Facebook Server-side Tracking

Switch from third‑party to first‑party cookies
Improve ad targeting and optimization
Track more conversions, including offline events
Gain full control over your data
Become 100% GDPR‑compliant
Integrate with your Google Tag Manager setup

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What is Facebook Server-side Tracking?

Facebook Server-side Tracking is a new way to measure the performance of your ad campaigns without your data being affected by browser limitations (like Safari) or privacy tools such as ad blockers. Instead of placing tracking pixels and cookies directly in your visitor’s browser (client-side tracking), the data is first sent to a secure server. From that server, the data is forwarded to Facebook (Meta).

Main benefits

Full data ownership: You decide which information is shared with Facebook and other Meta platforms. This lets you filter, anonymize, or limit the data, ensuring better privacy and compliance with regulations like GDPR and CCPA.
More accurate data collection: Facebook Server-side Tracking is less affected by browser restrictions, ad blockers, and privacy tools, making conversion tracking and attribution more reliable than with traditional client-side tracking.
Improved campaign optimization: With cleaner and more complete data, you gain deeper insights into user behavior and campaign performance. This enables you to optimize your Meta advertising strategies and increase your ROAS.

Reduce dependence on third‑party cookies

Third-party cookies have long been valuable for marketers but raise privacy concerns among internet users. As more browsers, software, and smartphones block these cookies, a privacy-friendly solution is needed to maintain accurate tracking of your Facebook campaigns.

Server-side Tracking solves this by eliminating third-party cookies and processing data through a secure server. This allows you to effectively measure Facebook ad performance, comply with privacy regulations, and gain more reliable and privacy-friendly insights. With Facebook Server-side Tracking, you can continue identifying which ads generate conversions and optimize your campaigns.

Accurately improve ad targeting and optimization

Facebook Server-side Tracking captures user interactions and conversion events directly through your server, without being affected by browser restrictions, privacy settings, or ad blockers that limit traditional pixel tracking. This ensures that both online and offline conversions (such as website purchases, in-store transactions, and phone orders) are accurately recorded and attributed to your Facebook campaigns.

By recovering conversions that are normally lost due to browser targeting, you provide Facebook’s algorithms with richer and more complete data for ad delivery and optimization. With this higher data quality, Facebook can build more precise audiences, improve event matching accuracy, and optimize ad performance more effectively. This allows you to make data-driven decisions and maximize your marketing budget.

Better aligned with GDPR

Server-side Tracking is a robust solution for meeting GDPR requirements, allowing you to process personal data securely and responsibly. With TAGGRS Server-side Tracking, you decide which information is collected and sent to platforms like Facebook. You can filter or anonymize sensitive data such as IP addresses or client IDs before it leaves TAGGRS servers.

By processing data on TAGGRS’ secure infrastructure and hiding tracking IDs from the client side, you minimize the risk of data leaks and unauthorized access. TAGGRS provides global servers, including storage within EU borders for local compliance. This privacy-focused approach strengthens GDPR compliance and helps ensure high-quality analytics and effective Facebook ad campaigns while protecting user privacy and building customer trust.

Expert Insight

When you send parameters in the URL, such as UTM tags, the cookie lifetime in Safari and Firefox is limited to just 1 day! With server-side tracking, this cookie’s lifetime is extended, ensuring all conversions are attributed to the correct source.

Set up Facebook Server-side Tracking

Our Facebook Server-side Tracking experts provide step-by-step guides for installing the Meta Pixel in GTM, optimizing your EMQ score, configuring event deduplication, and activating the Meta Conversions API Gateway. Learn how to set up Facebook in your web and server containers and achieve a privacy-compliant configuration.

In the video below, Lowie Verschelden shows you step by step how to set up Facebook Server-side Tracking.

1. Create a server container in Google Tag Manager

This is the first step, as you need a server container to manage your server-side tags. With a server container, you can place tags on your website without changing your website’s code. It allows you to manage all tags from one central location. We’ve written a blog explaining how to set up a solid foundation in 7 steps, so you can start with server-side tracking.

Set up the GTM container

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2. Install the Facebook Pixel

Tracking conversions from your Facebook ad campaigns is essential for the success of your online promotions. With the Facebook Pixel, you can track visitor actions on your website, such as making purchases or submitting forms. This allows you to accurately measure and improve the effectiveness of your ads and targeting.

Install Meta Pixel

facebook-pixel-set-up

3. Install Facebook Conversions API

The Facebook Conversion API is a powerful tool that helps advertisers measure and optimize conversions on their websites. It works by sending web event data from the advertiser’s server directly to Facebook, instead of relying on traditional tracking pixels. This allows advertisers to gain more accurate and detailed insights into how users interact with their ads and websites.

Configure Facebook CAPI

facebook-conversion-api-set-up

5. Set up event deduplication

The Facebook Conversions API is a powerful tool that helps advertisers measure and optimize conversions on their websites. It works by sending web event data directly from the advertiser’s server to Facebook, instead of relying on traditional tracking pixels. This allows advertisers to gain more accurate and detailed insights into how users interact with their ads and websites.

Configure event deduplication

facebook-event-deduplication-set-up

Extra tools for your Facebook Server-side Tracking

Check your Facebook event match quality score

The Facebook Event Match Quality (EMQ) score is a measure of how much and how accurately customer data matches Facebook accounts. The score evaluates the quality and quantity of customer data you send. When the score increases, it means more accurate customer data has been sent to Facebook. This results in better-performing ads, as Facebook uses this data to target the right audience more effectively.

Improve your EMQ score

facebook-event-match-quality-score-everything-you-need-to-know

Test your setup

Make sure to test your tracking settings to ensure everything is working correctly. This is a crucial step to prevent any issues with your tracking later on.