Peak Metrics is a collective of digital marketing freelancers who promote sustainable brand growth through data-driven performance marketing strategies. They focus on increasing qualified traffic and conversions by providing services like digital analytics, advertising, SEO, and training.
Server-side tracking is an advanced technique where user requests are not sent directly from their browsers to analytics tools. Instead, they first pass through a server which manages and processes the collected data before forwarding it to tools like Google Analytics, Facebook Ads, or other platforms. Using an intermediary server helps bypass browser limitations, such as ad blockers or Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) features in Safari, making tracking more accurate and reliable.
To maximize the effectiveness of server-side tracking, there are some key technical requirements to consider. Here are a few, though this list is not exhaustive:
One of the main advantages of server-side tracking, if implemented correctly, is the ability to recover more data, even in the presence of ad blockers and tracking prevention systems like Safari's Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP).
According to data from a 10-day test involving over 7 million hits conducted through Stape, a significant number of blocked requests were recovered:
Analyzing these numbers, it's clear that server-side tracking can help recover a significant amount of data that would otherwise be lost due to tools like ad blockers or browser-imposed limitations.
Looking specifically at different browsers:
This shows that server-side tracking can recover a considerable amount of data, significantly improving visibility into user actions from an analytics perspective, and providing a greater volume of data to advertising algorithms (Google Ads, Meta, etc.).
Even for specific activities tracked in GA4, the results were similar:
Implementing server-side tracking not only allows you to bypass limitations imposed by browsers and ad blockers but also offers greater accuracy in the data collected. This is crucial for making informed marketing decisions. As demonstrated by the data collected in this test, you can recover a significant number of requests that would otherwise be lost, enhancing the accuracy of your analytics and optimizing your digital marketing campaigns.
A big thanks to Matteo Boscolo for providing us with this valuable case study of Stape product use.
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