Affiliate marketing glossary
Last-click attribution
In one sentence
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.
Under last-click, a creator who introduced a product but was followed by a coupon site at checkout receives nothing. This is the structural reason coupon and cashback sites capture a disproportionate share of affiliate commission relative to the demand they create.
Some advertisers now operate multi-touch or tiered commission models that pay introducers differently from closers, but these remain the exception rather than the rule.
Common questions
Last-click attribution, answered
Why does the coupon site get my commission?
Because the shopper clicked its link after yours, and last-click pays the final tracked click. Your content created the demand; the coupon site was the last touch before checkout. It is a structural property of the model rather than anything either party did wrong, and it is the main reason advertisers increasingly restrict coupon placements or pay them a reduced rate.
Do any programs pay for the first click?
A small number run multi-touch or tiered models that pay introducers differently from closers, and a few pay a fixed introducer bonus. They are the exception. When a program does operate one, it is worth knowing, because it changes which content is worth producing.
How do I compete with checkout placements?
Not by trying to be the last click, which is a position you cannot hold. The practical answer is to shorten the gap between your recommendation and the purchase: link directly to the product page rather than the homepage, publish close to a sale or launch, and give the reader a reason to buy now rather than to go looking for a code first.
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.
EPC (earnings per click)
EPC is the average commission earned per click sent to an advertiser, calculated as total commission divided by total clicks over a given period.
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.
Deep link
A deep link is a tracked affiliate link that points to a specific product or category page on an advertiser's site rather than to its homepage.
Sub-ID
A sub-ID is a custom parameter appended to an affiliate link that lets a partner segment their reporting by campaign, platform, post or placement.
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