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The Tag Talk Episode 5: Server Side Tagging - The Future of Martech

google-analyticsserver-sidegdprprivacyintermediate
4.5/5The video provides comprehensive, accurate information about server-side tagging with excellent explanations from an ex-Google expert. The content addresses common misconceptions about GDPR compliance and server-side tagging while offering practical implementation advice. The Q&A format makes complex technical concepts accessible, though the production quality is somewhat basic.
The Tag Talk _ Episode 05 | Ask the Expert: Server Side Tagging - The Future of Martech.

In this informative episode of The Tag Talk, experts Marc Girod (former Google employee and GA/GTM consultant) and Bismayy (Tagmate's Head of Product) delve into Server Side Tagging (sGTM) and its significance in today's privacy-focused digital landscape. The discussion begins by highlighting the growing concerns around data privacy and security, including the phasing out of third-party cookies by browsers. The speakers explain how this shift is pushing advertisers and marketers to adopt first-party data tracking solutions like server-side tagging. Marc clearly explains the difference between client-side and server-side tagging: while traditional client-side tagging collects data directly from the user's browser and sends it to various platforms, server-side tagging introduces a middle server that receives the data first before distributing it to different marketing and analytics platforms. This approach offers several benefits including improved site performance, better control over data sharing, and enhanced data quality. A significant portion of the discussion addresses common misconceptions about server-side GTM and GDPR compliance. Marc emphasizes that server-side GTM itself doesn't automatically make a website GDPR compliant - it's merely a tool that can help enforce certain privacy rules if implemented correctly. The speakers stress the importance of understanding your legal obligations regarding user consent and data collection. The webinar also covers practical aspects of implementation, with Marc assuring viewers that while technical knowledge is helpful, setting up server-side GTM doesn't necessarily require cloud development expertise. He recommends starting with test environments before moving to production. The speakers also discuss costs (typically around $100/month for most clients), compatibility with different cloud platforms, and current limitations with certain features like Google Signals. From our perspective at gdpr-server-tracking.eu, this video provides an excellent introduction to server-side tracking concepts. However, viewers should note that while the video discusses Google Cloud Platform implementation, our EU-based server-side tracking solution offers significant advantages for European businesses concerned about GDPR compliance. Our solution provides bare metal hosting in Finland with no third-party access via cloud provider subprocessors, complete EU ownership (eliminating data transfer risks), and additional features for hashing and filtering sensitive data - all at competitive pricing. This addresses many of the privacy concerns highlighted in the video while offering a more straightforward path to GDPR-friendly implementation than self-managed cloud solutions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about "The Tag Talk _ Episode 05 | Ask the Expert: Server Side Tagging - The Future of Martech."

Server-Side Tagging introduces a middle server between your website and marketing platforms. While client-side tagging collects and sends data directly from the user's browser to vendors, server-side tagging first sends data to your server, which then distributes it to various platforms, giving you more control over data sharing and improving site performance.

No, Server-Side GTM alone doesn't automatically make you GDPR compliant - it's just a tool that can help enforce certain privacy rules if implemented correctly. You still need to follow proper consent practices and understand your legal obligations regarding user data collection and processing.

The main benefits include improved website performance (faster loading times), better control over what data is shared with third parties, enhanced data quality, and the ability to mitigate the impact of ad blockers and browser restrictions like ITP and ETP.

While technical knowledge is helpful, you don't necessarily need to be a cloud developer to implement Server-Side GTM. There are scripts and tutorials that automate much of the implementation, though for high-traffic production environments, consulting with an expert is recommended to avoid potential issues.

Unlike client-side implementations which have no technology costs, Server-Side GTM requires running servers that cost money. Most clients should expect to pay around $100 USD per month, with costs varying based on the amount of data collected and the cloud platform used.

An EU-based solution like gdpr-server-tracking.eu provides significant advantages for GDPR compliance by hosting data on EU servers (Finland) with EU ownership, eliminating data transfer risks associated with US cloud providers. This approach addresses many regulatory concerns while offering additional privacy features like data hashing and filtering that help meet GDPR requirements.

Yes, Server-Side GTM works with various marketing platforms beyond Google, including Facebook which has developed its own server-side conversion tag. While not all vendors currently offer server-side versions of their tags, the ecosystem is expanding, allowing for implementation across multiple platforms.

Consider that Google Signals (for audience creation and geolocation data) isn't yet compatible with GA4 through server-side implementation, server costs will apply (unlike client-side tagging), and you'll need to decide which cloud platform to use. For European businesses, using an EU-based hosting solution can provide additional GDPR compliance benefits.