Tracking, attribution and ads, explained plainly
What we learn building server-side tracking for stores that spend on ads every day.
Consent and server-side tracking: what still applies
Moving tracking to your server does not remove the need for consent. Record the visitor's choice, send it with every event, and enforce it on the server.
GA4 Measurement Protocol: server-side events without double counting
The GA4 Measurement Protocol lets your server send events the browser never sees, but it has no deduplication. Here is how to use it safely, with client IDs, sessions and testing.
TikTok Events API: server-side tracking and deduplication
The TikTok Events API reports conversions from your server so blocked pixels stop costing you sales data. Here is how it works, how to deduplicate with the pixel, and what to test.
How to improve Event Match Quality on Meta
Event Match Quality decides how many of your sales Meta can tie back to an ad. These are the parameters that feed it, how to normalise and hash them, and five changes that raise the score.
Facebook Pixel and Conversions API: how event deduplication works
Sending every conversion from the browser and the server double-counts sales unless Meta can match the pair. Here is how event_id deduplication works and the mistakes that break it.
Server-side vs client-side tracking
What each one sees, what each one misses, and why most stores end up running both.
How to fix conversion loss from ad blockers
Ad blockers and iOS hide a large share of conversions from Meta and TikTok pixels. Here is how server-side tracking and first-party domains recover them.