Methods of tracking downloads and usage of software applications

A method performed by at least one computing device of a tracking system with access to a plurality of user click records, the method comprising:

• receiving, by the at least one computing device, application installation information indicating that a user has installed a software application, the application installation information comprising device information;
• searching, by the at least one computing device based on first search criteria, the user click records for a user click record that matches the application installation information, wherein each user click record represents a click on a tracking link generated by the tracking system, wherein each user click record comprises device information and identifies an advertisement provider from which an end user obtained an advertisement associated with the software application, and wherein the tracking link was embedded in the advertisement by an advertiser that created the advertisement;
• and
• in response to locating a matching user click record based on the first search criteria, assigning, by the at least one computing device, a credit for the installation of the software application by the user to the advertisement provider identified in the matching user click record;
• wherein the advertiser and the advertisement provider are each separate from the tracking system.

A method for use with a first client computing device associated with an advertiser and a second client computing device associated with an end user, the method being performed by at least one server computing device of a tracking system connected to the first and second client computing devices by a network, the method comprising:

• receiving, by the at least one server computing device, a request for a tracking link from the first client computing device;
• transmitting, by the at least one server computing device, the tracking link to the first client computing device, the tracking link identifying an advertisement provider and a destination address on the at least one server computing device, the tracking link being configured to be embedded in an advertisement created by the first client computing device and displayable on the second client computing device after being received from the advertisement provider, the advertisement being configured to be selectable by a user of the second client computing device and when selected, to direct the second client computing device to the destination address;
• obtaining, by the at least one server computing device, device information when the second client computing device visits the destination address;
• storing, by the at least one server computing device, the device information and an identification of the advertisement provider in a user click record associated with the advertisement in which the tracking link was embedded;
• and
• directing, by the at least one server computing device, the second client computing device to a different address whereat the software application may be downloaded and installed on the second client computing device;
• wherein the advertiser, the advertisement provider, and the end user are separate from the tracking system.

A method for use with a plurality of client computing devices, one or more advertisement provider computing devices, and a tracking system, the method being performed by a customer computing device connected to the plurality of client computing devices, the one or more advertisement provider computing devices, and the tracking system by a network, the method comprising:

• sending, by the customer computing device, a request for a tracking link to the tracking system;
• in response to the request, receiving the tracking link from the tracking system by the customer computing device, the tracking link identifying a destination address, and a selected advertisement provider associated with at least one of the one or more advertisement provider computing devices, the destination address being located on either the tracking system or the at least one advertisement provider computing device associated with the selected advertisement provider;
• embedding, by the customer computing device, the tracking link in an advertisement associated with a software application, the advertisement being displayable by at least one of the client computing devices after being received by the at least one client computing device from the at least one advertisement provider computing device, and when so displayed, selectable by a user of the client computing device, the client computing device being directed to the destination address whenever the advertisement is selected by the user of the client computing device, the tracking system recording that the advertisement was selected each time one of the client computing devices is directed to the destination address;
• transmitting, by the customer computing device, the advertisement to the at least one advertisement provider computing device associated with the selected advertisement provider, the at least one advertisement provider computing device being configured to transmit the advertisement to the client computing devices;
• and
• sending, by the customer computing device, a request to the tracking system for a report indicating how many times the advertisement has been selected by the client computing devices over a predetermined period of time;
• wherein the plurality of client computing devices, the one or more advertisement provider computing devices, and the customer computing device are all separate from the tracking system.