Personalized URL

Personalized URLs (pURLs) are links that are tailor-made for a specific purpose, generally for individual clients. They can serve multiple purposes, for instance:

  • Click Tracking: A unique ID in the link makes it possible to track the source of the click (for example, a link in an email campaign).
  • User Tracking: A user-specific ID reveals who clicked the link and at what time.
  • Landing Pages: Information in the link invokes a unique landing page with specific products or services.
  • Personalized User Pages: Using information from a database, a user is served a completely personalized web page with their name and information tailored to them, enhancing user response.

Typically, a pURL in a Connect template takes the user to a personalized landing page, for example to download an invoice or get access to specific products or services.

In addition to the pURL, to generate a personalized landing page the Connect Server needs a template with a Web context and a Workflow process with the following tasks:

  • A HTTP Server Input task to capture incoming web requests (see Workflow Help: HTTP Server Input).
  • An Execute Data Mapping task to create the record set appropriate for the template (see Workflow Help: Execute DataMapping Task).
  • A Create Web Content task that generates the HTML files (see Workflow Help: Create Web Content).
    In Workflow, you can make use of the system variable %U to create unique strings for pURLs that point to personalized landing pages (in emails, for example, or in a QR code).

Creating a personalized URL

Creating a personalized URL implies writing a script. See Writing your own scripts.
It also requires some planning, because the pURL needs to contain data that is necessary to create the web page. For instance, creating a personalized URL for a client's invoice may require the Invoice Number to be present in the URL, which is then used to retrieve the invoice data, generate the invoice in PDF or HTML format using a template, and then return it to the browser. The trick is then to add the designated information to a hyperlink. How to do this is described in a how-to; see How to dynamically insert a hyperlink.