Declarative page view and click tracking systems and methods

• US 7,409,422 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2003
• Issued: 08/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Christian, Brian S., Waghdhare, Devatta
• Primary Examiner(s): Cardone; Jason
• Assistant Examiner(s): Swearingen; Jeffrey R
• Application Number:
  US10/645,224
• Publication Number:
  US 20050044139A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,811 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/203, 709/224
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation

Abstract

Declarative page view and click tracking systems and methods are described. To utilize page view and/or click tracking, a web page developer includes a link identifier in a function call or build anchor tag call of a web page. A tracking server identifies links that include the link identifier and replaces the links with modified links that include a tracking identifier for use with a tracking system. When a modified link is selected, tracking is initiated for the link. If the tracking cannot be initiated within a specified timeout period, a client is redirected to the site identified in the link without waiting for the tracking to occur.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a request from a client to view a web page that includes one or more selectable links;

inspecting each of the one or more selectable links included with the requested web page to determine if the one or more selectable links contain a respective link identifier, the respective link identifier configured to designate a corresponding selectable link to be tracked via a tracking system;

replacing each of the one or more selectable links identified as containing the respective link identifier with a modified link that contains a tracking identifier for use in the tracking system to track the corresponding selectable link;

injecting client-side tracking code into the web page, the client-side tracking code being configured to run tracking procedures on the client when one of said modified links is selected to cause redirection to a corresponding location;

communicating the web page having said modified links and the client-side tracking code so that the web page is viewable at the client;

monitoring for a selection of one of said modified links; and

when one of said modified links is selected to cause redirection to said corresponding location, communicating with the client to initiate the client-side tracking code to execute a tracking function that records information related to the corresponding selectable link in a log file.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the link identifier further comprises an area identifier that identifies an area on the web page in which the corresponding selectable link is located.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the link identifier further comprises a link type identifier that identifies a type of link of the corresponding selectable link.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the tracking identifier further comprises a container identifier that identifies a container in which the corresponding selectable link is located.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the tracking identifier further comprises a link index that is an index of the corresponding selectable link inside the container that is identified by the container identifier.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of confirming that the web page loaded properly and is viewable at the client before proceeding with the tracking function.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the information related to the corresponding selectable link further comprises the web page on which the corresponding selectable link is located and an area of the web page in which the corresponding selectable link is located.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising terminating the processing of further steps for each of the one or more selectable links that does not include the respective link identifier.

9. A system, comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor;

web content in the form of one or multiple web pages stored in the memory, one said web page containing a selectable link that includes a link identifier;

a tracking module stored in the memory and executable via the processor, the tracking module, when executed, configured to;

responsive to a request from a client to view the one said web page, replace the selectable link of the one said web page with a modified link that includes a tracking identifier in place of the link identifier of the selectable link;

inject client-side tracking code into the web page that contains the modified link; and

communicate the one said web page having the modified link and the client-side tracking code to the requesting client; and

call the client-side tracking code to execute and initiate a tracking event with a tracking system when the modified link is selected to cause redirection to a corresponding location.

10. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the link identifier further comprises an area identifier that identifies an area of the web page on which the selectable link is located.

11. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the link identifier further comprises a link type identifier that identifies a type of link of the selectable link.

12. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the tracking module does not execute if the selectable link does not contain a link identifier.

13. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the tracking identifier further comprises a container identifier that identifies a container in which the selectable link is located.

14. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the tracking identifier further comprises the link identifier included in the selectable link.

15. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the tracking identifier further comprises a modified link identifier that is different from the link identifier that is included in the selectable link.

16. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the client-side tracking code is further configured to test a connection with the tracking system and skip the tracking event if the tracking system does not respond to the client within a specified timeout period.

17. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein the specified timeout period further comprises one and one-half seconds.

18. One or more computer-readable storage media containing computer-executable instructions that, when executed on a computer, perform the following steps:

replacing selectable tracking links in a web page requested by a client with modified selectable links that each include a tracking identifier for use with a tracking system to track a corresponding selectable tracking link;

injecting client-side code into the requested web page, the client-side code being configured to run at client to initiate a tracking event when one of said modified selectable links is clicked;

communicating the requested web page having the modified selectable links and the client-side code to the client;

initiating execution of the client-side code upon determining that one of said modified selectable links has been clicked at the client; and

providing tracking information to a tracking system configured to log information related to the one said modified selectable link and the selection thereof.

19. The one or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 18, wherein the selectable tracking links are identified by inclusion of a link identifier in each selectable tracking link.

20. The one or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 19, wherein the link identifier further comprises an area identifier that identifies an area of the web page in which a selectable tracking link that contains the link identifier is located.

21. The one or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 19, wherein the link identifier further comprises a link type identifier that identifies a type of link of a selectable tracking link that contains the link identifier.

22. The one or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 18 wherein the tracking identifier further comprises a container identifier that identifies a container that includes the corresponding selectable tracking link.

23. The one or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 22 wherein the tracking identifier further comprises an index that identifies a location of the corresponding selectable tracking link inside the container that is identified by the container identifier.

24. The one or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 18, wherein the tracking information further comprises information identifying the web page.

25. The one or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 18, wherein the tracking information further comprises information identifying a location of the corresponding selectable tracking link on the web page.

26. The one or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 18, wherein the tracking information further comprises page view information.