Hey guys!
Since the crazy busy Q4 is here, we thought it could be useful to make a short reminder about the importance of ad tracking.
The shopping season affiliate marketing campaigns will surely require the help of a tracking solution to make the most of that gathered data!
If you want to learn more about conversion tracking, read the article below, and find out how the tracking magic happens and what to do to ensure the full accuracy of passing data.
☞ What are traffic tokens?
A traffic token is a dynamic variable (placeholder) that allows you to pass data between the tracker, traffic source, and affiliate network. Each token stands for one kind of information and registers data for each visit separately.
Tokens are parameters that can be found in most URLs. They start with a “=” and even though they look like a string of random numbers and letters, they pass on a lot of important information.
Traffic tokens are added to your destination URL (which needs to be first obtained from a tracking platform) and paired with the tracking solution’s parameter name. Most often than not, traffic sources are integrated with tracking platforms, which makes setting up the destination URL a one-click procedure.
☞ What are postbacks?
While destination URL with special tokens helps to pass information about a particular visit onto the tracker, postback functions as a response which confirms that a conversion took place.
Postbacks are links connecting traffic sources, affiliate networks, and trackers. You are able to see the data in each one of these platforms because of postbacks. You have a postback URL that reports conversions to a tracking platform and you’ve got a postback URL that reports them to a traffic source.
To put it simply, postbacks are used to notify other platforms that a conversion has occurred. You can see the granular data without the postback, but you won’t know where you’re earning money and where you’re losing it.
Traffic sources and ad trackers usually have templates that need to be adjusted according to what you’re tracking and what is the format of the traffic tokens used by each platform. The template should look like this:
https://domain.com/postback?cid=REPLACE&payout=REPLACE
The cid and payout parameters should be replaced by tokens used by the platform where your postback will be pasted.
☞ What are some common misconceptions about postbacks?
Passing data back to traffic sources is something that affiliates sometimes refrain from doing in fear that somebody will “steal their campaign”. But why would they think that you might ask…
There are a couple of reasons. Traffic tends to be volatile and it almost never performs equally for more than a couple of days. Sometimes the performance of your campaign might drop and you might not have a clue why. Traffic fluctuations are not an unusual occurrence and will happen regardless of whether you choose to share your postbacks or not.
If your campaign has been buying a lot of well-converting traffic and suddenly the volume drops it’s most likely because it’s been converting well for others as well. Don’t forget that there are hundreds of affiliates buying traffic from the same sources that you are. And if these sources convert well, they will bid up on them and start winning most of the traffic. In order to get the traffic back, you’ll have to increase your bid.
On the contrary, traffic sources actually use your data to improve your experience and results.
️ Sharing postbacks has no negative impact on your campaign but it can actually help you.
☞ Should you share postbacks with your traffic source?
The short answer is yes. If you choose to share postbacks with your traffic source you are actually helping the product team work towards the highest quality of traffic possible.
Traffic sources encourage users to share postbacks because they help them gain insights into the performance of the traffic. Every time you ask for a whitelist we base our choices on the data we have. And we have that data thanks to those users who share postbacks.
Additionally, if there are sources that tend to underperform for you frequently, it might be because their quality is not what it used to be. But because some users choose to keep postbacks to themselves, we don’t have the data necessary to terminate such unprofitable placements.
Overall, sending postbacks helps traffic sources to keep the quality of traffic high and recommendations accurate. Just as they say, sharing is caring! If you share your postbacks, you care about our effort to constantly improve the quality of our platform.
If you want to learn more about:
Magda
Since the crazy busy Q4 is here, we thought it could be useful to make a short reminder about the importance of ad tracking. The shopping season affiliate marketing campaigns will surely require the help of a tracking solution to make the most of that gathered data!
If you want to learn more about conversion tracking, read the article below, and find out how the tracking magic happens and what to do to ensure the full accuracy of passing data.
☞ What are traffic tokens?
A traffic token is a dynamic variable (placeholder) that allows you to pass data between the tracker, traffic source, and affiliate network. Each token stands for one kind of information and registers data for each visit separately.
Tokens are parameters that can be found in most URLs. They start with a “=” and even though they look like a string of random numbers and letters, they pass on a lot of important information.
Traffic tokens are added to your destination URL (which needs to be first obtained from a tracking platform) and paired with the tracking solution’s parameter name. Most often than not, traffic sources are integrated with tracking platforms, which makes setting up the destination URL a one-click procedure.
☞ What are postbacks?
While destination URL with special tokens helps to pass information about a particular visit onto the tracker, postback functions as a response which confirms that a conversion took place.
Postbacks are links connecting traffic sources, affiliate networks, and trackers. You are able to see the data in each one of these platforms because of postbacks. You have a postback URL that reports conversions to a tracking platform and you’ve got a postback URL that reports them to a traffic source.
To put it simply, postbacks are used to notify other platforms that a conversion has occurred. You can see the granular data without the postback, but you won’t know where you’re earning money and where you’re losing it.
Traffic sources and ad trackers usually have templates that need to be adjusted according to what you’re tracking and what is the format of the traffic tokens used by each platform. The template should look like this:
https://domain.com/postback?cid=REPLACE&payout=REPLACE
The cid and payout parameters should be replaced by tokens used by the platform where your postback will be pasted.
☞ What are some common misconceptions about postbacks?
Passing data back to traffic sources is something that affiliates sometimes refrain from doing in fear that somebody will “steal their campaign”. But why would they think that you might ask…
There are a couple of reasons. Traffic tends to be volatile and it almost never performs equally for more than a couple of days. Sometimes the performance of your campaign might drop and you might not have a clue why. Traffic fluctuations are not an unusual occurrence and will happen regardless of whether you choose to share your postbacks or not.
If your campaign has been buying a lot of well-converting traffic and suddenly the volume drops it’s most likely because it’s been converting well for others as well. Don’t forget that there are hundreds of affiliates buying traffic from the same sources that you are. And if these sources convert well, they will bid up on them and start winning most of the traffic. In order to get the traffic back, you’ll have to increase your bid.
On the contrary, traffic sources actually use your data to improve your experience and results.
️ Sharing postbacks has no negative impact on your campaign but it can actually help you.☞ Should you share postbacks with your traffic source?
The short answer is yes. If you choose to share postbacks with your traffic source you are actually helping the product team work towards the highest quality of traffic possible.
Traffic sources encourage users to share postbacks because they help them gain insights into the performance of the traffic. Every time you ask for a whitelist we base our choices on the data we have. And we have that data thanks to those users who share postbacks.
Additionally, if there are sources that tend to underperform for you frequently, it might be because their quality is not what it used to be. But because some users choose to keep postbacks to themselves, we don’t have the data necessary to terminate such unprofitable placements.
Overall, sending postbacks helps traffic sources to keep the quality of traffic high and recommendations accurate. Just as they say, sharing is caring! If you share your postbacks, you care about our effort to constantly improve the quality of our platform.
If you want to learn more about:- Why is tracking so important?
- What are the available traffic tokens?
- More about postbacks.
Magda
