A Guide to Conversion Tracking

Carlee Benito

Modified on: Wed, 27 Jan, 2021 at 3:45 PM

This Article Will Cover:

What is a Conversion?
How to Track Conversions
Types of Conversion Pixels:
How to Generate a Conversion Pixel

What is a Conversion?

A Conversion is an action a consumer takes on a landing page that the advertiser has deemed valuable. An action could be a form submission or a product purchase and is typically revenue-generating. The Conversion in CAKE will be used to calculate metrics such a the conversion rate, earnings per click (EPC), and much more. CAKE also provides Event tracking which can be used to measure additional consumer actions taken on an Offer, such as a newsletter signup, mobile app install, and more.

How to Track Conversions

There are two ways CAKE can track conversions using pixels.

HTML Pixels: Also known as Browser Pixels, this type of Conversion Pixel is a piece of code that is placed directly on the thank-you page that fires after a user converts on the offer. When the HTML pixel fires from the user's browser, CAKE looks for the click, or impression, cookie that was placed on the browser when the user was redirected to the landing page from a CAKE Unique Tracking Link. If CAKE finds a cookie on the user's browser that matches the Conversion Pixel, the conversion will be stored.
Server-to-Server: To track Conversions server-side, the Postback URL, also known as a server pixel, is used. This type of pixel is fired from the advertiser's server instead of a browser page, which means cookies are not supported. Since CAKE cannot attribute conversions to an affiliate's campaign via the cookie, the Request ID value is used. The Request ID is a session-specific value that is generated on a click and stored by the advertiser; this value is then required on the Postback URL from the advertiser for attribution.

Types of Conversion Pixels:

CAKE supports multiple pixels for tracking conversions, each of which offers benefits and disadvantages.

iFrame: This is the recommended HTML Pixel and most commonly used. It is easy to implement and allows for all types of affiliate pixel piggy-backing.
Javascript: This HTML Pixel is recommended when passing dynamic values in the pixel, such as revenue earned for a conversion. However, this pixel type cannot support piggy-backing an affiliate's iFrame Pixel.
Image: Though this HTML Pixel fires the quickest, it is not recommended because it does not support any affiliate pixel piggy-backing. If this pixel is used, affiliates can only place campaign Postback URL's within their CAKE Affiliate Portal.
Postback URL: This Server-to-Server pixel has many added benefits, such as accuracy and fraud prevention, however, it is not always supported by advertisers. If a Postback URL is used, no affiliate HTML Pixel can be piggybacked, this means affiliates will only be able to place campaign Postback URL's to track server-side as well.

Note:

Pixel piggy-backing is when CAKE will fire an affiliate campaign pixel that is placed within the portal when a conversion successfully stores for that campaign.

How to Generate a Conversion Pixel

Section 3: Generate a Conversion Pixel

To generate a conversion pixel from the Offer card, follow these steps:

Begin on the Home tab
Click on the Pixel button
Select Conversion/Install
Click Next

To generate a conversion pixel from the Action Menu icon, follow these steps:

Click on the Action Menu icon on the top right of your screen
Navigate to the Tracking section
Click Generate Conversion Pixel
Select the Offer the pixel will track
Select Conversion/Install
Click Next

From the first page of the wizard, there are additional fields that are not required:

Include Request Session ID: Selecting this will append "r=REQUEST_SESSION_ID" to all HTML Pixels, whereas by default, that parameter would only be included on the Postback URL. This solution is recommended when there is a concern of user's having cookies disabled on their browser. Without a valid cookie, CAKE can convert the consumer based on the Request ID value, similar to Server-to-Server tracking.
Ecommerce Parameters: If the Ecommerce license is enabled within your instance, this option is displayed. Enabling this checkbox will append all CAKE Ecommerce parameters to the generated conversion pixels.
Include User ID: If checked, the user id (u=) parameter will be appended to the conversion pixel.
Email to Advertiser: If this box is selected, an email containing the generated conversion pixels are sent to the Advertiser's contact(s) email address after selecting Finish on the last step of the wizard.