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TrafficFactory traffic source template TrafficFactory is a global ad network that sells traffic on a real-time bidding model, with geo-targeting and pricing models such as CPM and CPC. Its advertiser platform runs on the EXADS ad server. This guide sets up TrafficFactory as a traffic source in ClickFlare. It covers passing TrafficFactory’s click data into your reports and sending conversions, with their value, back to TrafficFactory so its goal stats and your reports agree. You do everything from the campaign editor. The TrafficFactory traffic source is created inline, without leaving the campaign.
The TrafficFactory template has no postback URL, so you add it by hand in Step 2. Without it, ClickFlare tracks TrafficFactory visits but can’t report conversions back. The template’s Zone ID row also needs one value from you. Step 1 shows it.

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At a glance

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How it works

1

TrafficFactory sends the click

A visitor clicks your ad. TrafficFactory opens your ClickFlare campaign URL and fills in its tokens: the click ID in tag, the cost in cost, plus the campaign, category, site, zone and targeting details from the template.
2

ClickFlare stores the TrafficFactory click ID

ClickFlare saves the value of tag as the visit’s External ID, records the cost, and redirects the visitor to your lander or offer.
3

The conversion reaches ClickFlare

Your affiliate network or store posts the conversion back to ClickFlare, matched on the ClickFlare click ID.
4

ClickFlare posts it back to TrafficFactory

ClickFlare calls TrafficFactory’s conversion URL for the goal, replacing {external_id} with the stored click ID and {payout} with the revenue. TrafficFactory matches it to the original click and counts it under the goal.
The mirror to keep straight: in the campaign URL you write ClickFlare’s parameter (tag) and TrafficFactory’s token ({conversions_tracking}). The template does this for you. In the postback URL you write TrafficFactory’s parameter (tag) and ClickFlare’s token ({external_id}). The name is the same on both sides. The values that fill it are different.

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Before you start

  • Set up your own tracking domain. Run the campaign and the postback on your own custom domain. Shared domains get flagged by networks and blocked by browsers. See Custom Domains.
  • Have an offer ready in ClickFlare, and its affiliate network set up to post conversions back to ClickFlare. See Creating an Offer and Adding an Affiliate Network.
  • Create a conversion goal in TrafficFactory. In your TrafficFactory account, go to Campaigns → Conversion Tracking and click NEW CONVERSION GOAL. Each goal has its own goal ID and conversion URL. See Step 2.
  • Decide which conversions TrafficFactory should receive. One goal per event. If your funnel has several steps (lead, then sale), decide now whether to send one event or several. See Tracking several events.

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Step 1 – Create the campaign and the TrafficFactory traffic source

  1. Go to Campaigns and click New.
  2. In Traffic Source, open the dropdown and click + New Traffic Source.
  3. Type trafficfactory in the search box and select the TrafficFactory template.
  4. Enter a Name, for example TrafficFactory.
  5. Leave Cost currency on USD unless your TrafficFactory account is billed in another currency.
The template fills in the Parameters table for you: The TrafficFactory template's Parameters table in ClickFlare, with TrafficFactory's macros pre-filled

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Fill in the Zone ID row

The template’s Zone ID row has a parameter but an empty TS Token. Fill it in:
  1. In the Zone ID row, click the TS Token field.
  2. Enter {zone_id}.
  3. Leave the TS Parameter on zone_id and the ClickFlare Token on {trackingField10}.
{zone_id} is the ad zone where TrafficFactory showed the ad. It is the main row for blacklists and bid changes, so don’t leave it empty. Each tracking field becomes a column you can group reports by. To pass more TrafficFactory data, click Add Parameter, give it a name and parameter, and enter the token as the TS Token. ClickFlare assigns the next free tracking field.
Don’t change or remove the External ID row. Without tag={conversions_tracking} in the campaign URL, ClickFlare has no TrafficFactory click ID to send back, and TrafficFactory cannot match your conversions.

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Step 2 – Set up the postback

The postback is what sends conversions to TrafficFactory. It lives on the traffic source, so every campaign that uses this TrafficFactory traffic source sends conversions the same way. The TrafficFactory template has no postback URL. When you turn on the postback, the field is empty. You build it from the conversion goal.

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Create a conversion goal in TrafficFactory

  1. In TrafficFactory, go to Campaigns → Conversion Tracking and click NEW CONVERSION GOAL.
  2. Set a Name, for example Sale.
  3. Choose a Conversion Type, for example Purchase - Credit Card or Lead - Single Opt In. TrafficFactory’s smart bidding uses it.
  4. Set Conversion Value to Dynamic, so TrafficFactory takes the value you send. Fixed uses one amount you enter. No Value records no revenue.
  5. Set Count: One Conversion counts one conversion per click, Every Conversion counts each one.
  6. Set the Conversion Window, how long after the click a conversion still counts. The default is 24 hours. Set it to match your offer, for example 7 or 30 days for a trial that converts later.
  7. Set the Order. It decides the goal’s column: order 1 shows as G1 in Statistics.
  8. Click Create.
  9. Under Select Conversion Tracking Method, choose Conversion Tracking API - S2S. Copy the conversion URL TrafficFactory shows. It has this shape:
CONVERSION_DOMAIN and GOAL_ID are filled in for you. The goal ID is 32 characters, letters a–f and digits.

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Add it to the traffic source in ClickFlare

  1. Back in the New Traffic Source form, scroll to Passing conversion info to traffic source.
  2. Turn on Traffic source postback URL and paste the conversion URL from TrafficFactory.
  3. Replace {conversions_tracking} with ClickFlare’s {external_id}, braces included.
  4. Add &value={payout} at the end, so TrafficFactory receives the conversion value.
  5. In the dropdown on the left, choose the ClickFlare event that should fire the postback. Keep Conversions to send every conversion. If your final action is a custom conversion (for example purchase), choose that instead.
  6. Click Save. You are back in the campaign editor with the TrafficFactory traffic source selected.
The result:
Replace {conversions_tracking} in the postback with {external_id}. {conversions_tracking} belongs in the campaign URL, where TrafficFactory fills it. In the postback, ClickFlare doesn’t know it, sends it as literal text, and TrafficFactory answers ERROR: Tag is invalid!
Keep the conversion domain exactly as TrafficFactory shows it. Don’t swap it for your own tracking domain. To learn what each postback token does, see How to Configure a Traffic Source S2S Postback URL.

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Pixel tracking

TrafficFactory also offers Pixel Tracking: a script you paste on the page where the conversion happens. It only works on pages you control and doesn’t use ClickFlare’s data. With ClickFlare, use the S2S method. TrafficFactory recommends it too.

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Step 3 – Finish the campaign and copy its URL

  1. Name the campaign.
  2. Set the Cost Model to Not Tracked, so ClickFlare uses the cost TrafficFactory passes. On CPM campaigns, read Cost first.
  3. Choose Redirect or Direct tracking. Redirect is the usual choice.
  4. Click Next and, on Destination, add your lander (optional) and your offer.
  5. Save, open Tracking, select your own tracking domain and copy the campaign URL.
Check that the campaign URL contains tag={conversions_tracking} and zone_id={zone_id}. If zone_id has no token, go back to Step 1. If you use a lander, its call-to-action must link to the ClickFlare click URL, not to the offer directly. Otherwise the visit reaches the offer without a ClickFlare click ID, and the conversion cannot be traced back to TrafficFactory. See Creating a Campaign in ClickFlare.

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Step 4 – Create the campaign in TrafficFactory

  1. In TrafficFactory, create your ad (creative) first.
  2. Go to Campaigns and create a new campaign. Choose the campaign type, name it and set the bidding type.
  3. Paste the ClickFlare campaign URL as the ad’s destination URL.
  4. Add a target: name it, set the targeting options and enter your bid.
  5. Link your ad to the campaign and save.
Paste the URL exactly as ClickFlare gives it, with tag={conversions_tracking} intact. When you set the destination, TrafficFactory may also offer + ADD TOKENS. You don’t need it: the ClickFlare URL already contains the tokens.

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Step 5 – Test the integration

TrafficFactory has no test-conversion button. Test with a real click.
  1. Run a small amount of traffic, or click your own approved ad.
  2. Complete the offer the way a real visitor would.
  3. In ClickFlare, open Logs → Event Logs and check that the visit has an External ID. It is a long string. If it is empty or reads {conversions_tracking}, the campaign URL is wrong.
  4. Go to Logs → Postback Status and filter by the campaign. Check the request to TrafficFactory’s tag.php.
  5. In TrafficFactory, open Statistics and show the goal’s column (G1, G2…) in the Goals section of the table.
TrafficFactory answers each postback with a short text response:

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Tracking several events

TrafficFactory tracks each event as its own conversion goal, for example a signup and a sale. Each goal has its own goal ID, so each event needs its own postback.
  1. In TrafficFactory, create a conversion goal for each step. Give them orders 1, 2, 3… so they appear as G1, G2, G3 in Statistics.
  2. In ClickFlare, create a custom conversion for each step, for example signup and sale.
  3. On the TrafficFactory traffic source, click + Another postback URL once per extra goal.
  4. Map each postback to its ClickFlare event: signup to the signup goal’s URL, sale to the sale goal’s URL.
  • One postback per goal. The goal ID decides where TrafficFactory counts the conversion.
  • Set each goal’s Conversion Value to Dynamic if you send value={payout}.
  • Statistics can show eCPA per goal. Turn the goal columns on in the Goals section of the table.
  • If Dynamic CPA pricing is enabled on your account, the conversion URL also takes your secret key (skey) and a cpa value. Ask TrafficFactory before using it.
If TrafficFactory should only learn from your final sale, keep a single postback and map it to that event. Earlier steps (leads, add to carts) still show in ClickFlare. They just don’t reach TrafficFactory.To send a postback only for some conversions, for example only those above a certain payout, use Event filter under the postback to add conditions.

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Cost

The template passes cost. The Cost row sends TrafficFactory’s {actual_cost} token, the actual CPM or CPC paid for each impression or click, and ClickFlare records it as the visit’s cost. On the campaign, set the Cost Model to Not Tracked so ClickFlare uses the cost passed in the URL.
On CPM campaigns, {actual_cost} may be a price per thousand impressions, which would make the cost per visit far too high. After launch, compare the Cost column with your TrafficFactory spend. If it doesn’t match, switch the Cost Model to CPC and enter your bid per click. For CPM buying, enter your CPM bid divided by 1,000 as the cost value. A popunder impression is roughly one visit.
When the recorded spend differs from your TrafficFactory spend, correct it with a manual cost upload. See Cost Models.

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Delayed revenue

If you run search arbitrage (RSOC or AFD) behind TrafficFactory, the feed reports revenue hours or days after the click. Make sure the goal’s conversion window is long enough. To pass that revenue to TrafficFactory once it arrives, see Sending Delayed Revenue to Traffic Sources.

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Troubleshooting

  • The campaign URL has no tag={conversions_tracking}: the External ID row was changed or removed. Restore it and copy the campaign URL again.
  • The postback still contains {conversions_tracking} instead of {external_id}.
  • The campaign URL in TrafficFactory was edited, or {conversions_tracking} was removed.
  • Traffic source postback URL is off, or still empty. The template has no postback URL: add it as shown in Step 2.
  • Disable sending postbacks to traffic source is on in the campaign.
  • The goal column is hidden in Statistics. Turn it on in the Goals section.
  • The conversion came after the goal’s conversion window.
  • The postback is mapped to a different event than the one the conversion logged. Check Logs → Event Logs to see which event was recorded.
  • Check Logs → Postback Status for the request and TrafficFactory’s response.
  • &value={payout} is missing from the postback.
  • The goal’s Conversion Value is No Value or Fixed. Set it to Dynamic.
The Zone ID row’s TS Token is still empty. Enter {zone_id} as shown in Fill in the Zone ID row, then copy the campaign URL again. If other columns are empty, the URL was edited or pasted where TrafficFactory doesn’t fill tokens. See Traffic Source Tokens Arriving Empty.
For the general checklist, see Conversions not showing.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q1: Can I use the same TrafficFactory traffic source for all my TrafficFactory campaigns?
A1: Yes. The postback is set once on the traffic source and every campaign using it sends conversions the same way. A goal can be used by several campaigns. Create a second traffic source only if a campaign needs different goals.
Q2: Why do I add the postback myself?
A2: The template doesn’t include a postback URL. The conversion domain and goal ID come from your TrafficFactory account, so you build the URL once per traffic source in Step 2.
Q3: Why is it tag in both the campaign URL and the postback?
A3: TrafficFactory names its click ID parameter tag in the conversion URL, and the template uses the same name in the campaign URL. The postback side must stay tag.
Q4: Should I use Redirect or Direct tracking with TrafficFactory?
A4: Redirect is the usual choice and works with every TrafficFactory format. Use Direct only if TrafficFactory must see your lander’s domain as the destination. See Direct Campaign Tracking.
Q5: TrafficFactory’s help points to EXADS documentation. Is that the same thing?
A5: Yes. TrafficFactory’s advertiser platform runs on the EXADS ad server, so EXADS’ advertiser guides describe the same screens: conversion goals, the Conversion Tracking API and the campaign tokens.

Traffic source postbacks

Every token you can use in a postback.

Custom conversions

Split leads and sales into separate events.

Cost models

How CPC, CPA and RevShare costs are calculated.

Conversions not showing

The general checklist when postbacks don’t arrive.