Event & Conversion Tracking

Track conversions and revenue with NextLinks' flexible event system. Works with internal offers, partner postbacks, and custom integrations.

Fast Integration

3 methods: server-side, JS pixel, or image pixel

Revenue Tracking

Support for CPC, CPA, and RevShare payouts

Partner Ready

Built-in support for affiliate postbacks

Build Your Postback URL

Postback Key (pbk)

Find this in Attribution → Events

Click ID (for testing)

From the URL parameter when user lands

Generated Postback URL

Understanding Events

How Event Tracking Works

User clicks your NextLink and lands on your page with a click_id parameter
You capture and store this click_id
When a conversion happens, you send a postback to NextLinks with the click_id
NextLinks records the event and attributes it to the original click

Key Parameters

Parameter	Required	Description
pbk	Yes*	Your postback key (identifies the event type)
click_id	Yes*	Unique identifier from the click
value	No**	Conversion value (for revenue tracking)
metadata	No	JSON object for custom data

* At least one required. ** Required for RevShare payout type.

Payout Types

When you create an Offer with an event config, you choose how revenue is calculated:

CPC

Cost Per Click

Revenue is earned when a user clicks the offer link. No postback needed.

Example: $0.50 per click × 1,000 clicks = $500 revenue

CPA

Cost Per Action

Revenue is earned when a conversion is recorded (via postback). Fixed amount per conversion.

Example: $25 per signup × 40 signups = $1,000 revenue

Postback required. value parameter optional (payout is fixed).

RevShare

Revenue Share

Revenue is a percentage of the sale amount. You must pass the sale value in the postback.

Example: 30% of sales × $5,000 total sales = $1,500 revenue

Postback required. value parameter required (sale amount).

Internal vs External Offers

Internal Offers

For your own products/ad units. Conversion fires automatically when user clicks.

• No postback setup needed
• Best for CPC campaigns
• Instant attribution

When to use:

Your own landing pages, internal ad units, direct links

External Offers

For partner/affiliate offers. Conversion fires when partner sends postback.

• Partner integration required
• Best for CPA/RevShare
• Accurate conversion tracking

When to use:

Affiliate offers, partner programs, external advertisers

How External Offers Work

When you create an external offer, NextLinks automatically appends click_id and pbk to the destination URL. The partner uses these to send conversion data back.

Integration Methods

Recommended

Method 1: Server-Side Postback

Most reliable method. Fire an HTTP request from your server when a conversion occurs.

// When a conversion happens on your server
async function trackConversion(clickId, value, metadata) {
  try {
    const response = await fetch('https://nextlinks.ai/api/event', {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
      body: JSON.stringify({
        pbk: 'YOUR_POSTBACK_KEY',
        click_id: clickId,
        value: value,
        metadata: metadata
      })
    });
    return await response.json();
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Conversion tracking failed:', error);
  }
}

// Usage
await trackConversion('abc123-def456-ghi789', 49.99, { order_id: 'ORD-123' });

Method 2: JavaScript Pixel

Add to your thank you/confirmation page. Automatically reads click_id and pbk from URL parameters.

<!-- Basic (for CPA - no value needed) -->
<script src="https://nextlinks.ai/pixel.js"></script>

<!-- With value (for RevShare) -->
<script src="https://nextlinks.ai/pixel.js" data-value="49.99"></script>

<!-- With custom postback key -->
<script src="https://nextlinks.ai/pixel.js" data-pbk="YOUR_KEY" data-value="49.99"></script>

Note: The pixel uses multiple delivery methods (fetch, image, beacon) for reliability. May be blocked by ad blockers.

Method 3: Image Pixel

Simplest implementation. Returns a 1x1 transparent GIF.

<!-- Replace CLICK_ID dynamically with the actual click_id from URL -->
<img src="https://nextlinks.ai/api/event?pbk=YOUR_POSTBACK_KEY&click_id=abc123-def456-ghi789&value=49.99" 
     width="1" height="1" style="display:none" />

Capturing the Click ID

When users land on your page from a NextLink, the URL contains a click_id parameter. Here's how to capture it:

// Get click_id from URL
const params = new URLSearchParams(window.location.search);
const clickId = params.get('click_id');

// Store in cookie for later (e.g., on checkout)
if (clickId) {
  document.cookie = `nl_click_id=${clickId}; max-age=2592000; path=/`;
}

// Retrieve later
function getClickId() {
  const params = new URLSearchParams(window.location.search);
  const urlClickId = params.get('click_id');
  if (urlClickId) return urlClickId;
  
  const cookies = document.cookie.split(';');
  const clickIdCookie = cookies.find(c => c.trim().startsWith('nl_click_id='));
  return clickIdCookie ? clickIdCookie.split('=')[1] : null;
}

API Response

// 200 OK
{
  "success": true,
  "eventId": 12345,
  "clickStatus": "found"  // or "pending" if click still processing
}

Testing Your Integration

Create a test NextLink pointing to your landing page
Click the link to generate a real click_id
Note the click_id from your landing page URL
Use the simulator in Attribution → Simulate to test
Check Attribution → Events → Logs for results