use for each ad network: Zone ID Reference: Postback Macros by Ad Network.

Conversion status — pending (waiting for confirmation), approved (will be paid), rejected (won't be paid).

Attribution window — how long after a click a conversion can still be credited to it.

Last-click attribution — when a user clicked several links before converting, the conversion goes to the last click.

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MMP (Mobile Measurement Partner) — the platform an app advertiser uses to attribute installs and in-app events. For CPI offers, the advertiser pays based on MMP data.

Post-install event — an action inside the app after install: registration, trial, purchase.

Deduplication — removing repeated conversions from the same user so each is paid once.

Deep link — a link that opens a specific screen in an app. A deferred deep link does it after the user installs the app.

Redirect — a step that sends the user from one URL to the next. Tracking links usually use 302 redirects. Every extra redirect adds load time and loses part of the users.

Tracker — your own tracking software between the traffic source and the network.

White label — a third-party tracking platform that a network runs under its own brand.

Flow — your settings for running traffic on one offer in CIPIAI. You pick an offer, choose a traffic source, then set the flow name, postback and trafficback, and send the flow to moderation. Each offer gets its own flow.

Trafficback — the URL where traffic is sent if it can't go to the offer.

Test conversion — a conversion triggered on purpose to check that the postback works before launch.

3. Traffic and sources

Traffic types — the channels traffic comes from: search, native, push, pop, in-app, social and others. Each offer lists which types it accepts. All types with descriptions: Complete Guide to CIPIAI Traffic Types.

Incent / non-incent — incent traffic means users get a reward for the action. Many offers accept non-incent only.

Source / subsource — the site or app the traffic came from, and the placement inside it.

Whitelist / blacklist — placements you target exclusively / exclude.

RON (Run of Network) — buying across a source's whole inventory without choosing placements.

Direct buy — buying a placement from a site owner at a fixed price for a period.

Frequency capping — a limit on how often one user sees your ad. Not the same as an offer cap.

Smartlink — one link that sends each user to the offer most likely to convert for their GEO and device.

Prelander — a page between the ad and the offer page that warms up the user. Sending traffic straight to the offer is direct linking.

Brand bidding — search ads on the advertiser's brand name. Most offers forbid it.

Carrier targeting — targeting by mobile operator or by mobile data vs. Wi-Fi. Needed for carrier billing offers.

Cloaking — showing ad platform moderators a different page than real users see. Breaks the rules of ad platforms and most offers and leads to bans and rejected conversions.

Fraud — fake or stolen conversions. Common types:

• Bots: non-human clicks.

• Click spamming: mass clicks to catch organic installs.

• Click injection (Android): a fake click fired during an install to steal the credit.

• SDK spoofing: fake installs sent to the MMP without a real device.

• Install farms: real devices installing apps manually or by script.

4. Offer terms and payments

GEO — the countries the offer accepts traffic from. Payouts often differ by GEO.

Cap — the limit of conversions the advertiser pays for in a period (day, month, total).

KPI — quality targets the traffic has to meet, such as retention or trial-to-paid rate. Missing them can lead to rejected conversions.

Restrictions — traffic types and methods the offer forbids. Conversions from them aren't paid.

Offer approval — some offers require you to apply and get approved before you get the link.

Private offer — an offer available only to selected affiliates.

Direct offer — an offer the network gets from the advertiser directly, not through another network.

Scrub — conversions the advertiser removes after review: fraud, duplicates, out-of-GEO, missed KPIs.

Shave — real conversions that the network or advertiser doesn't credit to the affiliate.

Reconciliation — matching the advertiser's and the network's conversion numbers at the end of a period.

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Hold — the period before a conversion is approved and becomes payable. Used to check traffic quality.

Payment terms (Net 30) — when payment is made. Net 30 means within 30 days after the billing period closes.

Minimum payout — the minimum balance needed to receive a payment.

Clawback (chargeback) — deduction of earned revenue when the user refunds or disputes the payment.

Rebill — a repeat subscription charge after the first payment or trial.

Pay bump — an individual payout increase for one affiliate on one offer.

Datafeed — a file or API with offer or product data (names, links, payouts, GEOs) that updates automatically.

5. Metrics

CR (Conversion Rate) — conversions divided by clicks. Networks may count clicks or conversions differently, so compare CR only within one system.

Unique vs. raw clicks — raw counts every click; unique counts one per user in a period.

EPC (Earnings per Click) — revenue divided by clicks. Some networks show EPC per 100 clicks.

eCPM — revenue per 1,000 impressions.

ROI — (revenue − cost) / cost.

ROAS — revenue / cost. ROAS 150% = ROI 50%.

LTV (Lifetime Value) — total revenue one user brings to the advertiser over time.

CPM / CPC — paying the traffic source per 1,000 impressions / per click.

CPV — on pop sources, cost per visit; on video platforms, cost per video view.

Approval rate (AR) — the share of conversions approved out of all recorded.

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