Even though server-side tracking is an alternative to classic client-side tracking, this solution also has its limits when the user does not accept first-party cookies, i.e. cookies that originate from the website server.
Icon IP tracking
Another variant of tracking, which is less problematic from a data protection perspective, uses the IP address of the website visitors. IP tracking is normally used to adapt content based on the location of the website visitors. However, IP tracking can also be used to identify which companies have visited a particular website. This simply requires comparing the IP address with the database of an IP registrar. The big advantage: no cookies are necessary for this variant of tracking (see also Turning website visitors into leads and customers ).
Icon phone tracking
There are various options available for telephone tracking. With the Australia Phone Number Resource callback option, the user can enter a telephone number on the company's website that they would like to be called back on. As soon as this has been done, the system automatically establishes a connection. At the same time, a cookie is stored on the user's computer, which can later be used to identify which advertising measure led to the successful contact. The disadvantage of this option is that it requires cookies.
In our opinion, a server-based telephone tracking solution has proven to be the most effective. Companies use specific service numbers for this. A server automatically assigns the visitor a telephone number, which is displayed on the website. If a customer calls such a number, this can be recorded on the intermediary server. By combining different advertising campaigns with different service numbers, effective and data protection-compliant tracking is possible (see also SEA and SEO: B2B Best Practices - Call Tracking ).
Marketing without cookies Conclusion
Even in times without cookies and with high data protection requirements, it is still possible to tap into data sources for agile marketing. There are various alternatives available, such as CRM tracking, IP tracking and telephone tracking. Which alternative is the most suitable in each case depends on the respective company and its environment.
