Creating a tracker

Trackers are an AppMetrica tool used to attribute installs and deeplinks. You can use them in any advertising network and on external sites.

When creating a tracker, you'll encounter the following key entities:

• SmartLink: A technology used to create universal tracking URLs for various platforms and app stores.
• Media Source: An advertising network or traffic source to which clicks, installs, and conversions are attributed.
• Attribution and postback settings: How installs are counted and what data is sent to the media source.
• Various types of URLs: Issued after creating the tracker based on your selected settings. For more information, see Step 7.

In AppMetrica, you can create two types of trackers: the main tracker and a tracker for app pre-installs. Below are the steps for setting up your main tracker. For information on how to configure a tracker for pre-installs, see Creating a tracker for pre-installs.

Step 1. General settings

1. In the AppMetrica interface, go to Tracking → Add tracker.

2. Enter the name of the tracker.

3. Select a media source to attribute clicks, installs, and conversions to. You can use the tracker in any advertising network that supports tracking URLs and on external sites.

   If the media source isn't in the list, add a new source.

   Once the tracker has been created, you can't change the media source in the settings.

4. Specify Main as the tracker type.

Step 2. SmartLink, desination URLs, and deeplinks

To create a universal tracking URL that supports all app stores, enable SmartLink.

With this option enabled, you can define the tracker's behavior in various scenarios:

• If the app isn't installed, a destination URL takes the user to an application store: the App Store (iOS), Google Play (Android), AppGallery (Android), Mi Store (Android), or Windows Phone Store (Windows Phone).

  About Google Play and AppGallery

  Google Play: If only Google Play is selected as the app store, a user with a Xiaomi or Huawei device will be directed to Google Play.

  AppGallery: If AppGallery isn't installed on the user's Huawei device, they'll be redirected to the web version of this store.

• If the app is already installed, the specified deeplink opens. You can generate different deeplinks for different app stores.

• Fallback is the destination URL used for all other cases (such as clicks originating on desktops). If you only select Fallback, all users will get redirected to the specified destination URL.

Configuring a SmartLink

If you disable SmartLink, you can create a tracker for only one operating system: either iOS or Android. In this case, you need to set up separate URLs for your re-engagement or app-to-app deeplinks. These URLs aren't combined with the tracking link and don't automatically redirect the user.

Setup without a SmartLink

Step 3. (Optional) Configure attribution

This attribution type correctly detects the source that brought users to your app and accurately links app installs to ad interactions, whether they're a click or an impression.

For more information about attribution methods, see AppMetrica tracking technology and Impression attribution.

• Reattribution — Attribution of reinstalls by pre-existing users. This option is disabled by default. For more information, see Attributing app installs.

  For test devices, reattribution is always enabled (regardless of the option status). For more information about adding test devices, see Testing attribution.

• Click settings

  • Fingerprint — Time interval of attribution (the time between the click and first start). AppMetrica uses it for the Device Fingerprint Matching attribution. The default value is 24 hours.
    Acceptable values are from 1 to 24 hours.

  • Device ID / Install Referrer — Time interval of attribution, that is used for the Device Identifier Matching attribution. The default value is 10 days.
    Acceptable values are from 1 to 10 days for clicks and up to 24 hours for impressions.

• Impression attribution, also known as post-view attribution or view-through attribution (VTA), accounts for cases where a user didn't navigate to the app store by clicking an ad but still installed your app shortly after viewing it. The option is enabled by default. For more information, see Impression attribution.

Setting up attribution

Step 4. (Optional) Configure postbacks

A postback is a request to the media source's server sent via a set link (postback URL). The request transmits data about a conversion that occurred in the app.

Postbacks are typically used when running CPI/CPA campaigns. You can add up to 10 postbacks per tracker.

If you have default postbacks configured for the selected media source, they're automatically added to the tracker. You can disable these postbacks, add templates that exist for the media source and are disabled by default, or create new ones.

For media source, postbacks for all sources can also be configured — they allow you to send event data to the media source regardless of whether the user was acquired through advertising or organically. Such postbacks are not linked to specific trackers. You can view them on the media source page.

1. Select the conversion for which you want to send a postback, then choose a sending method (POST or GET).

2. Generate a postback URL.

   To transmit additional information about the event to the media source, use macros when generating the URL.

   Some media sources can set a permanent Postback URL for their network. In this case, the postback is sent to the media source regardless of other settings. It can't be edited.

Setting up postbacks

Step 5. (Optional) Configure anti-fraud

Enable FraudScore to check installs and events for fraud via FraudScore.

FraudScore is a paid option (Pricing plans) only available for legal entities registered in Russia.

FraudScore isn't available for the following media sources:

• Google Ads
• Google AdWords (Unconfigured)
• Google Play
• Google Search
• Yandex Direct
• Yandex

Step 6. Save changes and test the tracker

1. Click Save at the bottom of the page.

   The list of all saved trackers are in the Trackers section. You can edit and archive them. The statistics from archived trackers remain available in reports.

2. Test the tracker before launching a campaign.

Step 7. Use the created tracking URLs

When creating a tracker, several URL types are available in the interface on the right. You can use them in your campaign after successful testing. To do this, copy the URL from the desired field on the right.

Choose the URL that best matches your scenario:

• App-to-app link: A universal link suitable for most campaigns.
• Tracking link: Another universal link suitable for most campaigns, excluding when you need your deeplink to direct users to an iOS app. In those cases, use the App-to-app link instead.
• Impression URL: Used for impression attribution.
• Re-engagement deeplink: Available if SmartLink is disabled. Used for campaigns with deeplinks.

For each tracking link, you can specify predefined, static (UTM), and custom parameters that will be passed to the destination URL or deeplink. For example, you can disable JavaScript redirect using the appmetrica_js_redirect=0 parameter. For more information, see Parameters of the tracking URL.

Learn more

• How can I create a tracking URL for other install sources?
• AppMetrica Blog: Parameters of the tracking URL
• Does AppMetrica use UTM tags?

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