If standard client-side tracking isn’t providing the insights you need, server-side tracking may be the solution. With this approach, you can collect up to 30% more data compared to client-side tracking alone. How? By setting up your own server via our partner TAGGRS. For a fee, TAGGRS, gives you access to a personal subdomain server.
Before you start
To get started, you'll need a Google Tag Manager (GTM) account.
Don’t have one yet? Follow this guide to set up GTM first.
We also recommend integrating the Stager ticket shop widget directly into your own website. This allows ticket buyers to remain on your domain throughout the purchase process eliminating the need for cross-domain tracking and making server-side tracking far more effective.
Haven’t installed the widget yet? Follow this guide!
What is server-side tracking?
Client container (in GTM): the layer where you define and send measurement events (e.g. GA4 events like "purchase").
Server container (in GTM, hosted via TAGGRS): the processing layer that receives data and forwards it to platforms like GA4, Facebook, TikTok, etc.
TAGGRS is the hosting provider (hardware) for your server container.
The main difference between server-side and client-side tracking lies in how data is transmitted.
Client-side tracking uses third-party cookies (like marketing cookies), which are often blocked by browsers and no longer function at all in Safari or Firefox. Server-side tracking, on the other hand, uses a different method:
Your tracking scripts are loaded from your own domain.
Data is sent first to your own server (instead of directly to tools like Google Analytics).
You control which data is forwarded to third-party platforms.
This creates a secure and reliable middle layer that browsers can't block, resulting in more complete and accurate data. Plus, there are many other benefits which you can read more about them in this article by TAGGRS.
How it connects to GA4
All data collected via server-side tracking still ends up in Google Analytics 4 (GA4), the big difference lies in how it gets there.
With client-side tracking, data is sent directly from the browser to GA4. But with server-side tracking, data first goes through your own server (e.g. via your Taggrs setup). This offers several advantages:
You have more control over what data is sent to GA4.
You can enrich or clean up data before it reaches GA4.
You avoid ad blockers and browser restrictions, resulting in more complete analytics.
In your GA4 dashboard, you won’t necessarily see a visual difference between server-side and client-side data but you'll notice:
Fewer missing events
More reliable user journeys
Higher event counts, especially on Safari, Firefox and mobile devices
In short: your GA4 reports become more complete and trustworthy, even though the interface stays the same.
Let’s get started
You can create a free TAGGRS account here.
The free plan includes 10,000 requests per month. A request is counted every time your TAGGRS server receives data.
To estimate your usage you can take your monthly total of GA4 events and add around 20% extra to account for additional requests and traffic spikes.
If you exceed 10,000 requests, server-side tracking will automatically stop unless you upgrade to a paid plan. The paid plan will include your full request volume.
Setting up your server
Once you’ve signed up, the next step is to:
Create a server container in Google Tag Manager.
Link it to your existing client container.
TAGGRS provides a step-by-step setup guide and a helpful demo video. The video also shows how to validate your subdomain using DNS records, an essential step before continuing.
After that:
Connect your client and server containers.
Choose your implementation method:
Use your current GTM setup.
Or, use one of TAGGRS’ pre-built container templates, which you can find the Template Gallery on your Taggrs account.
When using the TAGGRS pre-built container template, it is recommended to remove any existing tags and start fresh. After importing the TAGGRS container template, you can also clean up any unwanted tags from the template as needed.
Use the TAGGRS checklist to make sure everything is set up correctly.
How to continue and what to monitor
Start in GTM client container: define what you want to track.
Then move to the server container: ensure required components are in place (GA4 tag, Facebook tag, consent logic, etc.).
Monitor your data in GA4 (is everything arriving?) and in TAGGRS? If not check out the TAGGRS debug series.
Once your server-side tracking is live and connected to GA4, you can start using it to improve your reports and marketing campaigns.
For technical hosting issues, you can reach out to support@taggrs.io