Fallback URLs in Commerce
What is a fallback URL?
A fallback URL is an alternative destination for your generated affiliate link when certain conditions are not met. A fallback URL is used when the Sovrn's partners cannot beat the set bid floor (minimum earnings per click) for a specific link. This ensures that you always earn the highest possible commission from your affiliate marketing efforts.
How does a fallback URL work?
When a visitor clicks on your link with a bid floor set, Sovrn automatically checks if our offered rate can beat your set bid floor. If Sovrn cannot provide a better rate, the visitor will be redirected to the fallback URL you've provided. This can be another merchant offering the same product or a related product, giving you an opportunity to monetize the click even when the primary link does not meet your desired commission threshold.
Using fallback URLs effectively can help you optimize your earnings and ensure that you're always making the most of your affiliate marketing activities. By setting up fallback URLs, you can maintain control over the user experience and keep your audience engaged with relevant content, while maximizing your revenue potential.
How do I create a link with a fallback URL?
Navigate to the Create links tab in the Sovrn Platform here.
Click the + Create button in the top right-hand corner.
Select a Site from the dropdown where you plan to share your new affiliate link.
Identify a product you would like to share, then paste the desired product's URL into the Product URL field.
Enter a unique Link name to help you find and edit this link in the future.
To set a fallback URL, under Advanced settings:
Enter your desired bid floor in the Bid Floor field in USD with a decimal point (.) as a separator between the dollars and cent.
Paste the desired fallback URL into the Fallback URL field.
Tracking (optional): Track individual link performance and acquisition
Enter a Custom tracking ID (CUID). Learn more in this article: CUIDs in Commerce.
Enter the Link UTM parameters that you would like to apply at the link level. Learn more here: How to track link performance using UTM parameters.
Click Create to save.
Your new affiliate link is then automatically copied to your clipboard.
Paste to your website, social media, etc. and start earning.
How can I review and edit existing links?
From the Create links page, begin by selecting a Site from the dropdown to see all links created for the selected site.
Optional: In the search field, enter the desired Link name or Product URL to find a specific link.
Once you have found the link you would like to edit in the table, click on the Edit icon on the right side.
Enter a new Bid floor and Fallback URL under Advanced Settings for the selected link.
Click Save.
Note: There is no need to repost or edit the link on your site, by saving your changes the link will now automatically redirect to the new product URL you have entered. Changes may take up to fifteen minutes to take effect.
How can I add my own tracking to links with fallback URLs?
If you would like to add custom tracking to your links, Sovrn recommends using our Custom Tracking ID (CUID). A CUID can be up to 32 alphanumeric characters. This ID can be appended to your affiliate links. Commonly, this is used to check on performance for a single affiliate link, a subset of affiliate links, or for tracking individual clicks back to a specific user in your system.
You can read more about CUIDs in CUIDs in Commerce.
Additionally, Sovrn Commerce also supports UTM tracking. You can read more about how to implement this in How to track link performance using UTM parameters.
How do I see CUID/UTM reporting on links with fallback URLs?
You can see your link performance by downloading a CUID/UTM tracking report via the Sovrn Commerce Analytics Dashboard by clicking on the Report button. You can also access CUID/UTM performance data through the Real-Time Reports API. Here, you can request all revenue events that have originated from your account, and their related CUID/UTM value.
Can I set up wrap links manually and include a fallback URL?
Yes! You can wrap links individually and still include a fallback URL.
When wrapping manually, your links should be formatted like this:
http://redirect.viglink.com?key=[Your_API_KEY]&out=[URL]&fbu=[FALLBACK_URL]&bf=[BIDFLOOR]Make sure to replace everything in the brackets, including the brackets themselves.
[Your_API_KEY] You can find your API key on the Site Settings page in your Sovrn Commerce account.
Look for the key icon in the row of the site where you are installing the link.
[URL] This is the URL you want to affiliate. You need to make sure to HTML encode the URL to ensure we redirect your link properly. You can easily encode URL's here. Just enter your URL and click encode
[FALLBACK_URL] This is the URL you want to direct to if your bidfloor is not met. You need to make sure to “HTML encode” the URL to ensure we redirect your link properly. You can easily encode URL's here. Just enter your URL and click “encode."
[BIDFLOOR] Minimum amount you would like to earn from a click, if this floor is not met, we will direct your reader to the provided fallback URL. Must be a valid USD amount.
Warning: Make sure not to encode the entire wrapped URL - just the URL you want to affiliate.
Additional manual wrapping options, including CUID and UTM Parameters, can be found on the Sovrn Developer Center.
I still need help.
Questions? We are here to support you. Contact Sovrn Support for any additional assistance you may need.