Keitaro Redefines Ad Performance Tracking: insights from CMO Ivan Rud

The success of advertising campaigns is dictated by precision and efficiency, and here Keitaro Tracker becomes an irreplaceable tool for marketers and media buyers. It offers a comprehensive solution for advertising campaign optimization, acquisition channels monitoring, CPA funnel regulation, and precise audience targeting.

Keitaro’s collaboration with our crypto ad network simplifies the process of setting up and managing campaigns on Bitmedia dashboard in just a few clicks.

In an exclusive interview with Ivan Rud, the Chief Marketing Officer at Keitaro, we explore the core features, unique benefits, and future aspirations of the company. Rud provides insightful commentary on the mission of Keitaro in the digital domain, its competitive edge, and the trends affecting the future of affiliate marketing.

Keitaro.io is a top-tier ad performance tracker designed specifically for media buying and digital marketing. It comes equipped with a comprehensive set of features to efficiently launch and manage ad campaigns. Keitaro offers everything you need, from built-in affiliate network templates to local landing pages and custom conversions.

Its mission is to empower thousands of media buyers worldwide by making their ad campaigns more profitable and elevating their performance to a new level of efficiency.

What truly sets Keitaro.io apart is its self-hosted model. Unlike cloud-based trackers, Keitaro requires a dedicated VPS for operation. Sure, this adds a small step during setup, but the benefits far outweigh the initial effort. Users get complete control over their data, unmatched privacy, and—most importantly—they don’t have to overpay for events like with subscription-based cloud trackers. This means when you start scaling your campaigns and hitting big numbers, there’s nothing holding you back or eating into your profits.

This self-hosted approach also shapes the unique features Keitaro offers. We lean heavily into customization, allowing users to go beyond standard tracking. With Keitaro, you can integrate landing pages, custom scripts, advanced filters, and tailored actions. Essentially, our users can build an even more powerful and highly personalized product on top of an already robust tracker.

Keitaro isn’t just a tool—it’s a playground for media buyers who want full control and flexibility in optimizing their campaigns.

One of the biggest trends in affiliate marketing and tracking right now is the integration of AI and the push towards global automation. The industry is moving towards running campaigns on autopilot, streamlining every step from data analysis to decision-making. Companies that embrace these advancements are not only staying ahead but also unlocking new levels of efficiency and profitability.

At Keitaro.io, we’re actively working on next-level integrations to enhance the user experience and help our clients launch campaigns more effectively with better results. On top of that, we’re about to roll out new reporting features, allowing users to define their own formulas and record custom conversion types. These updates give our users even more control and flexibility, enabling them to tailor Keitaro to their specific needs and get the most out of their campaigns.

One of the biggest challenges our customers face with tracking and analytics is the need for a more proactive approach from their tools. They want a solution that not only tracks data but also actively helps them optimize campaigns, identify what works best, and run effective A/B tests.

At the end of the day, their goal is simple: profitable ad campaigns. Without profitability, there’s no point in running campaigns at all.

That’s where Keitaro.io comes in. With our upcoming advanced integrations and enhanced reporting features, we’re focusing on improving the user experience at every level. These updates make it easier and faster for users to launch campaigns, analyze traffic, and gain deeper insights from their data.

Oh, absolutely—customer feedback is at the heart of everything we do at Keitaro.io. Right now, we’re working on an alpha version of our upcoming features, and we’ve even assembled a dedicated focus group of users who have access to this early version of the product. Their feedback directly shapes how the final version evolves.

This collaborative approach ensures we’re not just guessing what our users need—we’re building exactly what they’ve asked for. It’s an ongoing process of listening, improving, and refining to deliver a tool that genuinely supports their goals and makes their campaigns even more effective.

We have plenty of success stories where Keitaro.io has made a significant impact on our clients’ businesses. For instance, some of our clients earn thousands of dollars solely through referral payouts. Others have taken it even further, using Keitaro to develop entire marketplaces and manage large-scale account networks as part of their multi-level marketing strategies.

We’ve also seen top-tier teams, particularly in the CIS region, rely on Keitaro for their massive traffic operations. Whether they’re scaling campaigns or building sophisticated networks, our tracker has proven to be an essential tool for driving growth and maximizing profits. It’s incredibly rewarding to see our clients succeed on such a large scale with the help of Keitaro.

The future of affiliate marketing is heading toward full automation and a significantly lower barrier to entry. Soon, launching a campaign will be as simple as a few clicks from any device. AI-powered trackers will handle the heavy lifting, providing detailed analytics and even suggesting fully optimized, ready-to-go strategies for users.

Most of the manual work we see today—setting up campaigns, running them, and fine-tuning performance—will be done automatically. This shift will not only save time but also make affiliate marketing more accessible, allowing professionals to focus on creativity and strategy while the tools handle the technical complexities. Tracking and analytics will be the driving force behind this transformation, enabling smarter decisions and faster results.

As I mentioned earlier, Keitaro.io’s self-hosted model ensures that all data is stored exclusively on the client’s server, providing complete security and privacy. Users have full control over their data, and it remains entirely protected within their own infrastructure.

On our end, we don’t collect or store any personal or sensitive information. We strictly adhere to global regulations like GDPR and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). These principles are clearly outlined in our user agreement and privacy policy, ensuring transparency and trust with our clients.

By combining our self-hosted approach with a commitment to compliance, we make sure that our users’ data is both secure and handled responsibly.

Our users have a lot to look forward to with Keitaro.io’s upcoming advancements. We’re about to launch next-generation reports with a fully tree-structured design, allowing for the calculation of custom metrics and custom conversions. This will give users even more flexibility in analyzing and optimizing their campaigns.

Additionally, we’ve formed a dedicated team focused solely on integrations. They’re working on updates to our existing integrations with Facebook, TikTok, and Google Ads, as well as introducing entirely new ones. On top of that, we’re developing tools to collect events directly from landing pages, such as scroll tracking, form submissions, and more.

These innovations will give our users an even greater edge in managing and scaling their campaigns effectively. It’s all about providing the tools they need to grow and achieve even better results. 

In 2025, marketers looking to improve their tracking and analytics should focus on three key areas: automation, data integration, and actionable insights.

First, embrace tools that automate repetitive tasks like data collection and campaign optimization. The less time you spend on manual work, the more time you’ll have to focus on strategy and creativity.

Second, ensure your tracking setup integrates seamlessly with all the platforms you use—social media, ad networks, CRMs, and more. A disconnected system leads to missed opportunities and incomplete data.

Finally, prioritize actionable insights over vanity metrics. Knowing your click-through rate is great, but understanding how to turn those clicks into conversions is what truly drives success. Use tools that help you drill down into your data and make informed decisions.

The right tracking setup isn’t just about gathering data—it’s about empowering you to act on it and achieve better results with every campaign.

Getting started with Keitaro.io is simple! We offer a free 14-day trial, giving you full access to explore all our features. If you find that you need more advanced options, you can request an upgrade, and our team will be happy to assist.

If you’re unsure how to set up the tracker to fit your needs or reach your goals during the trial, we also provide support through calls with our managers and step-by-step guidance.

Our goal is to make the entry process as smooth and accessible as possible. There’s no upfront financial commitment required, and we even offer bonuses from our server partners, allowing you to deploy your tracker completely free of charge. Just jump in and start optimizing your campaigns!

Keitaro.io is deeply committed to supporting the wider digital marketing community. We actively collaborate with educational institutions and digital marketing schools, sponsoring licenses for their students to help them master campaign tracking and analytics.

In addition to that, we produce a wealth of content for marketers at all levels. This includes collaborations with influencers and top media buyers, podcasts, blog articles, and live streams. Our goal is to not only provide a powerful tool but also share knowledge and empower the community to grow and succeed.

These initiatives are something we’re incredibly proud of, as they reflect our dedication to advancing the digital marketing industry as a whole.

2025 is an exciting time for those in the industry. One significant shift we’re seeing is the rise of artificial intelligence and machine learning. These tools are helping marketers dive deep into data, personalize content, and make smarter campaign choices. It’s like having a supercharged assistant that can take the guesswork out of what works and what doesn’t. 

Regarding media buying, there’s a clear trend: working in teams is more profitable. As campaigns get more complex, having a team means better collaboration, specialized roles, and more substantial results. More individuals are catching on to this, and we’re likely to see more media-buying teams forming to take advantage of this collaborative power.

As cookies start to fade away, contextual advertising—where ads are based on what’s on the page rather than who’s looking at it—is making a strong comeback.

A standout trend is the growing emphasis on giving users full control over their data. Companies are adopting Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI), empowering individuals to manage their own digital identities. This allows users to decide what data they share and under what conditions.

Alongside this, End-to-End encryption is booming. No longer limited to messaging apps, it’s becoming the standard across corporate and consumer services.
Encrypting data at every level minimizes breach risks and enhances customer trust.

Another significant trend is cyber resilience. Companies are heavily investing in backups and recovery systems to mitigate the impact of attacks. Cyber insurance, covering data breach losses, is also becoming the norm, marking a new era of business protection.

Working at Keitaro.io has been an incredible experience—it feels like being part of one big family. We’ve built a company culture rooted in transparency, honesty, and mutual respect. There’s no place for office politics here; instead, we focus on open communication and supporting each other. What I truly appreciate about Keitaro.io is the flexibility we offer to our team. There are no limits on vacation days or sick leave—you take the time you need, when you need it. It’s a level of trust and care that’s rare to find. I’ve been with Keitaro.io since 2017, almost from the very beginning, and I couldn’t be happier to be part of this journey. Looking ahead, I’m excited about the innovations we’re working on and the impact we’ll continue to make in the digital marketing world.