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Measurement and metrics

Click

Also called affiliate click, raw clicks, unique clicks, link click.

Short answer

A click is the smallest unit of measurement in affiliate marketing: a recorded activation of an affiliate link. The click opens the attribution process – tracking starts here, and a later conversion is matched back to this exact click. Clicks are the denominator in metrics such as EPC and conversion rate.

Definition of Click.

A click is recorded when a user activates an affiliate link and the request reaches the tracking system's server. The system stores the time, program and affiliate and sends the user on to the store. In other words, the click is the tracking system's own count of link activations – not the same as a page view at the store and not the same as a session in an analytics tool.

Raw clicks count every activation, including reloads and repeat clicks from the same user; unique clicks count one per user within a period. Without filtering, bots, link previews and crawlers inflate the numbers: a URL shared in a chat app can trigger clicks that no human ever made. That is why serious tracking systems apply bot filters before clicks reach the statistics.

Clicks are the denominator in the most important metrics. EPC – earnings per click – divides commission by clicks; conversion rate divides conversions by clicks. The quality of click recording therefore determines the quality of both figures: counted clicks that were never human drag EPC and conversion rate down, and if the filtering is too aggressive, the traffic looks better than it is. Clicks without a conversion still have value as data – their patterns show where the interest is and where the chain breaks.

Click vs. session in web analytics

AspectClickSession
Measured bythe tracking system's server when the link is activatedan analytics tool in the user's browser
Countsevery activation of the linkone continuous visit
Recordinghappens on the server during the redirectrequires the measurement script to load – and often consent
Botsfiltered in the tracking systemfiltered by the tool's own rules

Settle payments and calculate EPC on clicks; analyse behaviour in sessions – and never expect the two numbers to match.

How it goes wrong

  • 01

    Expecting clicks and visits to match

    Clicks in the tracking system and sessions in the analytics tool measure differently, filter differently and lose data in different places. Discrepancies are the rule, not the exception – and not in themselves a sign of an error.

  • 02

    Reading raw clicks as interest

    Reloads, double clicks and previews in chat apps all count towards raw clicks. Judge traffic on unique clicks and on what happens after the click – not on the raw count alone.

  • 03

    Judging EPC without knowing click quality

    A low EPC can be caused by bot clicks in the denominator rather than poor conversion. Check the quality of the clicks before you write off a placement or a program.

At Affilyflow

Click in practice

At Affilyflow, the click is recorded on our server when the /go link is hit – and at that same moment the deal is locked: the commission rate and type are copied to the click row, and the attribution window is fixed and decided server-side. Known bots are not counted; they get neither a click record nor attribution. Every tracking event is logged, including those that never turn into a sale, and public metrics are only shown above a minimum threshold of 25 clicks and 3 sales.

Frequently asked questions

Why don't clicks in the affiliate system match Google Analytics?

Because they measure different things: the tracking system counts link activations on the server, while the analytics tool counts sessions in the browser. Bot filters, declined consent, blocked scripts and lost redirects affect the two measurements differently. Use clicks for payouts and metrics, and sessions for behavioural analysis.

What is the difference between raw and unique clicks?

Raw clicks count every single activation of the link, including reloads and repeats from the same user. Unique clicks count one per user within a period. A large gap between the two numbers points to repeat clicks or automated traffic.

Do bots count in click statistics?

It depends on the filter. At Affilyflow, known bots are not counted – they get no click record and no attribution. In any system, new or unknown bots can be recorded before they are identified, which is why click data is never cleaner than the filter behind it.

Can you earn money from clicks alone?

Only in CPC programs, where payment is per click. In CPS and CPL programs the click does not trigger any payment on its own – it only opens the attribution, and commission is earned only when the click turns into a sale or a lead within the attribution window.

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