Your certified affiliate marketing agency

Affiliate marketing is a performance marketing channel where companies (advertisers/merchants) collaborate with external partners (publishers/affiliates). These partners promote products or services through their own channels and receive a commission when a predefined action (e.g., purchase, lead) occurs. Costs are primarily incurred when measurable success is achieved.

Affiliates integrate special tracking links, banners, or product feeds. If a user clicks on one and subsequently completes a purchase or registration, for example, the tracking system assigns this conversion to the corresponding affiliate. The commission is settled on this basis.

• Predominantly performance-based remuneration (e.g. CPO, CPL)
• High cost transparency and clear attribution of revenue and commission
• Scalable reach across many publisher models
• Additional branding and reach effects through placements on thematically relevant pages
• Strong synergies with SEO, SEA, paid social, and analytics

Affiliate marketing is suitable for, among others:

• Online shops with clearly measurable revenue
• Subscription and membership models (e.g. software, streaming, digital services)
• Financial, insurance, and telecommunications products
• Travel, home & living, lifestyle, sport & fitness, as well as other e-commerce verticals

It is important to have a clearly defined target action (purchase, lead, registration) and clean conversion tracking.

The most important models include:

• Content publishers (magazines, guides, blogs)
• Price comparison and product portals
• Voucher and deal sites
• Cashback and loyalty programmes
• Email publishers
• Influencers and social media profiles
• Retargeting and display publishers

A professional agency ensures a balanced, brand-appropriate publisher portfolio.

A specialised agency typically takes on:

• Strategic consulting and programme conception
• Selection of network or in-house solution
• Definition of remuneration models and programme conditions
• Acquisition, onboarding, and support of publishers
• Ongoing optimisation (promotions, special placements, commission adjustments)
• Monitoring, reporting, and forecasting
• Coordination with other channels such as SEO, SEA, Social Ads and Analytics

Rheinwunder combines over 20 years of experience in online marketing with a well-established network of top publishers and affiliate networks. The affiliate team develops individual strategies, sets up programmes both technically and organisationally, takes on active scouting, and provides daily support.

A particular focus is on “handcrafted marketing”: Personal contact with publishers, finely tuned terms, close monitoring, and a strong integration with SEO, SEA, social media, and web analytics ensure that campaigns not only run but also perform measurably.

Typical models include:

• CPO (Cost per Order): commission per order
• CPL (Cost per Lead): commission per qualified lead
• CPC (Cost per Click): remuneration per click (usually as a supplement)
• Hybrid models: a combination of fixed amount and revenue commission
• Recurring/lifetime models: recurring commissions for subscription or licence models

The selection is based on margins, objectives, and the planned role of the channel in the marketing mix.

The costs generally consist of three components:

1. Publisher commissions (variable, depending on sales/leads)
2. Network fees (e.g. setup and ongoing fees with AWIN, Tradedoubler & Co.)
3. Agency fee (e.g. monthly retainer, performance component or hybrid model)

Because remuneration is performance-based, the risk is usually manageable compared to traditional media budgets.

Many programmes are managed through established networks such as AWIN, Tradedoubler, AdCell, Webgains, or specialised vertical networks. Alternatively, in-house programmes are possible, where tracking and billing are handled within one’s own tech stack. Rheinwunder selects the appropriate setup depending on the industry, goals, and desired publisher structure.

Rheinwunder is recognised as an AWIN Certified Agency and a Tradedoubler Certified Agency and works closely with leading networks. These certifications confirm a transparent, strategic approach, deep market know-how, and high quality standards in the management of affiliate programmes.

The foundation is reliable, data protection-compliant tracking:

• Integration of a tracking pixel or script in the shop or website
• Passing on relevant parameters (e.g. click IDs) up to checkout
• Incorporation into consent management (CMP)
• Tracking switch, so that a sale is paid to only one channel when several were involved
• optional: server-side or hybrid tracking for greater stability

Rheinwunder takes care of the technical coordination and implementation with the network, tag management, web analytics, and internal IT/shop teams, tests the implementation (e.g. through test orders), and ensures that conversions are accurately recorded.

Data protection compliant affiliate marketing includes:

• Transparent information in the privacy policy
• Integration of affiliate tags into the existing consent management
• GDPR-compliant tracking setups that collect as little data as possible
• Clear processes for the anonymisation or deletion of personal data

Rheinwunder takes legal frameworks into account and works closely with the responsible parties in the company.

Once all the foundations (goals, products, margins, tracking requirements) are in place, a standard programme can be set up in a few weeks. This includes:

• Conceptualisation, network and model selection
• technical implementation and testing
• creation of programme descriptions and promotional materials
• onboarding of the first relevant publishers

Afterwards, the actual scaling phase begins: expansion of the partner portfolio, seasonal campaigns, and continuous optimisation.

Key figures include, among others:

• Clicks, sessions, and reach
• Leads, orders, revenue
• average basket size, cancellation and return rates
• CPO, eCPO, eCPA, ROAS
• share of total revenue and new customers

Rheinwunder provides regular reports and scheduled meetings and links affiliate data with existing analytics setups upon request.

The following criteria play a role in the selection process:

• Content relevance and brand fit
• Traffic quality and reach
• Advertising environment, UX and ad placements
• Compliance with programme conditions (e.g. no brand bidding, no cookie dropping)

Suspicious patterns (e.g. implausibly high conversion rates) are analysed; in cases of violations of guidelines, transactions may be cancelled or partners excluded.

Programme conditions govern whether brand or brand+keyword combinations may be bid on. Rheinwunder monitors compliance using network tools, its own checks, and clear guidelines. In the event of violations, cancellations, commission reductions, or exclusion from the programme may occur.

Affiliate marketing complements other channels on multiple levels:

• Additional visibility in search results through content publishers
• Backlinks and mentions that can support SEO in the long term
• Communication of offers that complements SEA and social campaigns
• Retargeting and display campaigns through specialised publishers

Rheinwunder consciously manages affiliate marketing in conjunction with SEO, SEA, social media, and web analytics, to avoid cannibalisation and ensure meaningful attribution.

Affiliate marketing can also be useful in the B2B context, for example, in:

• software and SaaS solutions
• specialised B2B services
• industry portals, trade media, and niche blogs as a publisher base

The focus here is often on leads, demo requests, or registrations; the programme is accordingly tailored to the quality and qualification of the requests.

Existing programmes can be specifically optimised through an audit. Rheinwunder analyses, among other things:

• Programme setup, tracking, and remuneration structure
• Publisher portfolio and activity level
• Market comparison of terms
• Promotions, seasonal campaigns, and placements
• Reporting, attribution, and interaction with other channels

The result is a prioritised action list with clearly justified recommendations for action, which can be implemented in collaboration with internal teams or existing service providers if desired.

Affiliate programmes are generally designed for the long term in order to build stable relationships with publishers. Network contracts and agency agreements often operate with minimum terms (e.g., 6–12 months) and clearly defined notice periods. Details depend on the chosen setup, network, and scope of support.

A typical introduction includes:

• Status quo analysis of product range, margins, competition, and previous channels
• Conceptualisation of the affiliate programme including objectives, KPIs and compensation model
• Selection of the network or in-house solution and coordination of the technology
• Setup, test tracking, programme launch, and onboarding of initial publishers
• Continuous optimisation, evaluation, and expansion of the partner portfolio

Rheinwunder accompanies this process from the initial idea to ongoing operations and ensures that affiliate marketing is structured and scalable within the overall marketing strategy.