When a tracking request is received, it must be processed. The main parameters are:
- PalDock Conversion ID – pcid – identifies the PalDock click (clickID) or lead (leadID).
- PalDock Advertiser ID – advertiser_id – the unique advertiser ID available in the admin.
- Advertiser External ID – external_id – e.g., the external lead ID on the advertiser’s side, sent together with the conversion. Used for deduplication (only one conversion will be created).
- Commission ID (optional) – commission_id – the commission ID in PalDock. Required if multiple commissions exist for the same conversion type. If not provided, the default (first in order for that conversion type) will be used.
You might also want to check out the Tracking parameters to discover them all.
Required fields depend on the chosen pairing method:
- Via PalDock Conversion ID – only this parameter is required, since it is always unique in the system.
- Via Advertiser External ID – the External ID is required. On its own, it may not be unique, but uniqueness is ensured in combination with the PalDock Advertiser ID.
For affiliate links, the external ID is not known in advance, so only the PalDock conversion ID can be used.
For iframe and API integrations, both methods are supported. If you are using links together with iframes or APIs, you may find it easier to implement the same tracking method across all of them, although this is not required.
Combining multiple tracking methods
If more tracking methods are used simultaneously, the system automatically deduplicates them based on the received Advertiser External ID.
- Pixel tracking – fires immediately once the user reaches the advertiser’s confirmation page.
- S2S postback tracking – received only when the advertiser processes the conversion in their system and sends the request. This may take seconds or even days; some advertisers send these in daily batches.
- API tracking – triggered when PalDock calls the advertiser’s system, and the advertiser processes the conversion. This may also take seconds or days.
- Manual upload – uploading the conversion manually
Up to 4 separate signals may be received for the same conversion.
Tracking Outcome
If everything is valid, the tracking request is processed and results in the creation or update of a conversion. However, this does not automatically create a transaction with a payout.
The conversion must first pass through the commission conditions. Only if those conditions are met, the system generates a transaction with a payout.
What influences whether tracking will successfully create a transaction
There are several important factors to consider:
Commission ID
Not strictly required, but ensures proper processing. Since multiple commissions may exist for the same conversion type, each has its own commission ID. If not provided, the first commission for that conversion type (as ordered in the Commissions/Offer list) will be used.
Recurrence Type
A commission feature that controls how the system behaves if multiple conversions with the same PalDock ID are received. See more on page Recurrence type.
Advertiser External ID
A parameter that automatically deduplicates conversions based on this value, ensuring only one unique conversion is kept. See more on page Deduplicaction based on advertiser’s ID. This is especially useful when:
- a single PalDock conversion ID may generate multiple conversions with different Advertiser Conversion IDs, or
- multiple tracking methods are in use for the same conversion.