Background:
As concerns around data privacy, browser restrictions, and ad-blockers grow, businesses face increasing challenges in tracking user behavior accurately. Traditional client-side tagging often leads to data loss, reduced accuracy, and slower website performance. Server-side tagging shifts tracking and data processing to a server, offering more reliable data collection, enhanced privacy controls, and compliance with regulations like GDPR. Using Stape.io as the server-side tagging solution, we helped a client transition to a server-side setup, ensuring improved data accuracy and better user data management.
- Traditional client-side tagging suffers from data loss due to browser restrictions and ad-blockers.
- Server-side tagging offers reliable data collection, better privacy controls, and compliance with GDPR.
- We utilized Stape.io to set up server-side tracking for improved accuracy and data security.
Challenge:
The client relied on client-side tags, resulting in incomplete data collection and discrepancies in analytics. These issues impacted their ability to make informed marketing decisions and maintain compliance with privacy regulations.
- Browser restrictions, Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP), and ad-blockers led to significant data loss.
- Discrepancies in analytics reduced marketing effectiveness and hindered decision-making.
- The client needed a solution to align with privacy regulations like GDPR while managing user data securely.
- Transitioning to a server-side setup was necessary for more reliable and compliant data handling.
Solution:
We implemented server-side tagging using Stape.io, ensuring secure and accurate data collection. This setup reduced the impact of browser restrictions and ad-blockers, enhanced compliance with privacy regulations, and improved website performance.
- Set up a dedicated server via Stape.io to handle all tracking requests securely.
- Configured a GTM server-side container to manage tracking events.
- Rerouted key events such as page views, product views, add-to-cart, begin checkout, and purchases through the server.
- Enhanced data reliability and accuracy by controlling first-party cookies.
- Improved page load times by reducing client-side script usage.
- Strengthened compliance with data privacy regulations by managing user data securely on the client’s server.
Tools Used:
- Stape.io: As the server-side tagging solution, Stape.io hosted the server container to collect and process data server-side.
- Google Tag Manager (GTM): Used to manage and configure both client- and server-side containers, ensuring smooth data flow between client browsers and the server.
- Google Analytics (GA4): Configured with server-side tagging for accurate event tracking and reporting.
- Google Consent Mode: Integrated to ensure data collection aligned with user consent preferences.
