Chad Hamzehs

Traffic BlackBook
Tracking
Today’s Agenda
- Some common definitions

- Tracking systems, watch me setup tracking for campaigns

with my PPC Generator
- Discuss certain thresholds in terms of clicks and
impressions that I use before making decisions

- What you should be looking for from your tracking on

various platforms

- Day Parting

- Tracking Opt-ins
Definitions
There are a variety of tracking methods available, including
but not limited to:
• Pixel Tracking
• Sub ID Tracking
• Post Back Urls & API Calls
Definitions
There are a variety of tracking methods available, including
but not limited to:
• Pixel Tracking We’ll be focusing mainly on Pixel Tracking and SubID
tracking today as they are widely used on a variety
of platforms.

• Sub ID Tracking
• Post Back Urls & API Calls
Pixel Tracking
• Pixel tracking is used by most PPC, PPV, and banner buying platforms.

• A great and simple option when not managing several different tracking sources

• Essential, as mentioned before, for certain blind traffic networks

• Setup for the most part simply consists of you copying the pixel from the traffic source, and
emailing it to your affiliate manager at your CPA network (some CPA networks have self
serve options). If you’re a product owner, then you simply paste the pixel on your Thank You/
Success page after purchase.

• Pixel tracking for Clickbank products can be difficult since you can’t always get the vendor
to place your pixel on their thank you page. If you can, then it’s an excellent option.
 Pixel Tracking - AdWords
Step 1: Login and click the “reporting” tab
 Pixel Tracking - AdWords
Step 2: Name the conversion and select the purpose
 Pixel Tracking - AdWords
Step 3: Hit “Save & Continue”
 Pixel Tracking - AdWords
Step 4: Specify page security level and revenue
 Pixel Tracking - AdWords
Step 5: Copy & Paste/Send Pixel Code
Pixel Tracking - AdWords
Tracking Results:
With pixel tracking, for the most part that is all that’s needed to get done. Once the campaign
has run a while and generated some conversions, you’ll be able to see down to the keyword level
exactly what has converted, and how much it cost to generate a conversion. (Note: Google Display
Network will only track to ad group level)

2 important columns are the Conversion column (obviously), but more importantly the “Cost/conv.” column. In addition to that,
we will want to focus our ad spend on the ad groups, ads, and keywords giving us the best cost/conv. and revenue. Pixel tracking
shows us in black and white which ad groups, ads, and keywords to keep, and which ones to kill.
Pixel Tracking - Other Platforms
Obviously, I couldn’t go into pixel tracking for every network out there. There are hundreds.
However, the principles are the same. Most PPC/traffic networks have a “conversion tracking”
option. Here are a few of the more common ones:

In MSN adCenter, your conversion

tracking code can be found on the
right hand side under “Additional
settings”. It works similar to Googles
Tracking pixel in that you just copy
and paste the code shown.

As before, for CPA marketing, email

the pixel code to your affiliate
manager.
Pixel Tracking - Other Platforms
Obviously, I couldn’t go into pixel tracking for every network out there. There are hundreds.
However, the principles are the same. Most PPC/traffic networks have a “conversion tracking”
option. Here are a few of the more common ones:

For AdBlade, the code is much

smaller than the other platforms. It
can be found under the “Conversion
Code” tab. On a non-transparent
network such as Adblade, pixel
tracking is essential as it lets reps
know which channels and sites are
converting for you and which aren’t.
Pixel Tracking - Other Platforms
Obviously, I couldn’t go into pixel tracking for every network out there. There are hundreds.
However, the principles are the same. Most PPC/traffic networks have a “conversion tracking”
option. Here are a few of the more common ones:

Pulse 360 uses a 4 step process

found under the “Conversion
Tracking” tab. Same rules apply
before and you’re able to see which
ads and channels are bringing you
the best results.
Pixel Tracking
There really isn’t too much to say about pixel tracking. It’s a very simple process for setting
up your tracking needs and most traffic platforms allow you to use it, and give good
explanations on how to use it.

The advantages to using pixel tracking are that it shows you easily what is converting and
what isn’t. Also, it can be setup very fast.

The disadvantages are that it is sometimes not the most accurate, in that occasionally
pixels won’t fire, so your “tracked conversions” vs. “actual conversions” might be off a bit.

Another possible disadvantage, depending on your trust level, is that the traffic networks
will then have all data about what is working within your campaigns. I’ve never found this
to be an issue but some don’t like that aspect.
Sub-ID Tracking
A sub ID is a number or value that is placed at the end of your tracking or offer url. For
simple direct linking, a subID can be used like this:

AD1_polarfleece

So, in the example above, if we were direct linking from Google AdWords for example, then
Google would automatically replace {keyword} with the keyword that generated the search.
You would manually enter “AD1” to tell you which ad generated the click/conversion. Done
this way, clicks and conversions that get to your affiliate network backend will show this
extra data in the subID columns. For direct linking, this is one of my favorite ways to track.
Simple, fast, and easy.

In Clickbank, the subID is called the “tid”. So, your scrambled Clickbank link would look like
this:

http://fb37byu7qoa08ndpszgdxu8pbk.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=inserthere
Sub-ID Tracking
However, when we start bringing in other elements such as landing pages, then subID
tracking is a bit more involved and requires a 3rd party tracking system. What this 3rd party
tracking system does is passes custom values from the ad network to the landing page and
then further to the affiliate network.

Done correctly, you’re able to see which ad, landing page, and offer converted.
Sub-ID Tracking
• More versatile when dealing with multiple traffic sources and landing pages

• My tracking style of choice for CPA

• Considered “old school” and tedious by many, but it’s usually the most accurate

• Setup is more complex.You will want a 3rd party tracking system in place to do sub-ID
tracking. There are several paid and free options. My favorite solution has always been
Prosper202, and I’ll now go into how I track on Prosper202 by setting up a campaign with
tracking in place >>
Sub-ID Tracking

Each CPA and affiliate network will have it’s own location within the affiliate link where
subIDs will get added on. For specific info about your network, ask your affiliate manager.

Also, check out the link below that explains subIDs a bit more, and gives some examples of
popular network link formats:

http://subids.tracking202.com/
Let’s Talk Thresholds
• A lot of the questions I get in regards to tracking are really about the thresholds I use to
decide when to kill an ad, landing page, or campaign.
• I’ve discussed in the very first video that I’ll usually recommend people pause an element
within the campaign and look to attack it from a different angle if they’ve spent 2x the offer
payout on that particular element. That is budget permitting. If you don’t have the budget to
track at that deep of a level, then you can do 2x the offer payout for the campaign.
Let’s Talk Thresholds
• A lot of the questions I get in regards to tracking are really about the thresholds I use to
decide when to kill an ad, landing page, or campaign.
• I’ve discussed in the very first video that I’ll usually recommend people pause an element
within the campaign and look to attack it from a different angle if they’ve spent 2x the offer
payout on that particular element. That is budget permitting. If you don’t have the budget to
track at that deep of a level, then you can do 2x the offer payout for the campaign.

Example: ad1

Offers Rotating LP1 ad2

(payouts between $25-30) ad3
Keywords and Ad Groups are also taken
Offer 1 into account on PPC engines. When
ad1 dealing with networks with specific site
Offer 2
LP2 placements, they are treated like ad
ad2 groups. Paused if thresholds are met.
Offer 3 ad3

avg. offer payout: $27.50 ad1

LP3 ad2

ad3
Let’s Talk Thresholds
• In the intermediate and advanced bidding strategies module, as well as the Social PPC
module, I showed how I optimize down to find winning ads and ad groups.

• We always want to keep CTR and Conversion rate high of course. So, on CPM based
systems such as Plenty of Fish, I will pause an ad if I see it’s received more than 1000-1500
impressions without a click. 1 click out of 1000 impressions is a 0.1% CTR which is usually
lower than I’m looking for, and getting cheap traffic with CTRs that low is typically difficult.

• The other thing people ask me is “how much data is enough” to be deemed “statistically
significant” (s/s). All this means is how much data is enough to make a confident decision off
of.

Typically I want 100-300 clicks to an offer before deciding to keep it or not.You can use this
number of clicks per landing page as well. As far as when I know my EPC is solid, I can usually
be comfortable about my EPC after 30-40 conversions.
What You Should Be Looking For....
As I’ve said before, universally for all platforms you want to find the ads with the highest click
through rates. The logic is simple really. If people are attracted to your ads, then you’ve
passed that first line of defense with them.

As long as your landing page expands on the message in your ad, and the offer fulfills the
desire the ad/lander generated, then you have a good chance of converting them.

So, as I said in the original video, CTR is extremely important, and you want to identify the
elements giving you the highest CTR. This means not only ads, but also landers when using
them.
What You Should Be Looking For....

Obviously the next no-brainer here is to find the ads/landers/etc. that are getting you the
best conversion rates.
What You Should Be Looking For....
On keyword based systems, you want to find the keywords and ad groups giving you the best
data as well. When bidding on placements, the same rules apply there.
What You Should Be Looking For....

Tracking systems such as Prosper202 show you what keywords, ads, landers, and offers are
converting and which are not. For particular platforms, pixel tracking offers this level of detail
as well.
What You Should Be Looking For....

Some people have mentioned that they get campaigns to breaking even then aren’t able to
expand past that. Typically, the campaign isn’t optimized enough and they’re giving up too
early.

In this case, again, go back to the CTR. Go back to your sales message as well. A higher CTR
will bring your cpc/cpm down on self serve platforms usually. For banner buys, a high CTR
makes your theoretical cpc cheaper as well. This alone can mean the difference between
profit and breaking even.

After that it’s about tweaking your sales message. A couple more percent in conversion rates
can mean a lot more money when your CTR is maximized.
Day Parting
I wanted to put in a quick note about day parting as it’s something that can mean the
difference between profit and loss.

For those that don’t know, day parting (or week parting) is basically the practice of having
your campaign turned off during certain parts of the day or week.

Tracking systems such as

Prosper202 allow you to see
which times of day and
which days of the week are
converting best for you:
Day Parting

Once you have this data, then it’s simply a matter of starting and stopping your campaigns at
the appropriate time, so that your ad spend is dedicated to your most profitable times of day.

AdWords allows you to set your day parting automatically, as does MSN Ad Center. This way
your campaigns will only run during the times you specify. On some platforms you’ll need to
day part manually.

For AdWords, scheduling can be found under the “settings” tab, and for MSN Ad Center the
you can set your day parting in your campaign settings and when you create your campaign
as well.
Tracking Opt-Ins

And finally in this video I wanted to put a quick note about tracking opt-ins. This is something
I’ve been asked a few times so I felt it warranted a blurb about it.

As many know, I’m a huge advocate of getting the opt-in and building a list. My best ROI has
come from my lists.

In terms of tracking, I am personally not familiar with 1 system that can track opt-in to
conversion perfectly especially when it comes to CPA marketing.
Tracking Opt-Ins

Your best option is to use your auto-responders built in open/click tracking, and ideally opt-
in form tracking. This will at least take care of the auto-responder side of things.

As for tracking which ad got the opt-in, the best option I’ve heard of came from Ian
Fernando. Ian is a successful affiliate as well, and he suggested placing the Prosper202 pixel in
the body of your welcome email. This is a great idea, but if someone doesn’t allow images to
load in the e-mail, it won’t work.

Also, if direct linking from your auto responder to your offer, you can add a custom subID to
the end of the offer link in your e-mail. (example: subid=autoresponder1)

Most advertisers use custom 3rd party scripts. I’ve considered getting one built but just
haven’t seen the need for it yet. Now that I’m developing my own offerings in other niches
it’s probably something I’ll look into. Something that can track which ad generated the opt-
in, and which opt-in then converted, etc.
Tracking Opt-Ins

So, I wish I had a better option for you guys there, but that’s the best I know on that!

If you know of a solution that really is an end-to-end solution, please let me know as I’d love
to hear about it.

FYI, there is probably a demand out there for this.... maybe that’s a product idea for someone
to get on if they could ;-)
Bevo Media
One more option for 3rd party tracking that I wanted to bring up is Bevo Media. This is an
alternative to Prosper202, and it shows a great deal of promise!
Bevo Media

Normally I don’t recommend stuff I haven’t used extensively, but a few fellow marketers have
told me they absolutely love Bevo Media’s tracking tools.
Bevo Media

It’s 100% free to use their hosted platform, and upon initial use it doesn’t seem that there is
any performance issues running off their service. If you really want to host it on your own
server, then it’s $200/month. Again, comes down to your level of trust.
Bevo Media

Based on playing around with it just a few times so far, I really do feel that I’ll be spending
some more time testing it and possibly replacing Prosper202 with Bevo.
Bevo Media

As with Prosper202, there are some excellent tutorials to check out to get up to speed
quickly. Bevo integrates with the top CPA and PPC networks automatically so it looks like it
updates in real time without much hassle. Prosper202 has a $30/month plugin called Stats202
which does similar things. So no manual sub-id uploading.
Bevo Media

Most people are saying that Bevo is extremely quick to setup for CPA marketing, and this
could be it’s edge over Prosper202. Prosper has been around a while, however, and is quite
versatile.
Tracking Concluded...

So, I just wanted to explain a bit further in detail about tracking and tracking options today.

Feel free to experiment. If you’re doing Google AdWords and promoting something that
Google is “cool” with, then their pixel tracking is great. Combined with Google Analytics and
their Google A/B and Multivariate split-testing, and you have quite possibly the most
complete tracking system out there, and it’s all free. If you’re a product owner using
AdWords, this is one of your best options.

And as for outside of Google, we have the free 3rd party options of Prosper202 and Bevo
Media. There are paid options that I’ve heard good things about such as StatsJunky, though I
can’t speak from personal experience.

And of course, as mentioned in the Direct to Site video, for media buying, my tracking
platform of choice is the ad server “AdShuffle”.
Tracking Concluded...

I didn’t necessarily want to go into all the tracking tools in this elementary way “this is how
you setup tracking” etc etc.

That stuff can be explained much better and more in depth by the tutorials and help docs
found in the particular networks and 3rd party tracking platforms.

The goal was to show you what I like to track for and look for in my tracking to help make
better decisions.
Tracking Tools...
Google AdWords Conversion Tracking:
http://adwords.google.com/support/aw/bin/topic.py?hl=en&topic=16344

Prosper202
http://prosper.tracking202.com/apps/

Bevo Media
http://beta.bevomedia.com/

AdShuffle (ad server for media buys)

http://adshuffle.com/