I had a discussion with the AdSense support team yesterday about a feature I'd like to see Google implement, the concept of a tracking ID. Simply put, a tracking ID is an alternate publisher ID used by a publisher in the AdSense code they paste on some of their sites. Let me explain.
Right now, your AdSense publisher ID is embedded in each piece of AdSense code you place on a site — this is how Google knows who to credit when someone clicks an ad. You can see the publisher ID very simply by using the “view source” option of your browser. I've discussed this before in my previous posting AdSense and publisher privacy, so read it for all the details.
As I mentioned in that posting, the AdSense publisher ID is an easy way to associate sites with each other. If you don't want that association made public (say you're building a site about a controversial topic) then right now the only options you have are to:
- Not use AdSense
- Create a separate legal entity (a corporation or a limited liability company) and obtain an AdSense account for it
If you're a private person building a few sites, neither option is great. That's where the tracking ID comes in. A tracking ID would be a “fake” publisher ID that Google maps internally to your real publisher ID. To the outside world it would look like a normal publisher ID, of course, but it would be different than your real publisher ID. It's a level of indirection for additional privacy.
During my discussion with Google, the AdSense support representative pointed out that channels already exist, but he was missing the point. This is separate from channels — you could implement tracking IDs separately from the channel infrastructure. Google wouldn't necessarily have to give you more channels or add any additional features, we're just talking about adding a new mapping layer during the click processing stage.
Anyhow, there is no such thing as a tracking ID today, but at least Google now knows that someone wants it. If you'd like it, too, send mail to adsense-support@google.com and let them know. They're pretty good about accepting enhancement requests and getting feedback from publishers. That doesn't mean they'll actually do what you've requested, but at least they're listening…
OK, I guess tomorrow we get back to finishing Stage 3 of the AdSense case study.
Eric Giguere is the author of Make Easy Money with Google, a real introductory AdSense book for non-technical people. Be sure to download the free sample chapter.