3 Common Implementation Issues
Digital marketing has ushered in a new wave of analytical marketing where everything can be measured right down to the click. But unfortunately its is not without its faults and the issues come in all different shapes and sizes. Everything from complex coding to simple human error is common place. And in my role at Microsoft Advertising, I see a wide variety of these issues ranging from the mundane to the utterly complex.
One of the most common errors I see that leads to more client headaches than any is publisher implementation. These varied errors cause more wasted time than any other type of error when investigating differences between publisher and client. The good news is they almost always can be prevented by a little thought and preparation before hand.
Here are a few simple and easy rules to make sure your tag is implemented correctly.
- First make sure the tag is placed on the page. Its quite common for publisher to implement the tags on the wrong page or just not at all. So look to see if the ad is running and on the right page. It seems like a no-brainer but you would be surprised how often this is the case.
- Second, make sure the entire tag is implemented from beginning to end on the page and not broken. The method for QA-ing in this manner depends on the type of tag but generally you want to spot the opening tag which will look something like this: <iframe> or <script type=”text/javascript”>. Then you will want to follow the tag until you see the closing command. It will look similar to this: </iframe> or </script>
- Finally, make sure cache busters are implemented. Many times its the case that browsers are caching an older version of the tag and not counting all the impressions. To QA this simply look for the cache buster in the string. Different systems have different versions of cache buster so make sure the tag you look at has the appropriate buster on it.
This is certainly not all the possible implementation issues I have come across in my time. However, I would say it accounts for the bulk of them. Not to mention, its always a terrific idea to QA these first and foremost as you can almost always save yourself some time on the back-end when your reporting shows up with gaps. Hopefully this provides a good starting point for publishers and advertisers alike and happy implementing!
