Questions about tracking.

[buckets209]

Hello, it's buckets again. I have 2 questions before I start setting up everything I need to start my first campaign. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Question #1: How important are postback links or URLs to your tracking? Do you not get any data from your tracking software without it. The reason I am so confused about this is because I haven't really seen anything about it here on affiliatefix, or anywhere else. I just happened to stumble across a blog post by richads while searching something else. But, after reading the post it sounds like its required for tracking.

Question #2: When someone clicks through to the final URL or the advertisers offer page from your link, does your tracking software know if that person completed the required action? (signs up for subscription) or whatever. Or, is the tracking software exhausted at your landing page or push ad. Or whatever comes last.

 

[Graybeard]

Question #1: How important are postback links or URLs to your tracking? Do you not get any data from your tracking software without it. The reason I am so confused about this is because I haven't really seen anything about it here on affiliatefix,

Postback links or URLs are very important to your tracking. Without it, you would not be able to get any data from your tracking software. If you are going to be low volume you could constantly manually check your stats at the offer.

Question #2: When someone clicks through to the final URL or the advertisers offer page from your link, does your tracking software know if that person completed the required action? (signs up for subscription)

Yes, most tracking software can track whether someone completed the required action. This is typically done by setting up a conversion tracking pixel on the Thank you (CPA Completed/purchase) URL or offer page. However many offers will not do that. Gets in the way of the truth being known ...

A smarter way I would prefer: is a sever side include that triggers a postback to that exact affiliate along with my own logging,

 

[buckets209]

A smarter way I would prefer: is a sever side include that triggers a postback to that exact affiliate along with my own logging,

Thanks for the response. As for the SSI, would you set that up right in your tracking software?

 

[buckets209]

SSI means server side include --a webserver protocol, not s2s (server to server) *post-back*
The tracker receives, the offer or network sends.
So, s2s needs to be setup in the tracker to query and receive
Consult your tracker's documentation or support site for set up instructions.

Much appreciated. This is very helpful.

 

[Graybeard]

SSI means server side include --a webserver protocol, not s2s (server to server) *post-back*
The tracker receives, the offer or network sends.
So, s2s needs to be setup in the tracker to query and receive
Consult your tracker's documentation or support site for set up instructions.

 

[T J Tutor]

How important are postback links or URLs to your tracking? Do you not get any data from your tracking software without it. The reason I am so confused about this is because I haven't really seen anything about it here on affiliatefix, or anywhere else.

• Very important!
• Tracking software will provide an abundance of data but you must also be using an S2S URL or a pixel.
• I don't know what you searched for but S2S returns more than 200 posts on the subject, more than 200 on pixels, and there are quite a few on using network API's when they are available.

Using S2S is the way forward.

 

[buckets209]

• I don't know what you searched for but S2S returns more than 200 posts on the subject, more than 200 on pixels, and there are quite a few on using network API's when they are available.

Initially, when I had asked that I just meant that I hadn't seen that exact phrase "postbacks" be used. It just seems like it would have been mentioned more on all the stuff that I've read up on about tracking considering how important it is. I didn't even know to search or ask about the phrase s2s or postbacks before I stumbled on that article I mentioned.

There is still so much I don't know.

Now I have to look up network API's lol.