Glossary · Payout models
CPC— what it means in affiliate marketing
Cost per click: what one click on an ad costs the advertiser.
On the buying side it is the price paid to the traffic source; on the selling side it is a payout model for publishers. The same three letters therefore mean a cost in one sentence and revenue in the next.
Related terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| CPA | Cost per action: a fixed fee for one defined user action — a registration, a deposit, a completed sale. |
| CPM | Cost per mille: the price of a thousand ad impressions, regardless of what anyone does with them. |
| PPC | Pay per click: buying ads where the advertiser pays only when someone clicks. |
Entry updated 29 July 2026. All 276 terms in one page.
