AdSpy Website Screenshot Not too long ago, AdSpy Tracker, created by Matt Callen, was released. It’s a script designed to provide more detailed AdSense stats than those provided by Google.

From the main page, it says that you can view how visitors find your website, where they come from, what search terms they use, and even which ads they click on. It does all of this and for only $10. Of course, this was an opportunity I didn’t want to pass up.

But, how does AdSpy Tracker measure up? That’s the true question. The script could be worthless and that would be a one year domain registration down the drain. Below I’ll outline my thoughts after using the product and let you know if it was money well spent.

AdSpy Tracker Installation

Some scripts are simply no fun to install. They don’t have clear instructions and their files are haphazardly put together. Luckily, AdSpy Tracker comes with a 23 page manual outlining installation, set up, and script use.

Noteworthy : The script only needs to be installed on a single domain and from there it can track other domains that you’ve added the javascript code to.

I ran into a snag while reading the installation instructions. Because there was a recent update to the script that changed some file structures, one of the files that was specifically referenced in the manual no longer existed. On the website (the video tutorial), it says that this is perfectly fine. The manual should be updated because it can be confusing to the end user, however, it didn’t hamper the installation process.

Once the set up page was loaded, there were some confusing elements to it. Again, this can be confusing and distracting to a novice user. Of course, if you were reading the manual, then it makes it clear the only section to focus on it the MySQL information.

While I feel the installation process could be more user friendly, it was painless. It’s a matter of creating a database, a directory on your server, uploading the files, and changing the file permission on a single folder. After that, the installation script handles the rest. Time spent on installation: roughly 10 minutes.

AdSpy Admin Panel

Cropped View of AdSpy Tracker Admin

The installation is complete, it’s time to poke around the admin panel.

My initial thought was wow this background image is ugly, but after I got over it (by removing the background image), it was pretty straight forward.

But wait, one crucial piece of information is missing — how exactly to add the tracking code to your websites. Well, it’s not really missing, it’s just in the included manual and not mentioned anywhere in the admin panel.

It would have been prudent to note the javascript code at the bottom of the admin panel, though it’s not a deal breaker. Referring to the manual isn’t difficult and the javascript itself is simple enough to memorize.

Moving beyond the initial impression of the admin panel, it was time to start viewing the individual layouts available. From the image, you can see there are a number of ways to sort information based on domain name, directory, date, hour, ad formats (link, unit, or search), referrals, IPs, keywords, and click details. It certainly doesn’t skimp on the statistics, but it means there’s a learning curve.

AdSpy AdSense Tracking

We’ve established that the install can be a little confusing if you don’t read the note on the video tutorial page and that the admin panel has some usability issues, but that pales in comparison to whether or not it actually tracks. Put another way, if it doesn’t track, it’s worthless.

Well, it tracks. It’s a mite early to tell the margin of error; I’ve only had my install up and running for two days. It’s important to note, also, that the accuracy will depend greatly on the reliability of the website where you have the tracker installed. If the site is down, it will not be able to load the tracking. That means, if you’re serious about tracking your AdSense stats, make sure you install it to a server that has good uptime.

Is AdSpy Actually Worth It?

The product definitely needs some spit ‘n polish (an admin design overhaul and some usability corrections ), but it gets the job done. Even with its shortcomings, I could see a $30 or $40 price tag attached to it. That said, I believe $10 is a bargain.

If you you decide to purchase the script, use it and like it, then recommend it. There is a closed affiliate program (open only to script owners) that pays out 100% commission on the front end. Sweet deal, you end up with some good AdSense tracking software and an opportunity to earn some extra cash.

(End Notes : An update will be posted after I’ve been using the script for a few weeks — basically, when I can get a good idea of the margin of error — but I wanted to let you know about it before they raised the price. )

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