Deep clickflow tracking

• US 20070011340A1
• Filed: 05/03/2006
• Published: 01/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Callidus Software, Inc. (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: Genius.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Thompson, David, Seidl, Robert, Doan, Khai
• Granted Patent: US 7,734,722 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/228
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking

Abstract

A system and method is disclosed herein for obtaining information from web site use. In one embodiment, the method comprises tracking interactions of a user with web content when the user uses a modified link to enter a website. The modified link is a link in a format that resembles a website address for the website but resolves at a location through which the user'"'"'s interactions can be tracked. The method also includes storing data indicative of tracked interactions in a database.

Claims

1. A method for obtaining information from web site use, comprising:

tracking interactions of a user with web content when the user uses a modified link to enter a website, the modified link in a format that resembles a website address for the website but to resolve at a location through which the interactions can be tracked; and

storing data indicative of the tracked interactions in a database.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an original link to the website, the link to resolve at a server through which the web content is served; and

supplying the modified link.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to the user using the modified link to request web content, supplying modified web content, the modified web content modified so that one or more links in the web content are replaced with one or more modified links, corresponding to the one or more links, that resemble links to the web content but resolve at the location through which the interactions can be tracked.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more links are one or more Universal Resource Locator (URL) links, hypertext markup language (HTML) links, links within embedded JavaScript, links embedded in Macromedia Flash content, Portable Document Format (PDF) files, cookies, Secure Socket Layer (SSL) links, Absolute links.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the supplying further comprises:

in response to the user using one of the one or more modified links, a rewriting server obtaining web content corresponding to the one or more links being used by the user;

rewriting one or more links within the obtained web content to resolve at the location through which the interactions can be tracked, to created modified web content; and

sending the modified web content to the user, the modified web content appearing like a non-modified version of the web content.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein links to web content from non-consenting third parties are not rewritten to resolve at the location through which the interactions can be tracked.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the storing further comprises:

receiving an indication of a user selection of a modified link within the modified web content; and

recording data to the database, the data indicative of the tracked interactions of the user with the modified web content.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the data includes one or more of:

a requested link, a requested modified link, data indicative of a customer that supplied a link, duration of user traversing the modified web content, a sequence of modified link selection, the user presence on a web site associated with the web content, information about the user.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

dynamically injecting web content into the modified web content prior to the sending.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the dynamically injected web content includes one or more of a coupon, help content, a watermark, on-page chat, a recording, a survey, a script.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

depositing a cookie in a memory of a computer being used by the user to identify the user upon a subsequent request for the web content via a non-modified link.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the tracking further comprises:

receiving a request for web content from a web browser being used by the user;

forwarding header information, relevant to the web browser type being used by the user, to a location which serves the web content;

receiving web content from the location which serves the web content, the web content corresponding to the relevant web browser type information; and

supplying, to the user, modified web content corresponding to the relevant web browser type information.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

securing communication between the user and the location through which the interactions can be tracked server with a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificate of the location through which the interactions can be tracked; and

securing communication between the location through which the interactions can be tracked and the a location through which the web content is served with a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificate of the location through which the web content is served.

14. A system, comprising:

a database; and

a server, wherein the server is to;

track interactions of a user with web content when the user uses a modified link to enter a website, the modified link in a format that resembles a website address for the website but to resolve at a location through which the server can track the interactions; and

store data indicative of the tracked interactions in the database.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprises:

the server to;

receive an original link to the website, the link to resolve at a server through which the web content is served; and

supply the modified link.

16. The system of claim 14, further comprises:

the server to;

supply modified web content, the modified web content modified so that one or more links in the web content are replaced with one or more modified links, corresponding to the one or more links, that resemble links to the web content but resolve at the location through which the interactions can be tracked, wherein the one or more links are one or more Universal Resource Locator (URL) links, hypertext markup language (HTML) links, links within embedded JavaScript, links embedded in Macromedia Flash content, Portable Document Format (PDF) files, cookies, Secure Socket Layer (SSL) links.

17. The system of claim 14, further comprises:

the server to;

dynamically inject web content into the modified web content prior to the sending, wherein the dynamically injected web content includes one or more of a coupon, help content, a watermark, on-page chat, a recording, a survey, a script.

18. The system of claim 14, further comprises:

the server to;

deposit a cookie in a memory of a computer being used by the user to identify the user upon a subsequent request for the web content via a non-modified link.

19. The system of claim 14, further comprises:

the server to;

receive a request for web content from a web browser being used by the user;

forward header information, relevant to the web browser type being used by the user, to a location which serves the web content;

receive web content from the location which serves the web content, the web content corresponding to the relevant web browser type information; and

supply, to the user, modified web content corresponding to the relevant web browser type information.

20. The system of claim 14, further comprises:

the server to;

secure communication between the user and the location through which the interactions can be tracked server with a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificate of the location through which the interactions can be tracked; and

secure communication between the location through which the interactions can be tracked and the a location through which the web content is served with a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificate of the location through which the web content is served.

21. A machine-readable medium that provides instructions, which when executed by a machine, causes the machine to perform the operations comprising:

tracking interactions of a user with web content when the user uses a modified link to enter a website, the modified link in a format that resembles a website address for the website but to resolve at a location through which the interactions can be tracked; and

storing data indicative of the tracked interactions in a database.

22. The machine-readable medium claim 21, further comprising:

receiving an original link to the website, the link to resolve at a server through which the web content is served; and

supplying the modified link.

23. The machine-readable medium of claim 21, further comprising:

in response to the user using the modified link to request web content, supplying modified web content, the modified web content modified so that one or more links in the web content are replaced with one or more modified links, corresponding to the one or more links, that resemble links to the web content but resolve at the location through which the interactions can be tracked.

24. The machine-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the one or more links are one or more Universal Resource Locator (URL) links, hypertext markup language (HTML) links, links within embedded JavaScript, links embedded in Macromedia Flash content, Portable Document Format (PDF) files, cookies, Secure Socket Layer (SSL) links, Absolute links.

25. The machine-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the supplying further comprises:

in response to the user using one of the one or more modified links, a rewriting server obtaining web content corresponding to the one or more links being used by the user;

rewriting one or more links within the obtained web content to resolve at the location through which the interactions can be tracked, to created modified web content; and

sending the modified web content to the user, the modified web content appearing like a non-modified version of the web content.

26. The machine-readable medium of claim 25, wherein links to web content from non-consenting third parties are not rewritten to resolve at the location through which the interactions can be tracked.

27. The machine-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the storing further comprises:

receiving an indication of a user selection of a modified link within the modified web content; and

recording data to the database, the data indicative of the tracked interactions of the user with the modified web content.

28. The machine-readable medium of claim 27, wherein the data includes one or more of:

a requested link, a requested modified link, data indicative of a customer that supplied a link, duration of user traversing the modified web content, a sequence of modified link selection, the user presence on a web site associated with the web content, information about the user.

29. The machine-readable medium of claim 25, further comprising:

dynamically injecting web content into the modified web content prior to the sending.

30. The machine-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the dynamically injected web content includes one or more of a coupon, help content, a watermark, on-page chat, a recording, a survey, a script.

31. The machine-readable medium of claim 21, further comprising:

depositing a cookie in a memory of a computer being used by the user to identify the user upon a subsequent request for the web content via a non-modified link.

32. The machine-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the tracking further comprises:

receiving a request for web content from a web browser being used by the user;

forwarding header information, relevant to the web browser type being used by the user, to a location which serves the web content;

receiving web content from the location which serves the web content, the web content corresponding to the relevant web browser type information; and

supplying, to the user, modified web content corresponding to the relevant web browser type information.

33. The machine-readable medium of claim 32, further comprising:

securing communication between the user and the location through which the interactions can be tracked server with a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificate of the location through which the interactions can be tracked; and

securing communication between the location through which the interactions can be tracked and the a location through which the web content is served with a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificate of the location through which the web content is served.