Server-side tracking
Measurement and data
Measurement and data
With server-side tracking you send measurement data from your own server to platforms, instead of straight from the visitor's browser.
Benefits: fewer browser scripts (so faster pages), less loss to ad blockers and browser restrictions, and more control over exactly what you share. Meta calls this the Conversions API; Google uses server-side tagging.
It is not a way around consent: the same rules apply, and you must be able to show you only share what you have permission for. Expect setup and hosting costs.
Related terms
- Google Tag ManagerGoogle Tag Manager lets you manage tracking codes and pixels without changing your website every time.
- Consent ModeConsent Mode is how Google tags adapt their behaviour to a visitor's cookie choice, with modelled figures for those who decline.
- GA4GA4 is the current version of Google Analytics. Everything is recorded as an event, instead of pageviews with separate goals as in Universal Analytics.