What is Server-side tracking in advertising?

Server-side tracking: what it means in advertising

Definition

Server-side tracking sends conversion data to ad platforms from your own server rather than from the visitor's browser. Because the request does not depend on the browser loading a third-party script, it survives ad blockers, browser tracking prevention and cookie restrictions that break browser-only pixels. Meta's implementation is the Conversions API. Google's is enhanced conversions and server-side tagging.

What to know

The usual setup is not server-side instead of browser, it is both, with a shared event ID so the platform can deduplicate the two copies of the same event. Omitting that key is the most common way to double-count every purchase.

Server-side makes attribution more complete, not more truthful. You are still handing the platform the data it uses to grade its own work, so the incrementality question is untouched by better plumbing.

Related terms

Conversions APIThe Conversions API (CAPI) is Meta's server-side channel for sending conversion events directly from your serv...PixelA pixel is a snippet of JavaScript on your site that reports visitor actions back to an ad platform: page view...Attribution windowAn attribution window is the period after seeing or clicking an ad during which a conversion is still credited...IncrementalityIncrementality is the share of conversions that genuinely happened because of advertising, rather than convers...

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