An affiliate network is a go-between for content publishers (affiliates) and online merchants.
To understand the concept of an affiliate network, you need to know the basic idea behind affiliate marketing.
Affiliate Marketing:
Affiliate Marketing is receiving a commission for promoting somebody else’s product or service. It’s a results-based business, so the commission payment relies on either a sale or the completion of a specified action.
The network brings merchants and affiliates together.
For affiliates, the network provides a location to find thousands of brands, merchants, products, and services in one network, rather than managing individual affiliate programs on their own.
For merchants, this provides a place with a ready-made suite of tracking and reporting tools, campaign management tools, a large base of potential affiliates, and an intermediary to manage payments.