A cost per click (CPC) event type allows you to track and pay out partners for clicks to your website. impact.com allows you to add a click event type to your template terms and create customized payouts to assign different values to different types of clicks, or credit partners for clicks driven from specific traffic sources only. Bear in mind that only 1 click event type is allowed per program.
Before you begin
Before you can start tracking and paying out for clicks to your website using the features described below, you will need a CPC tracking event type set up for your account. Reach out to your CSM (or contact support) if you do not have one set up already.
CPC V2 offers more customizable Payout Group and Payout Restriction options. These options allow you to create sophisticated CPC payouts, like payouts that scale based on the web browser, geographical location, or type of device that performed the click. For more information on the options available, see the Click payout field reference below. Some additional points of note around CPC V2 include the following:
CPC V2 functionality won't affect your preexisting contracts unless you choose to modify them with the CPC V2 click event type. However, the updated functionality will apply to any new contracts you create.
There is no locking period during which you can reverse invalid clicks or clicks you don't want to credit. Clicks are registered instantly, and the idea is to structure your contract terms to only pay out for the type of clicks that you specify (e.g., only pay out for clicks from the US that came from mobile devices).
Invalid clicks are managed by precautionary measures taken by both yourself and impact.com. To learn more about how impact.com safeguards you from invalid traffic, see our CPC V2 FAQ doc. To learn more about how you can cap your payout and prevent overspending, be sure to enable Limits as per the guidelines below.
Create custom CPC payout rules
This feature is only accessible to specific impact.com editions or add-ons. Contact us to upgrade your account and get access!From the left navigation menu, select Contracts → Template Terms.
To create a new term with a click payout:
Select Create Template Term in the upper-right.
Below the Currency field, select
[Drop-down menu] Please select an Event Type.
Alternatively, to modify existing terms:
Find the template terms in the table, and in the Actions column, select
[Drop-down menu] → Modify Terms.Below the Currency field, select
[Add] Add another Event Type.
Select the Click event type.
[Toggle on] Payout Groups.For more insight on how payout group rules can be useful for your program, see the Click payout field reference below.
Select Add new and use the
[Drop-down menus] and fields to specify instances when the Payout amount should apply.Once a rule has been created, optionally, select
[Add another] to create a second instance that will generate the same payout, or select Add → Add new to create a new rule altogether.See the Payout parameters reference below for more guidance.
- [Toggle on] Payout Restrictions.
For more insight on how payout restriction rules can be useful for your program, see the Click payout field reference below.
Use the
[Drop-down menus] and fields to specify instances when no payout should be generated.Once a rule has been created, optionally, select
[AND] to add another condition to the restriction, or select [Add another restriction] to create a new restriction altogether.See the Payout parameters reference below for more guidance.
- [Toggle on] Limits.
Use the
[Drop-down menus] to include limits for either clicks or payout.
Fill in the remaining fields, using the Click payout field reference section below as a guide.
At the bottom of the page, select Save.
For more information on how to customize advanced settings, see the Advanced settings reference below.
Field | Description |
|---|---|
Default Payout | This is the default payout if no payout groups, adjustments, restrictions, or performance bonuses apply to the click. Set a fixed payout value for clicks. |
Dynamic Bidding | Enable this setting to have the payout for a click set by a product in your product catalog. The Product Bid amount sourced from the item’s catalog listing will override your default payout amount. Where no Product Bid amount exists, your Default Payout amount will be paid. |
Payout Groups | Enable this setting to pay out different amounts per click based on the rules that you set. You can use up to 25 different parameters to set payout rules. E.g: SKU + is + ABC001
Product Category + is not + Electronics.  See the Payout parameters reference below for more information on each parameter. |
Payout Restrictions | Enable this setting to specify any conditions that should generate no payout. You can use up to 25 different parameters to set payout restrictions. E.g: Traffic Type + is not present
Ad Keyword + contains + Firearms.  See the Payout parameters reference below for more information on each parameter. |
Limits | You can specify limits for the number of clicks or payout amount permitted within a certain timeframe to ensure you stay on budget. Since it's not possible to reverse clicks, impact.com strongly recommends enabling limits for your program to prevent unbudgeted expenses. |
Parameter option | Description | Tracking link example |
|---|---|---|
Ad | The ID of the ad that referred the click, which is automatically embedded in every tracking link. You can configure payout rules based on the presence, absence, or value of this ad ID. |
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Ad Program | The program to which the referral ad belongs. You can configure payout rules based on the presence, absence, or value of a specified ad program. (This is a custom field that can be specified in tracking links.) |
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Ad Program Id | The ID of the program to which the referral ad belongs. You can configure payout rules based on the presence, absence, or value of a specified ad program ID. (This is a custom field that can be specified in tracking links.) |
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Ad Group | The group to which the referral ad belongs. You can configure payout rules based on the presence, absence, or value of a specified ad group. (This is a custom field that can be specified in tracking links.) |
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Ad Group Id | The ID of the group to which the referral ad belongs. You can configure payout rules based on the presence, absence, or value of a specified ad group ID. (This is a custom field that can be specified in tracking links.) |
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Ad Keyword | The keyword associated with an ad. You can configure payout rules based on the presence, absence, or partial presence or absence of a specified keyword. (This is a custom field that can be specified in tracking links.) |
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Ad Placement | The location of an ad on the partner's web page. You can configure payout rules based on where an ad is situated on a web page. (This is a custom field that can be specified in tracking links.) |
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Derived Browser | The internet browser associated with incoming traffic. impact.com detects a user's browser from the tracking link redirect. You can configure payout rules based on this internet browser type. | N/A |
Derived Country | The country associated with incoming traffic. impact.com detects this from the tracking link redirect, where the user's IP address is captured. You can configure payout rules based on this user country. | N/A |
Derived Device Type | The type of computing device associated with incoming traffic. impact.com detects a user's device type from the tracking link redirect. You can configure payout rules based on this device type. | N/A |
Derived OS | The device operating system associated with incoming traffic. impact.com detects a user's device type from the tracking link redirect, where the user's IP address is captured. You can configure payout rules based on this operating system type. | N/A |
Derived State/Region | The geographical region associated with incoming traffic. impact.com detects a user's regional location from the tracking link redirect, where the user's IP address is captured. You can configure payout rules based on this geographical region. | N/A |
Landing Page | The brand landing page to which users were referred. You can pass this directly in the tracking link. If not, impact.com will report the landing page that was configured for this ad tracking link. You can configure payout rules based on the presence, absence, or value of a landing page. |
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Param1 | You can configure payout rules based on the presence, absence, or value of a custom UTM parameter. (Up to 4 parameters allowed) |
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Param2 | You can configure payout rules based on the presence, absence, or value of a custom UTM parameter. (Up to 4 parameters allowed) |
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Param3 | You can configure payout rules based on the presence, absence, or value of a custom UTM parameter. (Up to 4 parameters allowed) |
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Param4 | You can configure payout rules based on the presence, absence, or value of a custom UTM parameter. (Up to 4 parameters allowed) |
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Product Category | The product catalog category under which the product falls. You can configure payout rules based on the presence, absence, or value of this category, but note that there must be an exact string match with the value specified in the product feed. When partners do not leverage tracking links from product catalogs, you or the partner can manually append a category instead. |
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Product Sub Category | The product catalog subcategory under which the product falls. You can configure payout rules based on the presence, absence, or value of this subcategory, but note that there must be an exact string match with the value specified in the product feed. When partners do not leverage tracking links from product catalogs, you or the partner can manually append a subcategory instead. |
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SharedId | A value associated with the click that the partner shares with you for the benefit of your tracking. You can configure payout rules based on the presence, absence, or partial presence or absence of a specified SharedId, but note that there must be an exact string match with the value passed in the tracking link. |
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SKU | The product's Stock Keeping Unit, as recorded in the product catalog. You can configure payout rules based on the presence, absence, or value of a specific product SKU, but note that there must be an exact string match with the value specified in the product feed. When partners do not leverage tracking links from product catalogs, you or the partner can manually append a SKU instead. |
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Subaccount ID | The sub affiliate or partner account Id on the impact.com platform. You can configure payout rules based on the presence, absence, or value of a specific subaccount ID. (This is a custom field that can be specified in tracking links.) |
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Subaccount Name | The name of the sub-affiliate or partner account on the impact.com platform. You can configure payout rules based on the presence or absence of a specific subaccount name. (This is a custom field that can be specified in tracking links.) |
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Traffic Type | The category of incoming traffic, such as traffic coming from a social media property or a display on a web page. The partner can pass any value to which you've agreed, e.g., forum, toolbar etc. You can configure payout rules based on the presence or absence of a specified traffic type, but note that there must be an exact string match with the value passed in the tracking link. |
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Traffic Source | The origin of incoming traffic, such as traffic coming from social media, a web page, a search engine etc. The partner can pass any value to which you've agreed, e.g., Instagram, toolbar, paid search, etc. You can configure payout rules based on the presence or absence of a specified traffic source, but note that there must be an exact string match with the value passed in the tracking link. |
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URL | The referring URL from which the tracking link redirected a user. impact.com detects this in HTTP referrer header during the gateway redirect from a partner's promotional site to your program landing page. You can configure payout rules based on the presence, absence, or partial presence or absence of a specific URL. | N/A |
Select show advanced settings to view and configure advanced settings.
impact.com strongly recommends discussing with your CSM (or contacting support) before changing these settings.
Setting | Description |
|---|---|
Change Notice Period | Configure the number of days in advance that partners will receive notice before custom term changes take effect. |
Reversal Policy | Configure how much of the payout you can recover if you decide to reverse an action. impact.com's recommended default is Advertiser Returns 100% max monthly returns, so you can recover 100% of your payout in the event of an order return, cancellation, or fraud. |
Action Limit | Define the maximum number of actions for which partners can be paid out within a specified period. E.g., you can choose to only pay out for the first 5000 actions every quarter. |
Spend Limit | Define the maximum payout a partner can receive within a specified period. E.g., you can choose to pay out a max of $5000 every quarter. (The currency used will match the currency you chose in the Currency field above.) |
Minimum Earnings | A guaranteed minimum payout to the partner for each click. If a partner's total action payout is less than the total number of clicks multiplied by the guaranteed minimum cost per click, the partner will receive a payout for the difference. When enabled, you can input the minimum EPC (earnings per click) a partner should receive per month. This is useful to partners who want to evaluate their marketing costs against your program's expected return. |
Placement Fees | Optionally, input a fee that partners will receive upon meeting a specified requirement, e.g., situating your ad in a premium space on their site. |
Tracking Pixel | Toggle whether partners can place their own piggyback pixels on your confirmation pages. (For partners to benefit from this setting, you must already be using pixel tracking so that they can piggyback off of it.) |
Data Center Clicks | Toggle whether you want clicks originating from data centers to be considered valid for CPC payout. |
If you want to increase payout for the category "Toys" but not pay out anything for "Appliances", you can configure the following CPC payout settings:
Setting | Configuration |
|---|---|
Default Payout | Use a fixed payout of $0.10 per click. |
Payout Groups | Product Category + is + Toys + Use a fixed payout of $0.25 per click. |
Payout Restrictions | Product Category + is + Appliances. |
Limits | Limit Clicks to 100 per day. |