mkt_tok link error

[Anonymous]

Re: Trackable Link Not Working

I'm having a similar issue with a few links in an email not working when the mkt_tok function is enabled. While leaving the "include mtk_tok" option unchecked fixes the broken link (Sanford Whiteman​ quick fix), a workaround with the tracking function would be ideal.

Moreover, the links with the mkt_tok seemed to be working fine a couple days ago. No changes were made to the email since then. Links with the mkt_tok also work fine when I send myself a sample of the draft, but do not work when I send myself a sample after approval. Any idea as to why and how these issues occur?

Working link w/o mtk_tok

http://www.travelagentcentral.com/people/nominations-open-for-top-25-all-stars-2017

Broken Link w/ mtk_tok

http://www.travelagentcentral.com/people/nominations-open-for-top-25-all-stars-2017?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoi...

Different working link (same domain) w/mtk_tok

http://www.travelagentcentral.com/nominations-open-for-top-25-all-stars-2016?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiWkdGaU1...

[SanfordWhiteman]

Yep, this looks like exactly the same problem from that other thread. Your webmaster doesn't understand that URLs are not limited to 255 characters (this is why the Marketo/SFDC URL field is actually for domains, not URLs).

As I mention in the above blog post, URLs have no set (standards-based) limit, and in the real world up to 2000 characters should be expected. Even if known pathnames on your site don't go over a certain amount, that doesn't mean URLs constructed via other sources -- like Marketo, UTM tagging, or search engine auto-tagging -- won't go over 255 characters.

You can work around this particular issue using some cool JS. Before we have to do this, though, can you ask the webmaster to up the limit?  Their setting is not correct for the real world: that's the crux of the problem.

[Anonymous]

Hi Sanford,

Thank you for your thorough answer -- however, that doesn't seem to be the case. Our web team confirmed that there was no limit placed on the URL character count. Moreover, they've previously opened many URLs longer than the ones in question.

The links that worked on Friday but did not work yesterday, now work perfectly today as well. Very odd. Perhaps it was something on the back side of Marketo?

[SanfordWhiteman]

I would not have made a statement like the above without testing, Sharon.

They are wrong, and they obviously changed the webserver configuration without admitting it. If you click the working and previously non-working links above you'll see they now both work! You and I both saw the error yesterday.

This was never a Marketo issue, as the links go directly to your webserver.

[Anonymous]

I appreciate the time and effort you took to test everything out.

Yes, you are correct about the old links working now -- but they also worked a week before.

Do you have any possible explanations for why this could be the case? I'm stumped.

Thank you in advance!

[SanfordWhiteman]

Your web team could have multiple webservers in their server farm. Some could have the longer setting and some could have the 255 setting.  As requests come in, they're load-balanced among the servers that are up at the time.  So the effective setting semi-randomly changes among the different settings!

Or they're using some kind of configuration management platform which overwrites the settings during a weekly "deployment."

A setting like maximum URL length is definitely user-configurable (i.e. the web team are the users) so if not properly managed it might change.

[Jamie_Hunter]

Hi Sharon,

For the links that were not working for you, did you see a particular error message such as "This site cannot be reached"?

Thanks,

Jamie

[SanfordWhiteman]

Jamie, you should describe your exact symptoms and environment.

A browser error message like "The site cannot be reached" usually isn't related to the mkt_tok (it's a DNS or SSL issue) but any environment could have custom errors generated by the back end.