Traffic Sources

A Traffic Source describes where traffic comes from: which ad query params map into sub_id_*, and which outbound postback to fire back to the ad platform on conversion. The source is bound on the campaign; without it, template macros and S2S into the ad cabinet must be assembled by hand.

Purpose. Create a source (from a template or from scratch), verify parameter mapping on a real ad URL, set a postback URL if needed, and bind the source on the campaign.

Traffic sources list
Traffic Sources list.

Prerequisites

Know which parameters the ad system actually injects into the URL (cabinet docs or tracking-link template). For S2S into the platform you need the postback endpoint from the source cabinet and which token/click id it expects back.

How to open

  1. Sidebar → Traffic Sources / Sources (/traffic-sources).
  2. Create / New — source form; after save, select it in the campaign Traffic source field.

Create — step by step

Create traffic source
Source form: template, parameters, postback.
  1. Set a Name (“Yandex.Direct — search”, “FB — broad”). It appears in campaign filters and reports.
  2. If a ready template fits, select it to prefill template params. Built-in templates: Yandex.Direct, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, VK.com, myTarget. For other networks, fill parameters manually or save a custom template in the UI when available.
  3. Review the parameter table: key = name in the tracking URL, value = platform template/token. After an ad click, the needed sub_id_* values should populate (via the source template and/or campaign Subid Aliases).
  4. If you need S2S into ads, set Postback URL from the source cabinet, using tracker macros ({clickid}, {payout}, {status}, {sub_id_N} per platform requirements).
  5. Save. Set this Traffic source on the campaign. Test-click with a query like a real ad and confirm sub_id in Logs.
  6. Send a test conversion and check Logs → S2S / Postbacks that the outbound call left (if a postback URL is set).

Why templates exist and when to edit by hand

Templates save time on typical UTM/tokens for Yandex, Google, Facebook, VK, and myTarget. If the platform sends non-standard names (external_id, cid), add parameter rows manually or use campaign Subid Aliases. Do not reuse a Facebook template on Yandex ads: params will not match and sub_id reports stay empty.

Typical scenarios

New channel with S2S. Template → edit postback URL → campaign → test click → test conversion → verify S2S in Logs.

Many campaigns, one source. One source per channel (e.g. all Facebook); campaigns differ by alias/flow/offer. Edit the source postback carefully — it is shared.

Tagging only, no S2S. Leave Postback URL empty; conversions stay in the tracker and partner network, but the ad cabinet will not get a server-to-server event from this field.

How to connect the source to a campaign and Subid Aliases

The source template defines the expected parameter names on the tracking URL. If ads are already live with different names and changing creatives is expensive — use campaign Settings Subid Aliases to map external keys onto sub_id_1…sub_id_30. First make sure Logs show non-empty sub_id after an ad click; only then configure the outbound postback that sends those values to the cabinet.

The source outbound postback fires when a conversion exists in the tracker. If the conversion is unmatched (no clickid), S2S into ads from this path will not be meaningful either. The chain is always: click with params → matched conversion → outbound postback.

For Yandex.Direct / Google Ads / Facebook Ads / VK.com / myTarget templates, after picking a template open the campaign tracking URL preview and match parameter names to the ad cabinet macros one-to-one. If the cabinet injects {campaign_id} but the source key differs — fix the key or add a campaign alias. Empty sub_id in reports almost always starts here, not “in the database”.

Name sources after the ad account/cabinet, not the offer (“FB — acc2”), so changing offers does not spawn extra sources. Cost Import and campaign filters by source rely on that binding: a cleaner source catalogue makes the morning Dashboard review easier.

Common mistakes

  • Source params do not match what the ad actually writes — empty sub_id in Logs.
  • Source not selected on the campaign — expecting “auto from template” with no binding.
  • Postback URL with the wrong click-id macro — platform rejects the event; check outbound status in Logs.
  • Looking for TikTok/Propeller as a built-in template — not in the default set; configure manually.
  • Editing a shared source postback “for a test” — breaks S2S for every campaign on that channel.