Communicator. Conversion Tracking Implementation Guide February Conversion Tracking Implementation Guide

Transcription

1 Conversion Tracking Implementation Guide Communicator Conversion Tracking Implementation Guide Version 1.0 A guide to implementing conversion tracking on your website covering a standard setup as well as using Google Tag Manager.

2 Contents Contents... 2 Conversion Tracking... 4 What is conversion tracking?... 4 Benefits... 4 Requirements... 4 How it works... 5 The Setup... 5 Standard Setup... 6 Figure 1 Inbound Tracking Script To be placed on your website... 6 Figure 2 Purchase tracking script To be inserted on your website... 6 Figure 3 Download tracking script To be inserted on your website... 7 Figure 4 Form completion tracking script To be inserted on your website. 7 Conversion Tracking Code Examples... 8 Purchase Conversion Tracking Code Examples... 8 Figure 5 Purchase Conversion Tracking Script - Example Figure 6 Purchase Conversion Tracking Script - Example Download Conversion Tracking Code Examples... 9 Figure 7 Download Conversion Tracking Script - Example Figure 8 Download Conversion Tracking Script - Example Form Completion Conversion Tracking Code Examples Figure 9 Form Conversion Tracking Script - Example Figure 10 Form Conversion Tracking Script - Example Google Tag Manager Setup Installing Tag Manager Setting Up Tags Inbound Tag Figure 11 Inbound Tracking Script To be inserted into Tag Configuration.. 12 Submission Tag and Variables Figure 12 Data Layer Set Up Script To be inserted on your website Figure 13 Populate Data Layer Script To be inserted on your website (E.g. on Order Confirmation page) Figure 14 Submission Tracking Script To be inserted into Tag Configuration Publishing Testing Troubleshooting Cookie Creation Firing Tags Tag Assistant Conversion Tracking Implementation Guide Page 2 of 20

3 Further Help JavaScript Variable Reference Table 1 Configuration Values Table 2 Data Variables Conversion Tracking Security Conversion Tracking Implementation Guide Page 3 of 20

4 Conversion Tracking What is conversion tracking? Conversion tracking allows you to accurately measure the results of your campaign by tracking recipient behaviour from the inbox to your website. or the completion of a form. of files Benefits Track and measure transactions, products sold, form completions and downloads Understand the real success of your campaigns Discover what actions your recipient completes after clicking on a link Justify your campaigns Identify follow-through activity Measure interest Conversion tracking allows for the reporting of activities that occur outside of Communicator and are the direct result of an campaign and help to measure success. Requirements To get conversion tracking to work successfully there are two main parts: Conversion Tracking will only work on dispatches from Communicator that have link tracking enabled. This is an option during the dispatch process. Conversion Tracking Implementation Guide Page 4 of 20

5 The target website must have our Conversion Tracking code implemented on it. You will require your client ID during the setup of the tracking code, to get yours contact the Communicator Support Team on or How it works When a user clicks a tracked link in an sent from Communicator they are first directed back to our servers. We then lookup where the link originally pointed to and redirect the user to that URL with an additional value on the query string. That value helps us to uniquely identify the user and the specific campaign that they received. The additional tracking value is then captured by the target website and stored in a cookie so that it can be sent back to Communicator when the user completes the desired action. The Setup To set up conversion tracking we recommend one of two ways, a standard setup or using Google Tag Manager. You only need to use one of these two options to setup conversion tracking. Conversion Tracking Implementation Guide Page 5 of 20

6 Standard Setup To manually hook Conversion Tracking into your website, two snippets of code must be added to the relevant pages. These script blocks can be inserted anywhere between the opening and closing <body> tags. Figure 1 below shows the code to be added to all inbound pages. An inbound page is a page on the target website that was linked to from an in Communicator. This script stores the tracking value passed in the query string. As an alternative to adding this script on each individual inbound page, this could be added on the global template of your website. Figure 1 Inbound Tracking Script To be placed on your website type="text/javascript"> <script type="text/javascript"> cc_duration = 10; /* Default is 30 days if omitted*/ /*... Set other variables here if required (see documentation)*/ ProcessInbound(); Figure 2, 3 and 4 below show the 3 different tracking scripts available (Purchase, Download and Form Completion). The relevant script must be added to the pages from which you'd like to track conversions in order for this to be sent back to Communicator. Take care to ensure you use the correct snippet for the type of Conversion Tracking you wish to use. A table of possible parameters can be found in the JavaScript Variable Reference section later in the document. Client ID must be supplied at all times and tracking will not work if it is omitted. Figure 2 Purchase tracking script To be inserted on your website type="text/javascript"> <script type="text/javascript"> cc_clientid = <Insert your Client ID here>; cc_amount = <Insert the conversion amount here>; /*... Set other variables here if required (see documentation)*/ ProcessPConversion(); Conversion Tracking Implementation Guide Page 6 of 20

7 Figure 3 Download tracking script To be inserted on your website type="text/javascript"> <script type="text/javascript"> cc_clientid = <Insert your Client ID here>; /*... Set other variables here if required (see documentation)*/ ProcessDConversion(); Figure 4 Form completion tracking script To be inserted on your website type="text/javascript"> <script type="text/javascript"> cc_clientid = <Insert your Client ID here>; /*... Set other variables here if required (see documentation)*/ ProcessFConversion(); Conversion Tracking Implementation Guide Page 7 of 20

8 Conversion Tracking Code Examples Purchase Conversion Tracking Code Examples The below example uses the Purchase Conversion Tracking script and will submit a value of EUR 9.69 with a reference ID of to Communicator. Throughout these examples the values used on the right should be programmatically inserted by your website i.e. through a reference to a variable which holds the required value. Figure 5 Purchase Conversion Tracking Script - Example 1 type="text/javascript"> <script type="text/javascript"> cc_clientid = 1234; cc_amount = 9.69; cc_currency = "EUR" cc_referenceid = "52289" ProcessPConversion(); The next example uses the Purchase Conversion Tracking script and will submit a value of GBP GBP is the default currency and used automatically even description of Running Shoes and a reference ID of : Figure 6 Purchase Conversion Tracking Script - Example 2 type="text/javascript"> <script type="text/javascript"> cc_clientid = 6552; cc_amount = 14.32; cc_referenceid = " " cc_category = "footwear" cc_description = "Running Shoes" ProcessPConversion(); Should many references, categories or descriptions be passed to Communicator, we recommend surrounding the entire string in quotes with a comma between each value. Conversion Tracking Implementation Guide Page 8 of 20

9 Download Conversion Tracking Code Examples The two examples below show the Download Conversion Tracking script with different values: Figure 7 Download Conversion Tracking Script - Example 1 type="text/javascript"> <script type="text/javascript"> cc_clientid = 91335; cc_category = "Webinar" cc_description = "How To Increase Subscriber Numbers Video" /*... Set other variables here if required (see documentation)*/ ProcessDConversion(); Figure 8 Download Conversion Tracking Script - Example 2 type="text/javascript"> <script type="text/javascript"> cc_clientid = 1668; cc_category = "Winter Offers Brochure" cc_description = "Winter Offer Brochure with 10 voucher inside" ProcessDConversion(); Conversion Tracking Implementation Guide Page 9 of 20

10 Form Completion Conversion Tracking Code Examples The two examples below show the Form Completion Conversion Tracking script with different values: Figure 9 Form Conversion Tracking Script - Example 1 type="text/javascript"> <script type="text/javascript"> cc_clientid = 1591; cc_category = "Social Media Event" cc_description = "How to attract more customers using social media" ProcessFConversion(); Figure 10 Form Conversion Tracking Script - Example 2 type="text/javascript"> <script type="text/javascript"> cc_clientid = 1355; cc_category = "Benchmark Document Download" cc_description = "January to June 2012 benchmark satistics" ProcessFConversion(); Conversion Tracking Implementation Guide Page 10 of 20

11 Google Tag Manager Setup To get Tag Manager to work it requires the inclusion of a code snippet on your website, therefore the help of a developer may be required. Further developer assistance may also be required to push the data from the website into Tag Manager. Once setup this data will then be available to all future integrations and tags. To get Tag Manager and Communicator working together there are two main steps, getting Tag Manager installed on your website and setting up Communicator tags within Tag Manager. You can sign up to Tag Manager for free here. Installing Tag Manager Before setting up tags in Tag Manager you will need a container for your website, a container holds all of the different tags for the website. If you do not have one already, click the three dots to expand the context menu for the specific account and select be asked to give your Container a name and choose the platform you will be using. Tag Manager will then give you two snippets of code that must be added to every page of your website. The first snippet must go as high in the <head> of the page as possible. The second snippet must go immediately after the opening <body> tag. Setting Up Tags tracking to work. The first will be included on inbound pages on your website to begin the conversion tracking process; the second will be included on the page representing a target or goal, typically the final confirmation page in a checkout process. Inbound Tag The first tag required is the tag that starts the conversion tracking process. This is required on each page that could be included as a link in a Communicator . In most scenarios this is included on every page on the website. To create the inbound tag, follow these steps: Conversion Tracking Implementation Guide Page 11 of 20

12 1. In Tag Manager navigate to the container workspace for your website tor Conversion Tracking Enter the inbound script into the HTML box. Example code is shown below. Figure 11 Inbound Tracking Script To be inserted into Tag Configuration type="text/javascript"> <script type="text/javascript"> ProcessInbound(); 6. created. If the tag should only be included on certain pages then create a custom rule with the relevant conditions. 7. Submission Tag and Variables The second tag required is the one that submits a conversion, whether it is a purchase, download or form completion. This would normally be included on the confirmation page following the successful completion of one of the actions. The submission tag is more complicated to configure, due to the fact that dynamic data from the website needs to be passed back to Tag Manager and Communicator. For each value that needs to be passed back to Communicator (e.g. order amount, order reference or currency) you will need a variable in Tag Manager. To create a variable, follow these steps: 1. In Tag Manager navigate to the container workspace for your website 2. -side menu Conversion Tracking Implementation Guide Page 12 of 20

13 5. Under Var type 6. Give a name for the Data Layer Variable. We recommend using the same name from Step 4. This name will be used to reference the variable from your website. 7. Repeat this process to create each value that needs to be passed back to Communicator. You may wish to create a variable for all of the following values now for future use: Amount Currency Reference ID Category Description Once all required variables are set up they need to be populated with data from your website. The following instructions assume you are using data layer variables as per our recommendations. The first step is to ensure that a data layer has been set up on your website by including the following snippet above the container snippet on every page of your website. Figure 12 Data Layer Set Up Script To be inserted on your website <script type="text/javascript"> datalayer = []; The next step is to populate the data layer in Tag Manager with values from your website, the below snippet shows an example of how this can be done. Each value on the left hand side must match the name of the relevant Data Layer Variable (Refer to Step 6 of this section). The value on the right should be programmatically inserted by your website and the snippet should again be above the main container snippet. Figure 13 Populate Data Layer Script To be inserted on your website (E.g. on Order Confirmation page) Conversion Tracking Implementation Guide Page 13 of 20

14 <script type="text/javascript"> datalayer.push({ 'Order Reference': 'ABCD1234', 'Order Amount': }); After setting up the data layer the submission tag can be created. To create the submission tag, follow these steps: 1. In Tag Manager navigate to the container workspace for your website 2. Click Enter the submission script into the HTML box. Example code is shown below for a purchase conversion, for more in depth options please refer to the JavaScript Variable Reference section later in this document. Please ensure your unique client ID is used or conversion will not be attributed to your dispatches. Each value on the left hand side must match the name of a Communicator conversion tracking variable. The value on the right should be the name of the relevant variable surrounded in double curly brackets Figure 14 Submission Tracking Script To be inserted into Tag Configuration type="text/javascript"> <script type="text/javascript"> cc_clientid = 1234; cc_amount = {{Order Amount}}; cc_referenceid = {{Order Reference}} ProcessPConversion(); 6. Under Triggering, click on the icon to choose a trigger and then select the new firing rule. At least one rule will have to be setup to get the tag to fire. If the tag should only be included on certain pages then create a custom rule with the relevant conditions. For example, if the rule is to fire on an order confirmation page then create a rule where the URL contains the order confirmation page. Take care to ensure that no other URLs within your website unexpectedly match the rule. Conversion Tracking Implementation Guide Page 14 of 20

15 7. Publishing Once both the inbound and submission tags have been created the container needs publishing to make those changes live on your website. Click on Publish and then define the version information and click Publish again. Testing Once published the conversion tracking integration can be tested by following a link to your website from an dispatched from Communicator. The dispatch must have conversion tracking enabled. After submitting a conversion, it can take a few minutes to appear within the dispatch statistics in Communicator. Troubleshooting If the conversion is not showing within Communicator, then use the information below to try and find out why. Cookie Creation The first step is to ensure that the conversion tracking cookie is being created correctly. To do this, follow a link from an dispatched from Communicator with conversion tracking enabled. Then, in your browser settings look for a cookie If no cookie exists with this name then this would indicate that Google Tag Manager is not included on the we enabled on the dispatch or the inbound script is setup incorrectly. Firing Tags The next step is to ensure that the relevant tag in Tag Manager is firing on the correct pages. To do this, within the container workspace in Tag Manager click on message should be displayed confirming that you are now previewing the workspace and that debug mode is enabled. Follow a link in an dispatched from Communicator with conversion tracking enabled. You should now see a message displayed indicating the inbound conversion tracking tag has fired. Conversion Tracking Implementation Guide Page 15 of 20

16 If no message is displayed, then this would indicate that Google Tag Manager is not included on the website correctly. If a message is displayed indicating that the tag was not fired, then this would indicate that the rules for that tag are incorrect. Continue on the website to complete the conversion process and a message should be displayed indicating that the submission tag has fired. If no message is displayed, then this would indicate that Google Tag Manager is not included on the website correctly. If a message is displayed indicating that the tag was not fired, then this would indicate that the rules for that tag are incorrect. Tag Assistant If both tags successfully fire but the conversion is still not showing in Communicator, then this would indicate the submission tag is not setup correctly. Google provide an extension for Google Chrome called Tag Assistant that can be used to inspect the tags from Tag Manager on a page and the data in the data layer. Simply install the extension, complete the conversion process and open Tag Assistant to view the data that is available on that page. If the relevant data is not showing this would indicate a problem with populating the data layer. If the data is showing, then this would indicate a problem with using the variables within the submission tag. Further Help If you require further help please contact the Communicator support team, providing as much detailed information as possible. To assist further, the ability to submit a test conversion and read only access to Tag Manager may be required. Conversion Tracking Implementation Guide Page 16 of 20

17 JavaScript Variable Reference Table 1 below lists the configuration variables for the client-side code. These variables can be inserted above the call to the tracking function to help match your requirements. Table 1 Configuration Values Variable Description Details Requirement cc_duration Sets the expiration of the tracking cookie in days from the current time. Default is 30 days. Must be called on the Inbound tracking page. The value should not be surrounded with quotes. All Conversions (optional) cc_debugmode Setting this value to true enables alerts to display during the tracking process. Values must be in lower case. All Conversions (optional) Can help with debugging. Must be either true or false, default is false. The value should not be surrounded with quotes. cc_crossdomain Cross sub domain conversion tracking is possible by simply setting the cc_crossdomain variable. e.g. cc_crossdomain = This functionality is useful for those clients who have a thank you page on a separate sub domain to their inbound landing page. For example, you may have an inbound script on and a Please remember the full stop before the domain. Ensure the value is surrounded with quotes. All Conversions (optional) Conversion Tracking Implementation Guide Page 17 of 20

18 Variable Description Details Requirement thank you page on Note: You are unable to use conversion tracking on entirely separate domains. This will only work on different sub domains only. Table 2 lists the available data variables. Some are required for specific types of tracking where others are optional and can be used to enhance the data that is captured. cc_clientid is required for all tracking and must be supplied for tracking to work. Table 2 Data Variables Variable Description Details Requirement cc_clientid Your unique Client ID. Integer value. Should not be surrounded with quotes All Conversions (required) cc_amount Specifies an amount in a purchase conversion and should not include currency symbols e.g. cc_amount = Decimal value. Should not be surrounded with quotes. Purchase Conversion (required) cc_currency Specifies the currency in a purchase conversion. Default is GBP. Should be surrounded with quotes. 3 characters max. Purchase Conversion (required) Conversion Tracking Implementation Guide Page 18 of 20

19 Variable Description Details Requirement cc_referenceid Allows a reference number to be assigned to the tracking, an Order ID for example. e.g. cc_referenceid = Text or numeric values. 256 characters max. All Conversions (optional although advised) This value should be surrounded with quotes. cc_category Allows a category to be assigned to the tracking. Text or numeric values. All Conversions (optional) 256 characters max. This value should be surrounded with quotes. cc_description Allows a description to be assigned to the tracking. Text or numeric values characters max. All Conversions (optional) This value should be surrounded with quotes. Conversion Tracking Implementation Guide Page 19 of 20

20 Conversion Tracking Security Every effort has been made to make our Conversion Tracking as secure as possible. Because the client ID has the potential to be viewed by others it is also stored within the encrypted tracking value and then compared to ensure only legitimate conversions are tracked. happen if a user refreshes the page with the Conversion Tracking code on (such as a purchase confirmation page). The result is that no duplicate entries are recorded within a 4-minute period. For further help, information and guidance please contact the Communicator Support Team on or via support@communicatorcorp.com. Conversion Tracking Implementation Guide Page 20 of 20