Referring URL Tips & Tricks

July 29th, 2009 | eBay Partner Network Team

As we mentioned in recent blog posts, we are making an effort to increase the transparency and accuracy of the referring URLs from traffic coming through eBay Partner Network links.   The referring URL is the address of the page that a user was on when they clicked a link. In other words, if a user is on Page A and click a link to go to Page B, the referring URL will be the address of Page A.

It’s important for us to understand where eBay ads are appearing so we can have a full picture when assessing the quality of traffic from each publisher.

We therefore ask for your help in making sure your websites or tools are sending accurate referring URLs to eBay when traffic is passed through affiliate links.

To help in this process, we are going to write a series of blog posts to help you ensure you are sending accurate referring URLs when people click on your links.

In this first post, we will focus on tips for a few use cases that may cause unknown referring URLs.  We are also going to point you to a few tools that you can use to verify that you are passing a referring URL.

1.    Browsers are not allowed to pass a referring URL from an HTTPS server to an HTTP server. So if you have links to eBay on an HTTPS site, the referrer will be removed. You can manually change the links to use HTTPS, or use Google Analytics’ urchin.js script to switch the click links from HTTP to HTTPS. Otherwise, try to place affiliate links only on non-HTTPS portions of your sites.

2.    In some browsers, opening a new window with a Javascript command (for example, window.location.href or window.open) will cause the referring URL to be dropped. Instead of using Javascript to open a new window, use the href of your link with target=”_blank” to open the eBay link and use an onclick event for any associated behavior you want the link to do (including click tracking, which is discussed below).

Here’s an example link: <a href=”http://www.ebay.com” onclick=”myFunction();” target=”_blank”>eBay Link</a>.

3.    For a variety of reasons, some publishers link to an intermediate page (e.g. http://www.mysite.com/redirect.php?location=www.ebay.com) before sending the user to eBay. This can cause two problems: 1) it can drop the referring URL, and 2) it makes all of the referring URLs that are passed look the same. To properly use an intermediate page, use a 301 redirect on that page to redirect users to eBay. Then you can use one of the techniques we will talk about below to verify that the referring URL is being passed along after the redirection.

4.    Many publishers use Google Analytics to track their site activity, but some implementations are causing referring URLs to be dropped. The best way to set up Google Analytics tracking is to use the href of your link to open the eBay link and use an onclick event to trigger the Google Analytics tracking calls.

Here’s an example:

<script type=”text/javascript”>
var gaJsHost = ((“https:” == document.location.protocol) ? “https://ssl.” : “http://www.”);
document.write(unescape(“%3Cscript src=’” + gaJsHost + “google-analytics.com/ga.js’
type=’text/javascript’%3E%3C/script%3E”));
function gaTrackEvent() {
var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker(“UA-xxxxxx-x”);
/* Google Analytics tracking calls */
}
</script>
<a target=”_blank” onclick=”gaTrackEvent()” href=”http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?icep_ff3=2&pub=0000000000&toolid=10001&campid=0000000000&customid=0000000000&icep_item=230360004115
&ipn=psmain&icep_vectorid=229466&kwid=902099&mtid=824&kw=lg”>eBay item</a><img style=”text-decoration:none;
border:0;padding:0;margin:0;” src=”http://rover.ebay.com/roverimp/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=2&pub=0000000000&toolid=10001&campid=0000000000&customid=0000000000&item=230360004115&mpt=[CACHEBUSTER]“>

5.    We have identified four tools that should help most publishers verify that they are passing referring URLs, but there are many more options available.

  • HttpWatch (plugin for IE and Firefox) – follow these steps to get started with HttpWatch:

    httpwatch_1

    httpwatch_2

    httpwatch_31

    httpwatch_41

     

  • Live HTTP Headers (plugin for Firefox only)
  • Oxford Journals has a page that will show what referrer is being sent (instructions available at http://www.oxfordjournals.org/help/techinfo/ipcheck.html). If you redirect to the link on this page instead of eBay, you can see if you are passing a referring URL.
  • You can redirect to your own test page instead of eBay and check your server logs for the referrer.

Look for more updates as we come up with more recommendations on how to improve transparency.

The eBay Partner Network team

  • Jon Hunt

    Some browsers privacy settings can be set to not pass any refering url at all. So you will never get a totally complete picture.

  • Jay

    As Jon mentioned, please keep in mind that some anti-virus applications can drop the referrer in an attempt to protect the user.

  • quick question

    Quick Question, what is SOMEONE ELSE decides to set up some unauthorized redirects using an members EPN link code and proceeds to make sure it gets visited and spammed… how can the EPN member even begin to protect their account?

    When can EPN members tell EPN which sites are theirs and which to ignore?

    There has to be some protection against this.

  • Alex Hlinski

    Are these referring URLs going to be reported for each bid within the transaction download reports? This would be useful.

  • http://valuedining.com ValueDining

    Any issues with Google Analytics and either the editor kit or the custom banner widget?

    We’ve built our site around these, and havent seen an issue. Here’s an example page: http://valuedining.com/restaurants

    Appreciate the proactive discussion – this helps.

  • Amanda

    We’ve had a couple of questions come in like the one from quick question above. In cases where you believe an unauthorized person is using your ePN link code, please communicate this to our Network Quality team at eBayPartnerNetwork-quality@ebay.com.

    Thank you,
    Amanda | eBay Partner Network Team

  • http://www.helios825.org/ helios825

    Jon/Jay: On the forums, user dvd2sl notes that more and more anti-virus and internet security apps are making the default to NOT block referrers, as many sites depend on them to function. Also, I’ve noticed in my logs that very few (<2%) of visitors have their referrers hidden/altered, so it’s not really a big issue. I think ePN knows that such cases of hidden referrers are infrequent and takes this into account.

    Alex: If you have some programming/scripting capability, you can include the referring URL or domain within the CustomID parameter — that’s included in Transaction Download reports. I do the latter (referring domain for that user’s session at my site) and it’s kinda cool to be able see where people came from when they visited my site, clicked through, and bought stuff on eBay.

    -h

  • Dimitry

    What if users click on the link from my windows application? The click has no referring URL. Please explain if I should first send the user to my website where I redirect him to EPN link and include some referring URL that makes sense, I am trying not to get in trouble.

    Yes, I already applied for business model “Download Software”.

    Please explain.

  • http://www.notebookauctions.co.uk/macbooks/ laptop larry

    It would be good to let us know if you have any sites which you want us to change (as epn user’s) because you need to bare in mind that we can be dealing with 100′s of sites, older ones may have been written (innocently) to use javascript links on images etc – surely most referrer information can be logged regardless though?

  • Dominic

    So if I understand correctly from now you allow to use target=”_blank” attribute on eBay affiliate links to direct visitor into another window?

  • http://www.targmart.com Patricia

    So if I understand correctly from now you aren’t going to help people that need help on this blog? your just going to ignore us when we desperately need it?

  • Amanda

    Patricia,

    We have received your comments and we have forwarded them on to the Network Quality team who will follow-up with you. We are unable to answer all of the comments regarding specific accounts here.

    Best,
    Amanda | eBay Partner Network Team

  • Carl

    When using the ebay affiliate rss tool, how do we make the feed results, when clicked, open in a new window? This functionality seems to exsist in the link tool but why not the rss tool?

  • http://bookscouter.com/ Brandon

    FWIW, it looks like meta refreshes don’t properly send the HTTP referrer in modern browsers either. I’m not really sure if their is a way around that. The intermediate page provides some valuable tracking in my case which can’t reliably be done via javascript on the proceeding page.

  • Rob

    how about email models? If the link is embedded into the email?

    Thanks,

  • Jeff

    advise on RSS feeds? The links created in the link generator are so long, especially the Javascript link. I haven’t found a way to get those to work in XML format, so what do you suggest? I currently use a redirect because even the HTML link generated when adding “Link Text” will not work in XML.

  • http://www.twinturbocars.org Luke

    I have a problem with my sites not sending the referring link. I honestly have left it up to my developer (who is not very punctual) to fix it… I am now still having the problem. I think it could be because I use google analytics on my sites (they are wordpress sites) and the plugin that I use automates the Analytics code. Has anyone else had this problem? If so I would still like to use my analytics because I need that information but also looking for a solution for the WP Plugin… Please help. Should I just turn off the analytics? I believe I am risking my EPN acct also so I don’t mind turning off the analytics but I would rather work with you to figure out how to have both. I cant enter the code you mention above without being a programmer…

    Do you know of an Analytics WordPress Plugin that works with EPN on passing along the ref url? Your help is greatly appreciated.

    Regards;
    Luke

  • alssoftware

    Affiliates operating solely under the software business model cannot send referrers.

    Doing so is forbidden by the HTTP spec RFC 2616 14.36
    ” The Referer field MUST NOT be sent if the Request-URI was obtained from a source that does not have its own URI, such as input from the user keyboard.”

    This also applies to applications that have no referring source, such as desktop apps or browser add-ons. These apps operate outside the context of a specific referring page. Any URL passed would have to be obtained at random from th currently open pages. This could compromise security and privacy.

    User ability to block Referrers is also part of the spec RFC2616 15.1.3

    Because the source of a link might be private information or might
    reveal an otherwise private information source, it is strongly
    recommended that the user be able to select whether or not the
    Referer field is sent. For example, a browser client could have a
    toggle switch for browsing openly/anonymously, which would
    respectively enable/disable the sending of Referer and From
    information.

  • Brian

    We have a large number of robots scanning our site daily — would robots following our links to ebay cause this problem? Perhaps we should have a no follow attribute on our links to ebay?

  • Dave

    I generate roughly GBP 1 – 2 per day by sticking a few ads on hobby sites – this network is not a big earner but a handy way of getting targeted ads to help pay for free sites I provide to sports groups. – this seems like a heck of a lot of work for – as far as I can see – not further advantage to me – can someone explain how I’ll benefit from spending what seems like quite a lot of time on this?

  • http://www.searchdome.com Glenn

    Links on my website are passing the referring url properly but a large percentage of my users click links in emails. Yahoo Mail is passing the referring url ok, but Microsoft Outlook does not.

    Any sugestions for an Email Business Model?

    Thanks,

    Glenn

  • http://booknook.authornedburke.com Ned Burke

    I’m sorry but this makes no sense to me. I am not a programmer. I have no idea how to fix “referral links” and this is after I read the suggestion fix blog.
    My sites are very simple http sites. Not https. So it’s not that.
    And to my knowledge there are no problems with the other suggestions mentioned to fix a problem.
    So I am at a lost what eBay wants me to do.
    The only possible change I made was use to use TinyURL some times to direct people to the site.
    Can this be a problem? Other than that, I have no idea.
    Strange that it apparently worked well for over 2 years and now there’s a problem?

  • Julia

    Hi all,

    There are a lot of questions that have been posted on here that we will be able to answer in much more detail if you reply to the address supplied in the email that some of you may received about the transparency of your referring URLs.

    Julia

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