Specific Landing Page Targeting is a powerful feature that allows affiliates to generate tracking links that bypass the automatic redirect cascade and target a specific landing page directly. This gives affiliates more control over which landing page their traffic sees, ensuring consistent user experience and better campaign optimization.
This feature only works with offers using redirect tracking, not direct tracking.
How It Works
By default, when someone clicks an affiliate tracking link, Trackdesk runs through an automatic redirect cascade that selects the best landing page based on visitor characteristics like location, device, language, and other targeting criteria. With Specific Landing Page Targeting enabled, affiliates can override this automatic selection and force their links to always direct traffic to a specific landing page of their choice.
When you enable this feature and affiliate selects a specific landing page, their tracking link includes a special target parameter containing the landing page ID. This ensures that all visitors clicking this link will see the chosen landing page, regardless of their location, device, or other characteristics.
Enabling the Feature
Specific Landing Page Targeting can be controlled at two levels:
Global Settings
Network administrators can enable or disable this feature globally for all offers in the redirect tracking settings. When enabled globally, all offers will allow affiliates to use specific landing page targeting unless individually overridden.
Individual Offer Settings
The global setting can be overridden on a per-offer basis. You can:
Enable specific landing page targeting for an individual offer (even if disabled globally)
Disable specific landing page targeting for an individual offer (even if enabled globally)
This flexibility allows you to control which offers support this feature based on their specific business needs.
Enforcing Specific Landing Page Targeting
In addition to enabling specific landing page targeting, you have the option to enforce this feature, making it mandatory for affiliates to select a specific landing page when generating tracking links.
What Does Enforcement Mean?
When specific landing page targeting is enforced:
Affiliates MUST select a landing page when generating tracking links - they cannot rely on automatic targeting
All tracking links must include the target parameter with a specific landing page ID
This ensures complete control over which landing pages your affiliates promote
It prevents affiliates from using the automatic redirect cascade
Enforcement Levels
Similar to enabling the feature, enforcement can be controlled at two levels:
Global Enforcement
You can enforce specific landing page targeting globally for all redirect offers in your network. When enabled:
All affiliates must select a landing page when creating tracking links
This applies to all offers that have specific landing page targeting enabled
Individual offers can still override this setting
Per-Offer Enforcement
You can enforce specific landing page targeting for individual offers:
Enforce for a specific offer (even if not enforced globally)
Don't enforce for a specific offer (even if enforced globally)
Important Requirements
Specific landing page targeting must be enabled before it can be enforced
You cannot enforce targeting if the feature itself is disabled
Enforcement only applies to redirect tracking offers
Direct tracking offers already require landing page selection by nature
When to Use Enforcement
Consider enforcing specific landing page targeting when:
Compliance Requirements: Certain landing pages must be promoted for legal or regulatory compliance
Brand Protection: You want to ensure affiliates only promote approved landing pages
Campaign Control: Running specific campaigns that require precise landing page targeting
Quality Assurance: Preventing traffic from being automatically routed to potentially underperforming pages
Testing Purposes: During A/B testing periods where you need affiliates to promote specific variants
Enforcement vs. Optional Targeting
Feature | Optional Targeting | Enforced Targeting |
Affiliate choice | Can use automatic or specific targeting | Must select specific landing page |
Redirect cascade | Available as fallback | Not used (except on errors) |
Link generation | Target parameter optional | Target parameter required |
Use case | Flexibility for affiliates | Strict control over promotions |
Using the Feature
When Specific Landing Page Targeting is enabled for an offer, affiliates will see additional options in their link generation interface:
For Redirect Tracking Offers
Toggle Switch: A "Target specific landing page" option appears with a tooltip explaining the feature
Landing Page Selection: When toggled on, affiliates can choose from a dropdown of available landing pages for the offer
Link Generation: The generated tracking link will include the targeting information to ensure the selected landing page is always shown
For Direct Tracking Offers
Direct tracking offers naturally allow landing page selection since affiliates must choose which landing page to promote. This feature specifically applies to redirect tracking offers where the system would normally determine the landing page automatically.
Technical Background
When an affiliate selects a specific landing page, the tracking link includes a `target` parameter with the landing page's unique identifier:
Cascade Override
The system processes forced landing page targeting with the highest priority in the redirect cascade:
Forced Landing Page (highest priority) - when specific targeting is used
Offer status checks (inactive, caps reached, etc.)
Standard redirect cascade based on visitor characteristics
Fallback behaviors
Fallback Behavior
If specific landing page targeting fails for any reason (invalid ID, disabled landing page, feature disabled, etc.), the system gracefully falls back to the standard redirect cascade. This ensures tracking links never break, even if configuration issues occur.
Best Practices
Test Your Setup: Always test tracking links after enabling specific landing page targeting to ensure they direct to the intended landing page.
Monitor Performance: Compare the performance of links with specific targeting versus automatic targeting to understand which approach works better for different traffic sources.
Keep Landing Pages Enabled: Ensure targeted landing pages remain enabled, as disabled landing pages will cause the system to fall back to automatic selection.
Strategic Use: Use specific targeting when you know certain landing pages perform better with specific traffic sources or campaigns, but allow automatic targeting when you want the system to optimize based on visitor characteristics.
Regular Audits: Periodically review which affiliates are using specific targeting and ensure the selected landing pages are still optimal for their traffic.
Use Cases
Campaign-Specific Promotions: When running specific campaigns that require a particular landing page design or messaging.
Traffic Source Optimization: When certain traffic sources perform better with specific landing pages that you've identified through testing.
Seasonal Campaigns: For time-sensitive promotions where you want to ensure visitors see the most current offers.
A/B Testing: When affiliates want to test specific landing pages against the automatic selection to measure performance differences.
Brand Consistency: When affiliates need to maintain consistent branding or messaging across their promotional channels.
Specific Landing Page Targeting provides affiliates with the flexibility to optimize their campaigns while maintaining the security and validation features that protect your offers and ensure accurate tracking.