Advertiser Setup Guide
Overview
Our Universal Tracking consists of 2 components:
- Universal Tag – this is added to every page of your site
- Conversion Tag – this is added to the post-sale confirmation page
Benefits
Our Advertisers use our technology to dive deeper into their data and gain greater insights on how customers convert. Our platform enables you to:
- Unlock your conversion funnel and optimise different Publisher channels
- Optionally integrate & activate Publisher technologies
- Mitigate the impacts of Apple ITP and Firefox Tracking Protection with 1st party cookies
- Capture data across all data points, journeys events and devices
- Build commission strategies based on any metric such as basket contents, voucher codes and many more
- Use our attribution modelling to unlock a deep understanding of how different channels interact with your Publishers
We also offer:
- A Controlled Data Exchange ensures you only share the right data with the right partners. We don’t profile and resell your customer data.
- Fast, simple setup
- One click integrations with your Tag Management Partner such as Google Tag Manager & Ensighten
- Secure & robust platform tried & tested across our global Advertiser network
- An approach to data protection that is governed by our client’s obligations to their customers as well as strict regulation
- API Integrations with 3rd Party attribution providers
Implementing tags – key points
- Ensure tags are added to any separate mobile sites
- If you are looking to add Optimise Tracking to mobile apps, see Mobile App Tracking
- Sale/Conversion confirmation tags must activate every time the post conversion thank you page loads (even if the user leaves the site and returns later on) to ensure Optimise
- Publishers’ sales are tracked within the conversion window/cookie duration.
- Ensure you provide Optimise with any campaign analytics codes or URLs.
- If you are running your campaign with more than one publisher network you should notify Optimise of the channel to which the conversion has been attributed
- If you are using Google Analytics see important information on campaign timeout settings.
- Ensure your setup mitigates the impact of ITP 2.2 & Firefox Enhanced Tracking Protection
- In the interest of security, we recommend that the Universal tag should not normally be added to any payment details’ pages
Universal Tag Setup
Add the Universal Tag to every page of your site (but see Other considerations when adding tracking). The tag will be supplied by our Tracking Support Team.
Your Universal Tag will look like this example:
important
- Universal tags should always be added to your site so that they are activated for all visitors (hardcoded).
- Universal Tags will create a first party tracking cookie on the advertiser’s domain. This cookie will be populated via a value passed as a parameter (sskey) on the QueryString. * If you redirect or manipulate the landing page URL in any way you must ensure the sskey parameter and value pair are also passed. For example: https://www.advertiser-website.com/?sskey={sskey}
- If you do not implement Universal Tracking, sales from Apple Safari browsers may not be recorded due to Apple Intelligent Tracking Protection. For further info see ITP 2.2 & * Firefox Enhanced Tracking Protection
- The tag must be implemented as a Asynchronous script
Conversion Tag Setup
Before adding the Conversion Tag to the post-sale confirmation page of your site, please choose your site’s sector from the list below to see what data is required:
Retail Example
If you capture individual basket items as part of your checkout process, our system can be configured to pass these details to us, so we can analyse and report on this detail. Our reports can:
- Provide visibility of which individual products (or items) are being purchased within the shopping basket.
- Identify the most popular products & categories and the overall basket value, with options for more granular analysis by device type and by publisher.
The following parameters should be included in the conversion tag:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| APPID | A unique conversion reference such as the Order Number. This reference will be used for conversion validation purposes. |
| iID | The SKU or identifier of the item purchased † |
| iName | The name of the item purchased † |
| iVol | The volume of the item purchased † |
| iVal | The value of the individual item purchased †† |
| iCategory | The category of the item purchased † |
| Status | The total order value. |
| Action | The event taking place e.g Sale or Quote |
| iPaymentType | The payment method used by the consumer. Eg. Monthly, Annual |
| Vcode | The Voucher Code |
| Channel | The Channel to which the conversion is attributed, for details see adding channel. |
| iMeta | An object to store any additional data that does not fit in the above. |
† If you are adding multiple values they must be separated by a pipe |
†† This is the value of an individual item. We will automatically calculate IVol x IVal
Example tag:
Standard Parameters
| Value | Requirement | Instructions |
|---|---|---|
| {MID} | Mandatory | Your unique Advertiser ID. Your account manager will provide this value. |
| {PID} | Mandatory | Your unique Campaign ID. Your account manager will provide this value. |
Travel Example
The following parameters should be included in the conversion tag:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| APPID | A unique conversion reference such as the booking number. This reference will be used for conversion validation purposes. |
| Status | The total order value. |
| Action | The event taking place e.g Sale or Quote |
| iBrand | The brand of the item purchased |
| iStartDate | The start date, inception date or travel date of the item purchased |
| iEndDate | The end date or travel return date of the item purchased |
| iDuration | The duration of the trip |
| iOrigin | The origin of the journey purchased. Eg. An airport code or city name |
| iDestination | The destination of the journey purchased. Eg. An airport code or city for hotel bookings |
| iTravelClass | The class of travel purchased |
| iPassengerCount | The number of passengers travelling. Eg. A:2,C:2,I:0 |
| iVenueName | The hotel, restaurant or venue name for a booking |
| iPaymentType | The payment method used by the consumer. Eg. Monthly, Annual |
| iCancellable | Is trip cancellable y/n |
| Vcode | The Voucher Code |
| Channel | The Channel to which the conversion is attributed, for details see adding channel. |
| iMeta | An object to store any additional data that does not fit in the above. |
Example tag:
Standard Parameters
| Value | Requirement | Instructions |
|---|---|---|
| {MID} | Mandatory | Your unique Advertiser ID. Your account manager will provide this value. |
| {PID} | Mandatory | Your unique Campaign ID. Your account manager will provide this value. |
Insurance Example
The following parameters should be included in the conversion tag:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| APPID | A unique conversion reference such as the policy number or quote reference. This reference will be used for conversion validation purposes. |
| Status | The policy value. |
| Action | The event taking place e.g Sale or Quote |
| iPolicytype | The type of insurance policy purchased |
| iPolicyValue | The policy value |
| iStartDate | The start date, inception date or travel date of the item purchased |
| iEndDate | The end date of the trip or policy |
| iPolicySpecific | Any Policy Type specific information (such as add-ons or animal type) |
| iPaymentType | The payment method used by the consumer. Eg. Monthly, Annual |
| Vcode | The Voucher Code |
| Channel | The Channel to which the conversion is attributed, for details see adding channel. |
| iMeta | An object to store any additional data that does not fit in the above. |
Entertainment Example
The following parameters should be included in the conversion tag:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| APPID | A unique conversion reference such as the booking number. This reference will be used for conversion validation purposes. |
| Action | The event taking place e.g Sale or Quote |
| iTicketCount | The number of tickets purchased. |
| iPaymentType | The payment method used by the consumer. |
| Vcode | The Voucher Code |
| Channel | The Channel to which the conversion is attributed, for details see adding channel. |
| iMeta | An object to store any additional data that does not fit in the above. |
Example tag:
Standard Parameters
| Value | Requirement | Instructions |
|---|---|---|
| {MID} | Mandatory | Your unique Advertiser ID. Your account manager will provide this value. |
| {PID} | Mandatory | Your unique Campaign ID. Your account manager will provide this value. |
Finance Example
The following parameters should be included in the conversion tag:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| APPID | A unique conversion reference such as the unique application number. This reference will be used for conversion validation purposes. |
| Action | The event taking place e.g Sale or Quote |
| iVal | The balance transfer amount or loan amount |
| IPurpose | The purpose of a loan |
| iDuration | The duration of a loan |
| Channel | The Channel to which the conversion is attributed, for details see adding channel. |
| iMeta | An object to store any additional data that does not fit in the above. |
Example tag:
Standard Parameters
| Value | Requirement | Instructions |
|---|---|---|
| {MID} | Mandatory | Your unique Advertiser ID. Your account manager will provide this value. |
| {PID} | Mandatory | Your unique Campaign ID. Your account manager will provide this value. |
Server 2 Server (S2S)
Optimise tags can also be implemented via Server 2 Server (S2S). This is the most robust method for installed a tracking tag.
To implement S2S Tracking a click reference (SSKEY) will be passed to the landing page defined for the campaign. For example:
The SSKEY will need to be retrieved from the QueryString and stored in a persistent cookie for 30 days (or the agreed attribution window for the campaign). The cookie should be a 1st party, secure, server-side cookie on the primary domain. eg. in the above example: advertiser.com
The S2S Tag must be activated on the post-sale confirmation page of your site with the SSKEY from the cookie:
Additional parameters may be appended to the URL as per the above Conversion Tag examples.
If possible, we still recommend adding the Universal Tag to your site to take full advantage of Optimise reporting capabilities and Market Intelligence.
3rd Party Integrations
Our Universal Tracking is already integrated with a number of 3rd party tracking and e-commerce platforms. If you are using any of the below, see the links for further information before implementing our tags.
Also see Conversion Tag setup to see what data should be added to your conversion tags.
- Google tag manager
- Woocommerce
- Shopify
- DoubleClick Floodlight
- Impact Radius
- Partnerize
Please read our latest guidance on Browser Privacy Controls and ensure your 3rd party solution will mitigate these impacts.
Google Tag Manager
Optimise Tracking tags can easily be added to Google Tag Manager. This article assumes you have a basic understanding of Google Tag Manager Data Layer variables.
Login to your Google Tag Manager account and follow the steps below.
Adding the Sale/Transaction Tag
Optimise is integrated directly into Google Tag Manager.
When selecting your Tag Type choose more > Optimise Conversion Tag as illustrated below.
Complete the requested values with those provided by your account manager:
Add the tag manually
- Click on Container > Tags
- Click “New” to create a new tag
- Choose “Custom HTML Tag” i. Add a name for your tag such as “Optimise Sale Tag” ii. Create a Custom tag
- Copy and paste in tag provided to you by your Account Manager i. Copy and paste in the tag provided ii. You will need to replace the current placeholders with the associated DataLayer Variable names you have created in Google Tag Manager. eg. AppID={{SaleReference}} and Status={{SaleValue}}. If you don’t have any DataLayer variables jump to this section.
See example below (note the below tag is an example only, you must use the tag provided by your Account Manager) :
important
If GTM tags are being used to host affiliate JS tags , it may be necessary to enable document.write in GTM. For further information see Custom Tag Types
- Select the Events to fire the tag Select the “Some Pages” option
You will then need to choose the variable which fires the tag. If you have not already created a variable then we recommend creating a First Party Cookie variable named “SaleAttribution” (see example below).
- Choose a Publish option to complete the changes
- Adding Data Layer Variables
To understand more about the Data Layer Click here.
Add the following JavaScript to your page just above your Google Tag Manager JavaScript replacing the values as appropriate:
You should then create the variables from the Data Layer within Google Tag Manager so they are accessible:
Once the variable has been created you can reference it in your Tags through a macro format like: {{SaleReference}}
We also recommend installing the Google Tag Assistant extension to ensure you Tag Manager is properly configured and to view the DataLayer.
Appsflyer
Optimise can easily be integrated with Appsflyer. Follow the steps below to configure your campaign:
Installs, In-app events and Rejected Installs
- Log in to your Appsflyer account and select Configuration > Integrated Partners
- Search "Optimise" and click to configure
- Turn on "Activate Partner" and "In-App Events Postback" (Fig 1)
- Enter the Application Key provided under "General Settings" and also under "In-App Events Settings" (Fig 1)
- To add In App Events click "Add Event" (Fig 2):
- Select the "SDK Event Name"
- Enter a "Partner Event Identifier" - this needs to be name for the event without whitespaces that you send to Optimise
- Set "Sending Option" to "This Partner Only"
- Set "Send Revenue" to "Values & revenue"
- Under Permissions enable (Fig 3):
- "Allow to configure integration"
- "Allow to configure In-app event postbacks"
Fig 1
Fig 2
Fig 3
Adjust
Optimise can easily be integrated with Adjust. Follow the steps below to configure your campaign:
Branch
Optimise can easily be integrated with Branch. Follow the steps below to configure your campaign:
Woocommerce
For clients using WordPress & Woocommerce we recommend using the PRO Version of the Tracking Code Manager plugin. Once installed use the following tracking tag template. The tracking achieved here is only basic and doesn’t utilise Item/Basket or Voucher Code Tracking.
Further instructions here: https://support.intellywp.com/article/22-add-conversion-pixels-to-your-woocommerce-thank-you-page
or here: https://docs.deltaprojects.com/tracking/wordpress.html
important
If you are using any custom thank you pages, this may prevent the macros for @@OrderID@@, @@Total@@ and @@Currency@@ from functioning correctly
Shopify
Conversion Tag
Tracking macros reference: https://help.shopify.com/themes/liquid/objects/order Deploy the tag to the field described here: https://help.shopify.com/manual/orders/status-tracking/add-conversion-tracking-to-thank-you-page#tracking-orders
- In your Shopify admin, click Settings then Checkout
- Under Order processing tab go to Additional scripts box.
- Add the pixel at the bottom of the Additional scripts box.
Tag template (replace MID & PID values):
Universal Tag
Adding a Universal Tag is a little bit more complex but can be achieved as follows: Because Shopify uses templates, you only need to copy the Universal Tag code snippet into the theme.liquid and checkout.liquid files:
- In your Shopify admin, click Online store, and then click jThemes**.
- In the theme drop-down, click Edit Code.
- In your Shopify admin, open the theme.liquid page.
- Paste the code snippet just before the closing Body tag of the theme.liquid page.
DoubleClick Floodlight
Basic Template
JavaScript tag (preferred):
Pixel:
Note: We recommend configuring the tag in Default mode. See Publisher mode vs Default mode below
Template for Extended Data
JavaScript tag (preferred):
Pixel:
- DoubleClick Macros start with a %p and finish with a =!; For example:
- The last Macro must with finish with a =!? (otherwise all parameters will be appended to the end of the string)
Floodlight Example
Example of a Doubleclick Floodlight tag on Advertiser confirmation page:
u parameters can be used to populate EX & Item values.
Implementation
- If you utilise DoubleClick within Google Tag Manager you can take advantage of the Conversion Linker tag to mitigate the impacts of Apple ITP 2.0
- If the Optimise tag is not being fired by the DoubleClick tag, check that the DoubleClick tag has not been implemented as a pixel - it must be added as an iframe for it to be able to load our tag
Publisher mode vs Default mode
- Publisher mode – in this mode our tag is only fired for our affiliate activity (so the Floodlight tag looks for the cookie DoubleClick from the last click and if it determines it to be from one of our affiliates (as we have redirected the user via e.g https://ad.doubleclick.net/ddm/clk/402032186;202198621;s) then our tag is fired.
- Default mode – our tag is fired for every application, however our tag retrieves our affiliate Id from our own cookie, so we will only track sales where our cookie is found. Although this means there is a chance of cross – channel duplication (e.g in the event that the user has clicked on of our affiliates’ links and then returned via another network or marketing channel) , we do have a monthly validation process where we send all tracked sales for you to approve or reject, so any duplicated sales that have been attributed to another channel can be rejected then. Alternatively, our tag has a ‘channel’ parameter that can be used to pass a last referring channel identifier into our tag. If you can configure the Floodlight tag to pass this onto our tag, we can then configure our tracking to ignore any sales where we aren’t the last referring channel.
DoubleClick help article on Floodlight variables
https://support.google.com/dfa/partner/answer/1094276?hl=en See note re Google Tag Manager: End your string with a semi-colon, not a question mark.
DoubleClick click trackers
Example: http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;263036570;88365486;t
Further info about Click tracker tags: http://support.google.com/dfa/partner/answer/188812?hl=en&ref_topic=2619210
Testing a floodlight tag (Google articles)
- http://support.google.com/dfa/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=2399175&utm_source=s&utm_campaign=pgfhszi1tlltov2xln
- http://commondatastorage.googleapis.com/mps-service/mcanderson/425%20QAing%20Floodlight%20April%2025%20Draft.swf
Impact Radius
Impact Radius supports client-side and server-side postbacks. We should implement a server-side postback and pass {sskey} into an impact radius subid parameter The below is an example template for a postback:
Note that the {ActionId} will return the Impact Radius OrderId not the Advertiser's OrderId. This should be fine if only validating against IR data. To track advertisers order we need to use {oid} macro The following code should be used to extract item/basket data:
List of Macros for Postbacks: https://help.impactradius.com/hc/en-us/articles/115002183068-Event-Postback-URL?flash_digest=04d1de05da7bd2a41c657b6838f52e3e137790ba&flash_digest=23441d498afdbe03ab
Partnerize
All integrations are via API. To integrate Partnerize please speak to your Account Manager.
Extended Data
Up to 11 additional free-text values when a Sale/Conversion occurs. These values are referred to as Extended Data and can contain any alphanumeric data up to 50 characters. To capture Extended data simply add a new parameter in the format: &EX1={EX1-Value} Example Sale/Conversion Tag configured with 11 Extended Data values:
Extended data may also be used to assign different commissions depending on the value. Speak to your Account Manager if your require this.
Basket Item Tracking
Optimise recommend adding Basket Tracking and this is required for the following:
- Dynamic commission based on the content of the basket. eg. award different commissions based on items within the basket
- Reporting of which individual products (or items) are being purchased within the shopping basket.
This can be achieved by adding the following Basket Item parameters to your Sale/Conversion Tag:
| Parameter | Requirement | Instructions |
|---|---|---|
| IName | Mandatory | The name of the basket item purchased † |
| IID | Mandatory | The SKU of the basket item purchased † |
| IVol | Mandatory | The amount of the basket item purchased † |
| IVal | Mandatory | The individual value of the basket item purchased † †† |
| ICat | Optional | The individual category of the basket item purchased † |
† If you are adding multiple values they must be separated by a pipe |
†† This is the value of an individual item. We will automatically calculate IVol x IVal
Additional basket item values are available. Please refer to the examples above for which data should be supplied
The following example demonstrates how the Item Values should be configured.
Customer Type
To record the type of customer add the CustType parameter to the tracking tag.
Adding Channel
Where possible you should notify Optimise of the Channel to which Sale/Transaction is attributed. This can be achieved by adding &Channel= to your Sale Tag, for example:
You should always pass &Channel=Optimise when a sale is attributed to an Optimise Affiliate.
We recommend using the following values in the Channel Parameter:
| Value | When to use |
|---|---|
| Optimise | When sale attributed to Optimise |
| PPC-Generic | When sale attributed to PPC Generic activity |
| PPC-Brand | When sale attributed to PPC Brand activity |
| Display | When sale attributed to Display activity |
| Non-Optimise-Aff | When sale attributed to Non Optimise Affiliate activity |
| Other | When sale attributed to any other channel |
You should always pass &Channel=Optimise when a sale is attributed to an Optimise Affiliate. We recommend using the following values in the Channel Parameter:
Cross Device Tracking with CustID
When available we recommend passing a Customer Identifier. This can be used to stitch sessions together and attribute conversions across devices.
We recommend using a hashed version of the email address, phone number or customer reference number.
De-Duplication
If you are running your Affiliate Campaign with more than one Affiliate Network or you are using a Cross Channel De-duplication tool then you will need to consider how this will work with your Affiliate Campaign.
Multiple Affiliate Networks
If you are running your Affiliate Campaign on multiple Affiliate Networks you will de-duplicate sales to avoid paying the same commission more than once.
This is typically achieved by adding a parameter to your website that can be used to track the referring traffic source. The example below uses a ref querystring parameter.
This parameter’s value is usually stored in a cookie (with the same duration as the Optimise cookie) and then retrieved on the post-sale confirmation page to determine whether or not the Optimise Sale/Conversion Tracking Tag is displayed (also known as show/hide).
Where possible you should notify Optimise of the Channel to which Sale/Conversion is attributed. For further information see (#adding-channel)[Adding Channel].
Unique Order Reference
It’s important that your {SalesReference} is unique as we will use this to automatically de-duplicate your sales. If you are unable to generate a unique Sales Reference or Order Number please contact your Account Manager.
Testing Your Tracking
We will provide Click URLs to test the tracking setup. A single session and multi-session test should be completed. A multi-session test will test that Optimise tracking tags are activated when a visitor returns to the site at a later stage to complete a transaction. If you are using Google Chrome you can use the Optimise Tag Inspector to check Optimise tags are being activated.
important
If using a third-party tracking provider (e.g. DoubleClick) you will need to provide Optimise with a redirect url to add to our systems before completing a test.
Single session test
- Delete browser cookies
- Click on the Test URL provided - this should redirect to your website. Ensure that the URL redirects to the correct landing page and that the correct values (QueryString Parameters) are being passed to your landing page.
- On any pages where you have implemented a Universal Tag you should check the presence of the Universal Tag using the Optimise Tag Inspector.
- From your landing page either place an item in your basket or fill out the form to obtain a quote or generate a lead or application.
- Complete the full sale or lead process. On your post-sale confirmation page where you have placed your Transaction Tag you should check the Tag configuration using the Optimise Tag Inspector.
- Refresh the post-sale confirmation page several times.
- Check the Transaction Summary Report in your account and you should see one Transaction recorded. If you do not see this Transaction (or you see duplicate transactions) double-check your Sale/Conversion Tag is configured correctly.
- Verify that the unique sale reference (Merchant APPID) is displayed (unless alternative arrangements are agreed this will be needed for validating tracked activity).
- Repeat the above for each product.
Multi session test
- Delete browser cookies
- Click on the Test URL provided - this should redirect to your website.
- Close the browser, re-open it and go directly to your site (do not click on any sponsored search results)
- On any pages where you have implemented a Universal Tag you should check the presence of the Universal Tag using the Optimise Tag Inspector.
- From your landing page either place an item in your basket or fill out the form to obtain a quote or generate a lead or application.
- Complete the full sale or lead process. On your post-sale confirmation page where you have placed your Transaction Tag you should check the Tag configuration using the Optimise Tag Inspector.
- Check the Transaction Summary Report in your account and you should see one Transaction recorded. If you do not see this Transaction double-check your Sale/Conversion Tag is configured correctly.
- Verify that the unique sale reference (Merchant APPID) is displayed (unless alternative arrangements are agreed this will be needed for validating tracked activity).
- Repeat the above for each product.
Useful Tools
You may find it helpful to use a tool that can monitor the HTTP traffic that your browser generates. This will let you see all the events that take place when a webpage is loaded and help you identify whether the Optimise Sale/Conversion Tag is fired - or if it is unsuccessful it should help you to identify why.
- Fiddler Tool - A free tool that works with Google Chrome and Internet Explorer
Optimise Tag Inspector
Optimise Tag Inspector is a Google Chrome Extension that makes it easy to see and verify your tracking tags are correctly implemented.
Download Extension
You can install the Extension here from the Chrome Web Store: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/optimise-tag-inspector/ekiippaneofjfjgokhonnfbpjlmmajdc
Using the extension
- Open a URL where an Optimise Tag is installed.
- Simply click on the icon in your Chrome Toolbar (see below)
- If a tag/s are identified these will be detailed in the popup window.
Warnings
No Cookie
If a cookie for your campaign cannot be found you will see the warning detailed below. To resolve this click on the Test URL you were provided.
No PID or No MID found
The tag is misconfigured and does not contain a valid MID or PID value. These should be numerical values. Please check these values against the tags that you were sent by your account manager.
No AppID found
Your Transaction tag must contain a unique AppID value. This is typically a unique order or sale reference that can be used to match the Transaction offline for validation purposes. If you do not require offline validation then a random unique value can be generated and populated.
No Action found
Your Event tag must contain a valid Action. Please check the Event Tags guide for valid &action= values.