This article will cover the following:
This article will cover the following:
What is Direct Linking?
Direct Linking is a form of click tracking within CAKE that sends consumers directly to the landing page URL with tracking parameters instead of redirecting through a CAKE tracking link.
CAKE’s best practice for tracking clicks is to use a tracking link which enables CAKE to attribute campaign performance, track sub ID’s, and maximize monetization opportunities through features like caps, geo-targeting, and rules.
In some situations, however, a CAKE tracking link is not a viable option. Typically, this means a media buying platform restricts third‑party measurement, such as Google or Facebook, so our redirects are not allowed behind the adverts. In addition, clients may want to take advantage of the SEO opportunities offered by having their affiliates link directly to the site – though note this can have a negative SEO effect as well as a positive.
In these scenarios, a Direct Link can be used to track the consumer by creating a click when they reach the landing page. Upon the consumer’s arrival to the landing page, the CAKE Dynamic Click Pixel (DCP) will load and perform two primary tasks.
The DCP will generate a first‑party session cookie
The DCP will store the CAKE Request ID in the cookie.
When the consumer converts on the offer, a JavaScript SDK (JS SDK) conversion pixel is used to capture the CAKE Request ID from the first‑party cookie and records the conversion in CAKE.
How to Configure a Direct Link for an Affiliate/Source
Because direct linking uses the landing page URL with appended tracking parameters to be used for attribution and analytics, let’s review which tracking parameters are needed on a direct link within CAKE.
For our example, we will use the following Landing Page URL:
There are two options for configuring a Direct Link to ensure that CAKE knows which Campaign to attribute the click to:
Campaign ID and Creative ID (recommended)
Campaign 3rd Party Name
To configure the Direct Link with Campaign ID and Creative ID, follow these steps:
Insert the Campaign ID into the ckmsc= parameter after the query string
Insert the Creative ID into the ckmc= parameter after the query string
Example Direct Link after it has been configured with the Campaign ID and Creative ID:
To configure the Direct Link with Campaign 3rd Party Name, follow these steps:
Identify, or create, a unique parameter on the Landing Page URL that can be associated to the Campaign in CAKE.
Insert this parameter into the 3rd Party Name field on the Campaign
Insert the Campaign 3rd Party Name into the ckmscn= parameter
Insert the Creative ID into the ckmc= parameter if you want to track creative performance.
If you have any questions, please reach out to your dedicated CAKE Client Success Manager/Account Manager or contact the CAKE Support Team at support@getCAKE.com.