Understanding Object IDs and Tracking IDs

Marin has a variety of different object IDs and tracking IDs, with each one serving a slightly different purpose. In this article, we'll take you through the following different types of IDs:

  • Creative ID
  • Publisher ID
  • Unique ID
  • Unique User ID

And we'll also talk about the lack of Keyword ID in the Marin platform and the alternative ID that's used to serve this purpose. 

Where To Find The Creative ID 

The Marin Creative ID is used to identify ads internally in the Marin application.

This ID is visible either 1) after downloading a report created from the Ads grid or 2) selecting the Creative ID column from the Column Selector in the Ads grid.

When you run a report of ads, the report will populate the Creative ID column, which you can then use to make ad edits via bulk upload. This ID is used when making edits to ads such as changing the status, description lines, URLs, etc. You must include this ID in your bulksheet under the header Creative ID in order to edit ads. If the ID is not included when uploading changes to ads, the system will view your action as trying to create a new ad.

The Publisher ID And How To Use It 

This ID is the publisher assigned ID created within the publisher (Google or Microsoft) and synced into Marin.

Where To Find The Publisher ID 

You can view the publisher ID of any ad by bringing the Pub. ID column into the grid using the platform's Column Selector.

When there is no pub ID, the object has not actually synced down from the publisher and this is indicative of a sync error or editing status. This is the ID that is used to attribute conversions and revenue in Marin. This ID will show under the Creative ID when viewing a revenue file.

What Is The Unique ID (Or Tracking ID)? 

The unique ID is the parsed Marin tracking value in a URL. For instance, if a keyword or creative destination URL contains

https://www.powpowsports.com?mkwid=ab123sw&pcrid=987965433

And your Tracking IDs settings are set to parse the unique ID/tracking ID between “mkwid” and “&” seen in a URL, the unique ID is ab123sw in this example. This is also often referred to as the Tracking ID. This is the ID that is present under the Keyword ID header when viewing a revenue file. This is what appears in the unique ID column in the keyword or ads grid when on Marin revenue tracking.

Where Is The Keyword ID? 

Keywords do not actually have a keyword ID in the same way there is a creative ID. That is to say, there is no Keyword ID column used for editing keywords. When editing keywords, you must include the keyword and match type when editing keywords via bulksheet (among other required columns).

You will see the Keyword ID header in a revenue upload file and notice that this value is the unique ID (with the device parameter appended, if applicable). For revenue attribution, the unique ID can be considered equivalent to a keyword ID.

What Is The Unique User ID (UUID)? 

The Unique User ID, or UUID, is an ID that's associated with a specific user or browser session. This is not to be confused with the Unique ID mentioned above. 

The UUID is used by Marin Tracker to de-duplicate and to stitch together clicks and conversions for accurate tracking. You can find the UUID column in Marin Tracker files. 

Written by Marketing @ Marin Software

Last published at: January 18th, 2024