A Brief Overview of How Trackers Work in Media Buying

Why Trackers Are Important

As performance marketers, without tracking, we can’t determine which creative, landing page, offer, or even which system/browser/carrier performs better. Without tracking, it’s like running blind campaigns, unable to optimize based on data, leading to a significant waste of unnecessary budget.

Why Write About This Topic?

Some time ago, an affiliate reached out to me and said:

This is indeed confusing for many newbie affiliates, including myself when I was starting out. My approach back then was to follow the steps first and figure out the principles later as I gained more experience. That’s exactly how I learned as well.

Now I have a solid understanding of how tracking works. No matter which tracker, affiliate network, or traffic source I use, I can quickly configure the relevant parameters and postbacks. Through this article, I hope to share my experiences and insights, helping new affiliates grasp this part more quickly.

How Traffic Flows

The first point we need to understand is how traffic flows. As shown in the diagram below:

Forward Flow: Users enter through the traffic source, are directed to the tracker, and the tracker displays the user path based on the configuration. If there is a landing page, users are directed there; finally, they proceed to the affiliate offer page via the Click URL.

Reverse Flow (Postback): If a user converts, the affiliate network notifies the tracker through a postback, and the tracker then notifies the traffic source via another postback.

Clearly understanding how traffic flows allows you to identify the problematic stage when issues arise and find the solution. For example, if the tracker does not receive conversions, the issue likely lies with an incorrect postback configuration on the affiliate network’s side. If the tracker receives conversions but the traffic source does not, it usually indicates an incorrect postback setup for the traffic source in the tracker.

Meaning of Parameters

clickid

The core of tracking revolves around the clickid, which can be thought of as representing a user.

When a user enters through the traffic source, the traffic source assigns them an ID (let’s call it externalid for now) and passes it to the tracker. Once in the tracker, the tracker also assigns them an ID (let’s call it clickid) and maps the externalid to the clickid. The clickid is then passed to the affiliate network through parameters in the offer link.

If this clickid results in a conversion, the affiliate network uses a postback to notify the tracker, confirming that the user has converted. The tracker then retrieves the corresponding externalid and uses another postback to inform the traffic source that the user represented by this externalid has converted.

This creates a complete closed loop for traffic flow.

payout

Payout refers to the commission you earn when your offer converts. It is typically used when the affiliate network sends a postback to the tracker, allowing the tracker to calculate your revenue and expenses accurately.

Parameters Used in Postback

Postbacks primarily use two parameters: clickid and payout. Other parameters, such as transactionid (or abbreviated as txid), are mainly used for upsell-type offers. Additionally, custom events like SignUp, FTD, AddToCart, etc., may also be used.

In most cases, postbacks use at most these four parameters. Other parameters are generally unnecessary, as the tracker can retrieve all relevant information through the clickid.

Parameter & Placeholder

On the left is the MaxConv template for PropellerAds, and on the right is the Binom template for PropellerAds.

Parameter refers to the name of the parameter, and Placeholder can be understood as a “placeholder” or “slot.” The parameter names can be customized as you see fit—whatever makes sense to you. If unsure, just follow the template. The key is to ensure consistency between the names used in the traffic source and those configured in the tracker.

For example, in MaxConv, it’s called src_clid, while in Binom, it’s called visitor_id. The name doesn’t matter as long as the placeholder behind it is ${SUBID}. This allows PropellerAds to replace ${SUBID} with the actual value and pass it to the tracker.

Example

Next, I will simulate a complete campaign process using PropellerAds as the traffic source, MaxConv as the tracker, and GiddyUp as the affiliate network. Please note that this is not a recommendation to use PropellerAds for running GiddyUp campaigns. It is simply because PropellerAds is a well-known traffic source, and GiddyUp offers a variety of e-commerce custom events, making it suitable for illustrative purposes.

1.Adding GiddyUp Affiliate Network in MaxConv

Add GiddyUp Affiliate Network in MaxConv:

Here, it’s worth noting that I created it directly using MaxConv’s template. As seen on the left in the Offer URL Suffix section, the template uses sub2 as the parameter to receive the clickid from MaxConv. However, this needs to be modified to sub4 because GiddyUp actually uses sub4. This should be confirmed with your Affiliate Manager (AM).

Remember to check Accept Duplicate Conversions below, as e-commerce often uses multiple event postbacks, such as AddToCart, AddPaymentInfo, InitiateCheckout, etc.

The content in the upper right section is only for convenience in generating the link below. Just select the Domain, and you’re good to go. Since the postback is initiated by the affiliate network, this section is only for display, and the right section doesn’t require configuration.

Copy the final postback link generated, as it will be used in the next step.

2.Configure Postback in GiddyUp Dashboard

In the GiddyUp dashboard, locate the postback configuration section and add a new postback, as shown in the image below:

Here, we will configure an event postback:

• Postback Type: Select Event.
• Postback Level: Select Specific, which means it is configured for a specific offer.
• Event: Choose Add To Cart.
• Delivery Method: Select Postback.
• Postback URL: The original link copied from MaxConv looks like this:

https://maxjmac.com/conv?clid={sub4}&payout={payout_amount}&txid={OPTIONAL}&currency={OPTIONAL}&event={OPTIONAL}

The {OPTIONAL} parts are optional, meaning they can be included or omitted. Here’s what we’ll do:

• Change &txid={OPTIONAL} to &txid={transaction_id}.
• Remove &currency={OPTIONAL} since it’s not needed.
• Modify &event={OPTIONAL} to &event=AddToCart. The name AddToCart can be anything you like, such as A2C; this will be the event name displayed in your tracker.

Note that the blue dashed box in the image above indicates that the placeholder is supported by the affiliate network. Finally, click the Add button below to save.

Use the same method to configure the Conversion, as shown in the image below:

The difference is that for Postback Type, select Conversion. In the final Postback URL, the event is set to Paid. The &event=Paid part can also be omitted; in that case, the tracker will display a “-” in the event section.

3.Add an Offer in MaxConv

Make sure to append the Offer URL Suffix to the end of the URL, as shown in the image below:

If there are no other parameters, start with ? and add sub4={mc_click_id}. If there are existing parameters, start with & and append it to the end of the URL.

4.Add PropellerAds in MaxConv

In MaxConv, create a new PropellerAds traffic source using the template. Then, go to the Tracking menu on the left side of the PropellerAds dashboard and select Other tracker or CPA network, as shown in the image below:

Click Copy this S2S Postback URL in Step 2, then return to the PropellerAds traffic source configuration in MaxConv. Paste the URL into the input box under Traffic source postback URL. Remove the &payout=${PAYOUT} part, and replace ${SUBID} with {external_id} from the tokens below. Finally, click Save to complete the setup, as shown in the image below:

5.Create a Test Campaign

Create a new campaign in MaxConv with any name you like. Select PropellerAds as the Traffic Source, then click Next in the bottom right corner to proceed to the Destinations settings. Turn off Landers, select the previously created Offer under Offers, and click Save to move to the Tracking section.

6.Test Results

Get the Campaign URL from the Tracking section, paste it into your browser, and open it. After manually triggering the Add To Cart event on the offer page, you can see the custom event postback in the Conversions section of MaxConv, as shown in the image below:

Summary

Tracking itself is not complicated. First, we need to clearly understand the flow of traffic: Traffic Source » Tracker » Affiliate Network, and for postback: Traffic Source « Tracker « Affiliate Network. Start by mastering the basic usage to complete the entire process, then gradually advance to using custom event postbacks.

At this point, you’ll have a solid understanding of how to use tracking. Whether you switch to different traffic sources, trackers, or affiliate networks, you’ll be able to configure them quickly.

As always, if you don’t understand, just follow the steps first, then gradually work on understanding them.

That’s it!