Tracking Conversions and Sales

Count sales and sign-ups from your links and split tests, even when checkout happens on another website or an affiliate network reports them by postback.

Count the sales and sign-ups that come from your links. Two short snippets do the work, even when people check out on another website.

How conversion tracking works

Someone clicks your short link.
Your landing page snippet remembers which link they used, and which split-test version they saw.
They check out, on your site or on another website.
Your thank-you page snippet reports the sale, and SCT credits the right link and version.

You need both snippets. The landing page snippet remembers the visit. The thank-you page snippet reports the sale. Without the thank-you page snippet, no sales are counted at all. Without the landing page snippet, sales can still count, but more of them show as Matched.

Sending clicks straight to an affiliate network offer? Use a postback instead of the snippets. See Affiliate network postbacks.

Conversion tracking is available on Standard links and Split Test links. Rotators and the other link types count clicks only.

Set it up in three steps

Open the link and find the Conversion tracking card on the Details tab. Save a new link first: until you do, the thank-you page snippet box reads Save link to generate snippet.

Copy the Landing page snippet and paste it on every page this link sends people to, just before </body>. One copy per page is enough. Use a Standard or Split Test link.
Copy the Thank-you page snippet and paste it on the page people see after they buy or sign up, just before </body>. For a split test, every version can share that one page and that one snippet.
Open your short link, go through to the thank-you page in the same browser, then check the link’s Reports. The test conversion appears within a minute.

On WordPress or a page builder, look for a custom code, header & footer scripts, or tracking code setting. Paste the snippet there.

Examples

Copy the real snippet from your link. The addresses below are only examples.

One landing page, one thank-you page

A standard link sends everyone to one sales page, then one thank-you page.

<script src="https://YOUR-SNIPPET-ADDRESS/track/sct-lp.js" defer></script>

Paste that on the sales page. Paste the thank-you page snippet on the thank-you page. Reports show conversions for that link.

A split test with three landing pages that share one thank-you page

This is the most common setup for testing sales pages. Your short link go.example.com/offer is a split test that sends each visitor to one of three pages:

Page A: example.com/offer-a
Page B: example.com/offer-b
Page C: example.com/offer-c

Every page has a Buy button that goes to a checkout on another website. After paying, every buyer lands on the same page: example.com/thank-you.

What to paste where

Open the split test and find the Conversion tracking card below Destinations.
Copy the Landing page snippet and paste it on page A, page B, and page C, just before </body>. It is the same snippet for all three.
Copy the Thank-you page snippet from the same card and paste it once on example.com/thank-you. Use this snippet, not one from a single destination row.

<!-- On offer-a, offer-b and offer-c -->
<script src="https://YOUR-SNIPPET-ADDRESS/track/sct-lp.js" defer></script>

<!-- On thank-you (one snippet for the whole split test) -->
<script src="https://YOUR-SNIPPET-ADDRESS/track/sct-conv.js?link=AbCdEf123456" defer></script>

What happens when someone buys

A visitor clicks go.example.com/offer and is sent to, say, page B.
The landing page snippet on page B remembers that this visit came from page B of your test.
The visitor clicks Buy. The snippet adds the visit ID to that link automatically, so it travels with them to the checkout.
After paying, they land on your thank-you page. The thank-you snippet finds the remembered visit and reports the sale.
SCT credits the sale to page B.

What you will see

On the link’s Reports, open Split test report. Each destination has its own Conversions count, so you can compare page A, page B and page C directly. The of which Matched column shows how many of those sales were credited by matching instead of an exact visit ID. In this setup it should be low, because the pages and the thank-you page share example.com. See Exact and Matched conversions.

You do not need a separate thank-you page for each version. One shared thank-you page with one snippet is enough. If you set up a test the older way, with a snippet on each destination’s own thank-you page, see Older setup.

Landing pages on offers.example.com, thank-you page on example.com

These are the same main domain. Paste the landing page snippet on the offer pages and the thank-you page snippet on example.com. The visit is remembered automatically, and conversions show as Exact.

Landing pages and thank-you page on completely different websites

Conversions still count. They usually show as Matched, because the thank-you page cannot see the visit that started on the other website. Using your own short-link domain on the same main domain as the thank-you page helps more conversions stay Exact. See Using Your Own Domain.

Checkout on another company’s website

Leave Add the visit ID to links that go to other websites turned on. The landing page snippet adds the visit ID to buttons and links that leave your page, including the checkout button. You do not configure the checkout itself.

What happens next depends on the checkout. Some pass the visit ID on to your thank-you page, and the sale is Exact. If the checkout does not pass it on, SCT still finds the visit when your thank-you page is on the same main domain as your landing pages. Otherwise it falls back to matching, and the sale shows as Matched.

Excluding a website

If a link breaks after you add the landing page snippet, or you do not want social links changed, list those sites under Never add it to these websites. Copy the snippet again. It will look like this:

<script src="https://YOUR-SNIPPET-ADDRESS/track/sct-lp.js" data-exclude="facebook.com,youtube.com" defer></script>

Affiliate network postbacks (S2S)

If you send traffic straight to an offer at an affiliate network such as MaxBounty or MaxWeb, you usually cannot put a snippet on the thank-you page. Most networks can report each sale instead by calling a postback URL from their server. This is often called S2S (server-to-server) or a postback pixel. SCT receives those postbacks and credits the sale to the exact click.

How it works

Your destination URL contains {clickid} in the network’s sub-ID parameter, for example https://offer.example/?a=123&s2={clickid}.
When someone clicks your short link, SCT replaces {clickid} with a unique ID for that click, such as s2=k3x9q2m7a1b4.
The network stores that ID with the visitor. When a sale happens, it calls your postback URL and puts the ID back in.
SCT finds the click and records the conversion. It shows in Reports as Exact.

Set it up

Open the link. Under Destination URL, click Postback setup and pick your network.
Add {clickid} to the destination URL in the network’s sub-ID parameter. On a Standard link, Add it for me does this for you. On a Split Test, add it to every destination URL. A green sends a click ID label appears under each one that has it.
Save the link.
Copy the Postback URL from the same panel and paste it into the network’s postback (S2S pixel) settings. If your network is not listed, replace NETWORK_TOKEN with the network’s token for the sub-ID parameter you used.

The postback URL looks like this. Copy the real one from your link, because the address and the key depend on your account:

https://YOUR-SNIPPET-ADDRESS/track/sct-conv.gif?sct_conv_ref=NETWORK_TOKEN&pb=YOUR-ACCOUNT-KEY

pb= is your account’s postback key. It sends every postback to your Postback Log, including ones that fail. The key is the same on every link, so one postback URL can be used for all your offers at a network. Postback URLs without the key still record conversions, but they do not appear in the Postback Log.

Network settings

Network	Add to the destination URL	Token in the postback URL	Where to enter the postback
MaxBounty	`s2={clickid}`	`#S2#`	The offer’s Sub-ID & Callbacks settings. Choose the URL callback type.
MaxWeb	`subid2={clickid}`	`{SUBID2}`	Postback Pixels. A postback added there applies to every offer.
Other networks	The network’s sub-ID parameter, such as `subid`, `sub1` or `aff_sub`	The matching token from the network’s postback documentation	Usually called Postback, S2S, Server pixel or Callback

Networks change their settings screens from time to time. If a field name does not match, look for the sub-ID and postback sections in your network’s help pages, or ask your affiliate manager which token returns your sub-ID.

Good to know

{clickid} works on Standard links and Split Test destinations. On other link types it is removed from the URL, because those types do not track conversions.
It is not case-sensitive. {CLICKID} works too.
Each click ID counts once. If a network sends the same postback twice, the sale is not counted twice.
SCT counts the conversion but does not record the payout amount.
Search engine and social media preview bots do not get a click ID. The placeholder is removed for them.
You do not need the landing page or thank-you page snippets for postbacks. If you send people to your own page first, use the snippets as described above.
SCT also adds sct_conv_ref to the destination URL. Networks ignore parameters they do not use.

Test your postback

A test takes a few minutes and does not create a sale. SCT only counts the conversion. It never records a payout and never sends anything back to the network.

Step 1: Get a real click ID

SCT does not list click IDs in Reports, so make your own test click:

Open your short link in a private or incognito window.
When the offer page loads, look at the address bar. Your sub-ID parameter should hold a 12-character ID, for example aff_sub2=k3x9q2m7a1b4. That value is your click ID. Copy it.
If it still shows {clickid} or is empty, check that the link is a Standard link or a Split Test and that you saved it.

If the page redirects too fast to read the address, the same value usually appears in the sub-ID column of your network’s click report.

Step 2: Send the test postback

There are two tests. Each one checks a different part of the setup.

Test SCT only (in your browser). Take your postback URL, put your click ID where the network’s token goes, and open it in your browser:
```
https://YOUR-SNIPPET-ADDRESS/track/sct-conv.gif?sct_conv_ref=k3x9q2m7a1b4&pb=YOUR-ACCOUNT-KEY
```
You see a blank page whether or not the conversion was recorded, so check Reports (step 3). This proves SCT can record a conversion for that click. It does not prove the network sends the postback.
Test the whole chain (with your network). Use your network’s postback test tool if it has one. If the tool asks for a tracking or affiliate URL, use your offer URL with your click ID in the sub-ID parameter, for example …&aff_sub2=k3x9q2m7a1b4. If your network has no test tool, complete a real test conversion, such as a free sign-up, through your short link.

Step 3: Check the result

Open the Postback Log. The test shows up within seconds with its result. Recorded means it counted. Any other result explains what went wrong. See Postback Log below for what each result means. The conversion also appears in the link’s Reports within about a minute, marked Exact.

The browser test only shows up in the Postback Log if the URL you opened includes your pb= key.

If the conversion does not appear

Start with the result in the Postback Log. If the network test is not in the log at all, the network did not call your postback URL, or the URL in the network does not include your pb= key. Check the network’s postback settings and its postback log, if it has one.

The browser test worked but the network test did not. The network is not filling in its token. Check the network’s postback settings or help pages to confirm the token you used (for example {aff_sub2} or #S2#) is a supported postback macro and matches the sub-ID parameter in your destination URL. If the token is not filled in, the network sends the token text itself, and SCT records nothing. Your affiliate manager can confirm the right token.
The browser test did not work. Check that you copied the full 12-character click ID and that you used the postback URL from Postback setup on this link. A wrong or mistyped click ID is ignored.
Look at the network’s postback log, if it has one, to see whether the postback was sent and what address it called.

About test conversions

The test adds one click and one conversion to the link’s stats. You cannot remove them yourself.
Each click ID counts once. Repeating the test with the same ID does not add more conversions. To run another test, make a new test click to get a new ID.

Postback Log

The Postback Log page lists every postback your networks send to your postback URL and whether it counted. Use it to check a new setup, or to find out why sales your network reports are missing in SCT.

Received: when the postback arrived, in your time zone.
Result: whether it counted, and if not, why. See the table below.
Link: the link the click belongs to, when SCT could find the click. Click the name to see only that link’s postbacks.
Click ID received: the exact value the network sent in sct_conv_ref.
Request details: everything else the network sent, such as a payout or transaction ID, plus the address of the network’s server. Your postback key is not shown.

Use Show to see Problems only, for example after changing a network’s settings.

Result	What it means	What to do
Recorded	The conversion was counted.	Nothing.
Already counted	This click already had a conversion, so nothing extra was counted.	Usually nothing. Networks sometimes send a postback twice. If you see it on every sale, the network may be sending one postback per event (for example a lead and then a sale). Ask the network to send only the event you want to count.
No click ID	The postback had no `sct_conv_ref` value.	Check that the postback URL in the network ends with `sct_conv_ref=` followed by the network’s token.
Token not filled in	The network sent its token text, such as `{aff_sub2}` or `#S2#`, instead of your click ID.	Check that the token is one your network fills in for postbacks, and that it matches the sub-ID parameter that holds `{clickid}` in your destination URL. Your affiliate manager can confirm the right token.
Not a click ID	The value is not an SCT click ID. Often the token returns a different sub-ID than the one that holds `{clickid}`.	Match the token to the sub-ID parameter. For example, `s2={clickid}` on MaxBounty goes with `#S2#`.
Unknown click ID	The value looks like a click ID, but no click has it.	Check for a typo if you sent it by hand. Otherwise the click may be older than your click history.
Other account	The click ID belongs to a link in another SCT account, so it was not counted in this one.	If you have more than one account, use the postback URL from the account that owns the link.
Link can’t count it	The click was found, but its link no longer tracks conversions. For example, the link type was changed, or the split test destination was removed.	Conversions only count on Standard links and Split Test destinations.

Good to know

Entries are kept for 30 days and then deleted automatically. Your conversion counts in Reports are not affected.
Only postbacks sent to a URL with your pb= key are logged. If you set up a postback before the Postback Log was added, copy the postback URL again from Postback setup and update it in your network.
Thank-you page snippet conversions are not postbacks, so they do not appear here. Check the link’s Reports for those.
To protect the log from floods, at most 1,000 problem entries are kept per account in any 24 hours. Recorded postbacks are always logged.
Team members see the log of the account they are working in.

Exact and Matched conversions

Exact means the visit ID reached the thank-you page. SCT knows which click became the sale.

Matched means no visit ID arrived. SCT matched the visitor’s device and network to a click on this link within the last 60 minutes.

Matched can be wrong when several people share an office or mobile network, or when two people use the same phone model on that network. Install the landing page snippet and keep your pages on the same main domain to get more Exact results.

If no visit ID arrives and nothing can be matched:

On a standard link, the sale still counts, because there is only one place it could have come from.
On a split test, the sale is not counted, because SCT cannot tell which version the buyer saw. Counting it against a guessed version would make your test results less reliable.

Landing page snippet options

Open Landing page options on the Conversion tracking card. Changing an option means copying the snippet again and replacing the old one.

Add the visit ID to links that go to other websites: On by default. Checkout buttons and other links that leave your page carry the visit ID, which gives the checkout the chance to pass it on to your thank-you page. Turn it off only if a link stops working.
Never add it to these websites: A comma-separated list, such as facebook.com, youtube.com. Subdomains of those sites are included.
How long visitors are remembered: 30 days. This is fixed.

Older setup: one snippet per destination

If you already installed a separate snippet on each destination’s own thank-you page, those snippets keep working. On a split test, open Show per-destination snippets (older setup) under Destinations to copy them again.

A new setup should use the single thank-you page snippet on the Conversion tracking card. Do not install both on the same thank-you page.

Privacy

SCT stores a random visit ID in a cookie and in the browser’s local storage on your landing page’s domain, for 30 days. It does not store a name, email, or other personal details.

When a visit ID does not arrive, matching uses the IP address and browser details SCT already records for every click. If you use a cookie-consent tool, load the landing page snippet through it.

Testing your setup

Use a private or incognito window.
Click the short link.
Check that the landing page address contains sct_conv_ref=.
Hover a checkout button and check that its address also contains sct_conv_ref=.
Finish on the thank-you page.
Open the link’s Reports and look for the conversion.

If the conversion is missing, see Troubleshooting.