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server side tagging
Every online marketing agency seems to have problems with it. Visitors to your website are not properly measured in tools such as Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, Snapchat and Pinterest. It can have a big impact on the performance of your campaigns. Server side tagging in Google Tag Manager is a good solution for this.
Browsers such as Safari and Firefox automatically block first-party cookies from external sources. As a result, you lose a lot of extra data that you can put to good use. Google’s server side tagging is a way to convert third party cookies to first party via a subdomain on your domain (analytics.2manydots.co.uk). As a result, all data ends up where you want it without any problems.
Some time ago, it was common to load a piece of code from an outside party onto your website. With server side tagging via Google Tag Manager, all data goes through a subdomain on your domain first. You add an intermediate step in the process. From the server we can manage for you, the data goes to the relevant party. Apart from being more measured, you also have much more control over data quality and your website becomes a lot faster.
Google Tag Manager (GTM) is a powerful tag management tool that allows you to quickly and easily place and update tags on your website or mobile app. By implementing tagging in Google Tag Manager, you can collect and manage data without having to code each tag individually. This reduces the load on your website and improves loading speed, while also providing more control and security in managing your data. Server side tagging via Google Tag Manager allows you to protect sensitive user information while collecting accurate and relevant data for analysis and optimization.
With server side tagging, such as via Google Tag Manager, this process is changed by adding an extra layer. We call this the server side container in Google Tag Manager. Instead of direct communication from the browser to remote servers, the data is first sent to a subdomain that you control. This subdomain acts as a kind of “way station” where the data is collected, filtered, and then forwarded to the external parties. Apart from being more measured, you also have much more control over data quality and your website becomes a lot faster.
The benefits are endless. Server side tagging is alive and kicking. New integrations are being added weekly and the possibilities are increasing. We are happy to be your specialist Google Tag Manager specialist.
Because you’re not missing visitors in all measurements, chances are your ad spend is being used better. As a result, you end up saving in costs. Companies Nemlig and Square saw a 40% boost in measured conversions. Collecting third-party cookies is a thing of the past!
The tools ensure that the data you need does not go to unwanted services. The subdomain that the server side tagging container will run on is unique and cannot be identified by ad blockers. We help you set up your Google Tag Manager container correctly to avoid this.
Instead of connecting to infinitely many external domains, it is now only to one subdomain. With your own server side tagging container, you optimize speed significantly. In the latest update of server side tagging, it is even possible to load the container via a path.
Other tools can also “enjoy” this clever technology. For example, you can use a webhook to send information to e-mail marketing services, such as Mailchimp. This will make your campaigns even smarter. It is even possible to disable entire client side tags. This will increase the performance of your website.
Managing a Content Security Policy (CSP) was always very difficult because many different domains were connecting. You can now link all of this to your subdomain. With server side tagging, managing this becomes a lot simpler.
You control what data goes through your website to the parties such as Facebook and Google. You have the ability within the server side tagging container to modify, or possibly filter out, data. Something that was not possible with client side tagging. External services had complete freedom in adding code.
We like fixed rates. As a result, we are open and transparent.
You have no unexpected costs.
Still have questions or want to learn more about server side tagging? We explain how server side tagging works, how it is implemented and what to look out for.
We don’t need much help from you. All we ask of you is access to your client side Google Tag Manager container (server side gtm), adding a DNS record on a subdomain, and any API keys for the Facebook Conversions API, for example.
We build a new server container on the subdomain and all traffic is sent to the separate server. All of our servers are hosted on the App Engine of the Google Cloud Platform. We have optimized our server so that we can offer server side tagging at low and fixed prices. Thus, this subdomain becomes a tunnel to better and more secure tracking, so to speak.
The answer depends on several factors, including the complexity of your current Web site, the specific needs of your business, and available technical resources. On average, an implementation takes up to 4 weeks.
First party cookies are small pieces of data created and stored on your device by the website you visit. These cookies are important for server side tagging because they collect direct information about user behavior on their own site. They are considered more secure and privacy-friendly because the data remains within the owner’s domain.
Unlike first party cookies, third party cookies are created by domains that are not the website you are visiting. For example, our website might load ‘www.2manydots.nl’ cookies from ‘google-analytics.com’. This is then considered a third-party cookie. These cookies have always been very important for server-side tagging because they collect information about user behavior across different Web sites. These are important for targeted ads and in-depth analysis, but they raise more privacy concerns and are increasingly restricted by new regulations. In fact, starting next year, it is scheduled to be blocked in all browsers.
Google recommends using at least three servers in a production environment to reduce the risk of data loss in the event of a server failure. Costs start at €120 per month, but for websites with more data traffic and tags, they can reach between €240 and €300 per month. Learn more here.
The server we use are exactly the same, however, our approach with Google Cloud servers includes prepayment and bulk purchasing. This means that the cost per server decreases when a larger number of servers are purchased for a longer term (more than a year). Learn more here.
Every request that goes to the Google Tag Manager Server container is logged by us. This includes all types of script loads, such as gtm.js, analytics.js, gtag.js, and the like. The total number of requests is closely related to the traffic on your website and the number of tags used. Learn more here.
Setting up a server side tagging environment is a tricky subject for many online marketers. We offer a personalized approach, presenting you with different options to find the best match for your organization. We make sure you don’t lose data unnecessarily.
