RM server-side conversion tracking

Right Media Exchange Knowledge Base .:
4/26/10 11:22 PM
From: Right Media Exchange Knowledge Base
kb.yieldmanager.com/
Tracking conversions without cookies (server-side conversion
tracking)
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When to use server-side conversion tracking
As an alternative to cookie-based conversion tracking, you can use conversion tokens, also known as server-
side conversion tracking or server-side pixels. This is recommended for situations like the fol owing, when
the Exchange's standard conversion tracking methods are less effective:
You don't have access to the advertiser's conversion page to implement the conversion pixel.
You prefer to use your own third party systems to track conversions (for improved accuracy and fewer
double-counting discrepancies).
The action that represents the conversion can't be tied to an action on the advertiser's site. For example,
a number of users may apply to purchase a product but some fail the advertiser's credit verification
process and never complete the purchase. The advertiser wants to count conversions only when the
product ships, not when users submit the application, but product shipment isn't a discrete action that can
be tracked on the advertiser's site.
The action that represents the conversion doesn't occur in the same browser session as the original
session that contains the user's cookie information, so you can't correlate the conversion with the user.
This might be the case when the conversion is based on an application download and the application
launches the conversion page in a new browser session.
How server-side conversion tracking works
Server-side conversion tracking requires a bit of extra integration on your part, to enable us to pass you the user
code (conversion token) upon a click, and you to pass information back to us for the user upon a conversion
event.
Without a conversion token, we would direct clicks to a clickthrough URL like this:
http://onlinerewardcenter.com/rd_p?p=117042&c=12716-wallywo250gc_300_hibrand_10sec&a=
With a conversion token, we add a parameter of your choice, such as ymid, to the clickthrough URL that
identifies the user, so that it looks like this :
http://onlinerewardcenter.com/rd_p?
p=117042&ymid=XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX&c=12716-
wallywo250gc_300_hibrand_10sec&a=
Note: The length of the parameter value is 236 characters.
Then when you record a conversion event for this user, you pass us that information by making a pixel request
to:
http://ad.yieldmanager.com/pixel?id=1234&context=XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
or
http://ad.yieldmanager.com/pixel?adv=641&code=6842&context=XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (if you're
using advertiser integration codes)
Here, the context value is simply the conversion token that we passed to you original y.
Note: Conversions wil be associated with geography according to the IP address of the server that
requested the pixel. Because this geographic information is not necessarily tied to the geography of the
user who converted, the information is not used for prediction purposes.
Setting up server-side conversion tracking
To set up server-side conversion tracking:
1. Create a conversion pixel for the advertiser as you normal y would, associating it with the appropriate
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Right Media Exchange Knowledge Base .:
4/26/10 11:22 PM
campaign.
2. When you traffic creatives for the campaign, specify the parameter that represents the conversion token,
such as ymid. Also insert the ${PIXEL_CONTEXT} macro in the creative's clickthrough URL, as a
placeholder for the value of the conversion token parameter, like this:
http://onlinerewardcenter.com/rd_p?p=117042&ymid=${PIXEL_CONTEXT}&c=12716-
wallywo250gc_300_hibrand_10sec&a =
3. Integrate the conversion token with your backend system so that it makes the pixel cal and passes the
token value whenever you record a conversion.
Related topics:
Tracking segment pixel activity
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