In today’s digital marketing landscape, achieving high-quality and effective campaign management requires sophisticated tracking solutions. As a specialized agency, Practical Vision excels in implementing these advanced tracking mechanisms to ensure our clients get the most out of their marketing efforts. Our expertise in Server Side Tagging, Server Side Cookie Mechanism, and Enhanced Conversions positions us at the forefront of innovative data management strategies.
The Role of Advanced Tracking in Campaign Management
Effective campaign management hinges on accurate data collection and analysis. Traditional client-side tracking methods often fall short due to increasing privacy restrictions and tracking blocking technologies. This is where advanced tracking solutions come into play, serving as the essential conditions, or “conditions of possibility”, for managing successful advertising campaigns.
Server Side Tagging Benefits
Server Side Tagging, also referred to as C > S > S (Client to Server to Server), involves transferring tag execution from the browser to the server. The ‘C’ represents the client, which is the browser where the action happens. The first ‘S’ acts as a middle server, serving as a first-party proxy, while the last ‘S’ is the actual tracking or ad platform. This approach is essential alongside fully S > S solutions that are used to complete the picture.
This method offers several significant advantages:
Tracking Blocker Resistance – Since server-side tracking requests are sent in a 1st party context (meaning they are directed to the same domain that serves the website), they are less likely to be blocked by tracking prevention mechanisms.
Improved Performance – Reduced browser load leads to faster page loading times and a better user experience.
Enhanced Data Privacy – Server Side Tagging allows for more secure data handling, filtering, and transmission.
Server Side Cookie Mechanism & Extended Cookie Lifespan – Creating cookies on the server rather than the browser can overcome limitations imposed by browser-based privacy measures like Safari’s ITP 2.3. Server-side cookies can persist longer, maintaining tracking capabilities over extended periods. This approach also requires using a CDN or Load Balancer and ensuring that the tagging server shares the same IP as the website server to extend the cookie lifespan. Client-side cookies in iOS devices (iPhones in all browsers and Macs with Safari) last for only 7 days, or just 24 hours if an identifier such as fbclid or gclid is present in the URL.
Increased Tracking Accuracy – More reliable user tracking leads to better data for analysis and optimization.
Implementing Advanced Tracking Solutions
At Practical Vision, we specialize in the seamless integration of these advanced tracking solutions while fully respecting user privacy. Our process includes:
Setting Up Server Side Tagging
The first step is to create a server-side tagging server. We prefer to use Server Side GTM on Google Cloud Platform (GCP), which is the industry-standard solution. The initial setup does not take too long, and although it is Google’s solution, it works smoothly with any other relevant ad platforms such as Meta Ads, LinkedIn Ads, TikTok Ads, and more.
Implementing Server Side Cookies
Once Server Side GTM is implemented, we can easily move to using server-side cookies for GA4 and Google Ads, alongside other analytics and ad platforms. In addition to that, we have additional solutions related to server-side cookies that can later be used for fully S > S integrations and other purposes.
Deploying Enhanced Conversions
We ensure secure tracking of conversion data and its transmission to advertising platforms, meeting all necessary compliance standards. As part of this process, we pass Personally Identifiable Information (PII) such as email addresses, phone numbers, and hashed user data along with conversion events. This significantly enhances the match rate on ad platforms, allowing their algorithms to optimize for conversions more effectively. Improved match rates contribute to better audience creation, more accurate attribution, and enhanced targeting capabilities, ultimately leading to higher-performing advertising campaigns.
Integrating with Advertising Platforms
Once we have everything in place, we make sure to integrate it with all relevant ad platforms. Each platform has its own method and standard. For example, Facebook requires events to be received from both the browser (client) and the server to improve data consistency, while Google Ads follows a round-trip data flow – starting from the client, passing through the server, then returning to the client before finally reaching Google’s servers. We ensure that each platform is implemented exactly as its best practices require, maximizing tracking accuracy and optimization potential.
Balancing Privacy and Performance
We at Practical Vision are committed to respecting user privacy. Our advanced tracking solutions are designed to balance the need for high-quality measurement with the imperative to protect user privacy. It is important to note that while we provide advanced technical solutions, we do not offer legal advice, and clients are responsible for ensuring their compliance with all relevant privacy laws and regulations. When needed, we work closely with their legal departments or legal advisors, ensuring that we handle the technical aspects while they focus on compliance requirements.
Suitable for High-Budget Advertisers
Our services are particularly suitable for companies with substantial advertising budgets, typically spending hundreds of thousands of dollars per month on ads. These advanced tracking solutions are designed to maximize the effectiveness and accuracy of large-scale advertising campaigns, providing the insights and data needed to optimize performance and achieve superior results.
Conclusion
In an era where data privacy regulations and technology continue to evolve, implementing advanced tracking solutions is crucial for high-quality and effective campaign management. Practical Vision’s expertise in Server Side Tagging, Server Side Cookie Mechanism, and Enhanced Conversions ensures that our clients’ campaigns are not only compliant with privacy standards but also optimized for performance and accuracy. By leveraging these technologies, we empower marketing departments to maximize their data’s potential, leading to more informed decisions and better marketing outcomes.