Pinterest Server-side Tracking

Limit third-party cookie dependence
Rely on accurate conversion tracking
Increase ROI and lower CAC
Control what data is securely shared
Strengthen GDPR compliance
Integrate your GTM setup, CRM, and offline data

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What is Pinterest Server-side Tracking?

Pinterest Server-Side Tracking is a method for measuring the performance of your Pinterest ad campaigns without being limited by browser restrictions, privacy tools, or ad blockers. Unlike traditional client-side tracking, which relies on pixels and cookies placed in your visitors’ browsers, server-side tracking routes conversion and event data through your own secure server before sending it to Pinterest using the Pinterest Conversion API.

Main benefits

Ethical data ownership: Decide exactly what information to share with Pinterest. With server-side tracking, you can filter, anonymize, or limit the data sent, supporting privacy compliance and data minimization.
More accurate conversion tracking: Pinterest server-side tracking captures a higher percentage of conversions and user actions, resulting in more reliable measurement and attribution.
Enhanced brand experience: Access richer, more complete data to optimize your Pinterest ad campaigns. Improved data quality helps Pinterest’s algorithm deliver your ads more effectively and build more precise retargeting audiences, so you can reach the right people.

Reduce reliance on Third-Party Cookies

Major browsers, apps, and devices are increasingly blocking third-party cookies due to privacy concerns, making traditional tracking for Pinterest ads less reliable.

Server-side Tracking is the future-proof solution for data-driven professionals and organizations. Instead of relying on cookies in your visitors’ browsers, Pinterest conversion data is securely processed and stored on a secure server. This approach limits your dependence on third-party cookies, ensures more accurate Pinterest campaign tracking, and helps you maintain reliable insights even as privacy standards evolve.

Rely on accurate conversion tracking across browsers

Accurate conversion tracking is essential for optimizing Pinterest campaigns and maximizing your marketing investment. However, browser restrictions and third-party cookie blocking can cause you to miss 10–30% of valuable data. With Pinterest server-side tracking, conversion events are captured and processed on secure servers, ensuring reliable tracking across all browsers and devices—even when cookies and ads are blocked.

Server-side tracking also enables you to enrich your Pinterest data by integrating sources like your CRM or offline conversions through Google Tag Manager. This holistic approach provides more complete campaign insights, empowering you to maximize conversions, increase ROI, and lower CAC.

Result: More tracked data, advanced insights for granular optimization, increased conversions, and improved ROI for your Pinterest campaigns.

Strengthen your privacy compliance

Pinterest server-side tracking is a powerful solution for ensuring GDPR compliance and protecting user privacy. With TAGGRS, you gain full control over which data is collected, processed, and shared with Pinterest, allowing you to filter or anonymize personal information before it leaves your server. This granular data control helps you meet strict privacy requirements and build trust with your audience. TAGGRS owns a global server infrastructure, including within the EU, so your Pinterest conversion data can be stored according to local data residency laws—supporting GDPR and other privacy regulations. By centralizing data processing, you reduce the risk of unauthorized access and ensure that only necessary, consented data is transmitted to Pinterest.

Expert insight

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

Setting up Pinterest Server-side Tracking

Go server-side with your Pinterest with step-by-step manuals for installing the Pinterest Tag, configuring the Pinterest Conversion API, and setting up event deduplication in Google Tag Manager. These guides help you quickly establish robust, privacy-compliant Pinterest tracking.

In the video below, Lowie Verschelden shows step by step how to set up Pinterest server side tracking.

1. Create a Google Tag Manager Server Container

This is the first step because you need a server container to manage your server side tags. With a server container, you can place tags on your website without having to modify your website's code. It allows you to manage tags from one central location. We have written a blog on how to set up a solid foundation in 7 steps so you can start with server side tracking.

Create your GTM container

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2. Installeer de Pinterest tag

With the Pinterest Tag, you can track actions that people take on your website. These valuable insights not only help you measure campaign performance but also optimize your spending and create specific audiences to target on Pinterest. It is the key to understanding visitor behavior after they have seen your promoted Pin.

Set up the Pinterest Tag

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3. Set up the Pinterest Conversions API

The Pinterest Conversions API is a new solution that enables advertisers to measure and fine-tune conversions on their websites. Instead of relying on traditional tracking pixels, this API sends web event data directly from the advertiser's server to Pinterest.

Set up the Pinterest CAPI

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4. Ensure that event deduplication is set up

Ensure optimal tracking accuracy with Pinterest Event Deduplication. This prevents duplicate conversion counts and guarantees a more reliable representation of your conversion data. The result? Clean data that helps you make better decisions and optimize your Pinterest advertising results.

Prevent duplicate events

Test your settings

Make sure to test your tracking settings to ensure that everything is working correctly. This is a crucial step to ensure you don't encounter issues with your tracking later.

Key Takeaways

This page explains what Pinterest server-side tracking is, its key benefits for your ad campaigns, and how to set it up in Google Tag Manager using TAGGRS.

Implementing Pinterest server-side tracking helps increase ROI and lower customer acquisition costs by providing more reliable data for campaign optimization.

You have full control over what data is securely shared with Pinterest, supporting GDPR compliance and enabling you to filter or anonymize sensitive information.

You can integrate your Google Tag Manager setup, CRM, and offline data sources, enabling a comprehensive and unified approach to Pinterest conversion tracking and audience targeting.