What is a tracker?

A tracker is a unique tracking link used to measure the performance of a marketing campaign, including how a user arrived at an app. It creates the connection between a marketing interaction and an outcome such as a click, install, re-engagement, or in-app event, and the relevant campaign, channel, or partner. This allows advertisers to accurately attribute campaigns to results and to successfully measure and optimize performance. 

Trackers also provide information on the users who convert, allowing marketers to dive deeper into their data and analyze activity throughout the mobile marketing funnel. While today's privacy frameworks have changed how and when user data can be collected and used, when trackers are consented and accessible, they remain a fundamental part of mobile measurement.

A tracker is placed behind a marketing asset. This could be anything from a paid advertisement to an affiliate promotion, a QR code, or an email campaign, or any form of advertising.

When a user interacts with the link, the tracker records information about that engagement before sending the user to the intended destination. In many cases, that destination is an app store page.

If the user installs the app and opens it, the attribution platform evaluates the recorded interaction. The platform can then determine whether the campaign influenced the install.

The result is a measurable relationship between a marketing effort and a user action.

Trackers are an essential component to mobile measurement because they provide advertisers and marketers with the granular data necessary to assess advertising performance. A campaign may generate significant traffic. That alone does not reveal whether the campaign was successful. Traffic only becomes meaningful when it can be connected to a business outcome.

Trackers provide that connection by allowing advertisers to understand whether a campaign influenced user acquisition and whether those acquired users generated value after installation. This becomes increasingly important as marketing investment grows, because decisions about budget allocation require evidence and tracker data helps provide that evidence.

Trackers also create consistency. Rather than relying on separate reports from different advertising platforms, marketers can evaluate performance through a common measurement framework.

A tracker records information about a marketing interaction. At a basic level, it identifies where the user came from. Depending on the campaign setup, it may also contain information that identifies the campaign responsible for the interaction.

Additional information can be passed through URL parameters. This gives advertisers greater context when reviewing campaign performance.

Once attribution takes place, tracker data can be connected to activity inside the app. This helps marketers understand whether acquired users continue to engage after installation.

Trackers are made up of several elements that work together to identify campaign activity.

• Tracker URL: The tracker URL is the complete campaign link used in a marketing placement.
• Tracker token: A tracker token is the unique identifier contained within the tracker URL. It allows the attribution platform to recognize the specific tracker associated with an interaction.
• Query string: The query string is the section of the URL that contains additional information. It appears after the main tracker link.
• Tracking parameters: Tracking parameters provide extra context about a campaign. They help advertisers organize reporting and understand campaign performance in greater detail.
• Dynamic parameters: Dynamic parameters automatically populate information at the moment an interaction occurs. This reduces manual work and improves reporting accuracy.

Trackers are often used alongside deep links. A deep link controls where a user lands after opening an app, and the tracker records how the user arrived there. This combination creates a smoother user experience because the destination can match the context of the campaign.

Mobile measurement has changed significantly in recent years, with platform owners now placing greater restrictions on access to user-level data, e.g. Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT). Privacy regulations have also increased expectations around consent and data handling.

These changes have affected how attribution works, but have not removed the need for tracking. A well-structured tracker remains an important source of campaign information. It helps advertisers understand performance within the boundaries established by modern privacy standards.

Adjust links connect marketing activity with attribution and can be used on mobile or web campaigns for clicks, impressions, and connected TV (CTV). Each tracker contains information that helps identify the campaign responsible for a user interaction wherever there is engagement with your campaign media.  

That information can then be used as the foundation for campaign measurement, enabling you to: 

• Send users to your app in the appropriate app store
• Record user engagement with ads
• Segment users by attribution source
• Redirect users based on device type

 

Our campaign structure supports up to four levels of data (campaign structure parameters), and is intended for the most efficient optimization. These levels are: Network, Campaign, Adgroup, and Creative.