Configuring and implementing tracking tags server-to-server (S2S)

Owned by Former user (Deleted)
Last updated: Oct 26, 2021 by Siamak Haschemi (Deactivated)
3 min read

Before you start

Traditionally, tracking tag were implemented in the browser’s tag management system (i.e. GTM) used for your website. The conversion tag was integrated on the confirmation page of the conversion target, the on-page tag was be implemented on all other pages.

Due to browser regulation (See How ITP, ETP and Other Browser Cookie Changes Affect Your Analytics), we do not recommend implementing our tracking tag in the browser environment, but as much as possible from a server/backend environment.

In modern tracking solutions, we therefore encourage you to implement On-Page and Conversion tags server-side.

This article explains you how you can configure and implement a conversion tag for S2S tracking.

Configuring the tag

Getting started

Make sure you are logged in to your admin UI and choose Trail -> Tracking tags main menu. Find the advertiser for which you want to configure and implement the conversion tag and click on the icon in the technical section. You will be taken to the page on which you can find all the tracking tags.

Scroll down until you reach the conversion tag and select 'show image pixel only' in the drop down menu above the tag. If you do so, a the image pixel will appear below. Make sure you copy it and paste it to an editor.

Preparing the image pixel

Following changes need to be made to the image pixel to prepare it for server to server tracking:

  • Change the value of the type parameter to s.

  • Add a parameter called 'cli' to make sure the ID of the click can be transmitted. You can transmit one or multiple click Ids here. To learn how the system will perform attribution and how you can control attribution with multiple click IDs, please read the article Working with the clickId.

If you do so, you conversion tag will look more or less like this:

https://marketing.net.advertiser.com/ts/i12345678/tsa?typ=s&tst=!!TIME_STAMP!!&trc=default&ctg=Request&sid=&cid=!!convId!!&orv=!!ordValue!!&cli=!!clickID!!&orc=EUR

If you want, you can add any parameters that can be added to regular conversion tags. When you are applying server to server tracking, you might find it necessary to overwrite rating values by using the corresponding parameter. If you do so, the conversion tag will look more or less like this:

https://marketing.net.advertiser.com/ts/i12345678/tsa?typ=s&tst=!!TIME_STAMP!!&trc=default&ctg=Request&sid=&cid=!!convId!!&orv=!!ordValue!!&cli=!!clickID!!&orc=EUR&commissionfix=!!commissionAmount!!

Adjusting the additional parameters to capture the click ID

To fill the 'cli' value of the conversion with the correct click ID, you need to capture and store the click ID before the conversion happens, which is at the moment the user performs the click interaction.  The platform can transmit the click ID in the moment of the click to you through a query parameter.

Usually, Ingenious adds a click id automatically to every (bounce) tracking link. The name of the Ingenious click id is ICLID. It looks like this (example)

https://www.shop.com/?iclid=#{ICLID}

where #{ICLID} will obviously be replaced by the click id.

In usually very rare cases, where you need to set up the transmission of the click id manually (for example if a certain specific parameter is needed, you may do the set up manually:

Go to Trail -> Settings -> Tracking-Settings in the main menu, and scroll down the page until you see the additional parameter settings section. Here, you need to do the following:

  • Start to create a new parameter by clicking on the icon. If you do so, three new fields will appear under the columns parameter name, value type and value.

  • Under parameter name fill in the parameter name the system via which you will trigger the conversion tag requires.

  • Under value type, select dynamic.

  • Under value select click ID.

When you are done, scroll down the page and click on the button save in the right lower corner.

Device Id on server to server conversions

Server to server conversions themselves do not contain device information so the device id of the most appropriate touchpoint is applied on them to be used in reports.

Optional you can provide the appropriate device id using a parameter called 'device_type' set to one of supported device id values: mobile, tablet, desktop

Implementing the tag

When you have configured the conversion tag and added all the parameters you need, the tag is ready for implementation in the external system. How this needs to be done will depend on the demands of the external system you use. Please make sure the tag is triggered unconditionally.