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Overview

This article explains how to track clicks in Beeswax when using third-party JavaScript ad tags or HTML5 creatives. It does not apply to ads uploaded If you are uploading assets directly into Beeswax or using through a VAST 2.0 Wrapper, this article does not apply, as Beeswax automatically handles all click redirection automaticallyin those cases.

You must include a click macro in In third-party JavaScript ad tags or HTML5 creatives in order , a click macro must be included to track clicks in Beeswax and to serve on Google AdX (and other exchanges requiring click redirects). The Buzz properly redirect the user to the destination URL. The Beeswax API and UI automatically detect tags from popular ad serving systems including Doubleclick such as DoubleClick Campaign Manager and Sizmek.

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For proper click tracking

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with Flashtalking,

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additional settings must be enabled by the Flashtalking team

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. More information on these settings can be found here.

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How Click Tracking Works

When using Beeswax for click tracking, the

How it works

The {{CLICK_URL}} macro expands into two parts: is used to generate a URL that includes both the Beeswax click tracker and the Beeswax redirect. This URL is from the domain "will have the following structure:

 https://event.bidr.io

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/clk?dest=<destination_url>

• The destination URL must be properly encoded (escaped) for the redirect to work correctly.
• If the ad is served through an exchange that requires a redirect, the destination URL must be

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• encoded twice.

Example 1:
To properly encode a destination URL, use this format:

 {{CLICK_URL}}https%3A%2F%2Fwww.beeswax.com%2Fprivacy.html

Some exchanges require additional redirects, which means the destination URL will need to be escaped a second time.

Example 2:
If the exchange requires an extra redirect, As an additional complication, some exchanges require a redirect through their exchange as well.  In this scenario, Beeswax populates the required exchange macros automatically after "dest=". Thus, the inserted destination URL must be escaped one additional time, and the destination URL will need to be escaped twice [Example 2].Example 2: encoded twice:

 {{CLICK_URL}}https%253A%252F%252Fwww.beeswax.com%252Fprivacy.html

Beeswax additionally offers an also provides an escaped click macro: {{CLICK_URL_ESC}}. This version is often typically used when the click redirects through your ad server performs an initial redirect before redirecting through Beeswax. The In this case, the destination URL must be encoded twice in this case [Example 3], and when serving on exchanges that require a redirect through their system, the destination URL will need to be encoded three times [Example 4].Example 3: or even three times, depending on the exchange's requirements.

Example 3:
For a redirect through an ad server, the URL should be encoded twice:

 {{CLICK_URL_ESC}}

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https%253A%252F%252Fwww.beeswax.com%252Fprivacy.html

Example 4:
If the exchange requires additional redirects, encode the destination URL three times:

 {{CLICK_URL_ESC}}https%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.beeswax.com%25252Fprivacy.html

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Configuring Click Macros in Ad Servers

When using a third-party ad server, you often will insert the {{CLICK_URL}} or {{CLICK_URL_ESC}} macro as a value for one of your ad server’s parameters, and you will declare the destination URL in your ad server.

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is inserted into the appropriate parameter of the ad server's tag. The destination URL is declared within the ad server as well.

Ad servers handle URL encoding in different ways:

1. Some ad servers handle URL encoding automatically without any extra work needed.
   
   
2. Other

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1. ad servers require you to

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1. specify how many times

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1. the URL should be encoded. For example, you might need to specify whether the destination URL should be

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1. encoded once or twice.
   
   
2. Some ad servers do not offer

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1. URL encoding parameters, and you will

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1. need to manually encode the destination URL using a custom

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1. "for" loop.
   

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1. 
   
2. Certain ad servers fire

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1. click trackers

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1. in parallel

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1. , which means you

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1. will not need to escape

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1. the URL at all

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1. . In this case, you only need to insert the Beeswax click macro

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1. without additional encoding.

To determine how many times to escape your the destination URL, use the {{NUM_DEST_URL_ESCAPES}} macro (or our {{NUM_DEST_URL_ESC_ESCAPES}} macro, which is incremented by one) to indicate how many times the destination URL should be escaped.  The potential values of the {{NUM_DEST_URL_ESCAPES}} macro will be 1 or 2.  The potential values of which can be set to 1 or 2) or the {{NUM_DEST_URL_ESC_ESCAPES}} macro will (which can be set to 2 or 3).

Typically, the :

• {{NUM_DEST_URL_ESCAPES}}

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• is used

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• with the {{CLICK_URL}} macro

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• .
• {{NUM_DEST_URL_ESC_ESCAPES}} is used

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• with the {{CLICK_URL_ESC}} macro.

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Examples of

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Click Tracking

Here are some scenarios to demonstrate how click tracking works with different ad servers and redirects.

1. Using the {{CLICK_URL}}

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Macro without an Ad Server

1. Before the ad is served: The Prior to the ad being served, the Beeswax click macro expands to an a Beeswax URL with a the domain  https://event.bidr.io/.Ad is served.
2. User clicks on the ad.:
   • If the exchange
   the ad ran on
   • does not require a redirect, the user is sent:
     • First, through
    
   • • the Beeswax click tracker (https://event.bidr.io/clk
    so Beeswax can track the click -- The Beeswax URL is not escaped
   • • ).
   Second
   • • Then, to the destination URL
   -- The destination URL in the tag needs to be escaped 1 time
   • • , which must be encoded once.
   • If the exchange
   the ad ran on
   • requires a redirect, the user is sent:
     • First, through
    
   • • the Beeswax click tracker (https://event.bidr.io/clk
    so Beeswax can track the click -- The Beeswax URL is not escaped
   • • ).
   Second
   • • Then, through the exchange
   -- The Exchange URL is escaped once
   • • .
   Lastly
   • • Finally, to the destination URL
   -- The destination URL in the tag needs to be escaped 2 times.
   • • , which must be encoded twice.

2. Using the {{CLICK_URL_ESC}}

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Macro with an Ad Server that Redirects First

1. Before the ad is served: The Beeswax click macro (Prior to the ad being served, the Beeswax click macro {{CLICK_URL_ESC}}) expands to an escaped Beeswax URL value.Ad is served.
2. User clicks on the ad.:
   • If the exchange
   the ad ran on
   • does not require a redirect, the user is sent:
     • First,
   to your adserver -- The
   • • through the ad server
   URL is not escaped
3. Second, through https://event.bidr.io/clk so Beeswax can track the click -- The Beeswax URL is escaped 1 time.
Lastly
• • .
  • Then, to the Beeswax click tracker (which is escaped once).
  • Finally, to the destination URL
-- The destination URL needs to be escaped 2 times
• • (which is escaped twice).
• If the exchange
the ad ran on
• requires a redirect, the user is sent:
  • First,
to your adserver -- The
• • through the ad server
URL is not escaped
4. Second, through https://event.bidr.io/clk so Beeswax can track the click -- The Beeswax URL is escaped 1 time.
5. Third, through the exchange -- The Exchange URL is escaped 2 times.
Lastly
• • .
  • Then, to the Beeswax click tracker (escaped once).
  • Next, through the exchange (escaped twice).
  • Finally, to the destination URL
-- The destination URL needs to be escaped 3 times.
• • (escaped three times).

3. Using the {{CLICK_URL_ESC}}

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Macro with an Ad Server that Fires Click Trackers in Parallel (e.g., Sizmek)

1. Prior to Before the ad being is served, the : The Beeswax click macro ({{CLICK_URL_ESC}}) expands to an escaped Beeswax URL value.Ad is served.
2. User clicks on the ad.:
   • If the exchange
   the ad ran on
   • does not require a redirect, the user is sent
   :Directly
   • directly to the
   landing page -- The landing page URL is not escaped
   • destination URL.
   • In parallel,
   an image pixel from domain https://event.bidr.io/clk is fired so Beeswax can track the click -- The Beeswax URL is escaped 1 time
   • a click tracker fires from the Beeswax domain.
   • If the exchange
   the ad ran on
   • requires a redirect, the user is sent
   :Directly
   • directly to the
   landing page -- The landing page URL is not escaped.
3. In parallel, an image pixel from domain https://event.bidr.io/clk is fired so Beeswax can track the click -- The Beeswax URL is escaped 1 time.
Second in parallel, the image pixel redirects to the exchange -- The Exchange URL is escaped 2 times
• destination URL, while the click tracker fires in parallel, and an additional redirect happens through the exchange.