Tracker Library
Create specific links to track special promotions, advertising campaigns or other creative marketing opportunities. Offline strategies include business cards, flyers, brochures, newspaper articles or interviews, etc.
Potential visitors will see your special tracker links in PREselling promotions off or away from your site. Tracker links either bring people from your marketing efforts to your site, or directly to one of your income-generators.
Your tracking data resides in the "Click Data" section of the TrafficCenter. Because the data is about traffic coming into your site, you look at the "Click IN" data.
Let's use an example to illustrate. This short ad contains a tracker link...
From the best abs exercises to sample meals...
it's all in "The Truth About Six Pack Abs."
If you buy one ab book this year, make it this one.
(links to http://www.flat-stomach-exercises.com/truth)
It was definitely $37 dollars well spent for me.
The Click In data report looks like this...
Promotions cost you time and/or money. Why keep doing something that is not generating an acceptable Return on Investment? Track your promotional links and know which ones to drop based on the results in your "Click IN Data" Report (found in Site Central's TrafficCenter).
Where To Use Tracker Links
Use tracker links in a variety of ways...
1) Track untraceable links. When it's impossible to know where a visitor to your site came from, create a tracker link. For example... links from your free e-book, from e-mail of any kind (sig files, mailing lists, autoresponder campaigns, your e-zine), an offline print ad, a non-Web-based newsreader, etc.
 Video
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Watch the SBI! Libraries Video in the DAY 6 section of the Video Action Guide to reinforce your understanding. |
2) Test e-zine ads. Set a different tracking URL for each ad you write. This lets you measure which ad generates a better response. Run Ad #1 in e-zine #1 and Ad #2 in e-zine #2, then switch a month later. Stick with the most profitable one.
3) Test Web-based advertising. This includes banners, pay-per-click advertising, and posts to forums and discussion groups. While Referrer data in Site Central's Traffic Stats can also show how people arrive at your site, tracker links provide more detailed information. For additional ideas, see this Monetization HQ article.
Important Note: If you're posting to forums or other locations for the backlinks you'll receive, don't use tracker links. Use them only if you're not looking for "link juice" from the other site.
4) Use it with your RSS Feed. Since the user controls RSS, links are untrackable. Put your tracking link right in the feed, then send that link to the ultimate destination! You will have instant RSS tracking! (Note: This will not work if you're using RSS/Blog It! to create your RSS feed.)
You can also decide where the links in your special marketing campaigns will send visitors. For example...
1) Your site -- Depending upon your monetization models, you may have in-context monetization links on some of your pages. By sending your visitors to your site, you have several opportunities to generate income.
2) A merchant-partner site -- Send readers directly to the company's site so that they can close the deal and you can earn the commission!
3) A free trial download -- Let your quality freebie do the PREselling for you. If it's an e-book, you can also insert tracker links into its content. Direct your visitors to your merchant-partners or to your own site.
4) Your online store, or a dedicated sales page on your site, or your contact form (for your service) -- PREsell your visitors through your promotion and then get the order on your sales (or contact) page.
Tip
- Use Name Park It! to create a short domain name for offline promotions and have it redirect to the correct destination.
Add Tracker Links
- Enter the destination URL into the ULTIMATE Destination text box.
- Enter the tracker link name into the Enter Link Name That Explains What this Link Tracks text box.
- Enter a single (one!) word into the Special Tracking Word text box.
- Test the link by clicking on the Test this Link button. If the link does not work, fix it or replace it.
- Once the link is working, click on the Add this Link button to add it to the library.
Tips
- When you're ready to implement your monetization plans, create the tracker links you need. Add as required.
- You can choose to keep things simple, or you can create a tracking URL for each mailing list, newsgroup, and offline promotion that you do.
- Give your link a name that will tell you what the link is for (ex., "Issue #6 link to Amazing Anguilla Art").
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Use a distinctive word for the link (ex., http://www.your-domain.com/artisans).
If you want to use more than one word, connect them with a dash (ex., http://www.your-domain.com/gallery-artisans).
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Remember our example ad in the intro (Abs book)? Here is how its tracker link is set up...
Manage Your Tracker Library
- Click on the Copy button to copy the tracker link URL into your copy-paste clipboard.
- Click the Modify button to change a tracker link's destination URL, name, or tracking word. Then test the link again, and save it.
- Click the Delete button to remove a tracker link from the Tracker Library.
Tips
- Some browsers cannot use the Copy button. Click in the URL box, and choose Select All from the Menu (or Ctrl-A; Command-A on a Mac). Now select Copy from the menu (or Ctrl-C; Command-C on a Mac).
- Streamline your list of tracker links by deleting the ones that you're no longer using. Be careful though. Once you delete, you cannot undo this action. (You'll have to add the tracker link again, if you deleted it accidentally.)