Cookieless tracking is a method that gathers user data without relying on browser cookies. Instead, it uses methods like server-side tracking, first-party data, fingerprinting, and contextual targeting to understand behavior while ensuring privacy compliance. This approach helps businesses adapt to stricter regulations, improve data accuracy, and reduce dependence on third-party cookies.
In this blog post, we'll break down the concept of cookieless tracking, explain why it's essential, and provide tips on using it in your next marketing campaign. Take a few moments to put aside everything else you're working on - by discovering tracking without cookies, you may find new insights about your target audiences that will ultimately allow you to make smarter business decisions. Let's dive in!
Cookies are small text files containing bits of data used to identify a user's computer while browsing a network. Certain cookies are designed to recognize individual users and enhance their web experience.
Сookies make browsing the web a more seamless and unique experience for users.
Here are some reasons why cookies are important and why they exist:
Cookies exist to enhance the user experience on websites and to enable website owners to collect data that can be used to improve their services and marketing efforts. While there are some privacy concerns related to cookies, which we'll describe further, they are an essential part of the modern web.
While cookies can provide many benefits to users and website owners, there are also some potentially negative aspects associated with them:
It is worth noting that many of these concerns can be mitigated through the use of browser settings or third-party tools that block or limit the use of cookies.
GA4 is marketed as privacy-focused, and it is meant to function with or without cookies. GA4 can cover the data collection gaps as the world grows less reliant on cookies by utilizing machine learning and statistical modeling.
With browsers such as Safari and Firefox restricting third-party cookies, you can configure Google Analytics 4 to depend on first-party cookies by transitioning to server-side GA4 tracking. Mapping tagging server URL with a custom domain establishes 1st party cookies, which are more dependable and have a longer lifespan than 3rd party cookies.
You can set up GA4 tracking without utilizing any cookies, be it 1st or 3rd party, by using Stape's Advanced GA4 tag. This allows for purely server-side GA4 tracking.
And as for the Facebook solution - Facebook conversion API and Conversion API Gateway - it can be said that besides cookies, it relies on user data. With the help of user parameters you send together with FB CAPI events, FB will match events to users in their database. As a result, you will have more reliable data and do not rely on cookies at all. To prevent the use of FB cookies, you should configure FB tracking exclusively on the server-side.
Cookieless tracking works based on identifying and tracking users without relying on cookies, which are traditionally used to store user data on their device. Instead, it uses alternative methods like device fingerprints, server-side tracking, and other technologies to gather and process data.
With server-side tracking, the tracking code is executed on the server rather than on the user's browser. This means that the user's device does not need to store any tracking data, and the tracking is done entirely on the server side.
Server-side tracking can be implemented in several ways, including:
Stape has a full list of platforms that support server-side tracking.
To implement server-side tracking without cookies, it's essential to configure each tracking vendor purely on the server side. This approach ensures tighter control over the information each vendor sets and collects.
For instance, the standard configurations of platforms like Google Analytics 4, Facebook, TikTok, and many other analytics and marketing tools necessitate the use of both web and server-side tracking. Web pixels can freely gather data and set cookies in this setup, whereas server-side tracking steps in to assist web tracking when it faces challenges due to various tracking limitations.
With pure server-side tracking, you'll have a singular data stream that sends user and event data to the server-side container, which could be, for instance, webhooks from your CMS or CRM. Subsequently, within the server-based Google Tag Manager container, you determine what information gets relayed to your analytics and marketing platforms.
Server-side tracking with Google Analytics 4 (GA4) can be done without relying on cookies. In fact, server-side tracking is one of the recommended methods for implementing cookieless tracking with GA4.
Here are some ways that cookieless tracking works in Google Analytics 4:
Client ID: GA4 uses a unique identifier called "Client ID" to track individual users across different devices and channels.
Events: GA4 allows for the tracking of various events, such as pageviews, clicks, form submissions, and other user interactions. These events can be triggered by server-side code or JavaScript on the client-side and can be sent to GA4 servers using the Measurement Protocol.
User properties: GA4 allows for the collection of user properties such as age, gender, interests, and other demographic data. This data can be collected from various sources and can be used to create audience segments for targeting and personalization.
Consent Management: GA4 provides tools for managing user consent and complying with privacy regulations such as GDPR and CCPA. This includes options for disabling tracking for users who opt out of tracking or who have not given their consent.
Server-side tracking with GA4 provides a privacy-friendly and flexible way to track user behavior without relying on cookies. It can be used to track user behavior across multiple touchpoints and devices, while still respecting users' privacy preferences.
While server-side tracking is the most reliable and precise data tracking solution, cookieless tracking methods include data layer, session storage, and local storage. Each method has its use cases:
| Learn more about cookieless tracking methods and how to start using them in our article on cookieless tracking methods. |
So there it is – an overview of how cookieless tracking works and what it can do for your marketing campaign. We hope this blog post has inspired you to explore tracking without cookies and use that knowledge in your next marketing decision. With Stape's help, you can tap into your audience on a level they never dreamed of before.
If you have any questions or need additional help understanding the concept of cookie-free tracking, please don't hesitate to reach out via our support team - they'll be able to answer all your questions and provide you with more detail. So don't wait - start using cookieless tracking today and watch as your business takes off!
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Ivanna is a Lead Content Manager at Stape, a professional writer focused on creating high-quality content about server-side tracking to help businesses optimize their strategies and analytics.
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