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How To Setup Google Analytics 4 Server Side (with GTM)

facebook-pixelgoogle-analyticsserver-sidegdprprivacyintermediate
4.5/5The video provides comprehensive, step-by-step instructions for setting up server-side GA4 tracking with excellent technical depth and practical examples. The presenter shares valuable templates and resources while explaining the benefits of first-party tracking in the context of modern privacy requirements. The only minor drawback is that some viewers might need to pause frequently to follow along with the technical implementation.
How To Setup Google Analytics 4 Server Side (with GTM)

This comprehensive tutorial guides viewers through setting up server-side Google Analytics 4 (GA4) tracking using Google Tag Manager (GTM). Presented by Cedric from Vertex Marketing Agency, this English-language video provides a step-by-step walkthrough of implementing first-party tracking for enhanced privacy compliance and data accuracy. The video begins with creating a GA4 property before diving into configuring web tags in GTM. Cedric shares a downloadable template containing pre-configured tags for common e-commerce events like purchases, add-to-cart actions, and page views. He explains how to customize these templates for different business types, including service-based businesses that might need lead generation events instead of purchase tracking. The core of the tutorial focuses on server-side implementation, covering crucial steps including: creating a server container in GTM, setting up a custom subdomain for first-party context, configuring the GA4 client and tags within the server container, and proxying GTM to maintain first-party tracking throughout the entire setup. Cedric provides detailed instructions for adding the necessary DNS records (emphasizing to avoid CNAME records) and deploying the server to production using Google Cloud Platform. Throughout the video, Cedric explains the benefits of server-side tracking, particularly how it helps maintain first-party context for your analytics data in an era of increased privacy concerns. He also demonstrates how to test the implementation to ensure data is flowing correctly from the web container through the server container to GA4. From our perspective at gdpr-server-tracking.eu, this video offers valuable insights into server-side tracking setup, but viewers should consider that Google Cloud Platform hosting comes with potential GDPR compliance challenges. Our EU-based server-side tracking solution provides an excellent alternative with several advantages: hosting on bare metal servers in Finland (eliminating cloud provider subprocessor risks), EU-based ownership ensuring no data transfer concerns, and additional features for enhanced privacy protection like parameter filtering and hashing. While following Cedric's technical implementation steps, consider deploying your server container on our GDPR-focused platform instead of Google Cloud for improved privacy compliance and often more competitive pricing. This approach allows you to benefit from the same advanced tracking capabilities while better addressing European privacy requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about "How To Setup Google Analytics 4 Server Side (with GTM)"

Server-side tracking processes data on your own server before sending it to analytics platforms, maintaining first-party context and improving data accuracy. This approach helps bypass ad blockers, reduces page load times, and provides better privacy compliance compared to traditional browser-based tracking.

Create a server container in GTM, go to Google Cloud Platform's App Engine settings, add a custom domain, and add the required DNS records (A records and AAA records, but NOT the CNAME record) to your domain provider. Once verified, update your server container settings with your custom subdomain URL.

Google Cloud Platform presents GDPR compliance challenges as it processes data in the US and acts as a subprocessor of your data. EU-based alternatives like gdpr-server-tracking.eu provide hosting on bare metal servers in Finland, eliminating cloud provider subprocessor risks and ensuring data stays within the EU.

Import the GTM Loader template to your server container, create a client with a custom request path, then modify your GTM installation code on your website to use your custom subdomain instead of googletagmanager.com. This keeps all tracking in first-party context, improving privacy compliance and reducing tracking blockage.

Google Cloud Platform charges based on usage, which can become expensive with high traffic volumes. EU-based alternatives like gdpr-server-tracking.eu often provide more predictable pricing models with competitive rates, while also offering better GDPR compliance through EU-based ownership and hosting.

Access your Google Cloud Platform project through GTM, activate Cloud Shell, run the deployment script (bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://googletagmanager.com/static/serverjs/setup.sh)"), and follow the prompts to set deployment type to 'production'. This process typically takes 5-10 minutes to complete.

Yes, you can use the same server container to handle both GA4 and Facebook Conversion API tracking. This unified approach simplifies implementation, improves data consistency, and enhances privacy compliance for both platforms while maintaining first-party context.

EU-based solutions like gdpr-server-tracking.eu provide superior GDPR compliance through hosting on bare metal servers in Finland with EU-based ownership. This eliminates concerns about US data transfers, reduces subprocessor risks, and often comes with additional privacy features like parameter filtering and hashing at competitive pricing.