Server-Side Monitoring vs. Pixel Tracking - Which is Better?
A variety of e-commerce services are turning to server-side tracking as a way to enhance their information collection processes. While it needs extra technical knowledge than regular GTM and may present added costs, it can result in better precision and more trustworthy information


Pixel tracking utilizes a piece of code to register conversions on your site. It's easy to set up and less prone to ad blockers.

1. More accurate information
The typical approach of tracking conversions on an internet site, making use of pixels, is having trouble with transforming internet browser personal privacy policies. This implies that the data being sent to Google Ads, Facebook Manager and various other systems is less accurate than it should be.

Server-side tracking is an extra safe and secure alternative that assists to bypass these limitations, as it's loaded from your own domain name and dealt with as first-party code, indicating it's less likely to be affected by advertisement blockers or various other safety and security steps. This provides more exact information and a much more complete picture of customer trips across channels.

On top of that, this kind of tracking allows organizations to track conversions beyond the site, such as phone calls and in-store visits, which can be hard for pixel-based monitoring. This flexibility offers marketing experts a lot more ownership over the information they send out, and makes it simpler to comply with numerous data laws. It's additionally a great deal less prone to scams, as it's more difficult for deceitful actors to adjust the system by changing the postback URL.

2. Much better control over data.
Server-side monitoring enables businesses to accumulate and enhance information prior to sending it to third-party analytics/advertising platforms. This boosts data efficiency and accuracy, which can aid online marketers make even more educated marketing choices.

Traditional pixel tracking relies upon JavaScript tracking codes that are put in internet site visitors' web browsers. These tracking codes are often obstructed by advertisement blockers, which can result in information collection interruptions and incorrect outcomes. Server-side tracking allows organizations to bypass these restrictions and supply accurate, constant information that is less vulnerable to disturbance.

This type of tracking likewise allows companies to track conversions that happen beyond the site, like telephone call and in-store acquisitions. This is important server-side tracking considering that brand-new privacy policies such as Apple's Intelligent Monitoring Avoidance (ITP) limit the shelf life of cookie-based monitoring pixels to 7 days. This is a vital reason why S2S is much more trustworthy for businesses seeking to adapt to these adjustments.

3. Much less prone to scams
Server-side monitoring makes it possible for businesses to manipulate data hauls prior to it gets to third party endpoints, improving safety and security and personal privacy. This is specifically important as different web browsers and systems significantly transform how they handle cookies. For instance, in iOS 14, Safari will just supply first-party cookie information and will certainly not permit pixel-based tracking. Using server-side tracking, you can bypass these restrictions and continue to track conversions that occurred beyond your web site.

On top of that, server-side monitoring enables you to capture user data directly on your own servers. This eliminates reliance on third parties, which can be susceptible to breaches and privacy infractions.

A server-side radar is a set of directions that informs your web site's web server what occasions to tape. This information is after that sent out to analytics tools like Google Analytics and Facebook Service. It's likewise utilized to activate event-based ads, such as retargeting. In contrast, pixel tracking is an alternative method that uses a small piece of code on your webpage to gather data from users.

4. Easier to implement
Server-side monitoring is an information collection procedure that occurs on the web site's own server, bypassing web browser constraints. This suggests that information gathered by the website/app is first sent to the server where it's processed and afterwards sent to analytics devices like Google Analytics or Facebook Pixel.

The benefit of this method is that it reduces the scope of information monitoring and provides organizations much more control over transmission, making it generally more reputable. Therefore, it's much less susceptible to data obstacles brought on by things like a broken link or an energetic ad blocker being installed.

With OWOX BI's Server-Side Monitoring, your organization can gather real-time conversion data in the same way that you would certainly with pixels or a cookie, however this is then passed straight to your advertising and marketing tools on the server. This permits you to have more accurate information and assists guarantee compliance with personal privacy policies such as GDPR. Moreover, it additionally prevents the tracking constraints enforced by browsers and advertisement blockers.