RedTrack Review: Insights on Performance, Usability, and Core Features
April 18, 2024 by Jairene Cruz 19 min readTable of Contents
ToggleKeeping tabs on your campaigns isn’t just smart—it’s pretty much essential, especially if you’re a media-buying affiliate. It’s kind of like trying to nail a moving target while blindfolded if you’re not tracking your progress, right?
You need to know what’s hitting the mark and what’s missing by miles. That’s where a solid tracking solution comes in, which can transform guesswork into strategy.
And that’s why we’re here—to talk about one of the trackers that’s been getting a lot of buzz lately. Stick around as we dive into an in-depth look at RedTrack. We’re all about helping you figure out if this is the tracking hero you’ve been waiting for or not.
Key Takeaways
- Has affordable subscription plans, beginning at $149 per month, featuring extensive data retention.
- Continuously updated features aligned with the latest trends in digital advertising.
- Boasts a user-friendly, modern interface.
- Provides advanced reporting tools.
- Includes an auto-optimization feature compatible with over 20 advertising networks (available on all plans).
- Offers influencer tracking, call tracking, and in-app event monitoring.
What is RedTrack?
RedTrack launched in 2017 with a clear mission: to simplify the process for media buyers by consolidating their data in one place, eliminating the need to juggle multiple campaigns.
Their aim was to make things less complicated, but they didn’t stop there. What began as a simple goal has become the core of their business, pushing them to address larger growth challenges in media buying. They’re tackling these challenges with advanced technology and a knowledgeable support team.
This isn’t a small operation. RedTrack operates globally, with teams in 5 countries and serving customers from over 107 countries every day.
RedTrack Best Features
This affiliate tracker has a ton of features, but let’s focus on those that made an impression and what I bet most media-buying affiliates would love.
NOTE: While RedTrack also has publisher tracking and e-com monitoring features, we will not be discussing them here and will focus instead on the media-buying aspect.
Granular Reporting
Being able to dig deep into your data is one characteristic of a tracker we are all looking for, and it can be done in RedTrack. From a high-level overview to specific data points, RedTrack’s got you covered.
It offers more than 20 tracking parameters, which is pretty nice to have. While you may not use all of them at once, it’s great to have the option to do so.
You can also view grouped and nested reports, and adjust columns based on more than 30 calculated metrics (on top of the standard ones).
Another good thing is the addition of Notes per campaign, so you can share information across your team, or you can use them as reminders for yourself regarding changes you’ve made, optimizations you want to perform, etc.
Easy Integrations
One of the most important aspects of a tracking tool is its ability to easily integrate with the platforms that you are working with. RedTrack has templates for 107 traffic channels and 84 affiliate networks/programs.
Should your platform of choice not be on the list, there’s no need to worry. RedTrack enables you to manually set up the postback.
Aside from the usual platforms, RedTrack also helps app marketers and pay-per-call marketers to track events and conversions by integrating with AppsFlyer and Ringba—something not all tracking tools can do.
Automation with Specific Traffic Channels
One of my favorite features of RedTrack is its Automation. You won’t have to manually optimize your campaigns, and you won’t have to go back and forth between your tracker and your ad network—everything can be done within RedTrack.
The best part? It’s free for all subscription plans.
At the heart of RedTrack’s automation prowess are its CAPI and API integrations.
With CAPI (pre-built conversion APIs), you’re sending rich conversion data directly back to your top advertising networks like Facebook, Google Ads, Bing, TikTok, and Snapchat. This isn’t just any data; it’s the kind of insightful information that allows ad networks’ AI to fine-tune your campaigns for better attribution and automation.
This gives you the option to share all your conversions, even those from channels outside the networks mentioned above.
On the other hand, API integration only sends conversions for specific platforms. The advantage of using API is that data can be transferred every 5, 15, and 30 minutes, depending on you, so your traffic source automatically applies the action as needed. The default is 30 minutes.
Plus, it can be used in more traffic channels than CAPI. You can use API on the following:
- Facebook/Meta Ads
- TikTok
- Google Ads
- Bing
- Taboola
- Outbrain
- AdMaven
- Adnium
- AdsKeeper
- ExoClick
- HilltopAds
- MGID
- PropellerAds
- Pushground
- ReachEffect
- Revcontent
- RichAds
- Tonic
- TrafficJunky
- TrafficStars
- Voluum DSP
- Yeesshh
- Zeropark
To make this automation work, you would need to set up what RedTrack calls “Stop & Go” Rules.
If your ad network isn’t listed under automation options, you can still create rules. When a rule is triggered, you will receive an email notification detailing the fulfilled conditions and outlining the necessary actions you must take.
We’ll discuss how to set up rules and the actions that can be applied to your campaigns in a later section.
Funnel Auto-Optimization Within RedTrack
Imagine having a smart assistant that meticulously watches over your funnel conversions, ready to shuffle things around for optimal performance. That’s RedTrack’s auto-optimization in a nutshell.
When you flick the switch on this feature, RedTrack’s AI gets down to business. It starts putting more weight on the offers that are converting better based on the conditions you set. It will start analyzing your campaigns and funnels once it receives the minimum number of conversions you indicate.
CRM Integration
For marketers who nurture their own client lists in preparation for offers, RedTrack’s CRM integration emerges as a particularly powerful feature. This dynamic tracking tool can be seamlessly integrated with three widely used CRM platforms: Konnektive, HighLevel, and Typeform.
By ensuring that key client data is effortlessly transferred between RedTrack and these CRMs, marketers can maintain a high level of personalization and engagement with their client lists.
Those who use CRMs not listed here can manually place scripts into virtually any CRM platform for as long as they can adjust and adapt the script as needed for tracking. You would need a bit of technical know-how to make this work, though.
Multiple Data Collection Options
As a marketer who is increasingly being burdened by the thought that third-party cookies will soon be taken out of the equation, I find it quite comforting to know that RedTrack offers multiple data collection options. This means I won’t have to find a new tracker when changes are applied, and you can easily just adjust your tracking links!
Anyway, here’s the list of options for click and conversion tracking:
- Redirect Tracking with Links: This method is widely used by affiliate media buyers, allowing the creation and management of complex funnels. It supports rotations, filters, auto-optimization, and split tests, making it versatile for different campaign strategies.
- Direct Tracking without Links: Ideal for direct advertisers or affiliates using platforms like Google and Facebook, this option tracks users directly when they land on your website or landing page, streamlining the tracking process without the need for tracking links.
- Server-Side and Parallel Tracking: RedTrack combines server-side tracking with an on-page script, offering a customizable tracking solution that leverages RedTrack.io for extensive data storage and attribution. Parallel Tracking enables users to implement custom server-side tracking efficiently. The Universal Tracking Script works for the Server Side Tracking option, allowing advertisers to collect first-party cookies that are compliant with the soon-to-be-implemented Google advertising requirements.
- Web Property Tracking: Aimed at advertisers, this feature allows tracking of both paid and organic traffic to analyze overall campaign performance and conversion paths on websites.
- Funnel Tracking: Specifically designed for affiliates, this tool enables the creation and tracking of both simple and complex funnels, including landers, pre-landers, and rotations. It provides control over how clicks are managed within the funnels through weights, filters, and caps.
- Publisher/Affiliate Tracking: This option offers flexibility in tracking publishers, influencers, and referrals through Redirect Links, No-Redirect Links (which also boosts SEO), or Deeplinks, ensuring straightforward and consistent tracking.
- Coupon/Promo-Code Tracking: This feature rewards influencers when their unique promo codes are used, enhancing influencer marketing campaigns and making influencer tracking easier.
- Pixels-Based and Script-Based Conversion Tracking: These methods track conversions using first-party data only, compatible with or without APIs, and can be easily integrated with GTM.
Multiple Ad Accounts
If you use social media ads for promoting affiliate offers, it’s a good idea to use more than one advertising account just in case a ban occurs (which is pretty common, I might add).
RedTrack allows you to add several ad accounts so that you can monitor them all in one dashboard. This can also be helpful when you have a team that handles different ad accounts. You can have them set their campaigns up within one RedTrack account but with limited access to your other advertising activities.
Intuitive Interface
Many trackers can be overwhelming for new users or those who aren’t tech-savvy. With RedTrack, such issues are eliminated with their user-friendly and straightforward interface. You don’t need to be a tracking pro to navigate through their platform.
RedTrack Plans and Pricing
RedTrack offers a variety of subscription plans tailored to meet the needs of different users, from solo marketers to large enterprises.
Solo Plan – $149/month or $1,490/year (2 months free)
Subscribers get access to 3 million tracking events per month. This plan includes unlimited campaigns, offers, and rules, making it ideal for those looking to scale their operations without limitations.
You can manage up to three domains with free SSL certificates provided, ensuring secure and reliable tracking. The plan supports Conversions API (CAPI) for major advertising platforms like Facebook, TikTok, Google, YouTube, and Bing.
Additionally, it offers API cost synchronization every 30 minutes and “Pause” automation for various platforms at no extra cost. Data can be stored for a maximum of 18 months, which is the longest we’ve seen for trackers at this pricing level.
Team Plan – $249/month or $2,490/year
Stepping up, the Team plan is designed for small to medium-sized teams. It expands on the Solo offering with 10 million tracking events per month and adds two additional user accounts.
This plan allows for unlimited integrated Business Managers and domains, catering to teams managing a broader scope of campaigns. The inclusion of traffic distribution AI enhances optimization by intelligently allocating traffic across placements, landers, and offers.
With live chat support and a data storage period extended to 24 months, this plan ensures teams have the resources and support they need.
Enterprise Plan – $749/month or $7,490/year
For large organizations with extensive tracking needs, the Enterprise plan offers a robust solution at $749 a month. This premium option includes all the benefits of the Team plan and further extends the capacity to 50 million tracking events per month.
It supports up to 10 additional users, ensuring larger teams can work efficiently. Premium support, full API access with a dedicated endpoint, and a 15-minute cost update frequency are standout features that cater to the demanding requirements of enterprise-level operations.
Furthermore, this plan boasts an extended data storage duration of 36 months, providing ample historical data for in-depth analysis.
Add Ons
Additional features such as the Ads Manager, Scale Rules, and faster update frequency are all available by request.
All plans have a 14-day free trial period, allowing users to test the features and decide which plan best suits their needs before committing to a subscription.
Regardless of the scale of your operations or the complexity of your tracking needs, RedTrack has a plan that can accommodate you. Best of all, by using our unique coupon code, subscribers can enjoy a 25% discount on these subscription plans for three whole months.
Click here to get the coupon code.
How to Start Tracking with RedTrack
Let’s get down to business and talk about how to actually use this tracker. It’s pretty easy to use since the interface is clean and updated, and you know exactly where what goes.
Upon logging in, you’ll be greeted with the dashboard that shows the current state of the campaigns you are running.
I must say I like it because it’s very organized, you see your Ad Spend, Revenue, and ROAS for today compared to yesterday as well as for this month compared to the previous month.
You’ll also see sections for “best performing campaigns RT” and “best performing ads RT.” These are for ad campaigns running under Facebook/Meta and TikTok only.
I’m not running social media ads at the moment, so you’ll see that they are at $0. Since I’m not using those two, I was hoping there was a way to hide these sections or that showing them could be optional.
Connecting Traffic Channels and Affiliate Networks
Back to basics, let’s talk about adding networks in this tool—whether for traffic or affiliate offers.
Adding Traffic Channels
Adding traffic channels to RedTrack can be approached in two main ways, designed to accommodate various levels of integration and customization. If your traffic channel or advertising network is already integrated with RedTrack, the process is streamlined through the use of templates.
These templates come pre-loaded with all the required data, making the integration smooth and hassle-free. This is ideal for commonly used channels that have established API connections or S2S tracking with RedTrack, simplifying setup and syncing.
For ad networks that you want to use automation on, you would need to provide the API key or connect your ad network account during set-up.
For traffic channels not yet integrated with RedTrack or those that do not have an API connection, the procedure is more hands-on and requires a custom approach. In this instance, you’ll need to add your traffic channel “from scratch.”
All you need to do is check your platform for tracking parameters and match them up with what RedTrack has. You can also add a Postback URL if you want to send back conversion data to your traffic source.
Although this method demands more input initially, it provides the flexibility to incorporate any traffic channel into your tracking setup, ensuring that RedTrack can accommodate a wide range of sources.
Adding An Affiliate Network
Head over to the Offer Sources tab and choose either New from Template or New from Scratch. It’s the same process as adding a traffic source. If your affiliate network is not listed, then add it manually with the right tracking macros.
Unlike traffic channels, though, copying the Postback URL here and adding it to your affiliate network is necessary if you want RedTrack to be able to capture conversion data (which I’m sure you do).
Adding an Offer
Now that you have your Offer Network listed, you can add the offers you want to promote. Visit the Offer tab, then click on “Create new Offer.”
Fill out the form as shown below:
You may also notice the other tabs in this pop-up form. The CAP tab allows you to place daily caps on your offer in case your network has these imposed.
You can place a cap based on the number of daily unique visits, clicks, and conversions.
As for the CAPI tab, you can use it to add pixel IDs for Facebook and Snapchat.
Adding a Lander
If you use a landing page (which we highly recommend you do to boost conversions), you must add it to RedTrack so you can incorporate it into your funnels and track the visits accurately.
Start by navigating to the “Landers” section found on the main menu. Here, you’ll select “New” to add a new landing page.
A pop-up will appear, prompting you to fill in several critical fields:
- Name: Assign a name to your landing page for easy identification.
- URL: The web address where your landing page is hosted.
- Tracking domain: The domain used for tracking purposes (if you’ve already added one, and we advise you to do so).
- Type: Specify the type of landing page based on your needs (Landing, Pre-landing, Listicle Landing, Listicle Pre-landing)
After supplying this information, remember to hit Save to implement your changes.
The next crucial step involves integrating specific scripts into your landing page code to enable effective tracking:
There are two options depending on your setup: a landing page with redirect tracking and a landing page with no redirect tracking. You should copy the Click URL script and LP views script provided by RedTrack.
Then, paste the LP Click URL script in place of your call to action (CTA) button’s URL. This ensures that clicks are correctly directed through RedTrack before heading to the offer, facilitating seamless tracking.
Additionally, the LP views tracking script should be inserted into the head section of your landing page’s HTML code to ensure accurate visitor analytics.
If you cannot edit the landing page to add the necessary scripts, then it shouldn’t be added as a lander but as an offer.
Creating a Funnel
A funnel allows you to direct traffic to different links or landing pages. You can actually create a funnel during the campaign creation. But if in case you want to keep using the same funnel for multiple campaigns, then you can create a funnel template.
To do that, visit the Funnel template tab and click on New.
You can add multiple landing pages and offers to a single funnel. Funnel template types include single landing, Multi landing, and Only Offer.
Creating a Campaign
Now, let’s head over to the heart of using a tracker, and that’s monitoring a campaign. Here’s how to build one in RedTrack.
Go to the Campaigns page and click on “Create New Campaign.” Here’s what the pop-up looks like:
It’s pretty self-explanatory. Under General, add the campaign name, and then choose the traffic channel and your domain.
Place the campaign cost value if necessary, but I suggest leaving this alone since you will be automatically tracking the costs through the links.
The Tracking links and parameters section will be filled out once you save your campaign. This is where you can copy the tracking link to use with your traffic channel.
As for Tracking Options, you have:
- Regular redirect
- Meta refresh with hidden referrer
- JS refresh
- Server redirect with hidden referrer
You can use the hidden referrer options if you don’t want the affiliate program/network to know where your traffic came from.
On the right side of the pop-up, you’ll find the section on Funnels. You can use a funnel template you’ve created (like the one we created above), or you can set up a funnel within the campaign.
You can add several funnels in one campaign. When creating funnels, you can send traffic directly to an offer or use a lander. You can also add several of these (offers or landing pages) and adjust the weight for each.
Funnel Auto-Optimization
If you use several funnels in one campaign, you can make use of the Funnel auto-optimization feature. This allows you to redirect traffic to the funnel that performs best based on your set of conditions.
The goal can be based on Conversion Rate (CR), ROI, or EPC.
The Threshold is the minimum performance of the path to qualify it for the increased amount of traffic, while the Multiplier is how much traffic increase you’d like the path to receive.
You can apply this optimization rule to a chunk of the campaign traffic—simply specify how much (recommended is 70% but can be up to 95%).
Once you’re done setting things up, click Save. You will notice that the tracking link section is now filled in, and you can copy the link to use on your ad network.
You can also get the link from the Campaigns page using the icons next to the campaign name, as shown below:
And that’s it; you can go to your advertising network now to set up your media-buying campaign.
Stop & Go Auto-Optimization Rules
We’ve mentioned that this is one of the standout features of RedTrack. These rules allow you to Pause or Restart specific aspects of your campaign based on its performance without having to manually visit your ad network.
Pausing campaigns can automatically be done on all traffic networks we’ve listed under the Automation feature section above.
However, Pausing Ad Sets, Pausing Creatives, and Blacklisting Placements can only be applied on select traffic channels. You can find the list of what can be applied where in their knowledge base.
On the other hand, Pausing and Restarting Rules for campaigns, ad sets, and creatives can be done on Facebook, TikTok, and Google Ads.
There’s also an option to automatically change the budget on your Facebook campaigns, ad sets, and ads. So, if you’re running Meta Ads, RedTrack’s Stop & Go Rules are highly advantageous for you.
And did I mention they’re for all RedTrack users? Isn’t that great?
Now, to create rules for your campaign, head over to the Automated Rules page and click on New.
Creating Rules
Now, to create rules for your campaign, head over to the Automated Rules page and click on New.
Select the traffic channel, the campaigns, and the Rule Object (note: not all rule objects can be used depending on your selected channel and campaigns). I said campaigns because you can apply this rule to several ones under the same traffic channel.
Next, add your conditions (you can have up to 5).
After that is the Actions section.
Note that if you choose a traffic channel that has been connected to your RedTrack account via API or CAPI, the action to be performed can be applied directly to your ad account.
Currently, the available actions are “Pause,” “Pause and Restart,” and “No Action” for Facebook, and “Pause” and “No Action” for all others (with CAPI or API Integration).
You’ll also be asked to choose your Notification option, whether via Email or Webhook.
If you choose a traffic channel that is not integrated via CAPI or API, you will only be asked for the type of notification you want to use.
Once you’re done, click and Save, and it will automatically be activated. You can always pause the rule by clicking on the pause icon next to its name in the Automated Rules dashboard.
Viewing Reports
Checking your campaign stats in RedTrack is an integral part of campaign management, enabling you to gain insights into their performance data. This feature provides detailed analytics that help in optimizing campaigns for better outcomes.
The Reports section is easy enough to use. There are five reporting options that you can use, and these are:
- Campaign Report
- Offer Report
- Traffic Channels Report
- Offer Sources Report
- IP Report
The usage is pretty much the same across all these types, so let’s use the Campaign Report as an example.
What I like about RedTrack’s reporting feature is that you can have up to 5 groupings per report.
Most trackers allow only up to three, so this is a good thing if you really want to drill down to specific aspects of your campaign.
Click on the Nested Groups to expand each one, as shown below:
You can likewise change the metrics shown in the columns. There are more than 30 calculated parameters available, and you can show them all in a single report.
RedTrack Pros and Cons
Pros
- Auto-optimization with more than 20 advertising networks/channels (included in all subscription plans).
- User Interface is straightforward and modern.
- Features are consistently upgraded to keep pace with the ever-evolving digital marketing sphere.
- Standard 30-minute refresh frequency.
- Has the option for app events monitoring and call tracking with its integration with AppsFlyer and Ringba.
- Ensures long data retention, even with the cheapest plan.
- Comprehensive Knowledgebase.
- Multi-lingual support.
- Offers a standalone reporting portal (that can also be branded) for those of you who have customers of your own — very useful for sharing results.
Cons
- While plans are adequately priced as compared to others in the industry with similar offerings, the cheapest plan can be high for newbie affiliates.
- No information on the cost of overages.
- Add-ons are expensive.
- Separate platform and subscription packages for e-commerce and DTC tracking.
- No option to hide RT campaigns/ads summary in the dashboard if you’re not running Facebook or TikTok ads.
RedTrack Verdict
To wrap it up, RedTrack really stands out as a top-notch tracking tool in the digital marketing world. Its auto-optimization feature is a game-changer, making things way smoother by cutting down on the grunt work of running campaigns. This is a big deal because it lets marketers spend more time on the big-picture stuff, like strategizing and optimizing, instead of getting bogged down in tracking details.
Now, it’s true that RedTrack’s price tag might be a bit steep for some folks, especially if you’re just starting out or working with a tight budget.
But in my opinion, the investment totally pays off, considering the value it adds to managing campaigns. The time savings, deep-dive data insights, and solid support system it brings to the table make it a smart pick for anyone looking to really amp up their digital marketing game.
Test it out for yourself! And don’t forget to use our exclusive RedTrack coupon code for more discounts.
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