In the world of affiliate marketing, tracking is everything. It’s the backbone of any successful affiliate program, allowing you to monitor and measure the performance of your affiliates, identify what’s working and what’s not, and optimize your program accordingly. One of the most important tracking methods available to affiliate managers is postback tracking, also known as server-to-server tracking.
In this article, we’ll explain what postback tracking is, how it works, who can use it, and why it’s so important for accurate tracking in your affiliate program.
What is Postback Tracking?
Postback tracking is a tracking method that allows your server to communicate directly with your affiliate network’s server, rather than relying on cookies or pixels which can be dropped. When a conversion occurs, your server sends a postback (a notification) to your affiliate network’s server, which then attributes the conversion to the appropriate affiliate and records the relevant data. This method is often used in CPA (cost-per-action) campaigns, where the advertiser pays the affiliate a commission for a specific action, such as a sale or lead.
How Does Postback Tracking Work?
Postback tracking works by using a unique tracking link for each affiliate, which contains an identifier that links the click and subsequent conversion to the affiliate who generated it. When a user clicks on the affiliate’s link and performs the desired action on your website, such as making a purchase, your server sends a postback to the affiliate network’s server, containing the conversion data and the affiliate’s identifier. The affiliate network then records the conversion and attributes it to the correct affiliate, allowing them to earn their commission.
Who Can Use Postback Tracking?
Postback tracking can be used by any advertiser or affiliate network that supports it. It’s particularly useful for advertisers who want to track CPA campaigns, as it allows for more accurate tracking than cookie-based methods. It’s also useful for affiliates who want to ensure that they’re receiving credit for their conversions, regardless of whether the user has disabled cookies or uses a different device to complete the conversion.
Why is Postback Tracking Important for Accurate Tracking in Your Affiliate Program?
Postback tracking is important for accurate tracking in your affiliate program because it allows you to track conversions more accurately than cookie-based methods. Cookies can be deleted or blocked, which can result in lost conversions or incorrect attribution. Postback tracking eliminates these issues, ensuring that you can accurately track and attribute conversions to the appropriate affiliates. This is particularly important for CPA campaigns, where commissions are paid only when a specific action is completed.
Core Benefits of Postback Tracking for Affiliate Managers
There are several key benefits that postback tracking offers to affiliate managers:
- Accurate Tracking: As mentioned, postback tracking allows for more accurate tracking than cookie-based methods, ensuring that you can attribute conversions to the correct affiliates.
- Real-Time Data: Postback tracking provides real-time data on conversions, allowing you to monitor the performance of your affiliates and make adjustments to your program as needed.
- Fraud Prevention: Postback tracking can help prevent fraud, as it’s more difficult for affiliates to manipulate or fake conversions when using this method.
- Cookie-less Tracking: With the upcoming removal of third-party cookies by Google, postback tracking offers a cookie-less alternative that will continue to allow for accurate tracking of conversions.
What is Cookie-less Tracking?
Cookie-less tracking is a tracking method that doesn’t rely on cookies to track user behavior. Instead, it uses other methods, such as device fingerprinting or IP tracking, to identify users and track their behavior. This method is becoming increasingly important as more users block or delete cookies, and as major platforms such as Google prepare to remove third-party cookies altogether.
Impact of Cookie-less Tracking on Affiliate Marketing
The shift towards cookie-less tracking has significant implications for the field of affiliate marketing. In a cookie-less tracking environment, affiliate marketers need to adapt their strategies and adopt alternative tracking methods to ensure accurate attribution and compensation. One approach is the implementation of server-to-server tracking, where conversion data is directly transmitted from the advertiser’s server to the affiliate platform. This method relies on unique identifiers and other tracking mechanisms that are not dependent on cookies. Another option is leveraging first-party data, such as user registrations or email addresses, to link conversions back to specific affiliates. Additionally, marketers can explore contextual targeting and content-based affiliate marketing to reach relevant audiences without relying heavily on individual user tracking.
Overall, the impact of cookie-less tracking on affiliate marketing is substantial. It requires marketers to rethink their tracking and attribution methods, potentially leading to a more diversified approach that relies on alternative tracking technologies and first-party data. While the transition may present challenges initially, it also offers an opportunity for marketers to explore new strategies and build more robust and privacy-conscious affiliate marketing campaigns in the long run.
Need help implementing post back and server to server tracking for your affiliate program? Book a demo with us and discover how Cellxpert can improve your performance!
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