| The ad tracker was originally developed to | | | | what you can do isinsert tracking URLs at the |
| provide a recordof all hits to a site resulting from | | | | appropriate points, such asproduct offers or |
| ad placements. Thisarticle shows a host of | | | | special articles, and get comparativefigures for |
| different ways to utilise an adtracker. | | | | which items are being read. |
| FOR AFFILIATES | | | | AT YOUR WEB SITE |
| #1. The Long Url Problem | | | | #12. The Problem Of Permanent URLs |
| Have you ever seen an ad where you are asked | | | | Web sites are continually evolving and changing. |
| to click on anaffiliate URL so long that it stretches | | | | You may want to rename a page to make it |
| over 2 lines, likethis | | | | more consistent andlogical but there's a huge |
| [ | | | | problem. You have given out the |
| 35&subid=89715 | | | | URL in an ebook, or a directory submission, or an |
| Do you think your reader will bother to do the | | | | article orwherever. There's no way you can undo |
| necessary cutand paste to put it in a browser? | | | | this. |
| Probably not. | | | | The solution ? |
| And that's probably one lost sale. | | | | Never provide the actual URL, just a tracking URL. |
| And even a one line affiliate link may exceed | | | | You canthen just edit the link at the tracking |
| thepermissible length for some ad posting | | | | centre whenever apage is moved or renamed. |
| requirements. | | | | The external links, in your ebook for example, |
| The solution: use a short tracking URL. | | | | stay the samebut they will redirect to your new |
| #2. Losing Your Affiliate Code | | | | page. |
| As an affiliate you may have your affiliate code | | | | #13. What Are Your Visitors Doing ? |
| embedded ina link something like this: | | | | You have text links all over your site, links to |
| [ | | | | your otherpages and links to recommended sites. |
| Some customers will bypass the affiliate code and | | | | Where are your visitors clicking ? |
| just typein the home URL (possibly because | | | | Where are they leaving your site, why, how can |
| theythink that they will be paying extra for an | | | | you stop them ? |
| agent'scommission) | | | | Which graphic do they click on the most ? |
| The solution: use a tracking URL - so that your | | | | Do they click on the text link more than the |
| affiliatecode number is never seen. | | | | graphic link? |
| #3. Make Your Ad Stand Out | | | | Your log files may tell you at best which are the |
| You may have seen search engine results | | | | mostpopular pages at your site but it is vital to |
| showing nearidentical listings for the same product, | | | | know how yourvisitors move through your site |
| differing only inan affiliate code appended to the | | | | and what is tempting them. |
| URL. | | | | Use tracking URLs to replace actual links |
| Your listing here will be just one of many unless | | | | wherever you needto monitor click activity. |
| you makeit stand out. So bypass the standard | | | | #14. Sell Website Advertising Space |
| affiliate URL and use atracking URL. | | | | You can offer tracking reports to your |
| #4. How Effective Are The Links | | | | advertisers in thesame way as for ezine |
| You can measure and compare the effectiveness | | | | publishers (above). |
| of thedifferent banners or text links the affiliate | | | | #15. Stop Piracy |
| programsprovide you by using a tracking URL. | | | | If you have invested man-months of time setting |
| #5. Changing Links | | | | up a vitalresource site involving a directory of links |
| If an affiliate company change their links then | | | | it's very easyfor a pirate to simply copy your |
| yourexisting ads, wherever they are posted, | | | | page and provide usefulcontent for his own site. |
| become worthless. | | | | If you use tracking URLs for those directory links |
| But if you use a tracking URL you simply revise | | | | you candetect this copy - because the ad |
| theaffiliate URL at the tracking control centre. | | | | tracking program willrecord the referring URL. |
| #6. Affiliate Program Discontinued | | | | At the same time of course you can measure |
| Similarly if an affiliate program is discontinued you | | | | the popularity ofthe directory links. |
| justchange your tracking URL to a new page | | | | USING PAY PER CLICK SEARCH ENGINES |
| where you explain thecircumstances and point | | | | #16. Better Click Activity Reporting |
| your visitor to your otherpromotions. | | | | Pay per click search engines will report to you |
| #7. Better Affiliate Stats | | | | clickactivity on your URL. Engines vary in the |
| Not all affiliate programs provide you with stats | | | | frequency andformat of the reporting so you can |
| about visitors. | | | | use tracking URLs insteadto obtain better |
| And if they do are they adequate ? | | | | information. |
| Compare a basic monthly figure say | | | | #17. Prevent Fraudulent Activity |
| - Jan: 39 hitswith a detailed analysis such as | | | | You can compare your figures with the engine's |
| - Jan 12: 10 hits | | | | and shouldquery any large discrepancy. |
| - Jan 13: 2 hits | | | | If click activity is unusually high you may have |
| - Jan 20: 21 hits | | | | acompetitor clicking on just to incur costs against |
| - Jan 21: 6 hitswhere you can relate those dates | | | | you. Youmay be able to detect this by comparing |
| to particular ad campaigns. | | | | the figures forunique hits and actual hits (several |
| Tracking URLs will give you these improved | | | | hits per visitor). |
| figures. | | | | OFFLINE MARKETING |
| #8. Checking Affiliate Stats | | | | #18. Check How Successful |
| Even if you do receive good stats from your | | | | If you have ever wondered whether it was |
| affiliateprogram it still makes sense to use | | | | worth advertisingoff line because of the supposed |
| tracking URLs so thatyou can compare your | | | | impossibility of measuringthe response then ad |
| figures with theirs. | | | | tracking URLs will answer that problem. |
| A large discrepancy could mean errors in their | | | | Just include them in your ads in |
| software or | | | | - newspapers |
| (hopefully not) fraudulent activity on their part. | | | | - magazines |
| An alternative reason is that their measurement | | | | - flyers |
| takes placewhen their page is fully loaded rather | | | | - billboards |
| than at the start,indicating that visitors are clicking | | | | - press releases |
| away because it istaking too long to load. | | | | - shop notice boards |
| FOR EZINE PUBLISHERS | | | | - and so on |
| #9. Win Advertisers With Tracking Reports | | | | #19. Use The Time Reports |
| If you sell advertising space in your ezine you can | | | | The date and time when clicks are made will allow |
| offer toyour advertisers to replace their URLs | | | | you tocheck the progress of your ads, for |
| with your tracking | | | | example |
| URLs and Email them the results. | | | | - has your newspaper ad been submitted yet ? |
| Tell your advertisers about these benefits in | | | | - has your billboard notice been removed ? |
| youradvertising guidelines | | | | - how long does a magazine ad stay around ? |
| - They will know the number of clickthroughs their | | | | For a long running ad you can study the response |
| ad hasgenerated. They can then decide how to | | | | and switchthe link midstream if necessary to an |
| improve the ads forbetter performance | | | | improved web page. |
| - If they use a tracker program with your own | | | | EBOOKS |
| domain name inthe tracking URL your ezine | | | | #20. Do Free Books Work ? |
| subscribers will be moreinclined to click | | | | The main purpose of a free ebook is to get the |
| - They can use your ezine as a test centre, | | | | reader backto your site. But how successful is it |
| modifying theirads until they are happy, before | | | | proving ? |
| launching with otherpublishers | | | | Put tracking URLs in the book and you will find |
| #10. Use Tracking Report Results | | | | out. |
| The tracking reports above will provide you with | | | | #21. Maintain Control After Download |
| informationon your subscribers' interests, | | | | Once your ebook is downloaded it would appear |
| influencing your editorialcontent and helping you | | | | that you nolonger have any control over it. Not |
| select which potential advertisersto approach | | | | so. You can redirectthe reader to other pages of |
| Also, once your advertisers have seen for | | | | your site by changing thetracking Url links. |
| themselves thebenefits of an ad tracking program | | | | OTHER WAYS |
| they will be inclined topurchase one. So set | | | | #22. Become An Ad Tracking Affiliate |
| yourself up as an affiliate for aprogram and | | | | Since ad tracking programs are high demand |
| promote it to them. | | | | marketing toolsyou can profit by joining their |
| #11. Measure Your Readership | | | | affiliate program (if theyhave one). |
| You may know how many subscribers you have | | | | Owning the product that you promote always |
| but how manyactually open and read your ezine | | | | gives that extraadvantage e.g you can give an |
| and which parts of itattract most attention ? | | | | example of how you use it or apersonal |
| Here's how to find out if you distribute your ezine | | | | testimonial as to how it has benefited you. |
| in HTML | | | | #23. Privacy |
| Format: include an image on your page, e.g a | | | | You may want to post an URL somewhere and - |
| banner or logoor a single pixel GIF. Then | | | | for reasons ofyour own - not let it reveal your |
| reference this image with atracking URL. | | | | website. You can do thiswith an ad tracking |
| For an ezine distributed as plain text it is not | | | | program where the supplier domain nameis used |
| possible tosee if it is actually opened or read. But | | | | in the tracking URL. |