API tracking, AI and shrinking margins in affiliate marketing, with Marksel founder Artem Butov

Artem Butov started in media and advertising, built an affiliate network that grew into a holding, and now runs Marksel, a platform that combines tracking, lead handling, APIs and smart links. Host John Wright asks him about API tracking, AI for testing, margin pressure and fraud.

In this episode

• Butov says pixel tracking has faded because of Google bans and cookie restrictions, and calls API tracking the next step; he says about 90% of tracking in forex, CFD and crypto already goes through API (5:31, 8:30).

• He says iGaming has been strict about data, so API sending is underdeveloped there, while nutra, dating, lead generation and sweepstakes lean on it more (7:31, 8:03).

• Marksel is an ecosystem rather than a tracker: CRM, API lead sending, cascades, ping trees and smart links, with integrations built in house (3:01, 4:00, 11:31, 12:30).

• He says Marksel is working on AI for testing and running traffic; the goal is a request such as generating 100 links split across Facebook, PPC and other sources, which is not yet reality (9:01, 9:30).

• He says margins are squeezing in every niche, grey niches hardest because of payment and traffic-source restrictions, and that 100-200% ROI in iGaming suggests a problem with stats or tracking (16:00, 18:31).

• On fraud, he says advertisers should check stats daily or even hourly, and networks should separate poorly fitting traffic from outright fraud (20:00, 20:30, 21:00).

Interview from Revenue Optimization by StatsDrone, published on YouTube.