Outbrain

Outbrain is a leading native advertising platform that seamlessly integrates with AnyTrack to track engagements and conversions, empowering marketers to optimize campaigns and create highly targeted custom audiences. This integration leverages server-side tracking to enhance data accuracy and reliability. By connecting Outbrain to AnyTrack, marketers can set up precise conversion goals and utilize UTM tracking templates to capture detailed campaign performance data. The result is comprehensive reporting and actionable insights to drive smarter advertising strategies.

How to integrate Outbrain with AnyTrack and sync your conversion data.

Integrating Outbrain with AnyTrack will allow you to track both Engagements and Conversions, so you can optimize your campaigns according to any conversion types and build custom audiences accordingly.

How does the AnyTrack - Outbrain integration work?

1. Connect Outbrain
2. Enable Server-Side Tracking (conversions sent by your affiliate networks, CRM, eCommerce).
3. Create or update your gonversion goals in Outbrain
4. Add the URL tracking template to your account > Campaign settings suffix

Setup Guide

1. Connect AnyTrack to your Outbrain pixel.

1. FRom your AnyTrack dashboard, select the property you want to connect to your Outbrain pixel, navigate to Tracking Pixels, and click on Outbrain: Connect Pixel

2. In the Account Id field enter your advertiser Id (OB_ADV_ID) then click Next.

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Your Account ID or Advertiser ID can be found in the Outbrain pixel code

You can find your Marketer Id on the Amplify Dashboard. Navigate to the Conversions page and click on the "View Outbrain Pixel" button. Then you can copy your Marketer Id from the code snippet (It is a string of numbers and letters named "OB_ADV_ID").

3. Return to Anytrack and paste your OB_ADV_ID to the corresponding field.

2. Enable the Conversion API

When you enable the conversion API, AnyTrack will automatically start sending conversions to the Outbrain Server-to-Server URL.

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Good to know:

The Outbrain Server to server url is stored in the anytrack back end so you don't need to configure the parameters.

https://tr.outbrain.com/unifiedPixel?ob_click_id={{ob_click_id}}&name=EventName&orderId=TransactionId&orderValue=EventValue&currency=Currency

Dynamic parameters

All parameters sent to the server to server url are dynamically populating from the conversion source (e.g., clickbank), and mapped to standard Events.

• Name: The event name is dynamically populated according to the event mapping.
• orderId: The transactionid or order id sent by your conversion source integration.
• orderValue: Originating from your integration. For example, the commission from ClickBank
• currency: Default to your default currency, or the original currency from your integration.

3. Create Event-Based Conversions and Map your Outbrain Events

You can use the default Event Names displayed in the AnyTrack event mapping or you can update the AnyTrack mapping according to the conversion names you have already configured in Outbrain.

1. In Outbrain, navigate to the Conversions setup
2. Create a new conversion
3. Select Event Based

In this illustration, we have created an Upsell conversion and associated it with the "Purchase" category.

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Good to know

You don't need to update the event value as we will automatically send it if available.

4. Switch back to your AnyTrack-Outbrain integration and update the conversion name accordingly.

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Event names must match exactly on both platforms

Ensure that the conversion Name in Outbrain (previous image) exactly matches the Outbrain Event name in AnyTrack (next image).

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Pro Tip

Repeat this process for each conversion goal you want AnyTrack to send to Outbrain. (for optimal results we recommend sending as many conversion events as possible).

5. Click on Save to save your changes in the Conversion Event Mapping.

4. Install the UTM Tracking Template

The UTM tracking template allows anytrack to collect campaign data and report the campaign performances on the campaign reports and send conversions to Google Analytics so you can get more attribution data and understand your customer journeys.

1. Open the Ads Integration tab
2. Copy the outbrain utm parameter template

3. Go to Outbrain > Account Settings
4. then paste the UTM Tracking template Campaign in the suffix field.

Pro-Tip about the Outbrain UTM Parameters Template

We recommend not to modify the template. It's built according to best practices and is designed to capture all the elements needed for optimal attribution.

utm_source=outbrain&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content={{ad_title}}&utm_campaign={{campaign_name}}&utm_term={{section_name}}&ad_id={{ad_id}}&utm_id={{campaign_id}}&publisher_id={{publisher_id}}&source_id={{source_id}}&publisher_name={{publisher_name}}&domain={{section_name}}&ob_click_id={{ob_click_id}}

And that's it! Your integration is complete. Wait for some conversion events from your Outbrain campaigns to verify that Outbrain is registering the event-based conversions.

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Attribution delays

All conversions are sent to your Ad Pixels & Conversion API in Real Time, however the conversion data is processed and affected by each ad platform attribution windows, limitations and data privacy restrictions.

Troubleshooting and FAQ

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Install the AnyTrack Pixel Helper Extension

Install the AnyTrack Pixel Helper Chrome extension to verify the AnyTrack Tag is installed on your website. It also shows connected pixels and browser-side events. Learn more.

• How do I send conversions from my Affiliate network to Outbrain?

  As long as you've added the AnyTrack Tag to your website and connected your affiliate network in your Anytrack account, conversions will flow to Outbrain according to the event mapping you've defined in the Outbrain integration settings mentioned in this article.

• My conversion events appear in AnyTrack, but not in my Outbrain dashboard.

  If your conversion events generated by your Outbrain campaigns are reflected on the AnyTrack Reports but not in your connected Outbrain account, ensure that:
  1. You have connected AnyTrack to the correct Outbrain Account Id (OB_ADV_ID)
  2. You have enabled server-to-server tracking.
  3. Your Outbrain events in AnyTrack match exactly your conversion event names in Outbrain

  • Why I can't see campaign metrics like amount spent, impressions in Anytrack?

    This feature is not yet available for Outbrain but we plan to release it in Q1 2025

• Does Outbrain support Shopify Cart Data with items? Quantity?

  Not currently. But as soon as they do, we'll enable it on our end.

• I am using a Shopify App for Outbrain, what's the difference with Anytrack?

  The difference is that Anytrack will track all customer journey events via both Client Side and Server Side, and send all conversions through the Server to server integration, guaranteeing maximum tracking coverage and accuracy.

• How Anytrack Outbrain integrations compare to Voluum integration?

  The main difference is our conversion data orchestration. When you work with Anytrack, all conversions generated in Anytack will fire to all your ad platforms so you can create meaningful audiences across all ad platforms. For example, one conversion triggered by an Outbrain campaign, will be sent to Outbrain, but also to your Taboola, Facebook, Google, Bing, and Tiktok platforms.
  • Campaign setup:
    • In Anytrack: You create any number of campaigns in outbrain and you can track them all, without having to create them in Anytrack.
    • In Voluum: Each campaign or ad you create in Outbrain needs to be created in Voluum.
  • Conversion Mapping: You can't run TOF, MOF or BOF campaigns with Voluum.
    • Anytrack sends dynamic conversion goals to Outbrain.
    • Voluum sends a single conversion goal.