New to Singular's attribution service? Read this guide for an overview of everything you have to do to get up and running.
Guide for | Project Managers, Developers |
Prerequisites | Singular's attribution service has been enabled for your organization. |
Note: If this is your first time using an attribution provider (tracker), or you want to be clear on Singular's offering and definitions, we recommend reviewing the Mobile App Attribution guide, particularly the section about Singular's attribution process.
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Plan Your SDK IntegrationThe first step in setting up Singular attribution is integrating the Singular SDK into all of your apps. Before you or your development team starts tackling the integration, we recommend reading the Singular SDK/S2S FAQ for Project Managers. Then make sure you have answers to the following questions:
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[DEVELOPERS] Integrate the SDK/S2SSingular has SDK versions for iOS, Android, Unity, and React, as well as for websites, and a server-to-server integration option. The developers' documentation at Getting Started with the Singular SDK/S2S to point you to: |
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[DEVELOPERS] Test your SDK/S2S Integration
For some customers and implementations, it's easier to test the SDK integration after every step of development (i.e., implement sessions and test them, then revenue events and test them). Other customers prefer to test the integration after it's done. Regardless, to test your integration, you will be running your app on a test device and triggering sessions, purchases, and other user events. You will use Singular's SDK Console (a testing tool available inside the Singular web app) to make sure the SDK is reporting events to the Singular servers properly. For full instructions, see our SDK integration testing guides. |
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Configure App Settings in SingularAfter you integrate the Singular SDK and send events to Singular, your app should be added automatically to the Apps page in the Singular web app. This is where Singular keeps an up-to-date list of all your apps and their configuration. Before you start running marketing campaigns for your app, go to the Apps page (Settings > Apps), find your app site, and configure the Store URL and other optional settings, such as alternative tracking link destinations and deep links. For a detailed guide, see the section Configuring Your App for Attribution Tracking with Singular in the Apps FAQ. Note:
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Configure Google Ads as a Partner (If Relevant)Singular can track how many times your app is installed as a result of advertising in Google Ads (that includes Adwords UAC campaigns and YouTube campaigns). To set up Google Ads as a partner:
For more details, see our Google Ads guide. Note: Google Ads is a “Self-Attributing Network” (SAN), meaning you don’t need to create Singular tracking links and embed them in your ads. For more information about how Singular works with SANs, see Singular's Attribution Methods.
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Configure Facebook as a Partner (If Relevant)Singular can track how many times your app is installed as a result of advertising in Facebook and Instagram. To set up Facebook as a partner:
For more details, see our guide to setting up Facebook. Note: Facebook is a “Self-Attributing Network” (SAN), meaning you don’t need to create Singular tracking links and embed them in your ads. For more information about how Singular works with SANs, see Singular's Attribution Methods. |
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Configure Other PartnersStart tracking installs with the rest of your advertising networks by configuring attribution settings for each network. To configure a network as a partner:
For more details, see How to Configure Partner Settings and Postbacks. |
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(Optional) Configure Internal PostbacksWhen you configured your partners, you configured what postbacks (automatic notifications) you want Singular to send to them about attribution decisions and other events. But you can also have Singular send automatic postbacks to your own internal BI system, for tracking purposes. For details, see Configuring Internal BI Postbacks. |
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Create Tracking Links with Singular LinksFor networks that aren't "self-attributing networks" (SANs), you need to create a tracking link to run a marketing campaign. Tracking links are the URLs that are triggered when the user clicks an ad (or views it, if it's an impression-based campaign). They lead the user to the app store, but they also let Singular know that the user interacted with the ad. If the user then downloads and installs the app, Singular uses the information in order to attribute the install to the correct ad network (a similar process happens with re-engagement attribution). Tip: Tracking links can include additional parameters, such as the user’s device platform or the ad creative asset. You insert placeholders for these parameters when you create the tracking link, and the ad network fills them in automatically when the ad is clicked or viewed. This information is received by Singular and used to enrich your reporting with additional breakdowns and segmentations. To create tracking links, go to Attribution > Manage Links. For help, see the Singular Links FAQ. |
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Test Tracking LinksAfter you create a tracking link, you can test it to see how it helps Singular reach an attribution decision. For details, see How to Test a Tracking Link. |
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Configure Fraud PreventionSingular’s Fraud Prevention Engine protects your marketing efforts using a mixture of out-of-the-box detection methods and custom user-defined rules to prevent attribution fraud. The Engine evaluates installs before finalizing the attribution or reporting it to the partner, thus preventing excessive billing for CPI/CPA campaigns. For an introduction to Singular's fraud prevention mechanism, see Singular Fraud Prevention. To configure your fraud prevention settings, see Configuring Fraud Settings and Configuring User-Defined Fraud Rules. |
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Run ROI ReportsOnce your campaigns are up and running, you can start running reports in Singular to analyze your ROI and measure campaign KPIs. Try these sample reports to get a taste: For more details, see the Reports FAQ. You can also run creative reports to see your actual creative assets, including images and videos, next to their performance metrics. Try these sample reports: Learn more in the Creative Reports FAQ. |
Related Articles
How to Migrate to Singular from Another MMP |
Importing Existing Attribution Data FAQ |
Getting Started with the Singular SDK/S2S [Developers] |
Testing Basic Integration Functionality [Developers] |