A pixel is a tiny, 1 x 1 image that is imbedded on a confirmation page that enables accurate tracking of an online campaign.

Here in the production department at Intela, we are constantly working with our client’s pixels: placing the pixels in different offers and then using them to track the success or failure of specific campaigns. The proper placement of a pixel is essential to a campaign “firing” or in simpler terms…working!

To better understand, these are the general steps to a pixel successfully performing its “job” within an offer’s confirmation page:

1. Consumers are redirected to a merchant’s landing page through a tracking URL which writes a cookie containing the campaign, affiliate, date and misc. information.
2. A tracking pixel is placed on the confirmation page by the merchant.
3. Once the consumer reaches the confirmation page, the tracking pixel executes and reads the cookie from the user’s machine.
4. Information read from the cookie is used to create a transaction in the tracking platform for reporting purposes.

In addition to placing pixels, and tracking them - we, in the production department, spend a good amount of time troubleshooting different problems that can occur with pixels. Some of the most common are:

1. Post pixel placement and offer testing: have we seen/verified that the correct pixel is tracking with the correct offer? If it has “fired,” then both the client and we will see what is called a successful lead.
2. Did you begin your test by clicking through your tracking link?
3. Is your merchant’s landing page loading completely?
4. If the success page is secured (https), are you also using a secured pixel URL?
5. Do you have duplicate IP or other traffic filtered turned on?
6. If needed, is the proper Internet proxy being used, in order to open the initial URL?
7. Have you verified that the cookie has been written to your computer by the tracking URL?
8. If it has “fired,” then we as well as the client will see what is called a successful lead.

If properly utilized, placed and tracked, these tiny invisible pixels can provide a wealth of information as it pertains to affiliate marketing, target markets, and the status of market share. The cliché is, however, also true: garbage in, garbage out. By using the technology we have at Intela, we are able to not only track and provide real-time campaign information, but we also have the ability to drive revenue and help your company grow… all thanks to a little 1 x 1 pixel. Isn’t technology wonderful?

This entry was posted on Monday, August 4th, 2008 at 6:44 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.