Since the advent of the internet, third-party cookies — yes, those small text files— have been the most faithful companions of online advertising. They play a crucial role in collecting valuable data about users, such as their language preferences, shopping cart contents, and browsing history on websites.

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However, their future is increasingly uncertain due to growing privacy concerns and increasingly strict user privacy regulations.

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Indeed, Google Chrome has announced the end of the use of third-party cookies for this year (just as web browsers Safari and Firefox did in 2017 and 2019, respectively), which leads to significant changes for advertisers. They must revise their digital strategy to continue to effectively reach their target audience.

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In this context, Server-Side Tracking emerges as an alternative that meets current challenges. This approach involves transferring data collection, stored on the client side, to the server side of the business or website. When a user acts on a site, the collected data are sent directly from the site's server to the tracking server, bypassing the user's browser.

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Why are third-party cookies disappearing?

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The main reason for the elimination of third-party cookies concentrates on privacy protection. Regulations such as GDPR have increased the importance of transparency in data collection. That's why browsers such as Firefox and Safari have opted to block these cookies.

Chrome, the most widely used browser, will also eliminate third-party cookies by 2024.

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What is the impact of this disappearance on your business?

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The announcement of the upcoming disappearance of third-party cookies marks a major turning point for the digital marketing sector, which relies heavily on targeted advertising and personalisation.

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In the absence of these trackers, advertising networks face obstacles in segmenting their audiences, offering tailored advertisements, and capturing the attention of their customers. Publishers also face challenges in monetizing their content and valuing their advertising space, which directly impacts their partnerships with advertisers.

<h2 style="color: #5E469A; font-size: 1.5rem; font-weight: 600; font-family: 'Cabin', sans-serif;">That's why it's crucial to adopt a new marketing strategy without delay.</h2>

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What is Server-Side Tracking?

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Server-side tracking, as the name suggests, involves tracking user interactions directly on the business's server, rather than on the browser.

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This approach offers numerous advantages, including better protection of user privacy, reduced page load times, and more accurate data collection.

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Benefits of Server-Side Tracking:
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• Improved web performance and user experience: Reduces the load on the client-side browser, which allows for faster loading speeds and leads to a smoother user experience.
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• Improved accuracy and quality of data: By centralizing data collection on the server, companies can ensure greater consistency and accuracy of the collected data, regardless of variations in browsers or devices.‍

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• Better control and security of collected data: Before transmitting data to third parties (like social media platforms), companies can filter and validate them on their server. This ensures that only relevant and secure data is shared.‍

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• More comprehensive data collection for media campaigns: Server-side tracking allows for more comprehensive data collection as it is not subject to third-party cookie limitations or the use of ad blockers. This improves the accuracy of conversion measurements, attribution, and analysis by marketing teams.

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Disadvantages of Server-Side Tracking

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Implementing server-side tracking on your website may seem complex, but with the right resources and best practices, you can easily integrate this method into your data analysis strategy.

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