URL Trackers

1. 87

   andyozposted 13 years ago

   So yesterday I decided to try and get my head round URL trackers.  I must say there are some very helpful Hubs out there are also some good forum topics on the subject.  I think I've pretty much got most of it sussed.  A few things though that I didn't work out.
   
   If I was to place a URL tracker link in one of my hubs to another one of my hubs, would it benefit me in any way?  Would I get an extra 10% of ad impressions on the hub it linked to, making it up to 70%?  Or would it just stay at 60%?
   
   Another thing, am I right in thinking that we get 10% of people's Amazon sales?  I have a hub about snowboarding safety tips, I mention wearing protective gear, would it make sense for me to find a hub that reviews protective gear and then link to it with a URL tracker? 
   
   Just trying to get everything worked out before I start using one of these.

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   1. 89

      WryLiltposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I believe placing the URL tracker in your own hub means that you continue to get 60% on your own hub. However until that tracker is replaced, any other hub by other authors that person visits, will show your adverts 10% of the time. PLUS you have the chance of getting referrals, too (I have.)
      
      Yes, 10% applies to all the hubpages affiliates.

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   2. 0

      Website Examinerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I would be careful about doing so without getting the other Hubber's acceptance. A little too close for comfort, I'd say. Usually, linking to other Hubbers is fine without permission. But once you start targeting the same market, possibly involving the same tags and keywords, you can become a competitor for search engine rankings etc. Some Hubbers do not appreciate that at all, and using URL trackers makes it all the more obvious that there is a profit motive.

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      1. 87

         andyozposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         I never thought of it that way.  I wouldn't intentionally try and steal another hubbers traffic.  In some ways it would benefit the hubber as I would be directing traffic to their Hub and possibly getting them more sales.  But I suppose it depends how you look at it. 
         
         Well other than getting people to join up I am not really seeing the benifit of using these URL trackers.  Or am I missing something?

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         1. 0

            Website Examinerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            I'm sure you wouldn't try that, but I've seen some Hubbers get upset over these things. If you asked, it shouldn't be any problem, and you might get an inbound link out of it.
            
            Trackers have 3 kinds of benefits:
            - You get credited for sign-ups;
            - You get credited for about 10% of the other Hubber's page impressions for 2 hours (taken out of HubPages share) when someone clicks on the link;
            - Provides statistical information, since you can see when the link was clicked on (if using a custom URL tracker).

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   3. 59

      seedlingposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I want to use URL trackers for sign up.  Is there a page or hub that explains this well.  I looked at the learning center and was still a little clueless.
      
      I understand about adding links to existing hubs but I'm not sure about sign ups for new members.

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      1. 0

         Website Examinerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         I usually refer to my previous forum post, which does the job for most people:
         
         http://hubpages.com/forum/post/1200945
         
         URL trackers both work for sign-ups and for hubs, the difference being what page the link is directed at. If someone visited a hub via a tracker link, then decided to go and sign up for HubPages, the referrer would get credit for both.

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         1. 89

            Howard S.posted 13 years agoin reply to this

            It's nice to know that if I refer someone to another hub and they choose to navigate to the sign-up page from there, I will be credited with the referral. But wouldn't my referral be hijacked if the hub I referred them to has a direct sign-up link of its own that is used rather than the navigation path? If so, and assuming that someone signing up is unfamiliar with the site, it would be best to provide my own dedicated link, right?

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            1. 0

               Website Examinerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               It is my impression that if the visitor signed up within 2 hours of having clicked on your link, you'd be OK even though they clicked on a URL tracker provided by another Hubber to get there. The reason is that your cookie is persistent for 2 hours. If it took longer for them to sign up, your cookie would have been replaced by the other Hubber's, therefore you would lose the referral.
               
               I think that direct links to the sign-up page is the way to go, which is also what I have suggested in the forum post I linked to above.

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2. 68

   lrohnerposted 13 years ago

   URL trackers have two real purposes: make sure you get referral credit for people who sign up to HubPages and help you to make money when you send traffic to other hubs.
   
   Through the Traffic Referral Program, if you send someone to a hub or profile page through a link with your tracker, you get:
   
   - 9% of impressions for 120 minutes if the person who owns that hub or profile page is an AdSense affiliate.
   
   - 12% of impressions for 120 minutes if they are not an AdSense affiliate.
   
   In either case, the 9% or 12% comes from HubPages share of impressions -- not the hubber's. There should be no problems from the other Hubber's perspective, since you are sending them traffic -- not stealing their traffic. And the internal link helps them overall.
   
   If you send someone to an HP-owned page, like a Tags page or the Home Page, through a link with your tracker in it, you get 30% of impressions for 120 minutes.
   
   The info is kind of split between the FAQs and the Learning Center.
   
   And although the FAQs specifically state that the links should be from outside of HP, I think it was Brie who said that at a recent HubCamp, the team said that they will allow them from inside of HP.
   
   Edited to add: Oops, sorry WE -- our posts crossed paths.

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      Website Examinerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks Irohner, but no need to say sorry. You've written an excellent, informative post. It is most accurate.

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      1. 68

         lrohnerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         I really wish the team would make sure their FAQs and the Learning Center say the same thing. The Learning Center doesn't tell you how long you get the impressions for (unless it's in the video somewhere), and the FAQs don't tell you what the split is. Sigh... No wonder newbies are confused.

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         1. 0

            Website Examinerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Yes, how mysterious...

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3. 87

   andyozposted 13 years ago

   Thanks for the replies guys, very helpful.  Although I see the value of getting people to sign up via a link, I don't see why you would benifit from sending someone to another persons Hub.  Sure you get a 10%ish share of ad impressions, but if you link to your own hubs you get 60%.  So surely it makes more sense to direct traffic on to your own hubs rather than send traffic away to someone elses.

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   1. 68

      lrohnerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Sure -- if you have a hub related to the subject the reader is looking for. If not, you can either write one or send them along to someone else. Quite frankly, if someone else already owns and ranks for a particular keyword, I would be more likely to link to them instead of writing a hub going after the same keyword.

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      1. 87

         andyozposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Valid point, cheers Irohner

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4. 89

   Howard S.posted 13 years ago

   I hope this is more related than not:
   
   I've never understood the 30-day window for sign-up. Thirty days from when?

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   1. 0

      Website Examinerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      30 days from the date the URL tracker link is clicked on. The cookie will expire after 30 days.

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5. 89

   Howard S.posted 13 years ago

   I'm inserting my tracker ID into RSS urls that in-feed other hubs (like the HubMob, as opposed to external feeds). Does that cover each of the hubs that it feeds? Or would I have to enter each of those and insert my tracker?

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