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Imagine running 5 campaigns at once, driving traffic from three different sources, and testing dozens of creatives. At first, it seems like a thrill, everything is under control. But within a week, Google Sheets starts to resemble an unanswered crossword puzzle: the numbers don’t add up, the profit disappears, and there’s no answer to the question “Where’s the money, Lebowski?”
This is exactly what life looks like without a tracker. Many newcomers launch ads on a whim and quickly get lost in the chaos of statistics. It would seem that yesterday there was a plus, and today there is already a minus, and you don’t even understand why.
And then the hero, who is often forgotten, comes on the scene – tracker. It is not just another software in your collection, but a real navigator in the world of arbitrage that helps to distinguish working creatives from those who only drain the budget.
A tracker is your Google Maps for traffic. It shows the user’s route from the first click to the final action: where they came from, what they did, and whether they left money behind.
Imagine that you are without a tracker. The campaigns are running, the leads seem to be there, but you don’t know which creative brought them and which source is really bringing in the profit. It’s like going on a trip without a map: there is movement, gasoline is burning, and where the finish line is a mystery.
To make it even clearer:
A tracker is a tool that translates the chaos of numbers into a clear picture: what works, what doesn’t, and where your real profit is.
Tracker is not about “another software in subscriptions”, but about a tool that really saves money and nerves. And here is who it is critically important for:
You are driving traffic from different sources, testing a bunch of creatives, and want to understand what really brings in money. The tracker shows you which banner or video generates conversions and which one just drains the budget.
Example: you have 10 creatives, and only 2 of them are working. Without a tracker, you’ll find out about it when the money is already “burned up”. With a tracker, you can turn off the junk in a few hours and save half of your budget.
For an SMM manager, a tracker is an opportunity to distinguish between “tick-box metrics” and real efficiency.
Example: a story with 1,000 views and 50 clicks looks “weak”, but 10 people bought the product from these clicks. Only the tracker will show that your ROI is really great.
Small businesses count every hryvnia. And often, advertising is “by eye”: “It seems to work because they call”. But without numbers, it’s just a feeling.
Example: a clothing store advertises a collection on Facebook and Google. Without a tracker, it is not known who brought in more sales. With the tracker, you can see that Google gives X5 conversions cheaper.
A tracker is no more complicated than online banking: you just connect all your “accounts” to one place and see where the money goes at once.
Imagine that you are testing two networks: TikTok and Facebook.
Solution: turn off TikTok, scale Facebook, and stay in the black.
The tracker does not just store data. It transforms chaos into concrete answers:
Even the best tracker will not save you if you use it incorrectly. Here are some classic mistakes that beginners (and sometimes even experienced arbitrageurs) make:
CTR looks impressive in reports: “Look, I have 12%!” But in reality, it says nothing about profit. A high CTR can only mean that the creative has caught the user’s eye, but then the user did not buy, subscribe, or bring in money.
Example: A meme ad collects hundreds of clicks, but zero conversions. As a result, the budget was burned, and ROI remained in the red.
Conclusion: CTR is just the beginning of the journey. You need to count what really brings money: conversions, cost per lead, ROI.
Postback is a “bridge” between the affiliate and your tracker. If it is not configured, the tracker does not receive true conversion data. You may see +$500 in your interface, but in reality, the affiliate has only credited +$200.
Result:You draw wrong conclusions and scale ineffective campaigns or turn off those that really work.
Analogy:It’s like watching a football game without a scoreboard: the game is going on, but no one knows the score.
UTM labels are the “labels” that help the tracker understand where the traffic came from. If they are written incorrectly, the tracker starts to show chaos.
Example:You think that the profit comes from TikTok, but in fact it is brought by Facebook. As a result, you turn off the working channel and are left without profit.
Conclusion:Always check UTM before you fill your budget. This is 2 minutes of work that can save you thousands.
Errors in the tracker are like putting on a watch without a battery and expecting it to show the exact time. You seem to have a tool, but it is useless.
In the world of arbitrage, it is easy to get confused in dozens of indicators: CTR, CPC, EPC, ROI, CR… Some numbers are growing, others are falling, and it seems like a kind of exchange where nothing is clear. In fact, there are not so many important metrics – and they all show how well your campaign is working.
What it is: percentage of profit or loss from the money invested.
Formula: (income – expenses) ÷ expenses × 100%.
Example: You spent $100 on advertising and earned $150. ROI = 50%. This means that the campaign is profitable and can be scaled. If the ROI is -30%, it means you are losing your budget.
What it is:the percentage of people who performed the target action after clicking.
Formula: conversions ÷ clicks × 100%.
Example: There were 1,000 clicks and 50 registrations. CR = 5%.
The higher the CR, the better the traffic → offer link works. If the CR is too low, the problem may be in the landing page or in the offer itself.
What it is: how much money one click brings on average.
Formula: total revenue ÷ number of clicks.
Example: 200 clicks brought $40. EPC = $0.20.
This metric is useful to understand how profitable your creatives or traffic are compared to others.
What it is:The percentage of people who clicked on your ad after viewing it.
Formula: clicks ÷ impressions × 100%.
Example: 10,000 impressions and 300 clicks = CTR 3%.
This indicator shows the “attractiveness” of the creative. It is important, but it does not guarantee profit by itself.
What it is:how much you spend on one targeted action (lead, purchase, registration).
Formula: cost ÷ number of conversions.
Example: Spent $200, got 20 registrations. CPA = $10.
This figure makes sense only in connection with the payment for the offer. If they pay $15 for registration and CPA = $10, you are in the black. If CPA = $18, you need to change your approach.
Don’t focus on all the numbers at once. Look at ROI as the main indicator, and the rest of the metrics will help you find what exactly needs to be tweaked: creative, source, or offer.
A tracker is not “extra software”, but a basic tool, without which arbitrage quickly turns into chaos in tables and guesswork.
Try at least a basic tracker and you will feel the difference between “eyeball advertising” and a transparent picture where you can see every click and every penny.
Because without a tracker, arbitrage is like a party without photos: something happened, but no one knows what exactly.