Scattered across Affpinions and the wider industry you'll see many acronyms, and it isn't always obvious what each one stands for. Here are 31 of the most common acronyms in affiliate marketing and their meanings.
| Acronym | What it means |
|---|---|
| CPS | Cost Per Sale |
| CPA | Cost Per Action (or Acquisition) |
| CPL | Cost Per Lead |
| CPI | Cost Per Install |
| CPE | Cost Per Engagement |
| AOV | Average Order Value |
| CR | Conversion Rate |
| EPC | Earnings Per Click |
| LTV | Lifetime Value |
| CPC | Cost Per Click |
| CPM | Cost Per Thousand (M is the Roman numeral for thousand) |
| ROI | Return On Investment |
| ROAS | Return On Ad Spend |
| CTR | Click-Through Rate |
| RPM | Revenue Per Mille (per 1,000 visits or impressions) |
| PPC | Pay Per Click (usually paid search advertising) |
| PPS | Pay Per Sale |
| PPL | Pay Per Lead |
| PPI | Pay Per Install |
| SOI | Single Opt-In (lead confirmed once) |
| DOI | Double Opt-In (lead confirmed by email) |
| S2S | Server-to-Server (postback tracking) |
| SEO | Search Engine Optimisation |
| SERP | Search Engine Results Page |
| UGC | User-Generated Content |
| KPI | Key Performance Indicator |
| CAC | Customer Acquisition Cost |
| GEO | Geographic targeting (country) |
| AM | Affiliate Manager |
| T&Cs | Terms and Conditions |
| E-E-A-T | Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust |
Examples of affiliate acronyms in sentences
- If you own a website about personal finance and join a CPL program, that program may pay you £25 per qualified lead you send.
- If you're an app developer and join a CPI program, a company may pay you $0.50 per new install of an app you promote inside your app.
- If you have a popular social media profile and join a CPS program, that program may pay you 5% commission for each person who clicks your link and buys.
- If 1,000 clicks earn you $150, your EPC is $0.15.
These are hypothetical examples with made-up figures for demonstration only. If an acronym isn't listed, let us know — or browse the full affiliate wiki.