Server-side tracking with Matomo: when it pays off

Server-side tracking sounds like the next mandatory step. For some websites it is, for many it is not. Here is a sober look at what it brings, what it costs and how to tell whether it pays off for you.

What changes

With classic tracking the browser sends every measurement directly to Matomo. With server-side tracking, measurements come from a server: from your back end, from an app or from a server-side platform such as the server-side Google Tag Manager or JENTIS, which receives data, processes it and passes it on.

When it pays off

• Events only the server knows about. Incoming payments, cancellations, signed contracts or the switch from a trial to a paid plan. The browser often never learns about them.
• Several recipients. If Matomo, Google Ads, Meta and LinkedIn should all receive the same conversions, one central place keeps track of who gets which data.
• Apps and your own applications. For back ends, apps and your own software, Matomo offers the Tracking API and SDKs, for example for PHP, Java, iOS and Android.
• Fewer scripts in the browser. Every ad tag less on the website is one source of errors and one data leak less.
• Data from other sources. Server logs, Search Console or your own systems reach Matomo through imports and pipelines.

When it rather does not

• Simple websites. If you measure pageviews and a few goals and do not feed any ad platforms, you do not need server-side tracking. Matomo’s tracking code is enough.
• As a way around consent. Server-side tracking does not change whether consent is needed. What matters is which data is processed and where it goes, not where the code runs.
• Without someone to look after it. A server that receives data needs updates, monitoring and someone who notices when something fails.

Three routes for Matomo

1. Directly via the Tracking API. Your back end reports events to Matomo, for example via the PHP tracker or an SDK. This is the leanest route if Matomo is the only recipient.
2. Via a server-side platform. The server-side Google Tag Manager, self-hosted or hosted at Stape, or JENTIS receive data and distribute it to Matomo and ad platforms. This pays off with several recipients.
3. From Matomo to ad platforms. Goals and orders that Matomo measures anyway are sent server-side to Google Ads, Meta or LinkedIn, without an ad tag on the website. That is what the Conversions API plugin from feinwerk.io does.

What matters in practice

• Hit the right visit. For a server event to belong to the right visit, the browser passes on Matomo’s visitor ID, or you use your own user ID without real names.
• Do not count twice. If the browser measures an order and the server measures the same one, it counts twice. Unique order numbers and a clear rule on who measures what prevent that.
• Take over IP address and device. Without further details, Matomo sees the server’s IP address and browser, so location and device are wrong. The Tracking API can take both over from the visit (parameters cip and ua, cip only with a token). Matomo’s IP shortening then applies as usual.
• Compare and monitor. In the first weeks, browser and server measurement run in parallel and are compared. After that, monitoring alerts you when data stops arriving.

Conclusion

Server-side tracking pays off when important events are only known to the server or several platforms need the same data. For a simple website it is effort without return. Which route suits you depends on your goals and systems. More under Server-side tracking.