Introduction
Smart Links allow you to dynamically route traffic to multiple offers based on a defined strategy. This guide walks you through creating, configuring, and managing SmartLinks via the Integr8 Tracking Platform.
How to create a Smart Link
Navigate to the dedicated section to start setting up your first SmartLink:
- Offers > Smart Links > click +Create button
You’ll be guided through a 3-step wizard:
1. General Settings
- Name: insert a name for the link.
- Description: Add an optional note or identifier.
- Tracking Domain: Select the domain that will be used for the Smart Link. If not selected, the default domain will be used.
- Publisher Access and Visibility:
- Public: Accessible to all publishers.
- Private: Only visible to publishers who have access to the associated offers.
- Activation Toggle: Enable/disable the Smart Link without deleting it.
- Tags: Optional metadata to organize or quickly search Smart Links later.
2. Redirect Strategy
Choose how traffic will be distributed among the selected offers:
- Weight: Allocate traffic as a percentage per offer. Useful for traffic balancing and A/B testing.
- Priority: Rank offers by priority. The system attempts to redirect to the top offer first, then the next one if conditions aren’t met (e.g., cap reached, targeting filters, fraud rejection).
- Click Select Offers to add multiple offers.
- Click Next to continue to step 3.
3. Fallback Offer (Optional but Recommended)
Since Fraud Detection, Capping, and Targeting can be set for each Offer, the system may block the click without a redirect. To handle this, you can choose an Offer without traffic restrictions as a fallback.
Important: The fallback offer should have no restrictions to ensure a 100% redirect when needed.
After Creation
Once created, the Link can be distributed to publishers. Visibility rules (Public/Private) and offer access permissions will control who can actually use it. Stats can be tracked using the dedicated report.
General Usage & Best Practices
What is a Smart Link?
A SmartLink is a multi-offer container URL. Instead of giving publishers multiple links for different offers, you provide a single dynamic link that routes traffic based on your chosen strategy.
Use Cases:
- Auto-optimization across high-performing offers.
- Fallback routing for fraud/cap rejections.
- Centralized link for affiliates to push multiple offers with one URL.
- Seasonal or campaign-specific clusters of offers.
Key Logic Notes:
- Offers within the SmartLink must be compatible with the publisher’s permissions (esp. for Private SmartLinks).
- Redirection respects fraud rules, caps, geo/device targeting.
- If no offer is eligible for a click and no fallback is set, the click is lost.
- Smart Links are not replacements for precise targeting; they work best when all included offers can handle the same or similar traffic types.
Common pitfalls to avoid
| Issue | Impact | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| No fallback set | Lost traffic | Always assign a fallback offer with zero restrictions. |
| Wrong redirect strategy | Sub-optimal performance | Use Weight when testing offers, Priority when you have a clear winner. |
| Private Smart Link with wrong offer permissions | Publishers see errors | Verify that publishers have access to all offers in the Smart Link. |
Recommended Config for Most Users
- Redirect Strategy: Start with Weight for testing, move to Priority for scaling.
- Fallback: Always set one.
- Visibility: Use Private unless you’re offering a general Smart Link to all publishers.
