How do I install a tracking opt-out?

Background

Depending on the country in which your advertiser is active, you may be obliged to ask the customers of your advertisers to consent to being tracked. If they do not consent to tracking, you will probably want to make sure they are not tracked. To do so, you can make sure you integrate a URL via which a cookie is installed on the client’s device. If the URL is configured well and the cookie is installed properly, the platform will not track any events related to the client’s device for as long as the cookie remains stored. You can also create a URL that allows customers to opt-in for tracking again.

Working with the opt-out URL

Getting started

To configure an opt-out URL you need to know the tracking domain related to the advertiser and the internal ID of the advertiser. Both the tracking domain and the advertiser ID can be found on the UI page with the main advertiser settings. To get to the main advertiser settings, make sure you are logged in to your admin UI, click ‘advertiser’ in the main menu and proceed to click on ‘manage advertisers’. In the overview of all the advertisers on your platform, click on the  icon next to the relevant advertiser. On the page appearing now, you will find both the tracking domain and the advertiser ID on the bottom of the page in the right column. Please make sure you don’t confuse the advertiser ID with the much shorter MID of the advertiser you will find on the main advertiser page.

Configuring the URL

Option 1: Opt-out for the tracking domain

After you have copied the tracking domain and the advertiser ID, paste them in the following URL:

If the elements mentioned have been pasted properly, the URL will look more or less like this:

Option 2: Opt-out for the advertiser

After you have copied the tracking domain and the advertiser ID, paste them in the following URL:

If the elements mentioned have been pasted properly, the URL will look more or less like this:

You can integrate this URL in whatever way you want to handle non-consent to tracking on your advertiser’s website. To make sure the URL is working fine, make sure you test it. Copy and paste the URL in a browser. If you do so, you should see a blank page that contains one pixel only. Depending on the type, you will find the opt-out cookie stored in your browser.

Creating a redirect

The blank page which triggers the installment of the opt-out cookie might hamper the flow of your customers’ experience of the advertiser’s website. To avoid this, you can add a redirect URL that makes sure customers are being forwarded to another page. This can be a confirmation page, but is can also be the main page of your advertiser’s website.

To add a redirect URL, add a parameter ‘&trg=’ to the tracking opt-out URL. Encode the URL of the page to which you want to redirect and add it as a value of the parameter. If you do so, the URL will look more or less like this:

To make sure the URL is working fine, make sure you test it. Load the URL in your browser. You should be forwarded to the URL you added in the trg-parameter. Depending on the type, you will find the opt-out cookie stored in your browser.

Creating the opt-in URL

In many cases you will also want to create a URL which enables customers to opt-in for tracking again. This is particularly important when your advertisers offer customers an incentive to do so, for example access to certain tools or better website performance. Whenever the URL is loaded, the opt-out cookie on the device of the customer who installed it is deleted.

To create the opt-in URL, you basically go through the same steps as for the opt-out URL. Again, you need the tracking domain and the ID of the advertiser.

Option 1: Opt-in for the tracking domain

Paste the tracking domain and the ID of the advertiser in the following URL:

When you are done, the tracking URL will look more or less like this:

Option 2: Opt-in for the advertiser

Paste the tracking domain and the ID of the advertiser in the following URL:

When you are done, the tracking URL will look more or less like this:

You can add the same trg-parameter if you want to make sure customers are forwarded to a specific page. As with the opt-out URL, it is recommended to test it before you integrate it in the advertiser’s website.

Tracking opt-out cookie properties

The cookie contains a static string which obstructs tracking by the platform. Please note this obstruction includes all tracking events: impressions, clicks, pageviews and convserions. If the cookie is not removed manually, it will stay on a device for 365 days.