What the fine print decides
An affiliate network's terms decide more of your income than its commission rate does. The rate tells you what a converted referral is worth. The fine print decides whether that referral counts, how long it stays credited, and when the money reaches you.
Read every candidate's terms against the same list: who may join, which countries the network accepts traffic from, which sources of traffic are allowed, how a referral is approved, how long a referral stays credited, and what happens to an approved commission when a sale is refunded.
Terms also change. Networks amend clauses more often than they change rates, and an amendment usually applies to open accounts. Treat the terms page as the contract and check the date on it as a matter of routine.
Coverage narrows the list fast
Geography is the quickest first cut, because a network that does not accept traffic from your market is not a candidate whatever it pays. Three coverage groups appear in this directory group: a single market, a single region, and a global footprint.
The regional entries show the cut clearly. Ecomobi Passio is listed for Asia Pacific. 1-800Accountant Affiliate Program, Round Sky and Zappian Media are listed for North America. The remaining entries split between global networks and networks limited to a single market.
Treat a global listing as reach, not as permission. Confirm your own market and your traffic type in the terms before you send a single visitor.
Global against a single market
Global networks in this group include Admitad, AWEmpire, CPX Research, Hotmart, Leadgid and SellHealth. They suit publishers who want more than a single country's offers from one relationship, and who are comfortable with terms written for several legal jurisdictions at once.
Networks limited to a single market include Affiracle, EarnKaro, Money2Money, Poulpeo, Profitshare and WeSell. They suit publishers who sell into a single market deeply: local offers, local payment methods and local traffic sources, with fewer currencies and tax regimes to learn.
The trade-off runs both ways. A single-market network can be the better fit even at a lower commission, because a conversion you can track and get paid for beats a higher rate on traffic the network may reject. The Admitad review and the Admitad RU review show one network serving different markets, which is the clearest illustration of why the market line matters.
The clauses to read first
Work through them in the same order every time, and write down the answer rather than the impression.
Join requirements: a minimum age, whether your sites are reviewed before approval, any setup fee, and whether approval can be withdrawn later.
Traffic rules: which sources are permitted, whether paid search on an advertiser's name is allowed, and how bidding, incentives, self-dealing and brand bidding are treated.
Attribution: how long a referral stays credited, whether a sale must complete inside that window, and what happens when a click and a sale straddle the end of it.
Approvals and holding: who signs off on a conversion, how long money is held before it becomes payable, and what a refund or chargeback does to a commission that was already approved.
Payment: the minimum payout, the payment schedule, the available methods, the currencies you can be paid in, and any fee taken on top.
Set the answers beside the commission rate. A high rate with a long holding period and a strict traffic policy is a different product from a lower rate that clears quickly, and only your own traffic tells you which one you are buying.
Clauses most publishers miss
Exclusivity can stop you working with a competing network or approaching a merchant directly, so check its scope before you sign anything anywhere.
Brand-bidding restrictions are set per offer rather than per network, which means the same network can be strict for one advertiser and open for another. Read the advertiser's terms alongside the network's.
Also check the currency a commission is paid in, whether the amount is net of advertiser fees, how refunds are recovered, and the grounds on which an account can be closed and forfeited.
Keep a copy of the terms you joined under. When a payout is disputed, the version you agreed to is the one that settles the argument.
Compare in the rankings and the reviews
The affiliate network rankings set the options side by side, and individual reviews set out the terms of specific programs. Narrow with the rankings by coverage, commission and payout behaviour, then read the fine print in context in the reviews.
If a clause in the terms contradicts a review, the terms decide. If a review is silent on a clause that matters to you, ask the network in writing and keep the answer with your notes.
A short checklist before you commit: your market is covered, your traffic type is allowed, the credit window fits your buying cycle, the hold does not outlast your cash flow, and the payment method works where you are paid.