What is Server-side tracking

The concept of server-side tracking in its simplest form is having an intermediate server between the website (Or any other data source) and the tracking / analytical platforms (Data destinations)

This is the description of the most basic server-side systems but it leaves out the main question - Why should we care about server-side tracking in the first place?

To answer that we have to discuss starting from the challenges in digital marketing and ending with the website performance issues in modern days. But for the sake of simplicity we can focus on one of the most important reason:

The data sent through server-side tracking has the higher chance of reaching the destination as the restrictive technologies (Such as Ad blockers) can’t affect this way of data transfer as easily as the traditional one.

This means that your ad campaigns have a higher chance of effective optimization while your analytics platforms have more accurate results for you.

Does server-side tracking replace the traditional one?

Answer is yes and no.

Yes, because it has the same purpose - Sending data to the advertising and analytical platforms - which it can do much better.

And no, because the entire conversion tracking model of some platforms still solely rely on third-party cookies (Including Google Ads).

The fact is that server-side tracking is completely focused on the first-party data and not all platforms can support this kind of data collection yet.

But coincidentally, that’s where the modern web infrastructure is headed to.

Third-party cookies are already scheduled to be phased out in Google Chrome while Apple Safari and Mozilla Firefox have already deprecated them.

Some advertising platforms previously using third-party cookies have also shifted focus to first-party data and server-side tracking but this time, they are asking businesses to collect and store the necessary information on their own. Definitely, this is not the mandatory requirement, but in the end, the quality of data dictates the advertising performance.

This leaves the digital marketing industry in a bit of an uncertainty, but also shapes the trajectory of how the server-side tracking technology can be developed further.

What is the new trajectory in server-side tracking?

As mentioned, everything said about server-side tracking above is the most basic and kind of incorrect aspect of this concept - Transmission. And Server-side GTM, especially its earlier version, is the clear example of this.

Why? Because, in reality data and the server that manages that data can cover much larger area of the digital marketing ecosystem than just transmitting data one way.

Server-side tracking should be about data - Processing and using every event in the most effective manner with the goal to drive value. Server-side tracking system should be the main processing unit that can orchestrate the data collection processes in both browser (client-side) and server (server-side) simultaneously.

This is exactly how we, at EGO Digital, built our server-side tracking and analytics system - To be the actual mind behind all data collection and usage processes… Powerful data center that would provide information to all parties, including you for your analytics.

Here’s key points our vision and the way we shaped our tracking system:

Using server-side identification to collect and distribute data without any cookie from the browser required.

Server-side marketing data storage so none of the tracking platforms need to rely on cookies and their lifetime anymore.

Server-side data enrichment process to safely provide the highest quality data possible

Easy to integrate server-to-server data distribution system to share the data with Meta, Tiktok, GA4, Google Ads and many more.

Server-side tracking system enhancing even browser-side tracking as well - All marketing information is always sent back to browsers for browser pixel to use as a first-party data.