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• Server-side tracking vs client-side tracking : What you need to know

  3 juillet, par Joe

  Server-side tracking vs client-side tracking : What you need to know

  Today, consumers are more aware of their online privacy rights, leading to an extensive use of ad blockers and stricter cookie policies. Organisations are facing some noteworthy challenges with this trend, including :

  • Limited data collection, which makes it harder to understand user behaviour and deliver personalised ads that resonate with customers
  • Rising compliance costs as businesses adapt to new regulations, straining resources and budgets.
  • Growing customer scepticism in data practices, affecting brand reputation.
  • Maintaining transparency and fostering trust with customers through clear communication about data practices.

  Server-side tracking can help resolve these problems. This article will cover server-side tracking, how it works, implementation methods and its benefits.

  What is server-side tracking ? 

  Server-side tracking refers to a method where user data is collected directly by a server rather than through a user’s browser.

  The key advantage of server-side tracking is that data collection, processing, and storage occur directly on the website’s server.

  For example, when a visitor interacts with any website, the server captures that activity through the backend system, allowing for greater data control and security. 

  Client-side tracking vs. server-side tracking 

  There are two methods to collect user data : client-side and server-side. 

  Let’s understand their differences. 

  Client-side tracking : Convenience with caveats

  Client-side tracking embeds JavaScript tags, pixels or other scripts directly into a website’s code. When a user interacts with the site, these tags fire, collecting data from their browser. This information might include page views, button clicks, form submissions and other user actions. 

  The collected data is then sent directly to third-party analytics platforms like Google Analytics or Adobe Analytics, or internal teams can also analyse it.

  This method is relatively easy to implement. That’s because marketers can often deploy these tags without needing extensive developer support, enabling quick adjustments and A/B testing. 

  However, there are some challenges. 

  Ad blockers and browser privacy settings, such as Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP), restrict the ability of third-party tags to collect data. 

  This results in data gaps and inaccuracies skewing analytics reports and potentially leading to misguided business decisions. 

  Reliance on numerous JavaScript tags can also negatively impact website performance, slowing down page load times and affecting user experience. This is especially true on mobile devices where processing power and network speeds are often limited.

  

  Now, let’s see how server-side tracking changes this.

  Server-side tracking : Control and reliability

  Server-side tracking shifts the burden of data collection from the user’s browser to a server controlled by the business. 

  Instead of relying on JavaScript tags firing directly from the user’s device, user interactions are first sent to the business’s own server. Here, the data can be processed, enriched, and analysed. 

  This method provides numerous advantages, including enhanced control over data integrity, improved privacy, and more, which we discuss in the next section.

  Benefits of server-side tracking 

  Server-side tracking offers a compelling alternative to traditional client-side methods, providing numerous business advantages. Let’s take a look at them.

  Improved data accuracy

  This method reduces inaccuracies caused by ad blockers or cookie restrictions by bypassing browser limitations. As a result, the data collected is more reliable, leading to better analytics and marketing attribution.

  Data minimisation

  Data minimisation is a fundamental principle in data protection. It emphasises that organisations should collect only data that is strictly needed for a specific purpose. 

  In server-side tracking, this translates into collecting just the essential data points and discarding anything extra before the data is sent to analytics platforms. It helps organisations avoid accumulating excessive personal information, reducing the risk of data breaches and misuse.

  For example, consider a scenario where a user purchases a product on an e-commerce website. 

  With client-side tracking scripts, the system might inadvertently collect a range of data, including the user’s IP address, browser type, operating system and even details about other websites they have visited. 

  However, for conversions, the organisation only needs to know the purchase amount, product IDs, user IDS, and timestamps. 

  Server-side tracking filters unnecessary information. This reduces the privacy impact and simplifies data analysis and storage.

  Cross-device tracking capabilities

  Server-side tracking provides a unified view of customer behaviour regardless of the device they use, allowing for more personalised and targeted marketing campaigns. 

  In-depth event tracking

  Server-side tracking helps businesses track events that occur outside their websites, such as payment confirmations. Companies gain insights into the entire customer journey, from initial interaction to final purchase, optimising every touchpoint. 

  Enhanced privacy compliance

  With increasing regulations like GDPR and CCPA, businesses can better manage user consent and data handling practices through server-side solutions. 

  Server-side setups make honouring user consent easier. If a user opts out, server-side logic can exclude their data from all outgoing analytics calls in one central place. 

  

  Server-side methods reassure users and regulators that data is collected and secured with minimal risk. 

  In sectors like government and banking, this level of control is often a non-negotiable part of their duty of care. 

  Extended cookie lifetime

  Traditional website tracking faces growing obstacles as modern browsers prioritise user privacy. Initiatives like Safari’s ITP block third-party cookies and also constrain the use of first-party cookies. 

  Other browsers, such as Firefox and Brave, are implementing similar methods, while Chrome is beginning to phase out third-party cookies. Retargeting and cross-site analytics, which rely on these cookies, encounter significant challenges.

  Server-side tracking overcomes this by allowing businesses to collect data over a longer duration. 

  When a website’s server directly sets a cookie, that cookie often lasts longer than cookies created by JavaScript code running inside the browser. This lets websites get around some of the limits browsers put on tracking and allows them to remember a visitor when they return to the site later, which gives better customer insights. Plus, server-side tracking typically classifies cookies as first-party data, which is less susceptible to blocking by browsers and ad blockers.

  Server-side tracking : Responsibilities and considerations

  While server-side tracking delivers powerful capabilities, remember that it also brings increased responsibility. Companies must remain vigilant in upholding privacy regulations and user consent. It’s up to the organisation to make sure the server follows user consent, for example, not sending data if someone has opted out.

  Server-side setups introduce technical complexity, which can potentially lead to data errors that are more difficult to identify and resolve. Therefore, monitoring processes and quality assurance practices are essential for data integrity. 

  How does server-side tracking work ? 

  When a user interacts with a website (e.g., clicking a button), this action triggers an event. The event could be anything from a page view to a form submission.

  The backend system captures relevant details such as the event type, user ID and timestamp. This information helps in understanding user behaviour and creating meaningful analytics.

  The captured data is processed directly on the organisation’s server, allowing for immediate validation. For example, organisations can add additional context or filter out irrelevant information.

  Instead of sending data to third-party endpoints, the organisation stores everything in its own database or data warehouse. This ensures full control over data privacy and security.

  Organisations can perform their own analysis using tools like SQL or Python. To visualise data, custom dashboards and reports can be created using self-hosted analytics tools. This way, businesses can present complex data in a clear and actionable manner.

  How to implement server-side tracking ?

  Server-side tracking can work in four common ways, each offering a different blend of control, flexibility and complexity.

  1. Server-side tag management

  In this method, organisations use platforms like Google Tag Manager Server-Side to manage tracking tags on the server, often using containers to isolate and manage different tagging environments. 

  

  (Image Source) 

  This approach offers a balance between control and ease of use. It allows for the deployment and management of tags without modifying the application code, which is particularly useful for marketers who want to adjust tracking configurations quickly.

  2. Direct server-to-server tracking via APIs

  This method involves sharing information between two servers without affecting the user’s browser or device. 

  A unique identifier is generated and stored on a server when a user interacts with an ad or webpage. 

  If a user takes some action, like making a purchase, the unique identifier is sent from the advertiser’s server directly to the platform’s server (Google or Facebook) via an API. 

  It requires more development effort but is ideal for organisations needing fine-grained data control.

  3. Using analytics platforms with built-in server SDKs

  Another way is to employ analytics platforms like Matomo that provide SDKs for various programming languages to instrument the server-side code. 

  This eases integration with the platform’s analytics features and is a good choice for organisations primarily using a single analytics platform and want to use its server-side capabilities.

  4. Hybrid approaches

  Finally, organisations can also combine client- and server-side tracking to capture different data types and maximise accuracy. 

  This method involves client-side scripts for specific interactions (like UI events) and server-side tracking for more sensitive or critical data (like transactions). 

  While these are general approaches, dedicated analytics platforms can also be helpful. Matomo, for example, facilitates server-side tracking through two specific methods.

  Using server logs

  Matomo can import existing web server logs, such as Apache or Nginx, that capture each request. Every page view or resource load becomes a data point. 

  Matomo’s log processing script reads log files, importing millions of hits. This removes the need to add code to the site, making it suitable for basic page analytics (like the URL) without client-side scripts, particularly on security-sensitive sites.

  Using the Matomo tracking API (Server-side SDKs)

  This method integrates application code with calls to Matomo’s API. For example, when a user performs a specific action, the server sends a request to Matomo.php, the tracking endpoint, which includes details like the user ID and action. 

  Matomo offers SDKs in PHP, Java C#, and community SDKs to simplify these calls. These allow tracking of not just page views but custom events such as downloads and transactions from the backend, functioning similarly to Google’s Measurement Protocol but sending data to the Matomo instance. 

  Data privacy, regulations and Matomo

  As privacy concerns grow and regulations like GDPR and CCPA become more stringent, businesses must adopt data collection methods that respect user consent and data protection rights. 

  Server-side tracking allows organisations to collect first-party data directly from their servers, which is generally considered more compliant with privacy regulations.

  Matomo is a popular open-source web analytics platform that is committed to privacy. It gives organisations 100% data ownership and control, and no data is sent to third parties by default.

  

  (Image Source) 

  Matomo is a full-featured analytics platform with dashboards and segmentation comparable to Google Analytics. It can self-host and provides DoNotTrack settings and the ability to anonymise IP addresses.

  Governments and organisations requiring data sovereignty, such as the EU Commission and the Swiss government, choose Matomo for web analytics due to its strong compliance posture.

  Balancing data collection and user privacy

  Ad blockers and other restrictions prevent data from being accurate. Server-side tracking helps get data on the server and makes it more reliable while respecting user privacy. Matomo supports server-side tracking, and over one million websites use Matomo to optimise their data strategies. 

  Get started today by trying Matomo for free for 21 days, no credit card required.

• Introducing Crash Analytics for Matomo

  30 août 2023, par Erin — Community, Plugins

  Bugs and development go hand in hand. As code matures, it contends with new browser iterations, clashes with ad blockers and other software quirks, resulting in the inevitable emergence of bugs. In fact, a staggering 13% of all pageviews come with lurking JavaScript errors.

  Monitoring for crashes becomes an unrelenting task. Amidst this never-ending effort to remove bugs, a SurveyMonkey study unveils a shared reality : a resounding 66% of individuals have encountered bug-ridden websites.

  These bugs lead to problems like malfunctioning shopping carts, glitchy checkout procedures and contact forms that just won’t cooperate. But they’re not just minor annoyances – they pose a real danger to your conversion rates and revenue.

  According to a study, 58% of visitors are inclined to abandon purchases as a result of bugs, while an astonishing 75% are driven to completely abandon websites due to these frustrating experiences.

  Imagine a website earning approximately 25,000 EUR per month. Now, factor in errors occurring in 13% of all pageviews. The result ? A potential monthly loss of 1,885 EUR.

  Meet Crash Analytics

  Driven by our vision to create an empowering analytics product, we’re excited to introduce Crash Analytics, an innovative plugin for Matomo On-Premise that automatically tracks bugs on your website.

  

  By offering insights into the precise bug location and the user’s interactions that triggered it, along with details about their device type, browser and more, Crash Analytics empowers you to swiftly address crashes, leading to an improved user experience, higher conversion rates and revenue growth.

  Soon, Crash Analytics will become available to Matomo Cloud users as well, so stay tuned for further updates and announcements.

  Say goodbye to lost revenue – never miss a bug again

  Even if you put your website through the toughest tests, it’s hard to predict every little hiccup that can pop up across different browsers, setups and situations. Factors such as ad blockers, varying internet speeds for visitors and browser updates can add an extra layer of complexity.

  When these crashes happen, you want to know immediately. However, according to a study, only 29% of surveyed respondents would report the existence of the site bug to the website operator. These bugs that go unnoticed can really hurt your bottom line and conversion rates, causing you to lose out on revenue and leaving your users frustrated and disappointed.

  

  Crash Analytics is here to bridge this gap. Armed with scheduled reporting (via email or texts) and automated alert functionalities, you gain the power to instantly detect bugs as they occur on your site. This proactive approach ensures that even the subtlest of issues are brought to your attention promptly. 

  With automated reports and alerts, you can also opt to receive notifications when crashes increase or ignore specific crashes that you deem insignificant. This keeps you in the loop with only the issues that truly matter, helping you cut out the noise and take immediate action.

  

  Easily forward crash data to developers and synchronise the efforts of technical teams and marketing experts. Track emerging, disappearing and recurring errors, ensuring that crash data is efficiently relayed to developers to prioritise fixes that matter.

  

  Plus, your finger is always on the pulse with real-time reports that offer a live view of crashes happening at the moment, an especially helpful feature after deploying changes. Use annotations to mark deploys and correlate them with crash data, enabling you to quickly identify if a new bug is linked to recent updates or modifications.

  

  And with our mobile app, you can effortlessly stay connected to your website’s performance, conveniently accessing crash information anytime and anywhere. This ensures you’re in complete control of your site’s health, even when you’re on the move.

  Streamline bug resolution with combined web and crash analytics

  Crash Analytics for Matomo doesn’t just stop at pinpointing bug locations ; it goes a step further by providing you with a holistic perspective of user interactions. Seamlessly combining Matomo’s traditional and behavioural web analytics features—like segments, session recordings and visitor logs—with crash data, this integrated approach unveils a wealth of insights so you can quickly resolve bugs. 

  For instance, let’s say a user encounters a bug while attempting to complete a purchase on your e-commerce website. Crash Analytics reveals the exact point of failure, but to truly grasp the situation, you delve into the session recordings. These recordings offer a front-row seat to the user’s journey—every click and interaction that led to the bug. Session recordings are especially helpful when you are struggling to reproduce an issue.

  

  Additionally, the combination of visitor logs with crash data offers a comprehensive timeline of a user’s engagement. This helps you understand their activity leading up to the bug, such as pages visited, actions taken and devices used. Armed with these multifaceted insights, you can confidently pinpoint the root causes and address the crash immediately.

  With segments, you have the ability to dissect the data and compare experiences among distinct user groups. For example, you can compare mobile visitors to desktop visitors to determine if the issue is isolated or widespread and what impact the issue is having on the user experience of different user groups. 

  The combination of crash data with Matomo’s comprehensive web analytics equips you with the tools needed to elevate user experiences and ultimately drive revenue growth.

  Start in seconds, shape as needed : Your path to a 100% reliable website

  Crash Analytics makes the path to a reliable website simple. You don’t have to deal with intricate setups—crash detection starts without any configuration. 

  Plus, Crash Analytics excels in cross-stack proficiency, seamlessly extending its capabilities beyond automatically tracking JavaScript errors to covering server-side crashes as well, whether they occur in PHP, Android, iOS, Java or other frameworks. This versatile approach ensures that Crash Analytics comprehensively supports your website’s health and performance across various technological landscapes.

  Elevate your website with Crash Analytics

  Experience the seamless convergence of bug tracking and web analytics, allowing you to delve into user interactions, session recordings and visitor logs. With the flexibility of customising real-time alerts and scheduled reports, alongside cross-stack proficiency, Crash Analytics becomes your trusted ally in enhancing your website’s reliability and user satisfaction to increase conversions and drive revenue growth. Equip yourself to swiftly address issues and create a website where user experiences take precedence.

  Start your 30-day free trial of our Crash Analytics plugin today, and stay tuned for its availability on Matomo Cloud.

• Segmentation Analytics : How to Leverage It on Your Site

  27 octobre 2023, par Erin — Analytics Tips

  The deeper you go with your customer analytics, the better your insights will be.

  The result ? Your marketing performance soars to new heights.

  Customer segmentation is one of the best ways businesses can align their marketing strategies with an effective output to generate better results. Marketers know that targeting the right people is one of the most important aspects of connecting with and converting web visitors into customers.

  By diving into customer segmentation analytics, you’ll be able to transform your loosely defined and abstract audience into tangible, understandable segments, so you can serve them better.

  In this guide, we’ll break down customer segmentation analytics, the different types, and how you can delve into these analytics on your website to grow your business.

  What is customer segmentation ?

  Before we dive into customer segmentation analytics, let’s take a step back and look at customer segmentation in general. 

  Customer segmentation is the process of dividing your customers up into different groups based on specific characteristics.

  These groups could be based on demographics like age or location or behaviours like recent purchases or website visits. 

  By splitting your audience into different segments, your marketing team will be able to craft highly targeted and relevant marketing campaigns that are more likely to convert.

  Additionally, customer segmentation allows businesses to gain new insights into their audience. For example, by diving deep into different segments, marketers can uncover pain points and desires, leading to increased conversion rates and return on investment.

  But, to grasp the different customer segments, organisations need to know how to collect, digest and interpret the data for usable insights to improve their business. That’s where segmentation analytics comes in.

  What is customer segmentation analytics ?

  Customer segmentation analytics splits customers into different groups within your analytics software to create more detailed customer data and improve targeting.

  

  With customer segmentation, you’re splitting your customers into different groups. With customer segmentation analytics, you’re doing this all within your analytics platform so you can understand them better.

  One example of splitting your customers up is by country. For example, let’s say you have a global customer base. So, you go into your analytics software and find that 90% of your website visitors come from five countries : the UK, the US, Australia, Germany and Japan.

  In this area, you could then create customer segmentation subsets based on these five countries. Moving forward, you could then hop into your analytics tool at any point in time and analyse the segments by country. 

  For example, if you wanted to see how well your recent marketing campaign impacted your Japanese customers, you could look at your Japanese subset within your analytics and dive into the data.

  The primary goal of customer segmentation analytics is to gather actionable data points to give you an in-depth understanding of your customers. By gathering data on your different audience segments, you’ll discover insights on your customers that you can use to optimise your website, marketing campaigns, mobile apps, product offerings and overall customer experience.

  Rather than lumping your entire customer base into a single mass, customer segmentation analytics allows you to meet even more specific and relevant needs and pain points of your customers to serve them better.

  By allowing you to “zoom in” on your audience, segmentation analytics helps you offer more value to your customers, giving you a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

  5 types of segmentation

  There are dozens of different ways to split up your customers into segments. The one you choose depends on your goals and marketing efforts. Each type of segmentation offers a different view of your customers so you can better understand their specific needs to reach them more effectively.

  While you can segment your customers in almost endless ways, five common types the majority fall under are :

  

  Geographic

  Another way to segment is by geography.

  This is important because you could have drastically different interests, pain points and desires based on where you live.

  If you’re running a global e-commerce website that sells a variety of clothing products, geographic segmentation can play a crucial role in optimising your website.

  For instance, you may observe that a significant portion of your website visitors are from countries in the Southern Hemisphere, where it’s currently summer. On the other hand, visitors from the Northern Hemisphere are experiencing winter. Utilising this information, you can tailor your marketing strategy and website accordingly to increase sells.

  Where someone comes from can significantly impact how they will respond to your messaging, brand and offer.

  Geographic segmentation typically includes the following subtypes :

  • Cities (i.e., Austin, Paris, Berlin, etc.)
  • State (i.e., Massachusetts)
  • Country (i.e., Thailand)

  Psychographic

  Another key segmentation type of psychographic. This is where you split your customers into different groups based on their lifestyles.

  Psychographic segmentation is a method of dividing your customers based on their habits, attitudes, values and opinions. You can unlock key emotional elements that impact your customers’ purchasing behaviours through this segmentation type.

  Psychographic segmentation typically includes the following subtypes :

  • Values
  • Habits
  • Opinions

  Behavioural

  While psychographic segmentation looks at your customers’ overall lifestyle and habits, behavioural segmentation aims to dive into the specific individual actions they take daily, especially when interacting with your brand or your website.

  Your customers won’t all interact with your brand the same way. They’ll act differently when interacting with your products and services for several reasons. 

  Behavioural segmentation can help reveal certain use cases, like why customers buy a certain product, how often they buy it, where they buy it and how they use it.

  By unpacking these key details about your audience’s behaviour, you can optimise your campaigns and messaging to get the most out of your marketing efforts to reach new and existing customers.

  Behavioural segmentation typically includes the following subtypes :

  • Interactions
  • Interests
  • Desires

  Technographic

  Another common segmentation type is technographic segmentation. As the name suggests, this technologically driven segment seeks to understand how your customers use technology.

  While this is one of the newest segmentation types marketers use, it’s a powerful method to help you understand the types of tech your customers use, how often they use it and the specific ways they use it.

  Technographic segmentation typically includes the following subtypes :

  • Smartphone type
  • Device type : smartphone, desktop, tablet
  • Apps
  • Video games

  Demographic

  The most common approach to segmentation is to split your customers up by demographics. 

  Demographic segmentation typically includes subtypes like language, job title, age or education.

  This can be helpful for tailoring your content, products, and marketing efforts to specific audience segments. One way to capture this information is by using web analytics tools, where language is often available as a data point.

  However, for accurate insights into other demographic segments like job titles, which may not be available (or accurate) in analytics tools, you may need to implement surveys or add fields to forms on your website to gather this specific information directly from your visitors.

  How to build website segmentation analytics

  With Matomo, you can create a variety of segments to divide your website visitors into different groups. Matomo’s Segments allows you to view segmentation analytics on subsets of your audience, like :

  • The device they used while visiting your site
  • What channel they entered your site from
  • What country they are located
  • Whether or not they visited a key page of your website
  • And more

  While it’s important to collect general data on every visitor you have to your website, a key to website growth is understanding each type of visitor you have.

  For example, here’s a screenshot of how you can segment all of your website’s visitors from New Zealand :

  

  The criteria you use to define these segments are based on the data collected within your web analytics platform.

  Here are some popular ways you can create some common themes on Matomo that can be used to create segments :

  Visit based segments

  Create segments in Matomo based on visitors’ patterns. 

  For example :

  • Do returning visitors show different traits than first-time visitors ?
  • Do people who arrive on your blog experience your website differently than those arriving on a landing page ?

  This information can inform your content strategy, user interface design and marketing efforts.

  Demographic segments

  Create segments in Matomo based on people’s demographics. 

  For example :

  • User’s browser language
  • Location

  This can enable you to tailor your approach to specific demographics, improving the performance of your marketing campaigns.

  Technographic segments

  Create segments in Matomo based on people’s technographics. 

  For example :

  • Web browser being used (i.e., Chrome, Safari, Firefox, etc.)
  • Device type (i.e., smartphone, tablet, desktop)

  This can inform how to optimise your website based on users’ technology preferences, enhancing the effectiveness of your website.

  Interaction based segments

  Create segments in Matomo based on interactions. 

  For example :

  • Events (i.e., when someone clicks a specific URL on your website)
  • Goals (i.e., when someone stays on your site for a certain period)

  Insights from this can empower you to fine-tune your content and user experience for increasing conversion rates.

  

  Campaign-based segments

  Create segments in Matomo based on campaigns. 

  For example :

  • Visitors arriving from specific traffic sources
  • Visitors arriving from specific advertising campaigns

  With these insights, you can assess the performance of your marketing efforts, optimise your ad spend and make data-driven decisions to enhance your campaigns for better results.

  Ecommerce segments

  Create segments in Matomo based on ecommerce. 

  For example :

  • Visitors who purchased vs. those who didn’t
  • Visitors who purchased a specific product

  This allows you to refine your website and marketing strategy for increased conversions and revenue.

  Leverage Matomo for your segmentation analytics

  By now, you can see the power of segmentation analytics and how they can be used to understand your customers and website visitors better. By breaking down your audience into groups, you’ll be able to gain insights into those segments to know how to serve them better with improved messaging and relevant products.

  If you’re ready to begin using segmentation analytics on your website, try Matomo. Start your 21-day free trial now — no credit card required.

  Matomo is an ideal choice for marketers looking for an easy-to-use, out-of-the-box web analytics solution that delivers accurate insights while keeping privacy and compliance at the forefront.