Server-Side Tagging ROAS calculator
Browser-based tracking may lose conversions due to cookie restrictions and inconsistent client-side signals. Server-Side Tagging helps capture more data, improve attribution, and maximize your ROAS.
Use this calculator to estimate your potential ROAS uplift with Usercentrics Server-Side Tagging.
Frequently asked questions
With Server-Side Tagging, instead of sending data directly from a user’s device to third parties, tracking data is sent first from the device to a “tagging server” that you control (a ‘first party’ server), typically hosted on your own sub-domain (e.g. analytics.yourwebsite.com), allowing you to decide how and what you may share with third-parties.
Server-Side Tagging helps maintain accurate, reliable, and compliant data collection practices. This is especially important in a landscape increasingly defined by privacy regulations and browser restrictions. Plus, Server-Side Tagging improves website performance and provides centralized control, so it’s a strategic solution to future-proof your online marketing and gain better control over data flows.
ROAS, or return on ad spend, is a key marketing metric that is determined by measuring how much revenue you earn for every dollar spent on advertising. It helps businesses determine the effectiveness of their ad campaigns.
ROAS in Google Ads = Conversion value ÷ Cost
Example: €10,000 conversion value on €2,500 spend → ROAS = 4.0 (or 400% for tROAS)
Our uplift data in the calculator works on three estimates for potential uplift: low +15%, mid: +25% and high *35% . We arrived at the estimates through our own research and based on the resources shared below.
Sources
We researched the latest industry case studies, and arrived at three potential “% uplift” metrics of 15%, 25% and 35% based on those case studies.
The projected results are based on current industry benchmarks and our research regarding SST performance improvements. Actual results may vary depending on your business setup and potential data tracking limitations.
Usercentrics has not independently verified the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the underlying data, and has only analyzed and interpreted the information therein. Usercentrics makes no representations or warranties, express or implied, regarding the validity or quality of the source data.
| Funnel Metric / KPI | Detail | Source link |
|---|---|---|
| Bounce‑rate driver (page‑load / LCP) | Up to 5.6 s faster page‑load and an 11 % ↓ in LCP for a multinational retailer after Adobe‑suite tags were migrated server‑side — a performance delta Google research links to materially lower bounce risk (see §2) | Thinkwithgoogle.com |
| Add‑to‑cart and checkout data capture | Nemlig moved “add to cart” and other high‑volume events into a GTM server container, eliminating collector‑side throttling and delivering a 40 % jump in 90‑day conversions from new shoppers | marketingplatform.google.com |
| Sign‑up / first‑transaction tracking | Square enriched server events (e.g., first payment) and saw +46 % more conversions recorded across channels, enabling smarter bid strategies | marketingplatform.google.com |
| Overall conversion‑rate |
| https://cosmoforge.io/ |
| Cost per acquisition (CPA) / CAC |
| https://cosmoforge.io/ |
Furthermore..
- More conversions get observed (less loss)
- Server-side 1st party cookies set under a custom domain, persist longer than 3rd party cookies, which means more users can be recognized across sessions and domains, so more purchases end up attributed to your ad channels, instead of “unknown.”.
- Faster pages impact conversion rates across the funnel
- All conversion rates are impacted by improved UX. From consent rates, to signup rates, add-to-cart and purchase events. Faster pages lead to higher visitor engagement.
- Faster pages also impact Core Web Vitals metrics leading to higher ranking in search engines
Server-side GTM (sGTM) runs in a secure cloud environment that you control. It provides more control over data processing before it reaches vendors. You can also improve data quality and enrich data flows with consented zero- and first-party data.
Although businesses can still run client-side GTM and server-side sGTM in parallel, the data is distributed onward to third-party destinations based on the end user’s consent choices.
The main difference is that no data is sent directly from the client browser to third-party destinations. Instead, all data first goes to a first-party tagging server (sGTM) owned by your business. This ensures that no user data is exposed directly to third parties from the client browser.
For detailed instructions on implementing Usercentrics Server-Side Tagging, please refer to our step-by-step guide.
We also encourage you to take our comprehensive Server-Side Tagging course for a deeper understanding of your move to a first-party-data setting.