Several brands we work with are continuously advised by platforms like Awin to move to server-side tracking. With brands facing increasing challenges from stricter privacy regulations, browser restrictions and the phasing out of third-party cookies.  Many brands are exploring server-side tracking to improve their data accuracy and attribution but is it right for your business? We thought we’d put together the below to talk through what the benefits are and what you need to think about before implementing server-side tracking.

What is it and who benefits?

Server-side tracking is a method of tracking user interaction across web or app by sending the data directly from a website’s server to analytics platforms (Like GA4 or Awin) bypassing the users browser. Traditionally with client-side tracking, data is sent from the users browser using JavaScript Tags (Gtags) which can create challenges like slowing down page speed, privacy and compliance risk and data loss. Switching to server-side offers a number of advantages –

• Improved Data Quality: Compared to client-side, server-side offers significantly better data quality. Server-side is able to bypass browser restrictions and ad blockers which client-side cannot.  This significantly reduces the risk of incomplete or distorted data as the data is collected in a first-party approach and is less vulnerable to interference
• Improved Website speed: Moving a large part of your data processing to the server-side container will improve your page speed, as data processing and transfers are no longer handled by the browser
• Data Enrichment: A point that is particularly relevant for ecommerce brands but server-side tracking gives you the ability of further processing the data stream with additional data like Product Data
• Privacy Compliance & Security: First-party data collection helps align with GDPR, CCPA, and other regulations

Does Size Matter?

In relation to Server-Side implementation, I’m sorry to say but it kind of does. We don’t believe in just selling something to everyone because it’s become the new buzzword. We’d rather be honest. Large businesses with significant marketing budgets and complex data needs will see the greatest benefit, which in turn justifies the investment of the setup.

Smaller businesses with limited spend, may struggle to justify the cost as the ROI depends on having enough data volume to make meaningful optimisations. Even if it’s not right for now, it’s worth keeping in mind, as your business grows and more investment is put into your data and ad spend.

What Do You Need to Do Before Implementing Server-Side Tracking?

Implementing server-side tracking is not a shortcut to fixing poor data quality, if you’re thinking about moving to server-side tracking you need the ensure these keys steps –  

1. Address Data Quality: Conduct a GA4 audit to avoid amplifying existing data issues with server-side tracking
2. GA4 Health Check: Fix misconfigurations, such as duplicate events or incorrect attribution, to ensure clean data
3. Define Key Events & Conversions: Focus on tracking only the most relevant data for your business
4. Consent Mode: Ensure Consent Mode V2 has been implemented correctly
5. Verify Platform Integrations: Ensure GA4 is properly linked with Google Ads, Meta, Awin, and other platforms

In short, I think you will know yourself whether you are ready for Server-Side tracking based on the how much you value your current data setup. It’s key to state that server-side tracking is a pretty powerful tool but it’s not a shortcut to fixing poor data. If your GA4 setup isn’t in the right place, moving to server-side tracking will not solve all your data problems as it won’t fix the underlying issues. If you want to ensure you get the most value possible from server-side implementation, you should ensure your GA4 is configured correctly. We are happy to run a free GA4 audit to assess your current setup to ensure a smooth implementation.