Pass Information from a Traffic Source to Voluum

When a visitor clicks an advertisement, a lot of information can be carried along about visit characteristics. Traffic sources can send a certain predefined set of information using HTTP(S) requests. Voluum captures this information and adds additional ones, derived from visitor's user agent. This information enriches your campaign reports and enables you to then make the necessary changes to your campaign's primary targeting on the traffic source's side. All this can be then passed to an affiliate network by adding appropriate parameters to the offer URL, if needed. 

To learn more about how information is passed in general, read the How Information is Passed article.

While adding a traffic source element in Voluum, in the Advanced parameters section, you need to map parameters that your traffic source sends with Voluum variables. 

Let's consider a situation, where you want to pass information about which creative has been clicked by the visitor from your traffic source platform to Voluum. You need to refer to your traffic source's documentation to know which parameter it uses to pass information about a creative.

In the example below, information about creative is defined by the creative_id traffic source's parameter name and passed in the {creative_id} token. This name and {token} pair is mapped to the Voluum var1 custom variable.

From now on, Voluum's var1 custom variable will be associated with the information about a creative.

Parameters you have configured will be automatically appended to the campaign URL. Your campaign URL in this case would look like this:

https://your_voluum_domain.com/campaign_id?clickid={clickid}&cost={cost}&creative_id={creative_id}

When a visitor clicks an advertisement, tokens will be replaced with actual values that characterize this person's visit. See the example campaign URL after a visitor's click:

https://your_voluum_domain.com/25ee1413-ed3d-4b6b-86e9-7e2b07c9d655?clickid=c384EFV6JHQODRN70575OK6U&cost=1&creative_id=my_attractive_creative

Custom variables that you match with traffic source parameters will be visible in reports, along with other information derived by Voluum from the user agent of a visitor. You can group your reports based on this variable, as shown on the image below:

Read the Reports: Overview article to learn more about reporting options in Voluum.

Matching traffic source platform parameters with custom variables can be done in the traffic source element setup in Voluum, in the Advanced parameters section. The table below shows what kinf of information you need to provide:

Name:	Parameter	Token	Track (On/off)
This field is used for naming your variable reports. Even when you use the traffic source template with the predefined names, you can modify them and adjust to your needs. Those names will be displayed in Voluum's reports.	This is entered into your campaign URL and is directly related to a corresponding token.	This is the token you receive from your traffic source and is used to relay specific data variables.	This defines whether the variable is tracked and included in your reports.
External ID:  Use this parameter to track external unique IDs, assigned by the traffic source platform. This option is (typically) used when you need to pass information back the traffic source platform for conversion tracking purposes. This external ID will be then recognized by the traffic source and matched with the original visit. You can add up to three external IDs, if your traffic source supports it.	Example: cid	Example: {transaction_id}	If only supported by the traffic source, always available.
Cost: You should only add this parameter/placeholder if your traffic source can dynamically record costs. This will enable you to automatically track costs using the Auto setting in the campaign setup.	Example: cost	Example: {cost}	If only supported by the traffic source, always available.
Custom variable: Most traffic sources let you pass extra arguments in the destination URL, such as publisher ID, target ID or keyword. If included, Voluum can track these dynamic parameters and generate additional report insights.	Example: placement	Example: {placement}	Available only if a toggle is turned on.

Have more questions? You might find answers below: