EPC means earnings per click: how much money you earn, on average, every time someone clicks your affiliate link. It is the single best number to compare affiliate programs, because it combines the commission, the price of the product and how well it converts.
Here is how to calculate EPC, how to use it, and why it beats looking at commission rates alone.
How do you calculate EPC?
EPC = total commissions earned ÷ number of clicks.
Affiliate networks often show it per 100 clicks instead, which is the same idea multiplied by 100.
Example. You sent 400 clicks to a tool this month and earned $120 in commissions. Your EPC is $120 ÷ 400 = $0.30. Every click is worth 30 cents to you.
You can run your own numbers with the free EPC calculator.
Why EPC matters more than the commission rate
A high commission rate looks attractive, but it tells you nothing about how often people buy. Compare two programs:
- Program A pays 50% on a $10 plan, and 1 in 100 clicks becomes a customer. Each sale pays $5, so 100 clicks earn $5: an EPC of $0.05.
- Program B pays 20% on a $50 plan, and 3 in 100 clicks become customers. Each sale pays $10, so 100 clicks earn $30: an EPC of $0.30.
Program B pays six times more per click, despite a much lower rate. That is why experienced affiliates compare programs on EPC, not on the headline percentage.
What affects your EPC?
- Commission rate and structure. Recurring commissions keep adding to your EPC month after month, as long as the customers you referred keep paying. Compare recurring and one-time programs.
- Product price. The same rate on a pricier plan pays more per sale.
- Conversion rate. How many clicks become customers. It depends on the product, its free trial, its pricing page, and how well your content matches it.
- Cookie duration. A longer cookie gives you credit for people who buy days or weeks after clicking. See programs with long cookies.
- Traffic quality. Readers who searched for a solution convert far better than casual scrollers.
How to improve your EPC
- Send the right people. A tutorial or comparison read by someone looking for a tool converts better than a passing mention.
- Promote tools with a free plan or trial. People sign up more easily, and convert to paid later.
- Link to the most relevant page. A link to the exact feature you talked about beats a link to the homepage.
- Track every link. Use a different tag per placement with the affiliate link builder, so you know which content earns.
- Drop what does not convert. After a few hundred clicks, move your best spots to the programs with the highest EPC.
Is EPC the same as earnings per visitor?
Not exactly. EPC counts clicks on your affiliate links. Earnings per visitor (or per 1,000 visitors, often called RPM) counts everyone who saw your page, including people who never clicked. Both are useful: RPM tells you what your content earns, EPC tells you which program pays best for the clicks you send.
The short version
EPC = commissions ÷ clicks. Use it to compare programs, because it accounts for price and conversion, not just the rate. To estimate it before you start, check the commission, the plan price and the cookie on each program page, then test with real traffic.