In 2005, AvantLink was founded on a straightforward belief: affiliate marketing can be better. Twenty years later, that vision has grown into one of the most trusted affiliate networks for outdoor, lifestyle, and specialty retail brands across the U.S., Canada, and Australia.
The company’s longevity isn’t just about surviving in a competitive industry—it’s about staying true to a core philosophy that prioritizes helping businesses grow through genuine partnership.
Leading With People
In an era where the industry leans heavily on automation, AvantLink has remained committed to what sets them apart: human intelligence powering everything they do. As a performance-based affiliate network, they connect merchants and affiliate partners through innovative technology, transparency, and trust—but it’s the people behind the platform that make the real difference.
“What’s remained constant is leadership’s commitment to innovation, integrity, and quality over quantity,” says Jon Stoddart, AvantLink’s Chief Technology Officer, who joined in 2010. “That focus creates an environment where people do their best work.”
From their Park City, Utah headquarters, the team has built a reputation for hands-on partnership. Many team members have been with the company for over a decade, bringing deep institutional knowledge and long-standing relationships. This consistency—pairing data-driven insights with genuine human connection—allows AvantLink to deliver on their commitment to helping businesses grow.
Technology That Rewards Real Influence
At the heart of AvantLink’s platform is Arches, which includes Insights—a tool providing full path-to-purchase visibility. Over a decade ago, AvantLink became one of the first networks to introduce commission sharing for affiliate attribution, rewarding the full path to conversion.
Most affiliate platforms only credit the last click before a purchase, missing the content creators who drove product discovery and research. A customer might discover hiking boots through a gear review blog, compare options on a shopping engine, and purchase through a cashback site. Standard tracking credits only the cashback site, but AvantLink’s Insights shows the full journey—allowing brands to reward all partners who influenced the sale.
What Brands and Publishers Should Know
After 20 years of managing affiliate programs, a few patterns have emerged:
Start with content partnerships. The most successful programs begin with content-driven affiliates—reviewers, bloggers, and category experts who build trust with their audiences. A third of AvantLink’s top-performing partners are content affiliates. Once these partnerships are established, brands can layer in complementary affiliate types like deal sites and comparison shopping.
Quality beats quantity. With over 16,000 affiliates in the network, brands have substantial reach. But programs that thrive focus on 20-40 deeply engaged publishers who understand their brand and communicate regularly. These quality partnerships consistently outperform programs managing hundreds of loosely connected affiliates.
Attribution reveals true value. Publishers driving early awareness deserve credit even without the final click. Multi-touch attribution helps brands identify and properly compensate these partners.
Looking Ahead
From a small founder-led team to networks spanning North America and Australia, AvantLink has grown alongside the industry while maintaining its core values. For 20 years, the company has helped businesses grow through partnerships combining data-driven insights with genuine human connection.
Interested in learning more about affiliate marketing or partnering with AvantLink?
Reach out at sales@avantlink.com or visit avantlink.com.
