You're at the start and want to understand what arbitrage is without too much theory. Let's sort it all out. We will briefly explain how the combination of offers and traffic sources works, what metrics to calculate, and where money is most often lost. According to industry surveys, in 2024—2025, the affiliate market grew at a double-digit rate, and cold traffic CR is stable in most verticals in the range of 1— 3%. This confirms that traffic arbitrage remains a working way to earn money for those who know how to test and count. In the end, you will understand how to make money on arbitrage consciously and without chaos.
Traffic arbitrage is buying clicks in one place and monetizing confirmed actions elsewhere; the difference is profit. Affiliate rules, clean flow and approval speed are important for sustainability, otherwise the margin is “eaten up”. In practical terms, this is a flexible activity where test discipline and iteration speed benefit. According to market estimates, the affiliate segment's volume exceeded $20 billion in 2024, and the performance share continues to grow. Accurate accounting in online marketing systems and clear advertising placement are especially helpful in this logic.
The chain is simple: the offer sets the payout and the target action, the platform gives impressions, and you balance the cost per click and conversion. To get through the journey at no extra cost, follow these steps:
This algorithm helps you build a plan and avoid impulsive decisions.
The advertiser formulates an offer, policy and event approval. The affiliate network provides tracking, reports and payments, as well as quality regulations. An arbitrageur is a media entrepreneur who manages rates, hypotheses, and PnL. The functions of a web master are critical in the team: collecting bundles, testing creatives, and decomposing the funnel. A clear division of roles saves the budget and accelerates scaling.
Start with an understandable topic and a transparent economy: this makes it easier to predict CR and LTV. Check if affiliate programs have support, quick answers from managers, and clear KPIs. During the pilot phase, limit geo and budgets to collect statistics faster. Practice shows that careful preland increases conversions and reduces wagering requirements. For BM-niches, consider the requirements for targeted ads and creatives.
First, evaluate the offer's “math” so you don't spend money blindly.
This checklist separates promising options from “dummies”.
Analyze trends and peaks: the retail season increases CR by 20-30%. Mini-pilots in one region provide cleaner data than blurred starts. A quick measurement of interest is convenient through contextual advertising and surveys on social networks. Compare cost per click and cart, especially for online stores. This is exactly how system arbitrageurs act.
Collect benchmarks: offer, angle of pain, visual patterns. Before starting, consider at least 5-7 variations so that the algorithm can learn. Keep an eye on tone and promises — platforms are strict about compliance. Renew your creative packages every 3—7 days so you don't burn out the frequency. This approach makes it easier for those who arbitrage traffic from scratch.
Choose channels based on cost per click, lead quality, and manageability. Sites with strong optimization and clear moderation are suitable for first pilots. At the same time, keep a backup source to reduce operational risks. Strategically combine Google Ads and native formats for different stages of the funnel. Don't forget about driving traffic from social media as a quick way to reach out.
Each channel has its own strengths, so compare not only CPC but also the depth of engagement. Before choosing, pay attention to the features.
After the tests, leave what Net-CPA gives you a lower payout — this way you understand how to make money by arbitraging traffic in practice.
For stability, keep your portfolio on white arbitrage and carefully try gray, avoiding areas where black is risky. In “bright” topics, it's easier to be moderated and keep CR even. Be aware of local restrictions and platforms' content policies. Fail hypotheses quickly without digging into broken bundles. This reduces costs and accelerates growth.
Without a tracker, purchasing becomes a guessing game: you won't have a click path and no correct attribution. Record costs, sources, and events from day one. Unified campaign naming saves hours on reports and reconciliations. Growth begins where metrics are transparent and decisions are repeatable. This approach helps answer the question “how to keep paid traffic in the black”.
Systematic data quality is exactly what a specialist does, because an arbitrage specialist is about control and reproducibility.
Keep your bearings at the start: CTR shows the strength of the idea, CR shows the “health” of the boarding pass, CPA shows the confirmation price, ROI shows payback. Scale only bundles that fit into PnL and can withstand budget increases. Keep track of the purity of sources and the proportion of filtered clicks — this affects the final economy. Gradually, you'll understand how to manage stakes and creatives for goals. This way you will naturally come to an answer about how to make money on arbitrage and consolidate the result.
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