What do we expect from your clients for a server-side tagging implementation?

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Home Hello Blogs Hello What do we expect from your clients for a server-side tagging implementation?

As a provider of a Server-side tagging solution with it a implementation service, we implement multiple complex tracking solutions weekly for our Marketing bureau partners, but we keep running into the same problem: the client's website isn't properly prepared for the implementation. When implementing a Server-Side Tagging setup via Google Tag Manager, you are dependent on the capabilities of the website and therefore also dependent on the owner or web administrator of that website.

The data stream of communication

To understand why some implementations are so difficult or slow, it's important to first understand how data communication works in a Server-Side Tagging setup. The full communication flow consists of five crucial parts:

Website (the domain)
GTM web container
AdPage Server Container
GTM server container
Analytical and Marketing Platforms (Google Analytics 4, Meta Ads, etc.)

As AdPage, for a one-off implementation, we are responsible for setting up parts 2, 3, and 4. Our marketing partners often manage the fifth part. However, the first part, the website itself, regularly proves to be a stumbling block. And without a well-functioning foundation, the whole house of cards collapses. Our experience shows that more than 80% of implementation issues can be traced back to this first step. Therefore, good preparation is essential, whether you implement a tracking setup yourself or have us do it.

Requirements for the ultimate tracking setup

CNAME record: the basis of first-party tracking

A crucial component is the CNAME record. This DNS record ensures that server containers are linked to your own main domain via CNAME cloaking. Setting up a CNAME record is done as follows:

Open the DNS settings with your domain provider
Add a CNAME record with the name ’tagging’
Set the value to ‘projects.trytagging.com’

It sounds simple, but in practice, things regularly go wrong. Often, the record is accidentally deleted during a website update or by an IT employee who is unaware of its importance. A deleted CNAME record directly means an interruption in your data collection, which can lead to gaps in your reports and incorrect marketing decisions. After the implementation goes live, you receive an automatic notification email when this is detected, but this also happens regularly before the server container is live.

If this CNAME record is (accidentally) deleted, the entire tracking setup will stop working. Therefore, ensure that your client and their web administrator are aware of the importance of that CNAME record. For this reason, also activate the Alerts within the AdPage platform to immediately know when this CNAME record has been deleted.

Tagging Pixel: the replacement for traditional scripts

The tagging pixel forms the heart of your server-side tagging setup. This pixel is specifically designed to create a connection with the Google Tag Manager web container. This tagging pixel differs from the Google Tag Manager script because AdBlockers do not block it. Some AdBlockers are indeed looking for scripts that contain GTM-, or certain JavaScripts that Google Tag Manager tries to load. Implementing the pixel proceeds as follows:

You generate the pixel via our platform
For popular platforms such as Shopify, WooCommerce, WordPress, Magento and Lightspeed, you will receive specific installation instructions.
For other platforms, you will receive code for the <head> and <body> section of your website

A crucial step that is often forgotten: removing existing Google Tag Manager scripts. This is because the tagging pixel replaces your current GTM implementation. Leaving the old GTM script in place will lead to blurred measurements and corrupted data.

Subdomains: the hidden challenge

Modern websites are often more complex than they first appear. Many companies use subdomains for specific functions, such as order processing via Plug&Pay or a booking system on a separate subdomain. These subdomains are regularly forgotten during the exploration or onboarding phase, leading to incomplete tracking. Imagine: you think you're tracking all conversions, but in reality you're missing all transactions that go through a subdomain because they weren't mentioned beforehand and require a lot of manual implementation work afterwards.

Therefore, it is essential to have a complete overview of your entire domain structure:

Which subdomains do visitors use during their journey on your website?
Where do important interactions and conversions take place?
Are there external systems that operate within your domain?
Are some forms present on your site as iframes and therefore not actually part of your site?

By sharing this information early in the process, we can develop a truly comprehensive tracking strategy.

dataLayer: the key to flexible tracking

A well-implemented dataLayer is what distinguishes a basic implementation from a professional tracking setup. The dataLayer is a JavaScript object that contains structured data about what is happening on your website. For e-commerce websites, we have developed specific dataLayer implementations for Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento and Lightspeed. Other webshops require a custom eCommerce dataLayer before an effective tracking setup can be implemented.

However, lead generation websites also benefit from a good dataLayer. Without a dataLayer, you are often reliant on tracking conversions via URLs (such as thank-you pages), which brings several problems:

What happens if a visitor doesn't fully load the thank you page?
You can prevent visitors from reloading the thank you page multiple times by setting cookies or using session variables. When a visitor lands on the thank you page, you can set a cookie for that particular page. If the visitor attempts to reload the page, the browser will check for the cookie and prevent the reload if it's already set.
How to trace actions that do not result in a page refresh?

A well-implemented dataLayer resolves these issues by pushing events at the moment an action actually occurs, independent of a new page loading. Furthermore, a dataLayer offers enormous flexibility. With the right dataLayer implementation, you can track virtually any interaction on your website without constantly needing to modify the website itself. This makes it much easier to add new marketing and analytics platforms or adjust existing tracking.

User and marketing information in the dataLayer is only a requirement if you want to measure conversions with webhooks. The AdPage plugins ensure that these are automatically loaded, but if you cannot use our plugin, a standard dataLayer with e-commerce and/or form data is also sufficient. This must function consistently on the website and only on the correct site interactions.

Direct connections: the avoidance of duplicate data

An often underestimated challenge when implementing a Server-Side Tagging setup is the correct handling of existing direct connections. Through our Server-Side Tagging solution, you create a first-party tracking setup that sends all data via your own domain. When this setup goes live, all existing third-party connections must be removed to prevent duplicate measurements. This includes, for example:

Directly implemented Google Analytics tags
Facebook/Meta Pixel implementations
Google Ads conversion tags
Other marketing pixels placed directly on the site

Installing a plugin and replacing scripts can cause problems with your tracking setup. Always keep an eye on what will change on a website beforehand, which scripts are being replaced, and what depends on the scripts to be replaced. If you completely replace a dataLayer with AdPage's dataLayer, your tracking setup in Google Tag Manager should no longer depend on the old dataLayer, for example.

In practice, this often proves to be the most time-consuming part of an implementation. Many organisations have implemented various tags over the years, often by different teams or agencies, without central documentation. It takes time to identify and safely remove all these connections without losing functionality. Therefore, be prepared for this phase and ensure you have a clear overview of all current tracking implementations on your website.

One-off implementation procedure

During a one-off implementation by AdPage, you or your customer will first go through a Onboarding process. You will fill in a questionnaire and grant the necessary permissions. This includes linking the correct Google account for GA4 and Google Tag Manager access, ensuring CNAME record instructions reach the web administrator, as well as the tagging pixel instructions. Additionally, you will indicate which site interactions you wish to measure as events and which marketing channels you use.

Upon completion, the AdPage team will review and verify everything. Actual implementation will only commence once everything is correctly set up and provided. Therefore, it is essential to have a clear understanding beforehand which site interactions you want to measure, where these take place and whether they can be measured via Google Tag Manager.

After the go-live of Server-Side Tagging, it's your turn as an online marketer. Google Ads conversion actions will be set to secondary as we don't want to cause problems in ongoing campaigns, so you can assess these yourself and switch them to primary whenever you wish. We cannot check the Meta Event Tool configuration during our implementation, but it can lead to incorrect measurements, so it needs to be checked. Furthermore, there are many different variables that a tracking setup depends on, which cannot all be checked before and during go-live, so the results within all platforms should also be monitored very closely. Therefore, there are quite a few components that fall under your responsibility as a marketing agency, even when you yourself do not perform the implementation within Google Tag Manager.

Your marketing campaigns are directly influenced by your tracking setup, and these influences can be both positive and negative. As an online marketer, you therefore need to be in control yourself, not only of your advertising campaigns but also of the tracking setup in general.

A successful implementation starts with you (your client)

An efficient tracking setup requires good preparation. By carefully addressing the above points before we begin implementation, we can together create a robust and future-proof tracking solution. The responsibility for a successful implementation lies not only with us as an agency, but begins with a well-prepared website. By working together and making the right preparations, we can ensure that your tracking setup functions flawlessly and provides valuable insights that help you make better decisions.

Do you have questions about the preparations for your specific website or platform? Please get in touch with us. We'll happily discuss the best approach for your situation.

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