Redirect tracking vs direct (no-redirect) — when to use which

Redirect tracking vs direct (no-redirect) — when to use which

Both pass clicks. The tradeoff is speed vs control. Match the method to the constraint.

Use redirect (302) when:
— You need rotation, A/B path splitting, or geo/device rules at click time.
— You're cloaking or running multiple offers behind one link.
— You need server-side click logging you fully control.

Use direct tracking (tracking pixel + landing-side script) when:
— The traffic source penalizes redirects (some native/social do).
— Page speed is the conversion bottleneck — you save one hop.
— You only need attribution, not real-time routing.

Tradeoffs to log:
— Redirect adds 80-200ms but unlocks distribution logic.
— Direct keeps speed but you lose mid-click branching — all logic moves to the lander JS.
— Direct breaks if the lander's script is blocked; redirect breaks if your domain is flagged.

Default: redirect for paid arbitrage, direct for SEO/owned traffic where speed is king.

Save this SOP. Run this before every launch.