Server-Side Tagging

Server-side tagging fires your conversions to ad platforms from a server — through each platform’s Conversion API — instead of from a client-side browser pixel. Because the delivery happens server-to-server, ad blockers, privacy browsers, iOS App Tracking Transparency, and cookie-lifetime limits can’t drop it on the way out. The term was coined by Google Tag Manager: GTM originally loaded tags client-side, then added a server-side container that fires tags from a server — hence “server-side tagging.”

Why Server-Side Tagging is outbound, not inbound

Server-side tagging is the out side of going server-side: AnyTrack pushes an enriched, deduplicated conversion to every connected ad platform. It is the counterpart to Server-Side Tracking, which is the in side — capturing a conversion from another server into AnyTrack. The full chain is server-side tracking in, server-side tagging out.

How AnyTrack uses Server-Side Tagging

AnyTrack performs server-side tagging for you: connect an ad platform in the Integration Catalog and AnyTrack wires up its Conversion API automatically — there is no GTM server container to run or per-event mapping to maintain. Because every event is first stored and attributed in the Data Store, AnyTrack enriches each conversion (resolved identity, recovered click IDs, hashed PII) and deduplicates it against the browser pixel by a shared event ID before delivery. A stateless forwarder can’t recover attribution or deduplicate retroactively the way a stateful store can. Delivering to ad platforms via the Conversion API requires a paid plan (Starter and up).

Server-Side Tagging vs Server-Side Tracking

Server-Side Tracking — the inbound counterpart: tracking captures conversions into AnyTrack; tagging delivers them out to ad platforms.
Conversion API — the platform endpoint (the channel); server-side tagging is the practice of firing to it from a server.
Tracking Tag — the client-side counterpart that fires to ad platforms from the browser; the recommended setup runs both.

Frequently asked questions

FAQ was last reviewed on 2026-06-24

Is server-side tagging the same as the Conversion API?

No. Server-side tagging is the practice of firing conversions to ad platforms from a server; the Conversion API is the specific endpoint each ad platform exposes to receive them. You do server-side tagging by sending to the Conversion API.

Is this the same as Google Tag Manager server-side tagging?

Same idea, different execution. GTM coined 'server-side tagging' for firing tags from a server-side container you host and maintain. AnyTrack delivers conversions to ad platforms server-side for you through its Conversion API integrations — no server container to run — and because it stores and attributes every event first, it can enrich and deduplicate before sending.

Does server-side tagging require a paid plan?

Yes. Delivering conversions to ad platforms via the Conversion API requires a paid plan (Starter and up). The Free plan collects and stores events but does not send them to ad platforms.

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