S2S / ClickID Tracking

ClickID tracking: How it works

With ClickID tracking, QUALITYCLICK generates a unique ClickID for each click and appends it to the outgoing link. This ID replaces cookie-based attribution and enables cookieless tracking.

The flow

Step 1: Set up click targets with ClickID

All links under Creatives → Click Targets must contain the ClickID as a URL parameter. Use the placeholder <% CLICKID %>:

https://www.your-shop.com/landing?qc_clickid=<% CLICKID %>

Optionally, you can also include the PartnerID:

https://www.your-shop.com/landing?qc_clickid=<% CLICKID %>&qc_pid=<% PID %>

On click, QUALITYCLICK generates a unique ID in the format QC423840809685489623456289367 (QC prefix + unique string) and redirects the visitor to your shop.

Step 2: Store the ClickID in your shop

Your shop must read the ClickID from the URL parameter and retain it until the order confirmation. Two options:

• Session cookie: Store the value in your own cookie or server session
• URL parameter: Carry the value from page to page as a URL parameter

Step 3: Pass the ClickID to the tracking pixel

On the order confirmation page, pass the stored ClickID to the tracking pixel:

https://partner.your-site.com/get_trans.cgi
  ?cpid=1
  &tid=ORD-2026-001
  &clickid=QC423840809685489623456289367
  &produkt=Sale
  &umsatz=95.50

QUALITYCLICK automatically resolves all information from the original click via the ClickID: PartnerID, SubID, CreativeID, Referrer. This way, the transaction is attributed to the correct partner — without a cookie.

Server-to-Server Tracking (S2S)

With server-to-server tracking, the get_trans.cgi is not called from the customer's browser (client-side), but from your web server (server-side). The call is technically identical — the same URL with the same parameters.

Advantages of S2S

• Works even when the customer has disabled JavaScript or images
• Independent of browser restrictions (ad blockers, cookie blocking)
• Higher reliability with slow connections or when customers leave the page prematurely

Recommended strategy: Pixel + S2S as fallback

We recommend using both methods in parallel:

1. Client-side pixel (JavaScript or image) on the order confirmation page — captures the transaction instantly in real-time
2. Server-side S2S call a few seconds later — as a safeguard for cases where the client-side call fails

QUALITYCLICK automatically detects duplicates based on the TransactionID (tid) and only creates the transaction once.

PHP example: S2S call with cURL

<?php
// S2S postback to QUALITYCLICK after order completion
$params = [
    'cpid'     => 1,                              // Program ID
    'tid'      => 'ORD-2026-001',                  // Your order number (unique)
    'clickid'  => $_SESSION['qc_clickid'] ?? '',   // Stored ClickID
    'produkt'  => 'Sale',                          // Commission product (exact spelling)
    'umsatz'   => 95.50,                           // Net revenue excl. VAT/shipping
];
$url = 'https://partner.your-site.com/get_trans.cgi?' . http_build_query($params);

// Asynchronous call (does not block page rendering)
$ch = curl_init($url);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_TIMEOUT, 5);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_CONNECTTIMEOUT, 3);
$response = curl_exec($ch);
curl_close($ch);
?>

cURL example (command line)

curl -s "https://partner.your-site.com/get_trans.cgi?\
cpid=1&\
tid=ORD-2026-001&\
clickid=QC423840809685489623456289367&\
produkt=Sale&\
umsatz=95.50"

Additional parameters

nocheck — Allow cross-selling

By default, QUALITYCLICK checks whether the partner is approved for the submitted commission product. If not, the transaction is discarded.

With the parameter nocheck=1, this check is skipped: the transaction is created even if the customer ordered a different product than what the partner linked to.

https://partner.your-site.com/get_trans.cgi
  ?cpid=1&tid=ORD-2026-001&clickid=QC...&nocheck=1

Typical use case: Online shops with broad product ranges, where a partner promotes a specific product but the customer buys a different one (cross-selling).

Testing the tracking

After setup, you should test thoroughly:

1. Click a creative of the test partner (PartnerID 2)
2. Check whether the ClickID arrives correctly in the URL parameter
3. Complete a test order
4. Check under Transactions → Edit whether the transaction was created with the correct PartnerID
5. Check under Transactions → Log whether the call appears in the logs

If the transaction does not appear, check the transaction log: discarded transactions show a dash "–" instead of a number in the "saved" column.