Date: Fri, 29 Mar 2024 15:01:56 +0000 (UTC) Message-ID: <221314495.17.1711724516028@db2d4147ea76> Subject: Exported From Confluence MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/related; boundary="----=_Part_16_1469993166.1711724516028" ------=_Part_16_1469993166.1711724516028 Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: file:///C:/exported.html
The process of constituting a tracking link is rather complex. This arti= cle seeks to give you an overview of all the different steps of the process= . Knowing all these steps will give you a better understanding of how track= ing works. Perhaps, you will also see new possibilities for tracking and it= s implementation.
The term tracking link is somewhat unprecise. In the context of the plat= form, the following links and tags need to be distinguished from one anothe= r:
The tracking tag, which is placed on the confirmation page of a conversi= on on the website or mobile app of an advertiser. These tags track conversi= ons and all the data related to them. They are not the topic of this articl= e. For more information on tracking tags, please read this article.
The click URL, which is related to an ad media item and integrated on th= e ad space of a partner. It is used to track clicks on ad media items.
<= /li>The ad impression URL, which is related to a visual ad media item such a= s a banner and integrated on the ad space of a partner. It is used to track= impressions of ad media items.
The target URL, which is the URL of the advertiser=E2=80=99s website or = mobile app used to redirect customers who click on an ad media item. In the= case of Bounceless tracking, the target URL will be implemented on the ad s= pace of a partner directly.
Let=E2=80=99s first create an overview of all the different factors that= constitute tracking links:
The tracking domain of the advertiser.
The tracking settings of the advertiser, in particular additional parame= ters.
The settings of the ad media kit.
The settings of the ad media item.
Additional modifications, in particular deeplinking.
Now let=E2=80=99s go through all these different factors in detail one b= y one.
The tracking domain is the domain via which ad impressions, clicks and c= onversions. It provides the base for tracking tags, ad impression URLs and = click URLs. In case of first party = tracking and tracking is taking place on the domain of the adverti= ser, it will have the following format:
net.adv= ertisername.com
In case of third party tracking and tracking takes place via an alien do= main =E2=80=93 usually the name of the platform =E2=80=93 it will have the = following format:
net.pla= tformname.com
To find out more about tracking domains and learn how you can create and= edit them, please read this article= .
It is important to note that the tracking domain does not define the tar= get URL. As we shall see below, the target URL is defined by the settings o= f the ad media kit and the ad media item and usually contain the domain of = the advertiser.
The advertiser tracking settings cover multiple things. For a comprehens= ive overview, please read this article. In relation to the constitution of track= ing links, the following things are important:
Whether you choose to distribute Bounceless tracking links.
Whether you add additional parameters to your tracking links.
When you choose to distribute Bounceless tracking links, partners can in= tegrate the target URL in the ad space directly, as alternative for the cli= ck URL. Tracking will be triggered via the so called on-page tag on the web= site or mobile app of the advertiser. To find out more about Bounceless tra= cking, please read this arti= cle.
Additional parameters allow you to transmit data from the tracking appli= cation to an external tool. This tool can be an analytical tool used to und= erstand the behavior of clients on the advertiser=E2=80=99s website, or a C= RM application. The parameters will be automatically added to any target UR= L created for the advertiser to which the tracking settings are related.
There are three types of additional parameters:
Static parameters, which transmit a static value.
Dynamic parameters, which transmit a dynamic value such as the ad media = ID, the ID of the ad space, etc.
Parameters related to external reference mapping, which conditionally tr= ansmit values from an external tool.
To find out how you can add additional parameters and what dynamic value= s are available, please = read this article. After the additional parameters are added, the targe= t URL will have the following format:
www.adv= ertiserdomain.com/?platform=3Dplatformname&source=3D#{ADMEDIA_KIT_ID}&a= mp;crm=3D#{ext_mapping_value_CRM}
Please note the values for =E2=80=98source=E2=80=99 and =E2=80=98crm=E2= =80=99 are represented by placeholders.
A particular point of interest in the settings of additional parameters = is the =E2=80=98replace if exists=E2=80=99 setting:
If you activate the =E2=80=98replace if exists=E2=80=99 setting, any ide= ntical parameter added to the target URL in a later phase will be overwritt= en.
If =E2=80=98replace if exists=E2=80=99 is not activated, the parameter a= dded later will replace the parameter from the tracking settings.
Finally, please note that any changes to the additional parameters in th= e tracking settings will be applied to all target URLs related to the adver= tiser, including existing target URLs.
The ad media kit is a folder used to organize ad media. The settings all= ow you to relate ad media items in the folder to a specific campaign or to = a tracking channel. For more information, please read this article. In the context of tracking links the ad m= edia kit settings are important because they are used to define the target = URL. Usually, the target URL will be related to a page on the advertiser=E2= =80=99s website or mobile app and therefore contain the advertiser=E2=80=99= s domain. Please note that this does not need to be the main page: the ad m= edia kits allow you to use different pages as a target URLs and not loose o= verview.
The additional parameters you have created for the advertiser in the tra= cking settings will be automatically added to all target URLs you create fo= r the advertiser. Potentially, you can add more parameters to the target UR= L in the ad media kit settings. These parameters will then be added exclusi= vely to the target URLs of the ad media items in the kit.
In case you add a parameter that is identical with a parameter you added= on the level of the tracking settings, there are two possibilities:
If you activated the =E2=80=98replace if exists=E2=80=99 for the identic= al parameter, the parameter you add to the target URL of the ad media kit w= ill be overwritten by the parameter you added in the tracking settings, i.e= . the value chosen in the tracking settings will be used.
If you did not activate the =E2=80=98replace if exists=E2=80=99 for the = identical parameter, the parameter you add to the target URL of the ad medi= a kit will overwrite the parameter you added in the tracking settings, i.e.= the value chosen in the ad media kit settings will be used.
Please note that for any change you make to the target URL on ad media k= it level, be it a change of the page you direct to or a change to a paramet= er, you will have to choose whether the change will apply to all ad media i= tems in the kit, to new ad media items created for the kit or to the ad med= ia items that are identical with the previous version of the target URL. Th= is last options allows you to edit previous changes.
If you create an ad media item, it will automatically be given the targe= t URL of the ad media kit it is related to. The target URL will also includ= e the parameters you added to the tracking settings and parameters you adde= d to the target URL of the ad media kit.
If you want, you can change the target URL for an individual ad media it= em. You can also add parameters on this level. For comprehensive instructio= ns, please read this article. The possibilit= y to change gives you the possibility to differentiate the target URLs with= in the ad media kits. However, you are not able to remove the parameters yo= u added in the tracking settings of the advertisers, unless the =E2=80=98re= place if exist=E2=80=99 setting is not active. When you add parameters iden= tical with parameters you added on the level of the ad media kit, the param= eters on the level of the ad media item will be used.
In the context of ad media, the HTML-items represent a special case. As = you can read in the paragraph on HTML-items, you can either use the existin= g target URLs in the HTML-codes or use the target URL in the ad media kit s= ettings or, alternatively, the ad media item settings. In the first case, o= nly parameters enclosed in the original target URL will be taken into consi= deration. In the second case, parameters from the tracking settings, the ad= media kit and the ad media item will be added to the target URL automatica= lly.
Once the tracking settings have been defined, the ad media kit settings = have been defined and the ad media item has been created, the platform will= automatically create click URLs and ad impression URLs. If bounceless trac= king has been activated in the tracking settings of the advertiser, the pla= tform will also automatically create an bounceless tracking link. All these= URLs are distributed via the partner UI. If partners are external and mana= ge their own ad spaces, they can collect these URLs themselves and integrat= e them. If a partner represents a channel, as in the case of an internal ne= wsletter or SEA, you will have to collect these URLs yourself. You do this = by logging in to the relevant partner account. For comprehensive instructio= ns, please read this article.
For a comprehensive explanation of the format and content of the standar= d click URL, please read this paragraph= in the article on partner ad media. bounceless tracking URLs are = identical with the target URL, as was mentioned above. For a comprehensive = explanation on the format and content of the ad impression URL, please = ;read this paragraph in the article on = the partner ad media. Please note that for HMTL-items, you will find the ta= rget URL replaced by a click URL in the script, regardless whether you kept= the original target URL in the script or worked with placeholders for the = target URL of the ad media kit or the individual ad media item.
Deeplinking is a method used to redirect customers to a specific page on= the advertiser=E2=80=99s website while making sure they remain tracked. Ex= ternal partners who manage their own account will use deeplinking if they w= ant to direct customers to a page for which there is no ad media item. For = partners that represent channels that manage yourself (SEA, CRM, etc.), dee= plinking is very effective when you want to promote a variety of pages that= frequently change. Think, for example, about a newsletter you send out to = existing customers: quite often you will want to refer to multiple pages in= one newsletter and most of these pages will be used for one campaign only.=
External partners can use the deeplink generator, which is usually offer= ed in their partner UI. They can also create deeplinks manually, which you = will probably want to do for partners that represent channels you manage yo= urself as well. What it comes down to is that you add a parameter to a clic= k URL which overwrites the target URL of the ad media item. For comprehensi= ve instructions on creating deeplinks, please&nb= sp;read this article.
It is also possible to work with deeplinking in scripted ad media items,= such as HTML-items. This is only relevant when you have removed the origin= al target URLs from the script of the item and replaced it with placeholder= s for the target URL from the ad media kit or individual ad media item. Thi= s can be important, for example, when you with rotating banners and need to= implement different target URLs. To add deeplinks, you can follow the same= instructions mentioned above.
When the target URL of the ad media item to which the original click URL= is linked, any parameter added to the target URL in the ad media kit or th= e target URL of the ad media item will be ignored. However, additional para= meters registered in the tracking settings will be included.