Kwanko Advertiser Help Desk

What are the different types of tracking available? 

1. S2S / Server-to-Server 

Postback, also known as server-to-server or S2S tracking, is a method of transferring information between two servers.

Postbacks are HTTP requests sent from one server to another. There is no need to place specific code on the website; instead, information is stored server-side. Since the identifier is unique for each user, all essential information about the visitor can be easily stored using a single metric.

How does it work? 

1. The user clicks an affiliate link, usually presented as a tracker containing data specific to the affiliate. It includes the subID (a unique identifier).

2. The tracker redirects the user to the advertiser's site while transmitting the affiliate's information to the advertiser's server.

3. The user performs an action on the advertiser's site (purchase, registration, etc.).

4. The advertiser’s server detects this action and records the relevant data, including the affiliate information passed by the tracker.

5. The advertiser’s server sends a postback to the affiliate platform's server.

6. The affiliate platform attributes the commission to the respective affiliate based on the subID linked to the conversion.

Advantages of this solution:

• No need to install code on the page

• Information is stored by the server

• Each user has a unique ID, allowing essential visitor information to be stored with a single metric

• Durable over time

• No dependence on cookies

2. Tracking Pixel

These are pieces of HTML code placed on website pages to track conversions and user activities.

To track conversions, you need to place a tracking pixel on the page that follows sales confirmations. The tracking pixel method relies on the web browser temporarily storing information about a user's activity on a specific website. This information is commonly referred to as "cookies."

When a specific conversion occurs, these cookies are reviewed to authenticate the user session and attribute the conversion to a visit.

• 1st Party Cookies are stored directly on the domain or website the user is visiting.
  Example: Client subdomain xyz.clientdomain.com

• Third Party Cookies are stored on a different domain from the one the user is currently visiting.
  Example: Kwanko domain action.metaffiliation.com

✅ Ad blockers have more difficulty blocking 1st party cookies compared to 3rd party cookies, which enhances the quality of 1st party tracking measurements.

 ⚠️ BEWARE: The use of third-party cookies is increasingly being called into question by the various browsers (Chrome / Mozilla / etc...) and will gradually be blocked in the coming months. It is important to anticipate these blockages and choose a technology that meets these constraints. 

Differences between two methods

Pixel tracking and server-to-server tracking are two major methods for tracking your conversions and your advertising. 

Here are the main points to remember:

You will find the Kwanko tracking implementation examples on the right.