What is the defnition of Affiliate Marketing?

In Affiliate Marketing a publisher places links to a merchant’s website, products, or specialized engagement forms. The publisher’s  website then acts as a new sales funnel from their users to the merchant. The publishers also educate, review, and recommend the merchant’s products or services to online users.

The affiliate agreements between the merchants and the publishers are usually structured as a CPA or Cost per Action deals, where the publisher receives a percentage of any sale that is sent to the merchant from one of the publisher’s website links.

Affiliate Marketing infographic -Courtesy of Adgaem.com

Affiliate Marketing infographic -Courtesy of Adgaem.com

Affiliates, Affiliate Publishers, & Affiliate Merchants

In Affiliate Marketing the publisher (owner of a website with content) is called an Affiliate or Affiliate Publisher.

The company selling a product or service, such as Amazon.com is called an Affiliate Merchant.

Along with advertising, affiliate marketing is one of the primary ways that online publishers make money with their websites.