S2S Postback in Affiliate Marketing: Definition, Setup Track

Affiliate marketing is an effective marketing channel that helps you attract potential customers and make great passive money. However, to measure the effectiveness of your affiliate marketing campaign, you need to track conversions. S2S Postback is a tool to help you do just that, helping you track all conversions, including those not captured by the tracking pixel. In this article, Adsnextgen will introduce to you the features of PostBack or server-to-server (S2S) data transfer. How to install and provide a visual comparison table between Postback and Tracking Pixel to help you make the most informed decision.

Explain S2S Postback in affiliate marketing

S2S PostBack is a tool to track conversion camps in affiliate marketing. This method transfers data from one platform to another, such as from an advertising network to a tracker about a specific activity. It simplifies working with affiliate network data, helping you optimize marketing campaigns and improve conversion rates.

How does server-to-server postback work?

Implementing S2S postback is a simple process. The specific way S2S Postback works is as follows:

1. Users see your ad and click on it. Each user’s click is assigned a unique click ID.
2. When users click on an ad, they can be redirected through several pages in just a few milliseconds. These pages can include landing pages, advertiser websites, affiliate networks, etc.
3. When the user completes the intended action, the system recognizes the associated click ID as a conversion.
4. Conversion-related data is sent first to the federated network server, and then to your tracking server.
5. You can configure your ad network server to track conversions from your affiliate network or trackers.

>>>> Learn more: The Best Affiliate Tracking CPA Software in 2024 (News Update)

The importance of setting up server-to-server Postback

1. Precise conversion tracking: Compared to more conventional tracking techniques, server-to-server postback offers more precise and trustworthy conversion statistics.
2. Improved data security: S2S postback shields transformed data from unwanted access by using secure connections and data encryption.
3. Time and money are saved by flexibility and automation: s2s postback makes it possible to automate conversion tracking on a range of platforms, affiliate networks, and devices.
4. Campaign optimization: S2S postback offers comprehensive information on campaign performance, assisting you in fine-tuning your campaign to provide the greatest outcomes and, consequently, raise conversion rates and campaign ROI.

Installation and use S2S Postback

Let’s say you’re a beauty blogger and you have a website with high engagement and conversions. So you want to find an affiliate marketing network (CPA Networks) and join their program. Because you want to optimize and track your Marketing campaign, you decide to install S2S Postback.

Below is the detailed installation process:

• Step 1: Create an account with an affiliate marketing network: You need to create an account with the affiliate marketing network for which you want to use s2s postback.
• Step 2: You install S2S Postback on your website.
• Step 3: Affiliate Marketing Network X gives you an S2S Postback URL.
• Step 4: You add the S2S Postback URL to the website’s HTML code, completing the installation process.

Its operating process will be as follows:

• Step 5: When potential customers click on the affiliate link on your website, they will be redirected to the publisher’s sales site.
• Step 6: When a lead converts (purchases, signs up, etc.) on the publisher’s website, the website sends conversion data to your S2S Postback URL.
• Step 7: You get conversion data and can use it to analyze the effectiveness of your affiliate marketing campaign.

Through the example above, you can see that S2S Postback helps you secure information carefully and track conversions accurately, from which you can use the data provided by Postback to devise appropriate marketing strategies, relevant to your customers and industry.

Compare the differences between S2S Postback and Pixel Tracking

	S2S Postback URL	Tracking Pixel
Definition	Server-to-server (S2S) tracking is a more complex but superior method for accurately tracking user activity and clicks. This technique creates a click ID value through an HTTP request, which is then used for tracking. After a conversion, the affiliate network sends the value and data to your tracking program and gives you detailed information on everything.	The “Tracking Pixel” technique relies on the fact that web browsers temporarily store information about a user’s website activities in cookies. When a user converts (e.g. makes a purchase), the cookies are checked to confirm the user’s session and link the conversion to their website visit. This technique can also track ad impressions, homepage views, and other useful information.
Pros	Precise tracking: Conversion tracking using S2S Postback URL tracking is the most precise approach. Because tracking is done server-side, outcomes are less arbitrary. Trustworthy and safe: less concerned about fraud, and there are ways to stop postback fraud. Transparency: Because Postback obtains all the information about users’ sessions with each click, it may be used to check whether there are any variations or discrepancies in the number of conversions.	Simple to use and quick to execute Excellent for organic traffic. If your affiliate network or system does not allow S2S Postback URL tracking setup, you can still utilize tracking pixels.
Cons	It is more difficult to set up S2S Postback URL tracking. Those who are just starting may have some challenges in getting it to function properly.	It can be inaccurate at times: This is because when a user deletes their browser cookies, all their data is removed, which means there is no tracking available. Additionally, users can manually remove cookies, which happens frequently. Support for the use of cookies is being limited by all browsers: Initially, cookies were used by web browsers to prevent unauthorized tracking. However, Intelligent Tracking Prevention is already in place in Mozilla Firefox and Apple Safari, which often prevents you from identifying conversions made via third-party cookies, which may have implications for tracking and identification of conversions.

FAQs S2S postback tracking

1. Do I need to set up a tracking device?

S2S postback is worth choosing and using. The good news is that many trackers offer free versions or extended trials for a limited number of registered events.

2. What happens if I don’t set up a tracking device?

In cases where a tracking device is not installed, conversion data will be lost, preventing you from optimizing your affiliate marketing strategy and possibly costing you money.

3. What can you track with the S2S postback URL?

You can track the following metrics with S2S Postback: number of clicks, conversions, purchase status, transactions,…

4. When should you use S2S Postback?

If you want to track your affiliate network’s conversions, you should use Postback Tracking. Additionally, it’s important to verify that your affiliate network accepts Postback Tracking to get accurate conversion statistics.

5. What are some common problems when using S2S Postback?

If you have any problems using the S2S postback URL, you can refer to the documentation or contact the affiliate marketing network support.

6. Is S2S postback safe?

Server-to-server postback uses advanced security measures to protect your conversion data so you can use it with peace of mind.

In short, S2S Postback is an advanced conversion tracking tool that helps you measure the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns and optimize them to increase profits. With S2S Postback, you can be confident that your affiliate marketing campaign will be successful

>>>> Learn more useful information about affiliate marketing:

• Pin Submit Offers in Affiliate Networks: Definition, Best Programs in 2024
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