What is Server-Side tracking and how can it improve marketing data collection?

By Tom Meyrick, Lead Measurement Analyst, Launch

Introduction to Server-Side Tracking

Server-side tracking (SST) is a way of collecting and processing user data on your own server before forwarding it to analytics or marketing platforms.

Its relevance has grown as privacy reshapes the internet. Restrictions on client-side tracking are increasing, with browser-level protections like Safari’s Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP), Firefox’s Enhanced Tracking Protection (ETP) and ad blockers in the mix.

With this in mind, server-side setups are no longer something we would recommend just to enterprise level clients. Businesses of all sizes can benefit.

How does Server Side Tracking work?

The idea behind Server Side Tracking is to shift data transmission from the client (browser) to a server environment controlled by you.

Rather than sending measurement data directly from the user’s browser to a third-party endpoint, data is sent directly to your own server. Typically this is a subdomain (eg tracking.launch.com), which relays the data to the relevant destinations.

While it may seem like a small change, this transforms the context in which data is handled from third to first party. As the data is sent via your own infrastructure, it bypasses client-side disruptions.

In the past, digital marketing has relied heavily on client-side tracking which is fragile and easily broken. As marketers, we have no control over the user’s browser environment, which can easily block scripts and cookies or disrupt calls to analytics or ad platforms.

Server Side Tracking is not a perfect solution. Nor does it offer the opportunity to get around user consent.

What it does provide is greater control and more robust tracking in a privacy-conscious web landscape.

Benefits of Server-Side Tracking

Server-side tracking offers a wide range of features, some of which can be a little obscure. Here are the headline benefits marketers need to know about:

1. Improved Data Resilience in the Presence of Ad Blockers

Most modern ad blockers operate by intercepting and preventing HTTP requests to known analytics and advertising endpoints.

These include widely-used domains such as:

• www.google-analytics.com
• www.facebook.com/tr
• Googleads.g.doubleclick.net

All of which are regularly found on blocklists.

In contrast, Server Side Tracking allows data to be routed through custom endpoints hosted on first-party subdomains, such as our tracking.launch example. These endpoints barely differ from functional application traffic. Since the request originates from and resolves to the same domain, it’s tricky to block without also breaking site functionality.

In practice, this leads to a measurable improvement in data collection. For one client we achieved an 8% uplift in recorded sessions in GA4 over a 12-month period. The majority of these additional data points will be from users who had consented to tracking, but were using ad-blocking software.

2. Full Control Over Data Collection and Transformation

Client-side tracking relies heavily on the browser environment to execute JavaScript and transmit events. This introduces multiple points of failure.

• Variations in browser behaviour
• User-installed extensions
• Script execution delays
• Network interruptions

All affect the reliability of client-side data delivery.

By shifting data collection logic to the server, Server Side Tracking removes much of this unpredictability. This benefits traffic attribution, as we can rely on information being passed at the correct time.

More importantly, Server Side Tracking provides a centralised point where data is inspected, modified, enriched or filtered before being dispatched to third-party platforms.

Here’s an example:

A client site includes personally identifiable information (PII) such as email addresses or user IDs in the URL parameters.
Meta explicitly rejects event payloads that include PII in violation of their terms. But if we use the Meta web pixel, we’re unable to make changes to the url being sent with the payload, so we can’t strip this data out.

With Server Side Tracking, we can strip the information from the url before it gets anywhere near the Meta tag.

Additionally, Server Side Tracking allows you to reduce redundant client-side tracking calls. Rather than triggering multiple network requests from the browser to each vendor, the browser can send a single structured event to the server, which then parcels it out to multiple destinations. This enables us to reduce repetition, limit points of failure and reduce the load on the client’s browser.

3. Enhanced Security and Compliance

Routing tracking data through your own server enables stricter controls on what is broadcast. This is especially relevant for compliance with regulations like GDPR. IP address anonymisation, user-agent filtering or region-based exclusions can all be enforced centrally.

On top of this, setting up a secure channel between the browser and the vendor allows you to validate events, helping to prevent spoofed tracking data and filter out lower-effort bot traffic.

In summary – if you haven’t already, consider adding Server Side Tracking to your marketing measurement mix

As privacy restrictions tighten, server-side tracking is quickly emerging as an essential tool for maintaining data quality and control. It can even help CMOs offset the impact of heightened VPN use in the wake of the online safety act (read more here).

While it does require technical expertise, at Launch we have experience in designing and implementing robust solutions tailored to meet client needs. We always take a focus on long-term resilience and adaptability.

Get in touch today for a no-obligation audit and quote.