Definition
The Server-Side Tracking is measurement technique in which a browser executes a code (a set formed by html, css and javascript) and subsequently, the code is sent to a private server that distributes the data to analytics platforms such as Google Analytics or Facebook.
Advantages of Server-Side Tracking
- By being able to use its own server, and the domain of the web, cookies become first-party cookies, which are not detectable by browsers, and the flow of data to the measurement platform is not prevented.
- Compliance. When the data is processed on its own server, there is more security when it comes to processing private data. Before sending it to the analytics tools, the data can be filtered to make sure that there is no PII
- There is a performance improvement, as it is no longer necessary to run some processes in the client browser.
Disadvantages of Server-Side Tracking
- More technical knowledge is needed to be able to implement it.
- The cost of the server can be high. In Google Cloud the cost can exceed $120 per month.
Evolution of Server-Side Tracking
Server-side tracking is not a new concept, since analytics from servers has been done since the 90s. One of the most commonly used server-side methods is log analysis.