EPC (earnings per click)
What is one click actually worth?
EPC, or earnings per click, is what one click on a partner's link is worth on average. Divide what the clicks earned by the number of clicks, and you have it. It is the fastest way to compare partners whose traffic volumes are nothing alike, and the fastest way to misread a partner with fifty clicks.
- One formula, two versions
- Total vs unique clicks changes it
- A column in Referly, one toggle away
The EPC formula
Two versions of one ratio. Pick a denominator and never mix them in one table: Referly logs repeat clicks separately, so both are always available.
- Affiliate form
- Commission ÷ clicks
- Merchant form
- Revenue ÷ clicks
- The denominator question
- Total or unique clicks
What the partner earns per click they send
What a click is worth to you. This is the column Referly shows.
One refreshing visitor drags total-click EPC down. State which you use.
Try it
Both formulas, one click stream
Divide by
EPC, affiliate form
$0.30
Commission ÷ clicks
EPC, merchant form
$1.49
Revenue ÷ clicks
- Revenue referred
- $3,564
- Commission owed
- $713
- Conversion rate
- 1.50%
Enough clicks for the average to mean something. Read it next to conversion rate and refund rate before acting on it.
What EPC tells you and what it hides
It shows quality per click at any scale: a newsletter sending 300 clicks at $1.20 beats a coupon site sending 30,000 at $0.04. It hides three things.
Sample size
Fifty clicks and one lucky sale make a spectacular EPC that means nothing.
Timing
A recurring commission keeps earning after the click, so new partners always look understated.
Refunds
Traffic that converts well and refunds hard looks strong until the reversals land.
Commission ÷ clicks
Affiliate form
What the partner earns per click.
Revenue ÷ clicks
Merchant form
What Referly's EPC column shows.
Total and unique
Clicks recorded
Repeat clicks are flagged separately.
How to improve EPC
Only three levers exist, because the ratio only has three terms. The fourth move is measuring it honestly, which means a fair window and clean attribution.
Raise the rate
Every click is worth more immediately. The blunt lever.
Raise conversion
Send traffic to the page that matches the partner's promise, not your homepage.
Raise order value
Product-specific and tiered rates exist for exactly this.
In Referly
EPC is one toggle away
Switch the column on and sort by it. It sits next to conversion rate, LTV and revenue in the affiliates table, so the cheap clicks have nowhere to hide.
From a customer
Super simple to use, and includes everything that an affiliate program needs to end up a success.
Hammaad Siddeeqee
Founder
Related terms
All ten termsLast-click attribution
The rule that pays the commission to the last tracked link a buyer used.
Cookie window
How long after a click a sale still counts for the affiliate who sent it.
Recurring commission
Commission paid on every renewal a referred customer makes, not just the first.
Net 30 payout
Commission is paid 30 days after it is approved, so refunds can surface first.