Tuesday, 14 February 2012

My Zazzlit Gadget now supports Tracking Codes!

Great News - Zazzlit now does tracking

(If you're wondering what this is all about, see my Zazzlit Tutorial, which will be updated with how to use this new facility in due course.)

Zazzle fairly recently introduced tracking codes for your referral links, so that if you make a sale using one, your Referral History report will show that tracking code.

Unfortunately they didn't add this support to their RSS feed mechanism and until now this has meant my Zazzlit gadget didn't use them either.

Well, today I've made up for it and modified my Zazzlit Gadget so tracking codes can now be used with it.

New Zazzlit In Action

Hover over any of the products shown in the gadget and look in the status bar at the bottom of your browser window. You'll see the link with the tracking code on the end (&tc=razblg)

So what do you need to do?

Well, existing users will not see any difference in its operation and no tracking code will be used - the Zazzlit gadget will do what it's always done.

If want to switch on the tracking code functionality and you're using it on a Blogger blog, all you need to do is:
  1. Get to your blog's design mode and click "layout".
    You'll see the page element where you're using the Zazzlit gadget
  2.  Click "edit"
and you'll see something like this:




All you need to do is provide the tracking code you want to use and your referrer id. Here's what one of mine looks like filled in:



Important!

Even though your associate id/referral code (at=) is already included in the text you give to the "Zazzle rss feed" box, I can't get at it within the gadget code - and that's why you have to provide it separately as well. If you don't give it, then the tracking code will be ignored.

So make sure you provide both!


That's all, enjoy tracking where your referrals come from :)

Happy Zazzling...


comments / feedback always welcome :)

6 comments:

  1. Thanks Mark -
    I have updated the zazzlit that I "think" has been providing sales. We'll see.
    http://bkmerchandise.blogspot.com/
    -- Bonnie

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  2. Thanks for the thanks :) @Bonnie - yes, it will be good to see where efforts are paying off and where they're not!

    At least we're not blind anymore :)

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  3. Great! In my blogs I have been using the HTML/Javascript gadget and have been pasting in the script that generates the panel. To include the tracking code in the script the snippet

    "&up_TrackingCode=blogname&up_ReferrerCode=238445940265013881"

    (replace 238445940265013881 with rf code)

    now has to be inserted immediately after "... &up_show_date=1"

    That seems to do the trick.

    I've updated one blog so far with the new code. It's here at

    http://casefashion.blogspot.com/

    Thanks a lot

    Dave

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  4. Thanks for providing that additional info Digital Dreambuilder. I'll be updating my tutorial soonly (!) and will cover this off there - and add the link to your blog. I'll also cover off use of the parameter for setting the background colour.

    I had a look at (and followed) your blog - you're using the Zazzlit to great effect. Let's hope you see lots of the tracking codes turn up in your Referral History reports!

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  5. I've now updated my Zazzlit tutorial in line with my promise (in the first paragraph of the post) to update it.

    ReplyDelete

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