First-party tracking: What is it and how to collect it using Google tools?

With privacy regulations becoming more widespread and more strict, and third-party cookies becoming obsolete, businesses are being forced to rethink how they collect data. For years, companies have leaned heavily on third-party tracking to understand user behavior, but that approach is no longer sustainable.

Browsers like Safari and Firefox already block third-party cookies. And regulators continue to scrutinize data-sharing practices. Companies are left with a clear next step: first-party tracking.

First-party cookie tracking gives you direct control over the data collected on your website or app. Instead of depending on external vendors, your company can gather data through your own systems, under your own domain. 

This approach is more privacy-resilient, often more accurate, and increasingly important for achieving compliance with global privacy laws.

What is a first-party tracking and data collection?

First-party tracking refers to the process of collecting data directly from users through your own website or app with your own domains and technologies. Unlike third-party tracking, which relies on scripts from external providers, first-party cookie tracking operates within your organization’s control.

First-party data collected includes: 

• Information users actively provide, like names or email addresses
• Behavioral data captured passively, like page views or time spent on your site

Importantly, first-party tracking better aligns with privacy regulations and frameworks like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the ePrivacy Directive, because it gives companies more clarity on how data is sourced and used. 

As more browsers, plugins, and other tools enable default blocking of third-party cookies, first-party tracking becomes not just a best practice, but a necessity.

Examples of first-party data 

First-party data is any information you collect directly from users while they interact with your digital products. Common types include:

• Form submissions: names, email addresses, company details, or preferences collected when users sign up or fill out a form
• Website behavior: what pages users visit, how long they stay, what they click on, and how they navigate through your site
• Purchase history: transactions, subscriptions, product views, and cart activity
• Support interactions: messages submitted through contact forms or support chats
• Cookie data stored under your own domain: preferences, login status, or session data
• Device information: like what browser version is in use, language settings, or screen resolution, collected through analytics tools running on your site

Because all of this data originates from direct interactions, it tends to be more reliable and actionable than third-party data. It can also reflect a higher level of user trust, as long as choices are properly communicated and consent is managed.

How to implement first-party tracking?

Implementing first-party tracking involves both strategic planning and technical setup. The goal is to collect useful behavioral and user data directly through your own digital properties while maintaining clarity on what is being tracked, why, and how that data will be used.

Identify your data collection goals

Begin by clarifying the insights you need. Whether you’re aiming to improve site navigation, evaluate campaign performance, or tailor user experiences, having clear goals will help you collect only the data that’s relevant and necessary.

Choose the right tools

Select analytics and marketing platforms that support first-party tracking, such as Google Analytics 4 (GA4) or Adobe Analytics. These tools use first-party cookies and scripts to collect data directly from your website.

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Consider using a consent management platform (CMP)

While a consent management platform is not strictly necessary for implementing first-party tracking, it can greatly simplify meeting compliance requirements for privacy regulations like the GDPR and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). 

A CMP helps you provide users with required information, manage user consent, prevent tracking when permission is not granted, and provide users with an easy way to update their preferences.

Set up first-party cookies and tracking scripts

Once you have the right permissions in place, you can install tracking scripts. These scripts create first-party tracking cookies that store information under your own domain, giving you greater control over the data and helping you maintain privacy standards.

Collect data through forms and on-site interactions

In addition to cookies, you can gather first-party data through forms, registrations, surveys, and transactions. Focus on collecting only what you need to support your defined goals, and make it clear to users how you will use their data. 

You can do this by displaying clear cookie banners that explain your data collection practices and by providing a detailed and up-to-date privacy policy.

Integrate and segment your data

Centralize the data you collect in a customer relationship management (CRM) system or customer data platform (CDP). Doing so enables you to build consistent user profiles and segment audiences more effectively.

Monitor, test, and optimize

Regularly review your tracking setup to keep data accurate and aligned with your goals. As your site evolves, test new events and adjust configurations to improve performance and maintain relevance.

How to use first-party data?

Once collected, first-party data becomes a powerful resource across departments like marketing and product development. Because it originates from direct interactions with your users, it’s more likely to be reliable and privacy-compliant if it’s collected transparently and lawfully.

Here are a few ways you can use first-party tracking and data to your advantage.

Personalize the user experience

Use behavioral data to tailor website content, product recommendations, and messaging. For example, returning visitors could be shown personalized offers or suggested content based on their previous interactions. Improving relevance increases the likelihood of engagement.

Improve marketing performance

First-party data enables you to refine targeting in email campaigns, ad audiences, and remarketing strategies. Instead of relying on third-party data or broad assumptions, you can use accurate behavioral signals, such as visited pages, download history, or form submissions, to reach the right segments with relevant messages.

Strengthen audience segmentation

By organizing first-party data into meaningful audience groups, such as frequent buyers, cart abandoners, or high-value customers, you can better align your marketing actions with each segment’s specific behaviors or interests. Your campaigns will be more targeted and measurable as a result.

Support analytics and business decisions

First-party data provides a clearer picture of how users engage with your content, features, and funnels. You can analyze the impact of design changes, test hypotheses, and monitor behavior over time to make more informed product and marketing decisions.

Prioritize compliance and transparency

Using first-party data responsibly supports compliance with global privacy laws. It enables you to provide clear documentation of what data is collected, for what purpose, and how users can manage or revoke consent.

First-party analytics tools

To collect and work with first-party data effectively, you need to select the right tools. There are several kinds that can help gather behavioral and interaction data directly from your digital properties and turn it into actionable insights.

The right stack depends on your organization’s structure and objectives. However, the core principle remains: each tool should help you stay in control of your data, collect and process it compliantly, and enable you to earn your users’ trust.

Web analytics platforms

Tools like Google Analytics 4 are built to work with first-party data. These platforms use first-party cookies and script-based tracking to monitor user behavior like clicks, page views, and navigation flows. GA4’s event-based model offers more flexibility compared to session-based tracking, making it easier to align data collection with your business goals.

Customer data platforms (CDPs)

CDPs serve as a central hub for first-party data, enabling you to aggregate and normalize data collected across multiple touchpoints: web, mobile, email, and offline. You can build unified user profiles that support audience segmentation, personalization, and reporting.

Tag management systems

Tag managers like Google Tag Manager simplify the deployment and management of analytics tags, pixels, and scripts. They help marketing and development teams to work together efficiently without hard-coding updates into the site.

Data visualization solutions

While analytics tools collect the data, reporting tools help make sense of it. Dashboards and automated reports can surface performance trends, highlight drop-off points, and track KPIs without requiring you to dig through raw data.

First-party tracking with Google

Google is one of the largest providers of both measurement tools and ad tech. Understanding how its tools enable you to adapt to a cookieless world is important for all parties.

Google has introduced a range of features across its products that support first-party tracking by default, like Google Analytics 4, Google Tag Manager, and Google Ads. These tools are designed to help businesses continue measuring user behavior and running ad campaigns while relying on data collected directly through their own websites.

If you’re using these tools, it’s important to understand how Google defines first-party tracking, what it requires from your setup, and how consent factors in.

What is Google’s first-party mode?

Google’s “first-party mode” refers to using its services in a way that stores cookies and collects data under your own domain rather than through third-party scripts or cross-site trackers. 

In practical terms, this means that cookies set by Google Analytics or other Google services are tagged as first party, so they’re less likely to be blocked by browsers and are more aligned with privacy regulations’ requirements.

When you configure Google Analytics 4 through your own domain, it places cookies like _ga — a specific cookie used by Google Analytics — as a first-party. These cookies are tied to your domain and collect behavioral data that stays within your organization’s control. This approach offers a more privacy-conscious and durable way to continue measuring user activity.

Google’s use of first-party data

Google enables advertisers and site owners to activate first-party data within its advertising and measurement platforms.

For example, first-party data collected through your website, such as from form fills or purchase history, can be used to build remarketing lists, define audience segments, and feed into conversion tracking.

Because this data is collected directly from users and tied to their interactions on your site, it tends to be more reliable and compliant than third-party alternatives.

However, activating it still requires care. You’ll need valid consent, data minimization, and transparent user communications. Google’s tools integrate with CMPs to help ensure that tracking respects user choices.

Google Tag Manager and first-party mode

Google Tag Manager (GTM) is a key tool for managing first-party tracking at scale. It enables businesses to configure how and when tags fire. For instance, tags can be blocked or delayed based on signals from a CMP, preventing that tracking from happening before the user has agreed.

GTM also helps teams implement and manage tags that collect first-party data without hard-coding scripts into every page.

However, you’ll still need a robust consent management setup that feeds into GTM and tells it when to fire each tag. Without that layer, GTM can’t help to enforce compliance.

Moving forward with first-party tracking

First-party tracking is no longer just a privacy upgrade, it’s a business necessity. As third-party cookies are phased out and data privacy regulations demand more transparency and consent, collecting and using first-party data directly through your own digital channels is the clearest path forward.

With the right tools and practices in place, first-party tracking enables better user experiences, ongoing privacy compliance, and smarter decisions. It also puts you back in control of your data, so you can build lasting trust while optimizing the user experience.