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Hi all. What’s the most effective way to track clicks on your own server – or do you even bother?
I have a real problem with putting up links that look like http
/www.somename.com/?3498573498534|3489534#click_&affiliate-id=093048|someones_gonna_make_some_money_off_youNewer browsers come with a default setting that doesn’t let javascript modify the window.status, so that trick is ancient history. Furthermore, I have a problem with blindly referring visitors to casinos with no way of knowing how many I have referred. Some affiliate programs don’t even track clicks, which means it’s up to me to do it.
And many programs don’t allow you to modify the tracking code – even in the slightest – lest you won’t get paid. This is downright predatory in my opinion – what difference does it make as long as they land on the page they’re supposed to?
My current method has the ads point to pages on my site which record the click and then redirect the visitor to the text-link URL specified by the affiliate program. What do you more seasoned professionals do? Do you not even bother? How do you know you’re not getting shafted if you don’t have your own tracking system?
I just posed a similar question over at GPWA… I currently use both OpenAds and AdPeeps.
I’ve either got to finish my own admin interface of AdPeeps, which is the one I use most of the time, or re-create my admin tool for another platform like OpenAds. I’m not sure what to do yet… AdPeeps has some coding issues, but works fine regardless… I’d prefer to go to something like OpenAds, but the interface is overly complicated and doesn’t lend well to the way I run my sites.
So – to finish creation of the AdPeeps interface….. or to move to something else is my dilemma. I’d love a seasoned vet to come in and let us know the best ways to ad-track.
@kwblue 137429 wrote:
I just posed a similar question over at GPWA… I currently use both OpenAds and AdPeeps.
I’ve either got to finish my own admin interface of AdPeeps, which is the one I use most of the time, or re-create my admin tool for another platform like OpenAds. I’m not sure what to do yet… AdPeeps has some coding issues, but works fine regardless… I’d prefer to go to something like OpenAds, but the interface is overly complicated and doesn’t lend well to the way I run my sites.
So – to finish creation of the AdPeeps interface….. or to move to something else is my dilemma. I’d love a seasoned vet to come in and let us know the best ways to ad-track.
Is this something that you look at when you review T&Cs for your Affiliate Guard Dog web site? Specifically, those affiliate programs which flat-out say that you can’t modify their link codes or else you won’t get paid? That seems predatory, as it precludes the possibility of tracking clicks on your own, it forces you to put up crappy-looking links, and you have no choice but to blindly assume/hope/pray that everything is working properly on the other end.
@SlotsJunkie 137439 wrote:
Is this something that you look at when you review T&Cs for your Affiliate Guard Dog web site? Specifically, those affiliate programs which flat-out say that you can’t modify their link codes or else you won’t get paid? That seems predatory, as it precludes the possibility of tracking clicks on your own, it forces you to put up crappy-looking links, and you have no choice but to blindly assume/hope/pray that everything is working properly on the other end.
I have not and there is very good reason….. All programs place a statement in their Terms and Conditions (to protect themselves) that if the link is incorrectly copied or is modified, they are not responsible for the tracking. I can understand this point, too, because that would leave them wide open to abuse.
Unfortunately, all we can do in this case is bitch about it publicly until they fix their problems or ‘crappy links’.
I can code a custom tracking program for you if you would like. Let me know what your budget is and your requirements and I’m sure we can work something out.
If your looking for something free then I would go with openads but like kwblue said, the interface is complicated. It also creates the ugly url’s that you dont want.
@kwblue 137561 wrote:
All programs place a statement in their Terms and Conditions (to protect themselves) that if the link is incorrectly copied or is modified, they are not responsible for the tracking.
I have absolutely no problem with that. If some affiliate mistakenly screws up their tracking code, sucks to be them! :tongue:
I merely want the visitor to click a “friendly” URL (a page on my site which records the click and then forwards them) as opposed to having them click an “ugly” URL and me having no way of knowing if it was clicked.
@Rob472 137563 wrote:
I can code a custom tracking program for you if you would like. Let me know what your budget is and your requirements and I’m sure we can work something out.
If your looking for something free then I would go with openads but like kwblue said, the interface is complicated. It also creates the ugly url’s that you dont want.
Thank you for the offer, but I have a custom tracking system that I created already in place. My only concern is that it might be considered a violation of the T&C’s even though the end result is the same as having used the raw affiliate code.
I suppose I could just ask the affiliate managers if this sort of customization violates their T&C’s. I’ll get around to that after I finish giving my site a facelift.
redirecting the link shouldn’t be an issue.
1) Use the links like www . yoursite . com/redirect_folder/1stcasino.php?id=123 where id or other parameter can be used for tracking if you have a small number of “compaigns” to track.
2) in robots.txt prohibit redirect_folder from indexing.
3) the simplest 1stcasino.php script should redirect to the casino/aff. website like this:$rdurl=”Location: http://www.casino_website.com/?your_aff_id”;
header($rdurl);plus you can add extra params to the redirect link in the script
