Affiliate marketing glossary
Conversion rate
In one sentence
Conversion rate is the percentage of clicks on an affiliate link that result in a qualifying sale or action.
Retail affiliate conversion rates commonly sit between 1% and 5%. Rates above that usually indicate very high intent traffic, a live sale, a specific product search, or a low-friction offer such as a heavily discounted first order.
Conversion rate is as much a property of the traffic as of the program. The same program will convert very differently for a comparison site and for a lifestyle creator.
Common questions
Conversion rate, answered
What is a good affiliate conversion rate?
In retail, 1% to 5% is the normal band, and where you sit inside it says more about the intent of your traffic than about the quality of the program. Comparison and deal traffic sits at the top because it arrives at checkout; discovery content sits lower because it creates the intent rather than catching it.
Why is my conversion rate so low?
The most common causes are homepage links instead of deep links, a mismatch between the product and the audience, traffic arriving with no purchase intent, and a price point above what the audience spends. Before changing programs, check whether the link lands on the exact item you recommended.
Does conversion rate matter more than commission rate?
They matter together, which is what EPC exists to express. Doubling a 1% conversion rate has exactly the same effect on earnings as doubling the commission rate, and it is usually the easier of the two to influence, because one is under your control and the other is not.
Keep reading
More from the glossary
Every term here is written to answer one question completely, then point at the next one worth asking.
Sub-affiliate network
A sub-affiliate network is a company that holds approved relationships with affiliate programs on major networks and lets smaller publishers and creators promote those programs under its account, sharing the commission it receives.
Affiliate network
An affiliate network is a platform that connects advertisers running affiliate programs with publishers who promote them, handling tracking, reporting and payment between the two.
Cookie window
The cookie window is the length of time after a click during which a resulting purchase is still credited to the affiliate, commonly ranging from 24 hours to 90 days.
Last-click attribution
Last-click attribution credits the entire commission to the final affiliate link clicked before a purchase, which is the default model across almost all affiliate networks.
Attribution
Attribution is the process of determining which marketing touchpoint receives credit for a conversion, and therefore which affiliate is paid.
Cross-device tracking
Cross-device tracking links a click on one device to a purchase on another, so an affiliate is credited when a customer discovers a product on mobile and buys on desktop.
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