Click-Trace

Click-trace är processen att följa en annons klick genom varje omdirigeringssteg tills den når den slutliga landningssidan, för att avslöja den verkliga annonsören, spårningsstacken och erbjudandet som annonskreativet medvetet döljer. Det är så ad-transparency-verktyg ser vad en annons faktiskt leder till, inte bara vad den visar.

How it works#

Starting from a captured ad, a click-trace replays the click and records the full Redirect Chain, every Click Tracking Domain, affiliate link, and cloaking gateway, then captures the resulting Landing Page. Because native networks like Taboola and Outbrain often display only a publisher widget, the click path is frequently the only reliable way to identify the true Advertiser and map the Ad Supply Chain behind a placement.

Why it matters#

Click-tracing turns an anonymous native ad into actionable intelligence. It exposes which offers an advertiser is running, which trackers and landing pages they reuse across campaigns, and whether a brand's name is being misused on copycat pages. OpenAdLibrary click-traces live native ads to attribute the real advertiser and surface the destination, the core of effective competitive intelligence.

Related terms: Redirect Chain, Landing Page, Ad Supply Chain, and Click Tracking Domain.