Affiliate glossary

CPI (Cost Per Install) is the cost of one app install. The formula, where it is used in PWA affiliate marketing and how it ties to deposit conversion.

CPA (Cost Per Action) is payment per target action: deposit, signup, lead. How the model works in PWA affiliate marketing and how it differs from CPI and CPL.

CPL (Cost Per Lead) is payment per lead: a signup or application without a required deposit. Where it is used in affiliate marketing and how it differs from CPA.

EPC (Earnings Per Click) is the average revenue per click. The formula and how EPC helps compare offers and funnels against each other.

CR (Conversion Rate) is the share of users reaching the target action. Which CRs are tracked in PWA: click-to-install and install-to-deposit.

ROI (Return On Investment) is the return on what you spent. The formula for affiliates and how ROI differs from ROAS.

ROAS (Return On Ad Spend) is revenue over ad spend. The formula and how ROAS differs from ROI in affiliate marketing.

S2S (Server-to-Server) passes conversions via postback without a browser pixel. Why S2S is more reliable for deposits in PWA.

A postback is a server signal about a conversion, tied to the click id. How it delivers a deposit to the tracker and pixel without loss.

Cloaking shows a white page to moderators and bots and the offer to real targeted traffic. How it works and why it matters in PWA affiliate marketing.

A white page is neutral compliant content for moderation and bots. What a white page must look like to pass ad-network review.

The black page is the real offer (showcase/PWA/landing) for targeted traffic. How black works together with white and the cloak.

A prelander warms the user before the offer: a story, quiz or spin wheel. How a prelander lifts lead conversion.

FTD (First Time Deposit) is a player's first deposit. The key payment event in gambling and betting and why the FTD postback goes first.

A deposit is a player funding their account — the main target event in gambling. How a deposit differs from FTD and why the deposit postback matters.

Retention is keeping and bringing users back. How PWA drives retention with push and why it is the key to profit.

A spy tool reveals competitors' creatives, landings and funnels. How spying helps find working approaches in affiliate marketing.

An offer is an advertiser's product paid per target action. Where offers come from and how to choose one for your funnel.

A tracker logs clicks and conversions: Keitaro, RedTrack, Binom. How a tracker routes traffic and receives postbacks.

A fingerprint is a device and browser digital signature. How it is used in cloaking to filter bots and automated checks.

SubID (click id, external_id) is a unique click identifier for attribution. How a postback uses it to tie a deposit to a visit and source.

CPM is the cost per 1,000 ad impressions. Learn the formula, how it differs from CPC, and how a lower CPM cuts install costs in PWA arbitrage.

CPC is the price per ad click, not per impression. See the formula, how it compares to CPM, and why PWA landing speed decides click-to-install rate.

LTV is the total revenue a user brings over their lifetime. Learn the formula and how push re-engagement in PWA arbitrage raises source LTV.

ARPU is the average revenue per user, whether they paid or not. See the formula, how it differs from ARPPU, and how APEX segmentation lifts ARPU.

ARPPU is the average revenue from paying users only. See the formula, how it differs from ARPU, and how APEX split-tests target the paying segment.

Hold is the wait before an affiliate network confirms a payout. See why networks use it and how it affects a buyer's cash flow in arbitrage.

A cap limits how many leads or deposits an offer accepts. See how caps work and why switching to a backup offer in time protects your spend.

A rebill is a recurring subscription charge common in nutra and dating offers. See how rebill offers are structured and why push cuts churn.

A chargeback reverses a card payment and voids the conversion behind it. See what typically causes them and how to keep the rate under control.

A funnel is the path from ad impression to deposit in PWA arbitrage. See the typical stages and how to find exactly where traffic drops off.

A lead is the action an offer counts as a conversion, usually a registration after the PWA install. See how it differs from the install event.

A ban is a platform block on an account or domain over a policy breach. See what causes bans in PWA arbitrage and how to recover a campaign fast.

Farming is warming up ad accounts before launching campaigns. See how it works and how APEX role management helps teams track farmed accounts.

A king account is a warmed ad account with a high limit and low ban risk. See how it differs from regular farming and how buyers protect it.

An antidetect browser isolates digital fingerprints across ad accounts. See why it matters for buyers and how it differs from a plain proxy.

A mobile proxy uses real mobile carrier IPs for farming ad accounts. See why it beats a datacenter proxy and where it fits into PWA arbitrage.

A pixel is page code that reports conversions back to the ad platform. See why browsers often block it and how CAPI covers that data loss in arbitrage.

CAPI sends conversions to Facebook server-side, bypassing the browser. See how it beats a pixel and how APEX bundles Keitaro-to-FB-CAPI natively.

A lookalike audience mirrors your existing paying buyers online. See what drives its quality and how APEX CAPI data sharpens the seed audience.

A creative is the ad asset that drives the click. See what makes one strong and how buyers test creatives against landings in PWA arbitrage.

An MMP is an independent mobile attribution tracker, such as AppsFlyer. See why native apps rely on it and why PWA arbitrage usually skips it.

Attribution ties a conversion back to its exact traffic source and creative. See how attribution windows work and what breaks them in a PWA funnel.

An install is a PWA being added to a device, with no app store or review process. See what drives click-to-install conversion in PWA arbitrage.

iGaming covers online casino, sports betting, and poker as an affiliate vertical. See how CPA and RevShare payouts work and why PWA suits it well.

A sportsbook is the sports-betting product advertisers run as its own vertical in CPA networks. Learn how it differs from casino offers and fits a PWA funnel.

COD means the buyer pays cash on delivery, not online in advance — standard for nutra and e-com. See how it shapes approval rate and PWA landing pages.

KYC is identity verification a player completes before withdrawal or a large deposit. See how it affects qualified FTDs and postbacks in PWA affiliate funnels.

A smartlink is a single link that auto-routes traffic to the best-fit offer by geo and device. See how it compares to a manual split-tested funnel.

Spintax is a text template with interchangeable variants in curly braces {a|b|c} that generates unique versions for creatives and push copy.

A macro is a placeholder in a tracking link, like {clickid}, replaced with a real value on click — how it connects a click, a PWA, and a postback.

A deep link opens straight to a specific screen inside an app — a bonus, a game, a product page — instead of the home screen. Why it matters for PWA.

VAPID is a key pair that proves to the browser who's sending a web push. Here's why it matters and who actually manages the keys in a PWA setup.

Opt-in is the moment a user allows the browser to send push notifications. The opt-in rate decides how large a subscriber base you build for push campaigns.

CTR is the share of clicks per impression, a core metric for creatives, push, and ads. Learn how to read CTR and what it actually tells you in a PWA funnel.

RD is a player's deposit made after their first one (FTD). See why advertisers pay for RD and how PWA push campaigns help drive more of them.

A Qualified FTD is a first deposit that meets the advertiser's conditions — minimum amount, valid payment, passed KYC. Why not every FTD gets paid.

A prelander is a page between the ad and the offer that warms up and filters traffic — a quiz, a wheel of fortune, a review. Why it matters for PWA.

A landing page is the offer's own target page, where the user registers, deposits, or buys. See how it differs from a prelander, and from a PWA.

gclid is the click identifier Google Ads appends to a link for conversion tracking. Learn how to pass it through your tracker without losing attribution.

external_id is the click or user identifier sent in a postback to match a conversion on an ad platform's side, such as Facebook CAPI. Here's how it's used.

RevShare is a payout model where the affiliate earns a share of the revenue a player generates over time, instead of a one-time payment per lead or deposit.

A CPA network is an affiliate platform connecting advertisers and buyers, paying out for a specific action — a lead, an install, a deposit made.

RTB is an auction where ad impressions are bought and sold in real time, one at a time. See how this shapes buying push and native ad traffic.

A frequency cap limits how many times a user sees an ad or push within a set period. See how it protects a base from burnout and unsubscribes.

Native ads are ad units that visually blend into a site's content — an in-feed block, related-articles suggestions. Here's why they work well for PWA offers.

Push ads are traffic bought from push ad networks — someone else's subscriber base, not your own. See how that differs from an owned PWA push channel.

A payout is the amount an advertiser pays an affiliate for one qualifying action — a lead, an install, a deposit. See what sets the rate and how to raise it.

Scrub is an advertiser voiding some conversions after review — fraud, unredeemed COD, failed KYC. Why tracker and advertiser numbers differ, and how to cut it.

Shave is when a network quietly undercounts your conversions to pay less. Learn the warning signs and how your own tracker and postbacks expose it.

A rotator splits traffic across links, landers, or domains by rule. Why PWA arbitrage funnels use one, and how it differs from a split test.

Churn is the share of users who stop opening your PWA or receiving push notifications after install. How to measure it and cut churn in a push base.

TWA wraps a PWA as an Android app via Chrome Custom Tabs for a Google Play listing. When it's actually worth using in PWA arbitrage, explained.

WebAPK is Android's automatic packaging of an installed PWA into an app-like shell. How the mechanism works and why it matters for arbitrage conversion.

EMQ is Facebook's score for how well server-side CAPI events match a real user profile. How to raise EMQ in a PWA funnel built on S2S postbacks.

event_id deduplicates Facebook pixel and CAPI events reporting the same action. Why it matters and how to wire it correctly into a PWA postback chain.

fbclid is Facebook's click identifier, used to attribute conversions accurately. Where it gets lost in a PWA funnel with redirects, and how to fix it.

UTM tags record a click's traffic source for campaign analytics. How they differ from a tracker's click_id and why arbitrage funnels use them.

The user-agent string identifies browser and device, used to spot bots and pick the right PWA install flow. Its role in cloaking, explained.

A fraud score rates the risk of a given IP or visit using IP-intel, device fingerprint, and behavior signals. How to use a threshold in cloaking rules.

A datacenter IP is a server address a real human user almost never browses from. Why it's a red flag for cloaking and how to filter it in a funnel.

Warmup ramps a new domain, ad account, or push base up gradually, avoiding sudden spikes. Why it matters in PWA arbitrage and how long it takes.

Free spins are a casino bonus of free slot rotations that hook a new player before any deposit. How to use them in a PWA pre-lander funnel effectively.

A welcome bonus rewards a new user's first deposit at a casino or betting brand. How it lifts conversion from a plain signup to a qual in a PWA funnel.

WAP-click bills a subscription in a single tap, straight from the mobile carrier balance. How the flow works and what limits it in arbitrage today.

DCB charges a purchase directly to the mobile carrier account instead of a card. Where this model still works and what to check in PWA arbitrage.

PIX is Brazil's instant payment system and the country's top deposit method online. How to account for PIX support on a PWA lander for the Brazil geo.

UPI is India's instant payment system and the country's dominant digital payment method. How to localize a PWA lander for the India geo around UPI.

A stablecoin is a cryptocurrency pegged to a stable asset like the dollar, e.g. USDT. Why arbitrage teams rely on it, and how APEX accepts USDT payment.

Kill/scale is the call to stop a losing funnel or scale up a winning one, based on set metrics. Criteria and rules for making the call in PWA campaigns.

Quals are leads that met an advertiser's qualification bar, not just a completed signup. How to raise the qual rate inside a PWA arbitrage funnel.

eCPM is the effective revenue per 1000 impressions, no matter the payment model. See the formula and how buyers compare eCPM across geos in PWA arbitrage.

DAU/MAU is the ratio of daily to monthly active users, a quick read on stickiness. See how push segmentation lifts DAU/MAU for a PWA in arbitrage.

KPI in arbitrage is the traffic quality bar an advertiser sets — hold, deposits, retention. Common KPI types and how to avoid losing an offer over one weak geo.

An upsell offers a pricier product to a user who already converted. See how buyers build push-based upsell sequences after a PWA install in traffic arbitrage.

Trafficback is the page non-target traffic gets routed to — bots, moderators, wrong geo. See why cloaking needs it and how PWA filters route traffic there.

A TDS routes traffic by geo, device, and caps between landing pages, offers, and trafficback. See when a dedicated TDS is essential in PWA arbitrage.

Moderation is an ad platform's review of a creative and landing page before it runs. Why gambling and betting fail it without cloaking, and how PWA helps.

A residential proxy uses a real ISP's IP instead of a data center, so it looks human to anti-fraud systems. See where it helps buyers in PWA arbitrage.

Adspect is a paid third-party cloaking and anti-bot service. See how it compares to a PWA's built-in cloaking and when it's actually worth paying for.

Keitaro is a self-hosted tracker for click routing, split tests, and postbacks. See how it pairs with a PWA and when built-in tools can replace it in arbitrage.

Binom is a fast self-hosted tracker, a Keitaro alternative on price and click speed. See when it's worth running in PWA arbitrage, and when it's not.

Retargeting re-shows ads to a warm audience that didn't convert. See how a PWA replaces pixel retargeting with segmented push sends, at no extra ad spend.

Incent traffic is install volume driven by rewards, not genuine interest. Why it's risky for gambling deposit KPIs and how to separate it from organic traffic.

A baseline is the reference metric for fairly testing a new creative, price, or PWA version. See how to set one and avoid mistaking noise for real improvement.

Whitehat follows platform rules; blackhat bends them through cloaking to reach grey verticals. See where the line sits and the risk in PWA arbitrage.

RPM is revenue per 1000 impressions, sessions, or pushes, broader than eCPM. See how comparing RPM across segments directs budget to the best streams.

A bid is what a buyer pays per click, impression, or conversion in an ad auction. See how bid size affects reach and why it can't be judged apart from ROI.

A budget cap limits daily campaign spend, protecting against a bid spike or a broken creative. How to size one for a new PWA combo and when to raise it safely.

AppsFlyer is an MMP that attributes native app installs via an in-app SDK. See why a PWA usually doesn't need it and how postback attribution works instead.

Voluum is a cloud tracker with no server to run, a subscription alternative to Keitaro and Binom. See the trade-offs for PWA arbitrage against APEX.

A conversion is the paid target action — install, deposit, order — an advertiser confirms. See how postbacks confirm it and prevent payout disputes.

Geo is the targeted country that drives an offer's payout, competition, and moderation rules. See why PWA content must match it exactly, not just the offer.

Tier ranks geos by purchasing power — Tier-1 pricier and more competitive, Tier-3 cheaper. See why new PWA combos test on a cheap tier first.

House hold is the share of wagers a casino keeps as margin, the inverse of RTP. See how hold shapes a buyer's revshare income from gambling offers in arbitrage.

An affiliate network links advertisers and affiliates via offers and tracking links. See how payouts work and how to wire it into a PWA funnel via postbacks.

A DSP buys ad impressions from SSPs through real-time auctions. See how DSPs work and what their bidding dynamics mean for scaling PWA traffic.

An SSP lets publishers sell ad inventory to DSPs through auctions. See how SSPs work and why filtering bot traffic on your own side still matters.

Programmatic is automated, auction-driven ad buying instead of direct deals. See how it works and why the algorithm needs a clean PWA conversion signal.

Dayparting runs ads only during set hours and days. See how to pick a schedule by vertical and geo, and how it pairs with scheduled PWA push sends.

A blacklist excludes bad placements, source IDs, or IPs from ad spend. See how buyers build one and how APEX antibot filtering front-loads the work.

A whitelist narrows spend to proven sources with the best CPI and ROI. See when to make the switch and how APEX split-tests help confirm it.

A doorway page targets a search query just to rank, then forwards the visitor elsewhere instead of answering it. See how it works and the real risks.

A redirect forwards a user from an ad click through to the PWA. See why hops exist, what they carry, and how extra ones cost speed and traffic.

An interstitial is a full-screen ad shown at a natural transition point. See how it differs from a popup and where it fits inside a PWA funnel.

In-page push mimics a system notification inside a page, no opt-in needed. See how it differs from real push and when it's the better choice.

A popunder opens behind the active tab, so the user notices it later, not on click. See how it works, its low CPM, and which verticals fit it best.

VAST is the standard a video player uses to request an ad from a server. See how it works and when it matters for buyers running video to a PWA.

CPV is the price per counted video view, as defined by the platform's own rules. See the formula, how it compares to CPM, and why final CPI matters more.

eCPA is the real cost per conversion, calculated after the fact regardless of buying model. See the formula and why it's the fair way to compare sources.

A flat rate is a fixed price per click, install, or placement agreed directly with a source. See when it beats auction-based buying in PWA arbitrage.

A cohort groups users by install date, geo, or source. See how cohort analysis works and why skipping it can hide a source's real decline.

Onboarding is the first PWA screens right after install, before the push prompt. See how it shapes opt-in rate and why timing that ask matters.

A universal link opens an installed iOS app, or falls back to a website. See why this mechanism doesn't carry over the same way to a PWA funnel.

ASO optimizes an app's store listing for search ranking and install conversion. See why this skill set doesn't carry over to PWA arbitrage.

ttclid is the click ID TikTok appends to a landing link. See why it matters and what happens to attribution if it gets dropped along the way.

A landing page exists for one conversion goal, with minimal distracting navigation. See how it differs from a prelander and what matters most in a PWA funnel.

A prelander warms up a user between an ad click and the offer. See how it lifts install conversion and how it's built into a PWA funnel.

A bumper is a technical stop-gap page in the traffic chain, solving a specific problem rather than warming up the user. See how it differs from a prelander.

Carrier is the mobile network behind a user's IP, read from ASN data. See how carrier signals drive targeting and bot filtering in PWA arbitrage with APEX.

Wi-Fi vs mobile data decides which offers can convert at all. See how connection type drives targeting and filtering in PWA arbitrage with APEX.

Device targeting filters traffic by device type, OS, and version. See how it shapes PWA arbitrage funnels and lifts conversion rate with APEX.

Referrer is the HTTP header showing exactly where a click came from. See how it's used for cloaking and traffic hygiene in PWA arbitrage with APEX.

A headless browser runs with no UI — often a bot or ad-network reviewer. See how PWA arbitrage detects headless traffic with APEX's antibot.

CAPTCHA is a check for whether a visitor is human. See where it shows up in PWA arbitrage funnels and how to protect conversion rate with APEX.

Conversion Rate is the share of visits that reach the intended goal. Learn how to calculate and lift CR in PWA arbitrage using APEX's full toolset.