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As a provider of a Server-Side Tagging solution and other connecting tracking software solutions, we implement several complex tracking solutions for our marketing agency partners every week, but we run into the same problem over and over again: the client's website is not properly prepared for implementation. When implementing a Server-Side Tagging setup via Google Tag Manager, you are dependent on the capabilities on the website and therefore also dependent on the owner or web administrator of this website.
The communication flow of data
To understand why some implementations are so laborious or slow, it is important to first understand the data communication flow of a Server-Side Tagging setup. The entire communication flow consists of five critical components:
- Website (the domain)
- GTM web container
- AdPage Server Container
- GTM server container
- Analytics and Marketing platforms (Google Analytics 4, Meta Ads, etc.)
As AdPage, when we do a one-time implementation, we are responsible for setting up components 2, 3 and 4. Our marketing partners often manage the fifth component. But the first component, the website itself, regularly proves to be a stumbling block. And without a functioning foundation, the whole house of cards collapses. In our experience, more than 80% of implementation problems can be traced to this first step. This is why good preparation is essential, whether you implement a tracking setup yourself or have us do it for you.
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Requirements for an ultimate tracking setup
CNAME record: the basis of first-party tracking
A crucial component is the CNAME record. This DNS record ensures that the server container is linked to its own main domain through CNAME cloaking. Setting a CNAME record goes as follows:
- Open the DNS settings with your domain provider
- Add a CNAME record with name 'tagging'
- Set the value to 'projects.trytagging.com'
It sounds simple, but in practice it frequently goes wrong. Often the record is accidentally removed during a website update or by an IT employee who is not aware of its importance. A deleted CNAME record immediately means an interruption in your data collection, which can lead to gaps in your reporting and wrong marketing decisions. After the implementation goes live, you'll get an automatic notification email when this is detected, but before the server container is live, this also happens regularly.
If this CNAME record is (accidentally) deleted, the tracking setup will stop working completely. So make sure that your client and the web administrator of that client are aware of the importance of that CNAME record. Therefore, also activate the Alerts within the AdPage platform to know immediately when this CNAME record is deleted.
Tagging Pixel: the replacement for traditional scripts
The tagging pixel is the heart of your Server-Side Tagging setup. This pixel is specifically designed to connect to the Google Tag Manager web container. This tagging pixel differs from the Google Tag Manager script because AdBlockers do not block it. In fact, some AdBlockers are looking for scripts that contain GTM-, or certain javascripts that Google Tag Manager is trying to load in. Implementing the pixel is as follows:
- You generate the pixel through our platform
- For popular platforms such as Shopify, WooCommerce, WordPress, Magento and Lightspeed, you will get specific installation instructions
- For other platforms, 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 leads to muddled measurements and contaminated data.
Subdomains: the hidden challenge
Modern websites are often more complex than they appear at first glance. Many companies use subdomains for specific functions, such as a Plug&Pay ordering process or a booking system on a separate subdomain. These subdomains are frequently forgotten during the exploration or onboarding phase, leading to incomplete tracking. Imagine: you think you are measuring all conversions, but in reality miss all transactions that go through a subdomain because they are not named beforehand and require a lot of manual implementation work afterwards.
Therefore, it is essential to have a complete overview of your entire domain structure:
- What subdomains do visitors use during their journey on your website?
- Where do important interactions and conversions take place?
- Are there external systems operating under your domain?
- Are some forms present on your site as an iframe and therefore not actually part of your site?
By sharing this information early in the process, we can develop a tracking strategy that really covers everything.
Is your client using Plug&Pay to sell products? Then notify them in advance because there are some requirements to set up eCommerce tracking for Plug&Pay.
dataLayer: the key to flexible tracking
A properly implemented dataLayer is what differentiates 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 web shops require a custom eCommerce dataLayer before an effective tracking setup can be implemented.
But Leadgen websites also benefit from a good dataLayer. Indeed, without a dataLayer, you often rely on tracking conversions through URLs (such as thank you pages), which presents several problems:
- What happens if a visitor does not fully load the thank you page?
- How do you deal with visitors who reload the thank you page multiple times?
- How do you track actions that do not result in a page turn?
A properly implemented dataLayer solves these problems by pushing events at the time an action actually occurs, independent of the loading of a new page. In addition, a dataLayer offers tremendous flexibility. With the right dataLayer implementation, you can track virtually every interaction on your Web site without having to constantly modify the Web site itself. This makes it much easier to add new marketing and analytics platforms or modify existing tracking.
User and marketing info in the dataLayer is only a requirement if you want to measure conversions with webhooks. The AdPage plugins ensure that these are loaded automatically, but if you cannot use our plugin, a standard dataLayer with the eCommerce and/or form data is also sufficient. This does need to function consistently on the website and only on the right site interactions.
Direct connections: avoiding duplicate data
An often underestimated challenge when implementing a Server-Side Tagging setup is correctly handling existing direct connections. Through our Server-Side Tagging solution, you create a first-party tracking setup that sends all data through your own domain. When this setup goes live, all existing third-party connections must be removed to avoid duplicate measurements. This includes, for example:
- Directly placed 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 in your tracking setup. Prior to this, always keep an eye on what is going to change on a website, which scripts are being replaced and what all depends on the scripts to be replaced. If you completely replace a dataLayer with AdPage's dataLayer, your tracking setup within 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 organizations have implemented different tags over the years, often by different teams or agencies, with no central documentation. It takes time to identify and securely remove all these connections without losing functionality. Therefore, be prepared for this phase and make sure you have a clear overview of all current tracking implementations on your website.
Method of one-time implementation
During a one-time implementation by AdPage, you or your client will first go through an onboarding process. This involves filling out a questionnaire and granting the necessary permissions. This includes linking the appropriate Google account for GA4 and Google Tag Manager access, making sure CNAME record instructions reach the web administrator, as well as tagging pixel instructions. In addition, you specify which site interactions you want to measure as events and which marketing channels you use.
After completion, the AdPage team will check and verify everything. The actual implementation only starts when everything is set up and delivered correctly. Therefore, it is essential to be clear beforehand which site interactions you want to measure, where they take place and whether they can be measured via Google Tag Manager.
After the Server-Side Tagging goes live, you get to work as an online marketer. The conversion actions from Google Ads are placed on secondary because we don't want to cause any problems in running campaigns, so you may review them yourself and switch them to primary whenever you want. We can't check the Meta Event tool configuration during our implementation but it can cause erroneous measurements so it needs to be checked. Furthermore, there are many different variables a tracking setup depends on, not all of which can be checked before and during going live, so the results within all platforms may also be watched extra closely. Thus, there are fairly many parts that come as a responsibility to you as a marketing agency, even if you do not do the implementation within Google Tag Manager yourself.
Your marketing campaigns are directly influenced by your tracking setup, these can be both positive and negative influences. So as an online marketer, you need to have your hands on the wheel, not only of your ad campaigns but also of the tracking setup in a general sense.
A successful implementation starts with you(your customer)
An efficient tracking setup requires proper preparation. By carefully addressing the above points before we begin implementation, together we can create a robust and future-proof tracking solution. The responsibility for a successful implementation lies not only with us as an agency, but starts with a well-prepared website. By working together and making the proper preparations, we can ensure that your tracking setup runs smoothly and delivers valuable insights that help you make better decisions.
Do you have questions about preparations for your specific website or platform? If so, please contact us. We are happy to think with you about the best approach for your situation.