Getting started
How to choose an ad tracker for affiliate campaigns
Compare hosting, S2S conversion tracking, campaign reports, traffic rules and total setup cost. Check whether Nevect fits before you install.
Start with the campaign you need to track
This guide is for affiliates and media buyers choosing an ad tracker for paid campaigns. Write down one traffic source, one offer or affiliate network, and the result you need to measure: a lead, sale or another supported conversion.
Nevect publishes this guide to explain its own workflow and requirements. It is a selection checklist, not an independent ranking of vendors. Use the product overview to inspect the interface and the current plans to check available terms.
If your main task is recruiting affiliates, calculating their commissions or paying them, make a separate list of those requirements. Campaign click and conversion tracking does not establish that an affiliate-program management system is included.
Check whether Nevect fits your setup
Nevect is a practical option to evaluate when you:
- Run affiliate campaigns and need to connect source clicks, offers, conversions, costs and ROI.
- Can operate a dedicated Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04 x86_64 server with root access.
- Control a tracking domain and can maintain DNS, HTTPS and backups.
- Have a partner that can accept a tracker click ID and return it with a conversion.
- Want to compare recorded campaign segments and manage destinations with paths, weights and rules.
Before installing, resolve any requirement for managed hosting, a specific platform's conversion API, automatic advertising-cost synchronization, cross-device attribution or automated bid changes. These are separate capabilities; a tracking template or a generic postback does not prove they are supported. Check the actual integration or contact support with your required workflow.
Compare the capabilities that affect your decision
Use the same campaign and expected result when evaluating tracking software. A feature name alone is not an acceptance test.
| Decision | What to check in Nevect | Evidence to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Click tracking | Configure the source, lander or direct offer, and campaign | A controlled Campaign URL visit appears in Clicklog with the intended destination |
| S2S conversion tracking | The partner stores Nevect's click ID and returns it to the generated Postback URL | The conversion matches that click, with the expected payout and status |
| Return conversions to the source | The source supports the notification and receives its own external click ID | A deliberately enabled source postback is accepted and attributed by the source |
| Cost and ROI reports | Supply the actual source cost and partner payout, with a consistent date range and timezone | The report reconciles with the known test inputs |
| Landers and offers | Configure paths, relative weights and any applicable rules | Matching and fallback visits reach the expected destinations |
| Team access | Define users and permissions for their work | A restricted user can access the intended resources |
| Hosting and maintenance | Confirm the supported server and your maintenance process | DNS, HTTPS, backups and restore responsibilities have an owner |
| License and total cost | Check the current term, target Tracker ID, hosting and external services | The intended installation has an applied term and a verified expiry |
The conversion guide explains incoming postbacks. Source postbacks are a separate configuration. The reporting guide explains the cost and revenue checks.
Decide who will operate the server
Nevect runs on your server. Include the following work in your decision:
| You prepare or maintain | Where to check |
|---|---|
| Supported operating system, architecture, root access and server resources | Server requirements |
| SSH access and a way to retain installation output | Connect over SSH |
| Two personalized installation commands and the first panel login | Install Nevect |
| Domain records, reachable tracking links and HTTPS | Tracking domains |
| Backups and a usable restore procedure | Backups |
| Installation identity, binding and license expiry | Account and licensing |
Budget for the license term, server hosting, your operating time and any external integrations you actually use. Current prices and payment availability are shown on the pricing page and in your account. A license purchase does not include server hosting or automatically configure a campaign.
Prepare a small evaluation worksheet
Record these values before configuring a test. Keep passwords, API keys and private installation commands out of the worksheet.
| Item | Example or source | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Traffic source | Your intended advertising platform | Determines its external click ID, cost fields and conversion notification contract |
| Offer or network | A destination you can test | Determines the accepted sub-ID parameter, payout and statuses |
| External click ID | A recognizable test value in the source's configured field | Identifies the visit in the source |
| Nevect click ID | The actual value generated for the test visit | Connects the offer and incoming conversion to the tracker click |
| Expected cost and payout | Known inputs for the isolated test | Makes the report check reproducible |
| Required integrations | The exact tasks you need each platform to perform | Separates ordinary URL macros from platform-specific APIs or automation |
For example, an offer may accept Nevect's {clickid} in a sub1 field. The partner must return the resulting value, not the literal token and not the source's external ID. Use the partner's documented parameter names; sub1 is an example, not a universal contract. See tokens and macros.
Evaluate one complete tracking chain
- Review current plans and trial terms, then follow the first-setup checklist.
- Install Nevect, bind the reported Tracker ID and apply an available term. Confirm the license state and expiry.
- Configure a working tracking domain, one traffic source and one authorized test offer.
- Create a simple campaign with one direct path before adding landers or routing conditions.
- Open one controlled visit. Compare the recorded source values and the click ID received by the offer.
- Follow click and conversion verification. Keep outgoing source postbacks disabled for an isolated test; do not send a fabricated sale to a live advertising account.
- Reconcile the accepted conversion, cost and payout in the report. Then evaluate any additional paths, rules or permissions your real campaign needs.
An HTTP success response, a screenshot or a completed installation alone does not prove the whole chain. Keep the actual click ID, time, campaign and expected result so you can locate the first failed checkpoint.
Make the decision from the result
Continue when the campaign's click and conversion are linked, the recorded financial inputs reconcile, and you can maintain the installation. Before committing to a license term, check its current price, duration and application to the intended Tracker ID.
If an essential step depends on an unverified platform API, automatic cost import or a migration of historical data, resolve that requirement first. Ask support about the exact operation and include the platform, expected result and relevant error, without sharing secrets.
Ready to configure the product? Open your first tracking setup. Already installed? Continue with binding and activation or verification.