How Postback Tracking Secures Your Conversions When Pixels & Cookies Fail

Third-party cookies are disappearing, whether you like it or not, making pixel tracking increasingly unreliable. Server-to-server tracking through postback URLs offers a robust alternative that maintains accuracy even in a cookieless world, delivering complete conversion data regardless of browser restrictions.

According to Statista, Safari's intelligent tracking prevention and Firefox's enhanced tracking protection now block third-party cookies by default, affecting millions of users worldwide.

However, there's a solution that bypasses these limitations entirely. Postback tracking provides accurate measurement regardless of browser settings or user privacy choices. While implementation requires technical expertise, the benefits far outweigh the complexity for serious advertisers. And we’re here to help you make that happen.

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Introduction to Postback Tracking

Postback tracking is a powerful server-to-server tracking method that allows advertisers to track conversions and collect data without relying on browser cookies or client-side scripts.

Unlike traditional tracking methods that depend on the user’s browser, postback tracking sends conversion data directly from one server to another. This direct server tracking approach ensures that every conversion is recorded accurately, even when ad blockers or browser restrictions prevent them.

As browser cookies become less reliable and client side tracking methods face increasing challenges, postback tracking comes to the rescue. By removing the dependency on the user’s browser, this tracking method enables advertisers to track conversions seamlessly, regardless of the device or browser being used.

Whether a user is browsing on mobile or desktop, or has strict privacy settings enabled, server to server tracking ensures that valuable conversion data is still collected and attributed correctly. With one server communicating directly with another, advertisers can trust that their tracking is accurate and resilient against the limitations of client side tracking.

What Is Server-to-Server Tracking?

S2s tracking enables precise measurement of online campaign success by facilitating direct communication between servers, eliminating reliance on user browsers or devices.

Tracking often begins when a user clicks on an ad, which generates a tracking link containing a unique id. This method allows accurate conversion attribution through postback url tracking, where conversion data flows directly between backend systems of apps, websites, analytics platforms, and DSPs.

When users interact with ads, make purchases, or complete forms, the advertiser’s server generates unique identifiers for each action. These identifiers are transmitted to publisher servers through HTTP requests via postback URLs.

Ad networks send postback requests to notify publishers of conversions and campaign performance. The receiving server processes this data and connects it to user actions, creating a complete conversion picture.

“Based on Epom observations, clients switching to s2s tracking typically see a 15-25% increase in recorded conversions compared to pixel-only implementations,” notes our support team.

How Server-Side Tracking Works

In what is server to server tracking, all conversion data collection, storage, and exchange occurs on application and website backends. Backend servers execute specialized scripts for data gathering, then exchange information using postback URLs for seamless inter-platform communication.

Server logs can be used for basic tracking, but they have limitations when it comes to analyzing detailed user behavior.

Understanding how to set up server side tracking is like organizing an exclusive party with a secret communication network. Every guest arrival (ad click) gets recorded by your invisible coordinator (server), who immediately sends encrypted messages (postback URLs) containing detailed attendance information.

In modern server-side tracking, a server container, such as the one in Google Tag Manager, is often used to manage and process data securely. Many setups use Google Cloud or Google Cloud Platform to process and forward user data securely, improving privacy compliance and tracking accuracy.

The server container is responsible for handling data and sending data to the appropriate analytics or marketing platforms. This covert operation ensures complete guest tracking without anyone knowing they’re being monitored, and the data collected through server-to-server tracking is more accurate and secure than traditional methods.

What Is a Postback URL?

A postback URL is a dynamically generated link created by software requiring conversion information from websites or applications. Various platforms generate these URLs, including programmatic advertising platforms, ad servers, data management platforms, analytics tools, and other advertising ecosystem components.

These systems often require you to select a target platform during setup, ensuring the configuration matches the intended server environment. Postback URLs also facilitate integration across different platforms for unified conversion tracking.

Each platform creates unique postback URLs containing macros or placeholders for required data points. Backend servers receive these URLs, identify the macros, replace placeholders with actual conversion data, and return completed links.

Affiliate links are often integrated with postback URLs to verify conversions in affiliate marketing campaigns. The advertiser's site plays a key role in validating conversion events through postback URLs. This process enables real-time data exchange between different advertising technologies.

Why S2S Takes the Edge Over Pixels

Pixel-based tracking depends entirely on user browsers and devices, making it vulnerable to technical issues and privacy restrictions. The key difference between client side tagging and server-to-server tracking is where the data collection occurs.

Client side tagging involves placing tags directly on the webpage that send data from the user's browser to analytics servers, while server-to-server communication operates independently of these limitations, ensuring consistent data flow regardless of user-side configurations. This fundamental difference eliminates ad discrepancy issues that plague traditional tracking methods.

Benefit #1: The Invisible Hero Overcoming Ad Blockers

Postback tracking operates like a stealth system, completely invisible to ad blockers and browser privacy settings. While traditional pixels get blocked or disabled, server-to-server communication flows uninterrupted through backend channels. Your campaigns maintain accurate measurement and attribution regardless of user-installed blocking software or browser privacy configurations.

Benefit #2: The Accuracy Avenger Striking the Bullseye

Picture a marksman superhero, wielding a bow and arrow with impeccable precision, hitting the bullseye every time. S2S tracking possesses a similar accuracy superpower, eliminating the guesswork and delivering spot-on data.

By transmitting data directly between servers, it bypasses the pitfalls of browser-based tracking, reducing the chances of data loss or discrepancies. With S2S tracking as your ally, you'll always hit the mark when measuring campaign performance.

Benefit #3: The Affiliate Wizard Empowering Partnerships

In affiliate marketing, postback url tracking ensures fair compensation through accurate conversion attribution. Like a trusted mediator, s2s tracking guarantees precise tracking and payout calculations, strengthening partnership relationships through transparent, reliable data exchange.

Consider scenarios where pixel tracking fails but server-to-server tracking succeeds:

• Safari/Firefox users: Default third-party cookie blocking prevents pixel firing, but postback tracking continues unaffected
• JavaScript errors: Page loading issues that break pixel code don’t impact server-side communication
• Server overload: While busy servers might miss pixel calls, postback URLs include retry mechanisms ensuring data delivery
• Site owner restrictions: Publishers refusing pixel implementation due to performance concerns still allow server-side integration
• iOS mobile apps: Apple’s privacy restrictions block pixel tracking but permit postback url tracking

Research indicates pixel tracking accuracy issues can underreport up to 20% of conversions due to these technical limitations. Yet server to server conversion tracking remains unaffected by any of these scenarios, maintaining excellent measurement accuracy even after Google Chrome phases out third-party cookies completely.

Setting Up Postback Tracking

Let’s say you run programmatic ads with Epom DSP and use conversion tracking software to orchestrate data collected from your site or app. To optimize your ad campaigns, you want these tools to communicate server to server. So, you’ll have:

• A sending server on the backend of your tracking tool
• A receiving server on the backend of your Epom DSP

In general, the scheme works like this: you take the Postback URL from the Epom, paste it into your tracker (which is mandatory to have), and add macros to the postback placeholders of your tracker.

By connecting two platforms, you can implement media buying optimization. You'll see conversion data in the Epom DSP analytics dashboard. Additionally, you can use this data in Epom DSP Bidding Autopilot to optimize your campaign’s CPA automatically.

According to Epom specialists, the most common implementation mistake involves incorrect macro configuration, which can be avoided through proper testing and validation procedures.

Contextual Data In Postback URLs

The list of available macros can be long and vary by platform. In Epom DSP, for example, you can select from over 50 macros to transmit the details about user devices, ad placements, bid prices, etc. to your third-party tracker.

You can use $!{source} macro to indicate SSP, $!{bid} macro to capture the bid price, $!{app} or $!{site} macros to indicate where the conversion came from, and many more.

Most macros are optional. However, there is a mandatory macro to include in the link to score conversions in Epom DSP. This is the $!{tid} macro. For conversion tracking to work properly, you have to send a unique click ID (or transaction id) from the Epom DSP to your tracking tool.

For this, you need to add the macro $!{tid} to the Target URL, for example:

http://www.test.com/home/?subid=$!{tid}

After the user taps on the ad, they are redirected to the advertiser's landing page, and the unique id of this action is generated.

Here is an example of an advertised link with the real value:

http://www.test.com/home/?subid=129nqrmn9scsy18jgmqw3iaaxs

The parameter value is generated dynamically and differs for each unique transition.

The name of the parameter (subid) could be any – for example, sub, sub1, sub_id, sid, etc. It's set and managed by your tracking platform.

The value of the subid must be saved on your tracking platform side and passed back to Epom DSP using a postback URL. An example of the postback URL (you should take a unique postback URL from your DSP account):

https://track-bid.com/tracking/action.json?token={tid}&event=0&price={price}

where {tid} is an example of the macro that will transmit each unique transaction ID generating a conversion to the Epom DSP. In your particular case, the working macro should be taken from your tracking system.

So an example of the final postback URL that should be transmitted to the Epom DSP using our last tid value is the following:

https://track-bid.com/tracking/action.json?token=129nqrmn9scsy18jgmqw3iaaxs&event=0&price={price}

Optionally you can pass back the conversion price so that Epom DSP can calculate your revenue in the analytics. For this, you need to replace {price} with the macro of your tracking system that will send the actual CPA to Epom DSP.

Similarly you can track two additional events – for example, installation plus registration and purchase) for more detailed optimization inside Epom DSP analytics. For this purpose you can use event=1 and event=2 macro. Here is an example:

https://track-bid.com/tracking/action.json?token={tid}&event=1&price={price}

https://track-bid.com/tracking/action.json?token={tid}&event=2&price={price}

Marketing Tools and Postback Tracking

Modern marketing tools have evolved to support advanced tracking needs, and postback tracking is no exception. Platforms like Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics now offer pretty powerful server-side tracking capabilities, making it easier than ever for advertisers to collect data and track conversions without relying on browser cookies.

Google Tag Manager, for example, features a server-side container that allows marketers to move their tracking logic from the user’s browser to a secure server environment. This server side setup not only improves data accuracy but also helps bypass issues caused by browser restrictions and ad blockers. By leveraging server side tracking, advertisers can ensure that their conversion data is collected reliably, even when client side methods fall short.

Similarly, Google Analytics provides APIs and tracking codes that can be integrated with postback tracking systems. These marketing tools enable advertisers to streamline their tracking processes, gain deeper insights into user behavior, and optimize their campaigns for better results.

Benefits of Server-to-Server Tracking Wrapped Up

Implementing postback tracking delivers the most accurate and complete conversion data available from advertising campaigns. Server-to-server tracking delivers the most accurate data for conversion measurement, overcoming limitations of client-side methods. This tracking methodology proves reliable through several key benefits:

1. Direct Conversion Events: Server-to-server tracking captures and reports conversion events directly from servers, eliminating discrepancies from ad blockers, cookie deletion, or cross-device tracking challenges. This approach provides comprehensive, accurate conversion metrics.
2. Fault Resilience: Conversion data storage on servers rather than user browsers prevents data loss. Sending servers implement retry mechanisms, repeatedly calling receiving servers until successful data transmission, preventing loss due to server overload or downtime.
3. Fraud Prevention: Unique transaction IDs for every conversion make server-to-server tracking fraud-resistant. The system prevents duplicate conversion counting through built-in validation mechanisms.
4. Enhanced Data Security: Sensitive data encryption capabilities for server-side collection and exchange ensure information remains secure throughout the tracking process, providing peace of mind for privacy-conscious advertisers.
5. Universal Compliance: Regardless of operating system or device privacy policies, all platforms support postback url tracking. Conversions can be tracked across virtually any website and application, though available data scope may vary.
6. Server Side Tagging: Server side tagging provides greater flexibility and control over tracking implementation, allowing for advanced data collection, improved privacy, and better performance.
7. Improved Data Control: Server-to-server tracking gives advertisers improved data control, ensuring better security, compliance, and authority over shared data for targeted advertising and campaign outcomes.

Only server-to-server tracking achieves conversion measurement accuracy approaching 100%. This capability proves especially valuable for media buyers managing affiliate offers and in-app advertising campaigns.

Even if you don’t currently fall into these categories, now represents the ideal time to master this technology. The cookieless future is approaching rapidly, and eventually, all advertisers must transition from cookie-based tracking to viable alternatives. Epom stands ready to help you prepare for this inevitable shift.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is postback tracking and how does it differ from pixel tracking?

  Postback tracking uses server-to-server communication to transmit conversion data directly between backend systems, while pixel tracking relies on browser-based code execution. This fundamental difference makes postback tracking immune to ad blockers, cookie restrictions, and browser privacy settings that commonly affect pixel implementations.

• How accurate is server-to-server tracking compared to traditional methods?

  Server-to-server tracking achieves near 100% accuracy because it operates independently of user browsers and devices. Traditional pixel tracking can underreport conversions by up to 20% due to ad blockers, JavaScript errors, cookie blocking, and other browser-related issues.

• Is postback URL tracking compliant with privacy regulations?

  Yes, postback tracking is fully compliant with privacy regulations including GDPR, CCPA, and other data protection laws. Since it operates through server-side communication without relying on user cookies or browser storage, it respects user privacy preferences while maintaining tracking functionality.

• Can postback tracking work with mobile apps?

  Absolutely. Postback url tracking works excellently with mobile applications, especially iOS apps where Apple's privacy restrictions limit pixel tracking effectiveness. Server-to-server communication operates independently of mobile operating system limitations.

• How long does it take to set up server-to-server tracking?

  Setup time varies depending on technical complexity and platform integration requirements. Simple implementations can be completed within a few hours, while complex multi-platform setups may require several days of development and testing.

• Can I use postback tracking alongside existing pixel tracking?

  Yes, many advertisers implement hybrid tracking approaches using both methods during transition periods. This allows data comparison and gradual migration to server-side tracking while maintaining existing pixel implementations.