Postback and Pixel: what is it and how to use them properly

What is a conversion?

Conversion is any targeted action which the user should perform on the offer page so the advertiser pays a fee.

There are different types of targeted actions:

• following the link,
• filling the form,
• adding goods to the shopping cart,
• purchase,
• e-mail subscription,
• a download of the program,
• filling the profile after registration, etc.

An offer tends to assume one targeted action. But more complicated schemes also occur. The offer can consist of a few targeted actions which an advertiser pays for. The more difficult the action, the more expensive it will be evaluated. For example, registration is a simple action for a low price, but an order is a complicated one and the payout will be higher.

Conversion is the last action, anyway. If the user finishes with the registration, it will be counted as a conversion. If he buys something, the payout will be for the purchase.

Is it possible to be successful without conversion tracking? The answer is definitely no. All the sources in various offers are converted differently, that’s why you can’t use any universal rule. If you don’t see where the conversions came from, their prices, you won’t be able to make optimization. Only experienced and lucky specialists can get positive ROI without campaign optimization.

How to track conversions in ad campaigns?

As a rule, affiliate networks provide their advertisers with complete information about conversions. They are interested in the successful promotion of their offers.

But what if they do not share this information or you promote your own offers? In these cases, you can set up additional tools. They will help you to act blindly or will make the processing of data easier.

Widespread ways of conversion tracking

There are several main ways of conversion tracking in affiliate marketing.

• PostBack or server-to-server (S2S) data transfer
  PostBack is the transfer of data about performing some action from one platform to another (for example, from affiliate network to the tracker or ad network). PostBack makes the work with an affiliate network’s information easier.
• Pixel (JS) or Image
  Pixel is a small part of HTML-code which is added in the code of the page with targeted action. When the user gets to this page, the conversion is completed.
  It is used when an affiliate network doesn’t share the data or if you promote your own offer. Image is a small colorless dot 1*1 px, which is placed in the button with targeted action in the form of code (for example, send the data or subscribe). Image is considered to be the type of pixel because both variants are added in the code of the page.

How does postback work?

PostBack is the most credible way of conversions’ mainstreaming. It will make your campaign optimization easier, transferring data from an affiliate network to the tracker or ad network.

How does it work? It’s simple: click ID is attributed to any user’s click. But when the targeted action is performing, the system understands that a certain click ID is a conversion itself. Information about conversion is transferred to the server of the affiliate network and then to the server of your tracker. You can set up conversion tracking from your affiliate network or tracker to the ad network’s server.

Usually, a tracker is suitable when a few traffic sources or affiliate networks are used. You can see all the campaigns from different ad networks and data on them.

If you use only RichAds traffic, it’s better to set up conversion tracking using our itegrated trackers, postback is the only way to track conversions at our network. This will allow you to make campaign optimization as you will have access to information about conversions and traffic volumes in one place, using Optimizer.

Postback is really simple to integrate:

• Obtain the standard Postback URL provided by the advertising network.
• If you are integrating RichAds ad network into your tracking system for the first time, you’ll need to use its configuration template.
• After that, start a new campaign within the tracker.
• Choose your traffic source, paste the affiliate program link (Offer URL), and generate a link that can be used in your advertising account (Destination URL).

Postback’s pros and cons

RichAds functionality allows tracking main and approved postback conversions for the same offers as well as choose from 12 integrated trackers. Make sure you read specific guides on their integration in your personal account!

Postback’s settings allow conversions tracking at different stages of the purchase funnel

In this article you can read how to set up Postback for push notifications.

Also, you can set up S2S postback like a Pro with the Tracking Wizard option. Learn more about it here.

How to set up pixel properly

You need pixel tracking in case you have no information from the affiliate network.

The most important thing in pixel configuration is the page on which it’s set up. This type of conversion can count switch to any page. But only shift to a certain page will be counted as conversion, that’s why you should place pixel wisely.

If you place the pixel on the page where the user should fill in his personal data, you won’t know the number of real conversions, because the tool will count all the users who went to the page. While some of them left the data and some didn’t. The best solution is to place the pixel on the page following the targeted action. For example, after registration, the user is redirected to the page with thanks for registration. And here you should place the tool for conversion tracking.

With the image everything is simple. It should be placed on the button, it’s more difficult to make a mistake here.

Pros and cons of Pixel/Image

Which difficulties may you face during the setting of Pixel/Image?

To place a part of the code on the page you need to have administrative access to the page’s code. Regular users can also open the code of the page with help of the “Ctrl+Shift+I” combination and even paste parts of the code there. But if you do it without administrator rights, when you reload the page the code will disappear from it. Mind it if you want to make changes in the site by yourself.

If you do not have the rights to make changes to the offer’s page, contact tech support, or the offer’s owner. He will help you to set up tools for conversion tracking.

Moreover, it’s necessary to understand the details of HTML code to set up the image exactly on the button.

The profit of conversion tracking on the RichAds side

It’s only your decision whether to share the information about your conversions or their price with the ad network or not.

Conversion tracking on the RichAds side has a number of advantages.

1. You will have the possibility to get help in campaign optimization from our account manager.

If you set up a transfer of data about conversions, you will have access to complete reports and more detailed statistics as compared with our competitors. First of all, statistics according to the results of the bidding. The win rate feature shows how much traffic the campaign buys from a certain source and helps to make the decision about increasing or decreasing traffic flow.

2. Besides, the flagship features of our platform will be available:

• Target CPA (or CPA goal) — after receiving 10 conversions you will get automatic optimization which allows getting more conversions for the targeted price;
• Automated rules allow manually define the rules according to which the campaign will automatically create blacklists based on your targeted actions.Automated optimization according to 7 parameters is available (Publishers IDs, Sites IDs, OS, creatives, browsers, devices, campaigns);
• Micro Bidding helps to increase or decrease the bid for a certain source.

All these opportunities are useful for both newbie and experienced specialists.

Use all possible tools in campaigns’ performance, analyze your conversions, and make optimization to achieve high profits with HQ traffic from RichAds.

Step by step video on how to set up S2S Postback

What is RichAds?
🔝 High quality push and pop ads,
🔼 domain redirect and native traffic source,
🔝 buy push ads at $0.005 (CPC), pop ads at $0.5 (CPM),
⏫ domain ads costs start from $1.5 (CPM), native ads — from $0.001 (CPC),
⏫ ad network offers large volumes of traffic in more than 200 geos from Tier 3 to Tier 1.

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