Visitor binding

Binding pins the selection from the first visit to the visitor: when they come back via the campaign link, they bypass rotation and get the same stream. Binding is configured in the campaign and applies to all of its streams.

Where to enable it

The Visitor binding («Привязка посетителя») checkbox and its fields are in the Create campaign («Создать кампанию») and Edit campaign («Изменить кампанию») windows. In the Create campaign window, the checkbox is already checked.

To change binding in an existing campaign:

1. Open the campaign page.
2. Click Edit («Изменить»). The button is not there if the campaign is view-only for you.
3. Check Visitor binding.
4. Choose a value in the Remember («Запоминать») field.
5. Set Period, hours («Срок, часы»).
6. Click Save («Сохранить»).

The other fields of the window are described on the Creating and configuring a campaign page.

Fields

What is remembered

The stream the visitor got is pinned, whether it is an intercepting, regular or final stream. For how shares are distributed, see Rotation and split tests of landing pages and offers.

Binding period

• The period is counted from the first visit. Repeat visits do not extend it.
• With 0, the campaign's uniqueness period applies. In the Create campaign window, this is the Uniq. period, h («Срок уник., ч») field, and in the Edit campaign window it is Period, h («Срок, ч»). By default, it is set to 24.
• With uniqueness set to None («Нет»), the uniqueness period field is inactive. The value saved in it is used for binding.
• The longest period is 8760 hours, which is 365 days. The form is saved only with an integer from 0 to 8760.
• After the period ends, the visitor goes through the normal stream selection, and the binding is created again.

An API request with a period outside this range returns the error “Binding period: from 0 to 8760 hours (0 — uniqueness period)” («Срок привязки: от 0 до 8760 часов (0 — срок уникальности)»).

How the tracker recognizes a visitor

The visitor is identified by the option chosen in the Uniqueness («Уникальность») field of the same campaign.

The Uniqueness parameter field exists only in the Edit campaign window and appears with the By parameter option. If the parameter name is not set, or the parameter did not arrive in the link, the visitor is identified by the IP address and the User-Agent.

Binding works within a single campaign: each campaign has its own bindings.

What is rechecked on a new visit

On every visit of a bound visitor, the tracker checks again:

A landing page or an offer with a share of 0 does not take part in rotation while the stream has items of the same kind with a share greater than zero.

If the pinned stream is unavailable, the visitor goes through the normal stream selection. The new selection replaces the previous one in the binding, and the period is not extended.

What is not checked

The filters of the pinned stream are not checked again. A visitor who comes back with a different referrer or browser language stays in the previous stream as long as the stream is available and the period has not expired. This also applies to an intercepting stream that the binding has moved to.

Binding and cloaking

Binding does not cancel the cloaking checks: they run on every visit.

• A bound visitor who fails the checks goes to the “white”.
• Such a visit does not pin the visitor to the “white”. When the visitor passes the checks, they get the pinned stream, or, if there is no binding, the normal stream selection.
• A visitor who passed the checks but ended up in the final stream because of the filters is pinned to the final stream the same way as to any other stream.

Choosing the offer after the click on the landing page

In a stream with the Landing → offer funnel («Воронка ленд→оффер») action, you can choose After a click on the landing page · the choice is fixed before the redirect («После клика на лендинге · выбор фиксируется перед переходом») in the When to choose the offer («Когда выбрать оффер») field. The offer is then determined at the moment of the transition from the landing page.

• With Whole bundle, the offer the visitor went to is written to the binding. Until the transition happens, no offer is pinned.
• On the next visit, a transition link without an offer ID, for example {offer}, leads to the pinned offer. Its presence in the stream, its participation in rotation and its sales cap are checked the same way as in the table above.
• An {offer:ID} link selects the offer specified in it, and the binding moves to that offer.

For details, see From landing page to offer and multi-offer.

Changing binding settings

• After you change Remember or Period, hours, bindings created with the previous values no longer apply. Visitors go through stream selection again, and a new period starts for them.
• If, after you change the option in the Uniqueness field, the visitor is identified by a different attribute, bindings created under the previous one no longer apply.
• Changing the uniqueness period while Period, hours is set to 0 affects only new bindings.
• If you clear the Visitor binding checkbox, all visitors go through the normal stream selection.
• Bindings created earlier remain in effect until their period ends. If you restore the previous values or check the box again, they apply again.

FAQ

Does a repeat visit count as a new click?

Yes. Every visit via the campaign link is recorded as a new click. Binding affects only the choice of the stream, landing page and offer.

Why does the stream selection check show a different stream?

The stream selection check does not take binding into account: it checks filters, schedule and rotation.

The stream responded with an error. Was a binding created?

No. If the visit ended with an error response, for example in a stream with the 404 stub («Заглушка 404») action, no binding is created or changed.