Skip to main content
A tracking mode determines how a visitor enters your campaign. In 302 Redirect Mode, the visitor reaches Metricanic before the landing or offer. In Direct Script Mode, the visitor opens your page first and a script reports the visit to Metricanic. Choose based on two things: whether you need the tracker to choose the first page, and whether you can install code on that page. The mode does not create conversions by itself. Both methods need an incoming event when a lead, sale, or other result occurs.

​
Choose for your campaign

Check the traffic source’s current destination and tracking requirements before launching. Selecting a mode in Metricanic does not guarantee an advertising platform will accept your campaign.

​
How redirect tracking works

The advertising URL is the campaign’s Tracking link. On a new visit, Metricanic reads the source parameters, records available request information, and evaluates the rotator. It selects a path and its landing and offer, then returns an HTTP 302 redirect to the first page. An Offers only path skips the landing. This gives you control before the first page loads. For example, you can put two landings in a path with equal weights and compare their results while keeping the same advertising URL. Rotator rules and weights determine the selection. When a visitor clicks the landing’s tracked CTA, the click belongs to the existing visit and leads to its selected offer. The ordinary click does not draw a new offer from the weights. Removing that offer from the active path while visitors are still on the landing can interrupt their clicks.

​
Benefits and limits

  • Change eligible destinations in the rotator while keeping the campaign Tracking link.
  • Record the first visit without installing JavaScript on the destination.
  • Use a redirect to reach an affiliate offer you cannot edit.
  • Allow for an additional browser request before the first page opens.
  • Preserve visit context between the landing and its CTA. A bare /click URL cannot identify a visitor on its own.
A landing script can bind CTA buttons to the visit and reuse valid context from the redirect. This is useful when browser cookies are unavailable. See landing setup for the script and the conditions for visit reuse.

​
How direct tracking works

The advertising URL is the Traffic URL from Finish. It points to the selected arrival page with the campaign parameter and source parameters. The script sends those details to the tracking domain, receives the visit context and offer link, and prepares the landing’s CTA buttons. The landing’s buttons can use the generated CTA click link or an <a> element marked with data-dtp-link. The attribute lets the script replace the link’s destination with the selected offer without requiring /click in its original href. See the attribute example. The browser has already opened the arrival page, so Metricanic cannot rotate that first page during this visit. Rules still matter. The arrival page must be eligible in a matching path. On a landing, Metricanic can select an offer from that path’s eligible offers when it registers the visit. For example, an ad can always open your product comparison page while the campaign distributes new visits between two offers. If the ad opens an offer directly, that offer is already fixed too.

​
Benefits and limits

  • Open the advertised page without an initial tracker redirect.
  • Use your own page URL as the advertising destination.
  • Install and maintain the script on every arrival page you use.
  • Expect missing visits if the script cannot load or its request is blocked, even when the page itself opens.
  • Test rules against the actual arrival page. Sending a visitor to an excluded page does not make it eligible.

​
Set up and verify your choice

  1. Open the campaign and choose Integration mode in Campaign.
  2. Configure Events and Rotator, attach an active tracking domain, and save.
  3. For redirect tracking, use Tracking link from Finish in the traffic source. Configure the landing CTA if your path has a landing.
  4. For direct tracking, select the arrival page in Finish. Install its generated script, use Traffic URL in the traffic source, and connect the landing buttons with CTA click link or data-dtp-link.
  5. Follow Your first campaign to check a new visit and conversion. For a landing flow, also check the tracked offer click.
After changing modes, update both the advertising URL and page setup. Use a fresh visitor session for the test so an existing visit does not hide a setup mistake.