After more than a decade as the industry’s go-to solution, Universal Analytics was fully replaced by Google Analytics 4 (GA4) in 2023.
Although both tools come from Google, they differ in fundamental ways: Universal Analytics is page-based, while GA4 uses an event-based tracking model.
What are the benefits of tracking without third-party cookies for GA4?
Unlike Universal Analytics, the anonymization of personal data, specifically IP addresses, is enabled by default in GA4. However, to apply this automatic anonymization, Google must first receive and process the data. This means the data is at least temporarily stored by Google, causing anonymization to happen too late. As a result, this setup is only GDPR-compliant if an active EU–US data protection agreement is in place, namely the Data Privacy Framework, which has been in effect since 2023.
For long-term legal certainty, a solution is required that ensures personal data can be pseudonymized before it is transmitted to Google. This is where server-side tracking technology comes into play.
The most important solutions for third-party cookieless tracking
First-party data collection enables companies to collect user data directly through interactions on their own platforms. This reduces dependence on third-party cookies while maintaining consent and trust.
Fingerprinting captures various device and browser characteristics to create a unique identifier for tracking users. This method is highly controversial due to privacy concerns, and modern browsers are increasingly able to circumvent it.
Universal IDs are created through collaboration between industry players who build shared identifiers based on authenticated user data, aiming to enable consistent tracking across platforms.
Contextual targeting displays ads based on the content of a webpage rather than on user behavior. This revives an older, more privacy-friendly advertising approach.
Server-side tracking collects and processes data on the server side instead of relying on browser cookies, reducing exposure to browser-based tracking restrictions.
GA4 with third-party cookieless tracking
Server-side tracking provides the most powerful and future-proof way to collect first-party data without third-party cookies and activate it on performance platforms. With server-side tracking, GA4 receives more complete and accurate data because the technology is largely unaffected by ad blockers and browser tracking prevention mechanisms.
The JENTIS Data Capture Platform is an all-in-one solution for server-side tracking with managed hosting and comprehensive compliance functionality.
JENTIS implements a generic data structure that can be used across tools and data models. JENTIS handles the translation, while variables can be adjusted, mapped, and anonymized. This keeps organizations independent of specific tools and versions.
Easy switch to GA4 without third-party cookies
When websites migrate to GA4 using JENTIS server-side tracking, there is no need to push new data into the data layer or modify frontend applications. JENTIS automatically manages the transition of events and data structures. This makes historical data usable for GA4 and any other tool, regardless of future changes.
After implementing server-side tracking with JENTIS, a parallel setup of the existing and new GA4 property is created. This parallel phase provides enough time to fine-tune tracking and ensure that data flows smoothly. The resulting data enables precise measurement of marketing activities and more effective control of advertising campaigns.
