JohnsonDaniel
Regular Member
- May 16, 2008
- 389
- 1,398
As the title says, if you don't track, you will lose money, it's a well-known fact by everyone who IS making money.
This thread may not be in the correct section - MODS, PLEASE MOVE IF SHOULD BE SOMEWHERE ELSE
Some history...
I have found CLP users asking how they would send a postback from a Thank You page if they wanted the visitors to their lockers to complete an email opt-in form, or an offer THEY have created, as opposed to a Network's CPA offer. There appears to be little discussion providing answers regarding how to do this, and I KNOW it's something most IMers would want to know how to deal with, whether content locking or not.
Conversion tracking has multiple uses, you may want to send your postback to a tracking script (think Prosper202, CPVLab, etc), to a self-hosted locker script so it unlocks, to a JV partner's tracking script, or to any script which awaits a postback confirmation in order to then take an action.
So, for the first time (afaik), here is a share of exactly how to achieve it. This is a basic cookie to S2S (server to server) Postback url.
There are a few files you need to set up correctly and a few details you will need, here is the list:
THINGS YOU NEED
============
A) Traffic Page - Any page which is locked, and where the locker has a link to your offer/email opt-in/whatever. Also, if not locking, can be any page displaying a link to your offer.
THIS PAGE CAN BE ON ANY DOMAIN. THE LOCKER CAN ALSO BE ON ANY DOMAIN.
B) Landing Page - offer.php This will be your landing page, i.e. the page on which you display your offer, or your email opt-in code, or wherever your visitor will land, and then convert.
THIS PAGE CAN BE ON ANY DOMAIN, DOES NOT NEED TO BE RELATED TO "A" AT ALL.
C) Thank You Page - thks.php This will be your Thank You page, i.e. the page visitor's get sent to IF they have completed whatever action your offer requires, or IF they have submitted your email opt-in form. THIS PAGE CAN (but does not need to) BE ON THE SAME DOMAIN AS "B".
D) Tracker/Conversion Script - conversion.php This is the tracker file, where the "magic" happens. THIS PAGE SHOULD BE ON THE SAME DOMAIN AS "B".
E) Your postback url (for the purposes of the code, I will be using http://trackDomain.com/postback.php?sid=)
F) A subid generator, if not using content locking. i.e. each individual you send to the offer link must have a subid, or you won't be able to track whether or not they have converted. If this is needed, I can post it. If using self-hosted lockers, they generally automatically create unique subids for your visitors.
CODE TO USE
=========
1. Create a Landing Page, and name it offer.php (ALL NAMES ARE OPTIONAL, IF YOU CHANGE THEM, JUST CHANGE IN THESE INSTRUCTIONS AND/OR IF THEY APPEAR IN ANY CODE). Upload it to OfferDomain.com (i.e. the domain which you want to place your offer on).
Sample code:
2. Create your Thank You page, name it thks.php and upload it to OfferDomain.com:
3. Create your Conversion script, name it conversion.php, and upload it to OfferDomain.com:
USAGE
=====
Step One:
Create your landing page on any domain you want, populate it with your offer, make sure that when your offer/email opt-in/whatever is completed, the user will be redirected to your "Thank You" page. In the example above, the landing page is http://OfferDomain.com/offer.php. The landing page does NOT need to end in php, it can end in html, or htm, if you wish, but php is better.
Step Two:
On your traffic page (where you send your traffic), add a link to your landing page, and make sure you add a unique subid. The link will look like this:
http://OfferDomain.com/offer.php?sid=UniqueString
If your traffic page is "locked" with a self-hosted locker, the offer url to add to your locker (in ContentLockPro V2, but others are similar) is:
http://OfferDomain.com/offer.php?sid=[[subid]]
If your traffic page is NOT locked, and you need help generating unique strings to use as subid's, post below and I'll put the code up.
Step Three:
Send traffic to your Traffic page!
SUMMARY OF PROCESS
User's who decide to visit your offer, or your landing page with email opt-in, will be sent to offer.php with a unique string.
On offer.php, the unique string will be collected, and a cookie will be set on the user's computer.
On offer.php, if the user completes the offer or required action, they will be redirected to your Thank you page (thks.php). You can have Aweber or other scripts redirect your users to your thank you page.
On your Thank You page (thks.php) a call will be made to your conversion script (conversion.php).
On your conversion script (conversion.php), your user's browser will be checked for the existence of your cookie and, if it's present, will collect the unique subid within the cookie, and make a ping to your postback script, appending the subid, thus completing the tracking process.
Hope this helps clarify these terms for people, and helps set up postbacks and whatever else you need to adequately track what you're doing and make money!
IMPORTANT
========
Please, I only ask a few things in return:
a) If you appreciate this thread, do NOT post thanking me for it - there is a Thanks button on this forum, use that instead of cluttering up the thread.
b) Post any questions you have, but please provide evidence that you have READ the OP first!
c) No PMs, please...I'll answer all relevant questions (which comply with b above) in the thread.
d) If you suddenly feel the need to share this elsewhere then please show some respect by attributing the original source (JohnsonDaniel, on this forum) and share it freely (God...it PI**ES me off to see rehashed, repackaged, stuff that was free getting sold!!!)
This thread may not be in the correct section - MODS, PLEASE MOVE IF SHOULD BE SOMEWHERE ELSE
Some history...
I have found CLP users asking how they would send a postback from a Thank You page if they wanted the visitors to their lockers to complete an email opt-in form, or an offer THEY have created, as opposed to a Network's CPA offer. There appears to be little discussion providing answers regarding how to do this, and I KNOW it's something most IMers would want to know how to deal with, whether content locking or not.
Conversion tracking has multiple uses, you may want to send your postback to a tracking script (think Prosper202, CPVLab, etc), to a self-hosted locker script so it unlocks, to a JV partner's tracking script, or to any script which awaits a postback confirmation in order to then take an action.
So, for the first time (afaik), here is a share of exactly how to achieve it. This is a basic cookie to S2S (server to server) Postback url.
There are a few files you need to set up correctly and a few details you will need, here is the list:
THINGS YOU NEED
============
A) Traffic Page - Any page which is locked, and where the locker has a link to your offer/email opt-in/whatever. Also, if not locking, can be any page displaying a link to your offer.
THIS PAGE CAN BE ON ANY DOMAIN. THE LOCKER CAN ALSO BE ON ANY DOMAIN.
B) Landing Page - offer.php This will be your landing page, i.e. the page on which you display your offer, or your email opt-in code, or wherever your visitor will land, and then convert.
THIS PAGE CAN BE ON ANY DOMAIN, DOES NOT NEED TO BE RELATED TO "A" AT ALL.
C) Thank You Page - thks.php This will be your Thank You page, i.e. the page visitor's get sent to IF they have completed whatever action your offer requires, or IF they have submitted your email opt-in form. THIS PAGE CAN (but does not need to) BE ON THE SAME DOMAIN AS "B".
D) Tracker/Conversion Script - conversion.php This is the tracker file, where the "magic" happens. THIS PAGE SHOULD BE ON THE SAME DOMAIN AS "B".
E) Your postback url (for the purposes of the code, I will be using http://trackDomain.com/postback.php?sid=)
F) A subid generator, if not using content locking. i.e. each individual you send to the offer link must have a subid, or you won't be able to track whether or not they have converted. If this is needed, I can post it. If using self-hosted lockers, they generally automatically create unique subids for your visitors.
CODE TO USE
=========
1. Create a Landing Page, and name it offer.php (ALL NAMES ARE OPTIONAL, IF YOU CHANGE THEM, JUST CHANGE IN THESE INSTRUCTIONS AND/OR IF THEY APPEAR IN ANY CODE). Upload it to OfferDomain.com (i.e. the domain which you want to place your offer on).
Sample code:
Code:
[FONT=monospace]<html>[/FONT]
<head>
<?php
//Get the subid we send with the visitor, in USAGE Step Two below, and set a cookie.
setcookie("tid", $_GET['sid'], time()+7*24*60*60, '/', '.OfferDomain.com');
?>
</head>
<body>
<!-- Offer whatever you want, ask your users to do whatever you want, and, if they DO it, send them to Thank You page -->
<a href="http://OfferDomain.com/thks.php">CLICK HERE</a></body>
[FONT=monospace]</html>[/FONT]2. Create your Thank You page, name it thks.php and upload it to OfferDomain.com:
Code:
<html><head>
</head>
<body>
<!-- Insert whatever you want to thank your user for having completed your offer or action -->
THANK YOU
<!-- Insert invisible image code to ping your conversion script, indicating that THIS visitor reached the Thank You page -->
<img src="http://OfferDomain.com/conversion.php" height="1px" width="1px" />
</body>
</html>3. Create your Conversion script, name it conversion.php, and upload it to OfferDomain.com:
Code:
<?php
if (isset($_COOKIE['tid'])) {
//Replace the postback url from E above with YOUR postback url
$url = 'http://trackDomain.com/postback.php?sid='.$_COOKIE['tid'];
$ch = curl_init();
curl_setopt ($ch, CURLOPT_URL, $url);
curl_setopt ($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, 1);
$result = curl_exec ($ch);
curl_close($ch);
}
?>USAGE
=====
Step One:
Create your landing page on any domain you want, populate it with your offer, make sure that when your offer/email opt-in/whatever is completed, the user will be redirected to your "Thank You" page. In the example above, the landing page is http://OfferDomain.com/offer.php. The landing page does NOT need to end in php, it can end in html, or htm, if you wish, but php is better.
Step Two:
On your traffic page (where you send your traffic), add a link to your landing page, and make sure you add a unique subid. The link will look like this:
http://OfferDomain.com/offer.php?sid=UniqueString
If your traffic page is "locked" with a self-hosted locker, the offer url to add to your locker (in ContentLockPro V2, but others are similar) is:
http://OfferDomain.com/offer.php?sid=[[subid]]
If your traffic page is NOT locked, and you need help generating unique strings to use as subid's, post below and I'll put the code up.
Step Three:
Send traffic to your Traffic page!
SUMMARY OF PROCESS
User's who decide to visit your offer, or your landing page with email opt-in, will be sent to offer.php with a unique string.
On offer.php, the unique string will be collected, and a cookie will be set on the user's computer.
On offer.php, if the user completes the offer or required action, they will be redirected to your Thank you page (thks.php). You can have Aweber or other scripts redirect your users to your thank you page.
On your Thank You page (thks.php) a call will be made to your conversion script (conversion.php).
On your conversion script (conversion.php), your user's browser will be checked for the existence of your cookie and, if it's present, will collect the unique subid within the cookie, and make a ping to your postback script, appending the subid, thus completing the tracking process.
Hope this helps clarify these terms for people, and helps set up postbacks and whatever else you need to adequately track what you're doing and make money!
IMPORTANT
========
Please, I only ask a few things in return:
a) If you appreciate this thread, do NOT post thanking me for it - there is a Thanks button on this forum, use that instead of cluttering up the thread.
b) Post any questions you have, but please provide evidence that you have READ the OP first!
c) No PMs, please...I'll answer all relevant questions (which comply with b above) in the thread.
d) If you suddenly feel the need to share this elsewhere then please show some respect by attributing the original source (JohnsonDaniel, on this forum) and share it freely (God...it PI**ES me off to see rehashed, repackaged, stuff that was free getting sold!!!)
