ITP/ETP Safari, iOS14 and the server-side

👋 Data collection has been divided by 3 in recent years. We'll take a look at the principles of server-side, which can help you get around some of these problems.

Factors affecting data collection

• e-Privacy: GDPR and CCPA require user consent before data is transmitted.

• Tracking protection mechanisms: web browsers are stepping up protection against tracking (Safari, Firefox, Brave, then Chrome in 2024). This is a fundamental trend that will continue to grow.

• Adblocks: adblockers installed on browsers already represent a significant loss of data for Facebook.

The solution: server-side

Server-side tagging involves executing tags and scripts directly on the server, rather than on the user's browser.

This bypasses tracking prevention mechanisms such as ETP and ITP, as well as certain adblockers.

The difference between Client-Side and Server-Side tracking

Client-side tracking is the most widely used to date, collecting data via beacons directly from the user's browser to the marketing platform's server. Server-side tracking, on the other hand, transmits information from the web server to a destination server, breaking down HTTP requests into events and processing the data before sending it to marketing platforms, analytics tools or content personalization tools.

Let's take a look at a diagram summarizing the operating principle of Server-Side tracking:

⚠️ A server-side implementation does not dispense with the need to obtain consent.

The benefits of server-side

Here's a list of the advantages of server-side tag configuration:

✅ Recover up to +30% of data by bypassing tracking prevention mechanisms built into browsers and some adblockers

✅ Improve page load times for SEO

✅ Increase the performance of attribution algorithms and models

✅ Control the data sent to partners. No unauthorized JavaScript code will be executed on the site by any supplier.

✅ Simplify tag management by centralizing tag configuration and deployment

✅ Better data quality by ensuring that all tags are executed under the same conditions, regardless of browser or device variations

✅ Enriching incoming data with additional relevant information, using systems such as a CRM and tag manager

Choose the right technical partners

Each tag and partner must be implemented separately on the server-side.

It's not as complicated as it might seem at first glance, but it will definitely require a thorough understanding and technical mastery of the subject.

💡 Entrust your server-side tag migration to the experts

‍🦊 S tarfox Analytics provides you with the best possible infrastructure to host your GTM server-side.