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Preventing non-compliant activity

1.1 Screen affiliate applications thoroughly

Commission Factory carries out structured reviews of new affiliate applications across the platform. Because affiliate activity can shift over time, ongoing review helps you stay ahead of changes and keep your partner mix strong.

Every application should go through a structured review before you approve it to your program.

What to assess:

  • Traffic sources (for example, SEO, PPC, social, email)
  • Website quality and relevance
  • Promotional methods and positioning
  • Audience size and engagement signals

In practice:

  • A content site with clear editorial pages and organic traffic is typically lower risk
  • An affiliate with vague descriptions and no visible traffic source presents a higher risk

Recommended actions:

    • Approve affiliates with clear, transparent value
    • Decline applications that lack sufficient detail

      Strong onboarding reduces future compliance issues significantly.

       

      1.2 Define clear program terms and conditions

      Your Program Terms and Conditions (T&Cs) are the foundation of compliance. They should clearly define:

      • Permitted and prohibited activities
      • Paid search rules, including brand bidding
      • Coupon and promotional usage
      • Consequences of non-compliance

            In practice:

            • A clear rule such as "Brand bidding is not permitted" enables consistent enforcement
            • No defined PPC policy increases the likelihood of disputes

              Recommended actions:

              • Keep T&Cs simple, explicit, and enforceable
              • Review them regularly, especially before peak periods

                        Ambiguity in your rules often leads directly to compliance issues.

                        How to set your program T&Cs in the Commission Factory platform

                        You can set and update your program T&Cs directly in the platform. Here's how:

                        1. Log in to your Commission Factory account
                        2. Navigate to your program settings via the advertiser dashboard
                        3. Locate the Terms and Conditions field in your program profile
                        4. Enter or update your rules in plain language. Keep each rule clear and self-contained
                        5. Save your changes. Affiliates will be able to view your updated T&Cs from your program page

                                Note: Review your T&Cs before every peak trading period, such as Q4, to make sure your paid search, coupon, and promotional rules are current

                                 

                                1.3 Establish ongoing monitoring practices

                                Monitoring should be continuous, not reactive. Review these areas regularly:

                                • Traffic source consistency
                                • Referring URLs and click paths
                                • Geographic patterns (IP and country)
                                • Conversion rates and order values
                                • Sudden changes in performance

                                        In practice:

                                        • An affiliate with significant week-on-week revenue growth should be reviewed
                                        • Unexpected traffic shifts across regions may indicate risk

                                          Recommended actions:

                                          • Review performance regularly, and weekly during Q4
                                          • Investigate anomalies early before they scale

                                          Small anomalies during Q4 can quickly become large financial risks.

                                           

                                          1.4 Validate transactions against your internal systems

                                          All affiliate transactions should be validated against your internal records.

                                           

                                          What to validate:

                                              • Order IDs and customer data
                                              • Cancellation and return rates
                                              • Payment authenticity

                                              In practice:

                                              • Multiple transactions with identical values may indicate automated behaviour
                                              • High refund rates may point to abuse or low-quality traffic

                                              Recommended action:

                                              Validate transactions regularly. Minimum monthly, and more frequently during Q4.

                                              Transaction validation is one of the most effective safeguards against fraud.

                                               

                                              1.5 Communicate directly with affiliates

                                              When activity appears unclear, direct communication is essential.

                                              Recommended approach:

                                                • Contact the affiliate with specific queries via email or message centre
                                                • Request a traffic source explanation, screenshots or placements, and campaign details

                                                  In practice:

                                                  • If an affiliate provides clear evidence, the activity is likely legitimate
                                                  • If an affiliate can't explain their traffic source, further escalation is required

                                                    Allow reasonable time for a response, but prioritise clarity and transparency.

                                                     

                                                    1.6 Formalise a monitoring routine

                                                    A structured compliance routine should include:

                                                            • Regular affiliate audits
                                                            • Ongoing performance monitoring
                                                            • Transaction validation cycles
                                                            • Additional checks on new or fast-scaling affiliates

                                                            Ad hoc monitoring is rarely sufficient. Consistency is what keeps your program protected.