Customizing linking codes when using CC Bill

[Naughty]

I have customized our linking codes with iBill by hardcoding the affiliate ID in the orderform on the joinpage, that way we could set affiliates up with their own exits and stuff like that. Downside was we could not offer click stats.

Now, we open up a new site using CCBill, but we want to have multiple tours and affiliates should be able to give us an URL of their choice to put in the exit on the tourpages, however, that doesn't seem to work :/

Did anybody succesfully use a linkingcode like that (not using secondary software for stats like Lightspeed). For example, send them to a php file on our end, store the string in the linking code and send the data to CCBill who counts the visitor the affiliate sent.

If you know of a good way to take care of this, please let me know: ICQ 125586484

[JackFoley]

You can do it two ways...

Have the affiliates send directly to the domain with their ID in the URL:

http://www.domain.com/?id=123456&exi.../www.exits.com

Then just pass that string along through the tour using PHP and insert it into the CCBill signup page.

This is easy to set up, gives your domain higher page rank, and is a shorter/easier URL for the affiliate to use. The downside is, there are no click stats.

OR

You can use the CCBill code and still have the affiliate pass his exit URL to your tour pages:

http://refer.ccbill.com/cgi-bin/clic.../www.exits.com

So they get click-stats and exit traffic back.

[Naughty]

Damn, this ain't helping

I have it exactly like the first option in one of our programs, the one we use with iBill.

The second is not working, I tried that earlier

The URL I want to use is like this:

http://domain.com/tr1/index.php?x=123456&y=Z

What that does is this:
tr1 = tour 1
x = CCBill number
y = a variable for if they do not want a popup at all.

We will match the CCBill Affiliate code with a URL they have to give in advance, we don't want affiliates to be able to change the URL every day and send to popup hell or some other site we don't approve of.

CCBill said it is not possible, any other suggestions?

[Plugger]

Are you using MySQL? We store of all our affiliates information in a database and retrive it when then send their traffic. This way they can control exits, trial, tours, etc. This way we are not tied to any one billing company as well.

[Naughty]

Originally posted by Plugger
Are you using MySQL? We store of all our affiliates information in a database and retrive it when then send their traffic. This way they can control exits, trial, tours, etc. This way we are not tied to any one billing company as well.

Yes I am.

What exactly do you store in there? Just clicks? Or signups as well? If so, how you you get the signups in there?

[JackFoley]

In that case you can just store the affiliate's info like name, email, exit url, etc., and when they send to a page like this...

http://www.domain.com/?id=123456

...just pull their exit url from the database. Again, pretty easy to set up.

You can also count clicks in this manner, plus track referring URLs and a bunch of other shit, but obviously that takes more time to code and puts a little extra strain on the server.

[Plugger]

Originally posted by Naughty


Yes I am.

What exactly do you store in there? Just clicks? Or signups as well? If so, how you you get the signups in there?

We will be storing everything, clicks, sign-ups, etc.

But for the exit url stuff you could (should) create a table for each sites exit urls, and one to hold the affiliate information. then you can match the exit_urls to the affilate by site. Kind of a pain to set up, but it is slick once it is done. I am not sure how familiar you are with SQL, if you are then this is the best way to go in the long run. Lots of flexibility.

CCBILL will post sign-up info to a script of your that you can use to put all of the info into a DB.

If you use more than one billing company it can get a bit complex to create all of the proper tables.

[Plugger]

A simple way is just to have one table with the affilate id and the exit_url, then you can just grab the exit_url for the affilate like Jack said.

CREATE TABLE exit_url (
affilate_id CHAR(6) NOT NULL PRIMARY KEY,
exit_url varchar(255)
);

SELECT exit_url FROM exit_url WHERE affilate_id = '999999';

PHP:

$query="SELECT exit_url FROM exit_url WHERE affiliate_id = '$x'";

$results=mysql_query($query, $link);
while (($row=mysql_fetch_object($results))) {
$exit_url=$row->exit_url;
}

then you will have your exit_url in $exit_url

[Naughty]

Okay, I am already doing that but with a flat text file as far as the exit URL is concerned. Easy to setup.

I can easily setup a MySQL structure for this, no problem. I can make a table for 1st and 2nd page clicks easily as well. The only issue I have (or maybe had now) is how to get the sales from CC Bill as current as possible. Also, I must go back read the manual I guess, as I did not see which variable I can use in my forms to store the affliliate info, iBill was a little more clear on that.
Also, I have little experience with setting up a password protected stats area.


Maybe if more people need this I can have my programmer make something and we can share costs.

[Naughty]

Plugger, I was typing when you were too:

I have that exact same logic, only in my textfile, I include that in the header and create the exit console if any is specified, or none if they prefer that, both are in the string.

I prefer that for this a simple code, as that will be easier to maintain and no load on mysql at all.

Main issue is, and remains combining that with CCBill

[Naughty]

So, there is nobody who has this covered 100%?

Nobody who wants to sell it?
Nobody who wants to share the costs of having it made?

I don't believe it