Getting Started With Referral Traffic

What is Referral Traffic?

Referral Traffic refers to visitors who arrive at a destination parked domain or site through a Referral Source - such as an ad, sponsored link, or creative - appearing on a third-party site or app (Referral Source Publisher Site) and connected through a Referral Source Provider (e.g., an ad network).

In this context, you are acquiring traffic to your parked domains or site via placements that must comply with specific content, relevance, and tracking standards as outlined in our Referral Traffic Compliance Policy.

Why You’re Here

With Ads.com, you can acquire qualified traffic to your parked domains or site using Referral Sources. This guide will help you make informed decisions and ensure full compliance when setting up and optimizing Referral Traffic campaigns on the Ads.com Network.

Getting Started

Before you begin, your account must be approved for Referral Traffic by your Ads.com account manager or an authorized team member.

To get started:

1. Review the Referral Traffic Compliance Policy in full.

2. Obtain approval for any Referral Source Providers not on the pre-approved list.

3. Ensure that all creatives, tracking methods, and referral sources meet our requirements.

Creative Recommendations

When designing creatives (ads, links, or other content used as Referral Sources), keep the following in mind:

• All creatives must be relevant to the topic of the destination parked domain.

• Creatives should use accurate, truthful headlines and descriptions.

• Do not include misleading claims, guarantees, or calls to action that misrepresent the landing experience.

Requirements for Referral Traffic

To maintain your account in good standing:

• Only use approved Referral Source Providers unless authorized prior written approval is granted.

• Ensure that HTTP referrer information is preserved or, for mobile apps, included in HTTP headers.

• Do not use rewarded traffic, interstitials, pop-ups, cloaking, or any incentivized behaviors.

• The Referral Source and any content on the same page must not influence, mislead, or pressure users into clicking.

• The content of the parked domain or site must be relevant to the Referral Source if you influence or select that content.

• You may not use Referral Source Publishers or Referral Source Publisher Sites that contain malware, deceptive content, adult material, or promote illegal activity.

Refer to the Referral Traffic Compliance Policy for detailed restrictions and technical expectations.

Tracking Options

Ads.com supports multiple tracking methods to help you monitor performance and compliance:

• Sub ID Tracking

• Server-to-Server Tracking

• Pixel Tracking

• API Integration