12 Affiliate Marketing KPIs That Matter (+ 3 to Ignore)

Affiliate marketing is all about performance. But to know whether your programme is actually working, you need to track the right KPIs (Key Performance Indicators).

At AmpTeck, we see too many businesses drowning in vanity metrics that don’t move the needle. The trick is to focus on KPIs that show real growth, efficiency, and profitability.

Here are the 12 most valuable KPIs to track — and 3 “metrics” you can safely ignore.

Benchmarking KPIs

1. Sales per Affiliate

   Shows how much revenue each affiliate generates. Helps you spot top performers, set incentives, and identify where to focus support.

2. Year-over-Year Growth

   Tracks long-term improvement of your affiliate programme and highlights trends in sales and partner performance.

3. % of Affiliate Sales vs Total Sales

   Reveals the contribution of affiliates to your overall revenue and whether your programme is pulling its weight.

Affiliate Performance KPIs

4. Conversion Rate

   How many clicks turn into actual sales. High rates prove your affiliates are reaching the right audience.

5. Revenue per Click (RPC)

   Shows how much money you earn on average from each click. Great for testing campaign quality.

6. Clicks

   A basic indicator of interest. Useful if paired with conversion data, but don’t stop here.

7. Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)

   Measures the long-term value of customers acquired through affiliates. A powerful metric for understanding sustainability.

Programme-Level KPIs

8. Revenue

   The big picture number. Track affiliate-driven sales to evaluate your programme’s true impact.

9. Reversed Sales Rate

   The percentage of sales cancelled or refunded. Helps assess product quality and affiliate credibility.

10. Fraudulent Orders

    Protects your bottom line. High chargeback rates or suspicious activity should raise red flags.

11. % of Active Affiliates

    Not all affiliates will be consistently active. Tracking this percentage ensures you know who’s driving value.

12. Cost per Sale / Lead (CPA/CPL)

    Shows what it costs to generate a sale through affiliates. Vital for comparing with other channels like paid ads.

Metrics to Ignore (Vanity Traps)

🚫 Impressions — Looks nice, tells you nothing about sales.

🚫 Initial ROI — Early returns can be misleading. Affiliate growth takes time.

🚫 Traffic Engagement Metrics — Page views and bounce rates don’t prove revenue impact.

Final Word

The right KPIs give you clarity: where to double down, which affiliates deserve more support, and how profitable your programme really is.

At AmpTeck, we help SMEs cut through the noise by combining enterprise-grade tracking dashboards with local expertise — ensuring you only focus on the numbers that matter.

👉 Ready to build a performance programme driven by data? Let’s talk.

Disclaimer: This article was drafted with the assistance of AI to help structure and sharpen the content.