Why should I use Tracking Optimisation?
Awin’s Tracking Optimisation makes sure that the most accurate tracking method available is used for each individual click and also introduces our latest tracking method Bounceless Tracking. So what does this actually mean? Well, each user comes to your site in their own environment such as the browser being used, the version of that browsers, the advertiser they want to visit etc. Tracking Optimisation looks at that environment and decides what tracking method will be the most effective. For example, since Safari’s changes introduced through the various iterations of ITP, a user visiting your site on their iPhone may not track well using cookies and so Tracking Optimisation may decide that server to server (API) tracking or Bounceless Tracking is more effective in this instance. This further increases Awin’s tracking accuracy so you can rest assured that sales won’t go missing.
Getting started with Awin Tracking Optimisation (Bounceless Tracking)
The first plugin you should activate is Awin’s Tracking Optimisation. To activate any plugin, simply press the slider. To deactivate, press the slider again so that it is in the off position.
The Tracking Optimisation plugin is the most important to activate as it makes sure that the most effective tracking method will be used for any given click. This is determined by the user, your site and the advertiser who is receiving the traffic. For example, it may determine that the most effective tracking method for a particular click is via our 1st party cookies or perhaps Server to Server (API tracking).
The Tracking Optimisation plugin is also the only way to use Awin’s Bounceless Tracking which completely removes any network redirect from tracking. This gives a cleaner and faster user experience and studies have shown that improved page load times lead to higher conversion rates.
How does it work?
By eliminating the network redirect, Awin has removed Bounceless Tracking from the areas of interest for recent browser privacy initiatives such as ITP. This gives Awin highly effective tracking through the Tracking Optimisation plugin, unaffected by browser or device.
The prerequisites for Bounceless Tracking are that both the advertiser and publisher are using the respective Awin MasterTag technology and that the publisher has activated the Tracking Optimization Plugin. As part of Awin’s tracking policy, advertisers should be using the Advertiser MasterTag. Publishers can verify this via the Advertiser Metadata page in the UI. The Publisher MasterTag intercepts an affiliate click event and determines the best tracking flow (bounce or Bounceless) based on the User Agent, as well as the advertiser being linked to.
With this method, Awin achieves privacy-conscious single site A to site B attribution, without third-party cookies and the use of a centralized tracking domain, which can be used to poly- site track and build profiles of consumer browsing behavior. Bounceless Tracking makes use of two underutilized browser technologies, the Ping anchor attribute and the Beacon API. These technologies allow for the creation of asynchronous, non-blocking requests outside of the rendering of webpages. This also allows for a better browsing experience for consumers, in contrast to traditional tracking pixels and JavaScript where slow request responses have the potential to block the painting/rendering of webpages, or simply not complete before page unloads and leads to missed sales.