How to Set Up Outbrain as a Server-Side Destination

Follow the step by step guide to launching your Outbrain server-side tracking

Overview

Prerequisites:

  • If you haven't installed our Shopify Source in your Elevar App. Follow our guide on how to implement the Shopify Source.
  • Ensure that your Outbrain links are decorated with the correct click ID to be able to pass server-side data from Shopify via Elevar to Outbrain. The click ID for Outbrain is "dicbo".

Add Outbrain as a Server-Side Destination

Locate Outbrain Destination:

  • On the homepage of your Elevar Account, locate the "My Tracking" button from the left-hand menu.
  • Once, in "My Tracking" select the "Add Destination" button in the upper right hand corner of the page.
    • A side bar pop-up window will appear, titled "Add Destination".
    • Within this pop-up, use the search function and type "Outbrain".
    • Once the Outbrain destination appears from the search function, click on it.
      • (See Figure 1)

Step 1 screenshot

Figure 1

Get Started:

  • After locating and clicking on the Outbrain destination, you will be taken to overview screen.
  • Click the "Get Started" button in the lower left-hand corner of the Overview box.
    • (See Figure 2)

Step 2 screenshot

Figure 2

Entering Outbrain Settings

Select Events:

  • After clicking on "Get Started" you will have to select the Event settings.
  • Either click on the button labeled "Use best practices" or "Customize".
    • Under the "Breakdown" menu, you will need to name each event you are passing to Outbrain. These events should match the event name for your event based conversions in Outbrain. If you use multiple Outbrain accounts, be sure to use the same event names for both accounts.
  • After selecting what events you want to send, click on the "Save and Continue" button located at the bottom of this section.
    • (See Figure 3)

Step 3 screenshot

Figure 3

Consent Mode:

  • After selecting the Events settings, you will be prompted to enable Consent Mode.
  • To enable Consent Mode, click on the "Yes, enable for this destination" button. If you do not want to enable Consent Mode, click on the "No" button.
    • If consent is required, select what categories you’d like the shopper to agree to before tracking fires. [Learn More]
  • Once you have all of selected all of the information for enabling Consent Mode, click on the "Save and Continue" button located at the bottom of this section.
    • (See Figure 4)

Step 4 screenshot

Figure 4

Select Transaction Identifier:

  • After selecting details for Consent Mode, you need to choose a Transaction Identifier.
    • Click on wither the "Order ID", "Order Number" or the "Order Name" button.
  • After selecting the Transaction Identifier, click on the "Save and Continue" button located at the bottom of this section.
    • (See Figure 5)

Step 5 screenshot

Figure 5

Filter Transactions:

  • After selecting details for the Transaction Identifier, you need to choose whether or not to filter transactions.
  • Currently, our recommended practices suggests clicking the button labeled, "Yes, Block some transactions", and blocking exchange & historical import orders.
  • Once you have all of selected all of the information for Filtered Transactions, click on the "Save and Continue" button located at the bottom of this section.
    • (See Figure 6)

Step 6 screenshot

Figure 6

Subscriptions:

  • If you sell subscriptions, select whether you are using the unified Shopify checkout, or using a separate checkout. Then, navigate to the section titled, "Would you like to send recurring transactions?" select the button labeled "No, block" or "Yes, send".
  • If you do not sell subscriptions, select the button labeled "No".
  • Once you have all of selected all of the information for Subscriptions, click on the "Save and Continue" button located at the bottom of this section.
    • (See Figure 7)

Step 7 screenshot

Figure 7

Go Live:

  • After completing all of the previous Outbrain Setup Steps, an Overview page will appear.
  • If all of the details within the Configuration Summary look correct, then click on the button labeled "Go Live" button located at the bottom of this section.
  • A pop-up window will appear, asking for a confirmation of your changes.
  • Click on the "Yes, Go Live" button located in the lower right-hand corner of the confirmation window.
    • (See Figure 8)

Step 8 screenshot

_Figure 8_

Remove Previous Tracking:

  • Remove any previous tracking you've had hardcoded in your theme or tags in Google Tag Manager(GTM).

QA Tracking & Update Campaigns:

  • Test that the new Elevar Events are passing the data that you need.
  • If you have created new conversion events in Outbrain you will want to update your campaigns to optimize towards your new purchase event. If you exclude a purchase audience segment you will also want to update this in your campaigns.