LinkedIn server-side tracking setup guide

Following other marketing platforms, LinkedIn also began to support server-side conversion tracking. We’ve developed our LinkedIn Conversions API tag for server GTM, which makes the setup much simpler and intuitive than the native one. With its help, you can track leads, purchases, or other key metrics.

In this article, we will talk about Stape’s tag in detail, highlighting its benefits and showing how to set up the LinkedIn Conversions API with Google Tag Manager, which includes the following steps:

LinkedIn server-side tracking is a method of measuring the performance of your LinkedIn advertising campaigns without relying solely on browser-based tracking. Instead of placing pixels or cookies directly in a visitor’s browser (client-side tracking), this method sends data to your own server first, and then forwards it to LinkedIn.

To ensure the most accurate and resilient setup, best practice is to combine both client-side and server-side tracking. This dual approach maximizes data collection - especially in cases where browser restrictions or ad blockers interfere with client-side data. To avoid counting the same event twice, you should implement event deduplication by passing a unique event ID with both the client and server versions of the event. LinkedIn uses this ID to recognize and log only one conversion, maintaining clean and reliable performance data. With this setup, you gain deeper insights, improved attribution accuracy, and stronger optimization for your LinkedIn campaigns.

Quick note: If you would like to go straight to the LinkedIn CAPI, watch the setup guide:

The LinkedIn Conversions API tag developed by Stape provides an efficient solution that helps track LinkedIn ad campaigns' performance accurately.

With this tag, you can transmit conversion data directly from your server to LinkedIn’s server. LinkedIn server-side tracking allows for easier compliance with privacy regulations since all the data is processed on your server. 

Despite the events you need to track (whether tracking leads, purchases, or interactions with ads), the LinkedIn Conversions API tag provides reliable data transfer. It minimizes discrepancies from browser restrictions (such as Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) or ad blockers. It also supports transmitting event data from GA4 or a data client to the LinkedIn Conversions API.

Once the CAPI is live, you can send static or dynamic conversion values to optimize for higher overall return. Dynamic values help predict and optimize for the highest potential return, especially when tracking multiple events. If dynamic values aren’t available, sending multiple static events still helps LinkedIn optimize for the most valuable conversions.

Firstly, add the LinkedIn Conversions API from the server GTM Template Gallery.

The tag itself is very easy to use, we’ve added the ability to enter explicit variables that will be reported to LinkedIn in a proper format. Tag configuration consists of the event types - PageView and Conversion events.

To send an event via LinkedIn CAPI, you require an access token, a conversion rule ID, and one of the 4 first party parameters LinkedIn requires you to send (hashed email, LinkedIn click ID value, Acxiom ID, or Moat ID).

As already mentioned the process for obtaining CAPI access token has been greatly simplified - all you need to do now is the following:

Don’t forget to add the trigger for an event.

Below is an example of a configured LinkedIn Conversions API tag:

When you use both the LinkedIn Insight tag and the Conversions API, the same action can be reported twice: once from the browser and once from the server.

To keep your reports accurate, LinkedIn applies deduplication rules. These rules decide when multiple events should be treated as one conversion and when they should be counted separately.

LinkedIn web + CAPI event reporting is designed in a way commonly called “redundant event setup”. This means that a single conversion event can be sent through both the LinkedIn Insight Tag (web event) and the LinkedIn Conversions API tag (server event). To avoid double-counting, you must include a shared eventID across both methods. The web event has a higher priority and will be counted as a conversion, and if the same conversion with the same event ID is delivered via CAPI tag, such an event will be discarded. Please be sure to handle this process properly for accurate conversion tracking.

The LinkedIn Insight tag is a small JavaScript code snippet that you can add to your website to enhance your LinkedIn advertising capabilities. It enables conversion tracking, website retargeting, and access to audience insights by collecting data from LinkedIn members who visit your site. With the Insight tag, you can start collecting website visitor data for retargeting and audience insights, but for conversion tracking, you'll still need to set up separate tags for each event. This is especially important if you're using both client-side and server-side tracking, as you’ll need to pass an event_id to ensure proper deduplication.

When installed, the Insight tag sets a first-party LinkedIn Ads ID and cookies in users’ browsers to monitor behavior and support attribution. For best performance, features like enhanced matching and automatic website actions tracking allow advertisers to deepen insight and improve campaign performance - while maintaining user privacy through data pseudonymization and strict retention policies.

1. Please make sure to use the latest version of the official LinkedIn Insight tag, which supports reporting of the event ID.

2. When you send a conversion through multiple methods, you need to create a conversion rule for each data source (browser and server). For the browser source - conversion rule ID will be available to you during the conversion creation process in the user interface.

3. To create a conversion that will be reported from the server GTM, please click Create conversion → Conversions API. On the Sources step, you may select Direct API integration. Once you are done, select the newly created conversion, and the Conversion Rule ID will be available to you in the URL right after conversions.

4. That’s pretty much it. Make sure to add identical event_id sent from the web and any user data that is available for better event matching. li_fat_id cookie value will be automatically added to the payload if received in the incoming request cookie header.

5. To verify your setup, you may trigger your conversion event. The status for your conversions should change to “Active”. If your deduplication is properly set up, after a while, you’ll see a message confirming it if you click on a status for the CAPI conversion.

After you set up CAPI, you can use LinkedIn’s data to improve your campaigns in more advanced ways. For example, Qualified Leads Optimization helps LinkedIn show your ads to people who are more likely to become your ideal leads. Conversion Value Optimization lets you focus your budget on conversions that bring the most value, using either fixed amounts or dynamic values sent from your system.

You can also build Predictive Audiences using CAPI data, so LinkedIn finds people who behave like your best prospects, and create Matched Audiences to retarget visitors or contacts who have already shown interest.

For measurement, you can run Conversion Lift tests to check how many extra conversions your ads create and use Measurement Insights to see where people are in your sales funnel over the last 180 days.

Some examples of what you can track include demo requests, trial sign-ups, lead qualification updates, content downloads, and pricing information requests.

With LinkedIn CAPI, you are also able to report offline conversion events, which may significantly help in measuring the performance of your LinkedIn campaigns. See our related blog posts for more instructions on offline conversions tracking:

With the recent updates introduced by LinkedIn and Stape’s server GTM tag, setting up the LinkedIn Conversions API became a much easier process. Adding conversions API will strengthen your existing web pixel tracking, providing additional resistance to adblockers and latest ITP changes, especially in conjunction with other Stape power-ups like Custom Loader, Cookie Keeper or Own CDN.