8 Top Cookieless Tracking Solutions for Your Marketing

The digital marketing world is undergoing a significant transformation following the implementation of privacy regulations. Marketers must adapt to privacy-first strategies to continue delivering optimised experiences. Cookieless tracking offers an innovative solution for navigating this cookieless world. In this article, we will explore what cookieless tracking entails, why it matters, and how marketers can leverage privacy-friendly solutions to maintain and enhance their marketing strategies.

Cookieless tracking refers to collecting data and monitoring user interactions without relying on cookies. This approach is gaining traction as privacy regulations like GDPR and CCPA limit the ways user data can be processed, demanding greater transparency and user consent from businesses.

For years, third-party cookies have been the backbone of digital marketing efforts, helping businesses understand user behaviour, retarget users, and improve metrics like page views and conversions. However, new privacy-focused standards prioritise data protection and discourage invasive tracking.

First-party cookies, used directly by website owners to enhance user experience, remain a legal and effective tool. However, marketers must increasingly rely on innovative cookieless methods, such as server-side tracking, machine learning-driven algorithms, and privacy-friendly APIs like Google’s Privacy Sandbox.

Cookieless tracking replaces cookies with alternative techniques designed to comply with privacy regulations while providing actionable insights. Common methods include:

1. Server-side tracking: Data is collected on the server, bypassing client-side challenges like ad blockers.
2. Fingerprinting: Attributes such as user agent, IP address, and browser configuration create unique identifiers.
3. First-party data collection: Information like emails and survey responses is voluntarily provided by users, enabling personalised touchpoints.
4. Privacy-focused APIs: Tools like Google’s Topics API group users into anonymised categories for retargeting.
5. Machine learning: Advanced algorithms analyse user behaviour patterns in real time without storing data on a user’s device.

These methods ensure compliance with privacy-focused laws, allowing marketers to optimise campaigns without infringing on user rights.

Benefits

• Compliance with privacy regulations: Cookieless tracking aligns with laws like GDPR and CCPA by anonymising data, ensuring businesses handle user information responsibly and legally.
• Increased trust: Ethical practices, such as asking for cookie consent or relying on privacy-friendly tracking methods, foster transparency and strengthen user confidence. This trust enhances the overall customer journey and loyalty.
• Improved accuracy: Cookieless approaches, like server-side tracking, provide precise and reliable metrics. These methods bypass browser restrictions and capture valuable data even when users decline traditional cookie-based tracking.
• Future-proofing: Businesses that adopt cookieless strategies early position themselves to succeed in a privacy-first digital landscape. By embracing these methods, they can avoid disruptions and maintain effective marketing efforts as regulations evolve.

Challenges

• Complex implementation: Tools such as server-side tracking, machine learning, and contextual advertising often require technical expertise, making adoption more challenging for smaller businesses without dedicated resources.
• Limited cross-domain tracking: Cookieless methods, like device fingerprinting, face growing scrutiny due to privacy concerns and restrictions. This limits their effectiveness in tracking users across multiple websites.
• Short tracking windows: Some cookieless solutions only track user behaviour for short durations (e.g., 24 hours). This can be problematic for industries like e-commerce, where longer tracking periods are critical for retargeting and conversions.

Server-side tracking

By processing data on the server rather than a user’s browser, this method ensures accurate tracking unaffected by cookie consent banners or ad blockers.

Probabilistic tracking

Machine learning-based probabilistic models predict user behaviour, enabling marketers to retarget effectively while remaining privacy-compliant.

Fingerprinting

This method generates unique identifiers using IP addresses, user agent configurations, and browser attributes. While effective, its compliance under GDPR remains uncertain.

First-party data collection

First-party cookies allow website owners to collect data directly from users during interactions like account creation or newsletter sign-ups, improving user experience.

Privacy-focused APIs

Google’s Privacy Sandbox tools, including Topics and Attribution API, group users for marketing purposes without compromising personal information.

Here’s a table summarising how each tool implements cookieless tracking:

Tool	Cookieless Tracking Method	Key Features
Matomo	Uses data anonymisation and configurable tracking settings to avoid cookies.	Full data ownership, GDPR-compliant, customizable open-source architecture
Usermaven	Employs pixel white-labeling to bypass ad blockers and tracks interactions without cookies.	AI-driven analytics, auto-captured events, GDPR/CCPA compliance
Ruler Analytics	Uses probabilistic tracking and CRM integrations to connect touchpoints without cookies.	Attribution modelling, marketing-to-revenue linkage, multi-channel tracking
Siteimprove	Relies on enhanced IP anonymization and real-time monitoring for compliance.	Accessibility and compliance analytics, digital governance, automated monitoring
Simple Analytics	Tracks unique visitors using referrer information.	No personal data collection, lightweight script, auto-event tracking
Fathom	Aggregates visitor behaviour data without storing personal information or cookies.	Simple implementation, GDPR-ready, privacy-focused lightweight analytics
Google Analytics 4	Utilises server-side tagging or Privacy Sandbox tools like cohort-based tracking (e.g., Topics API).	Anonymised data grouping, integration with Google marketing tools, cohort-based insights
Twipla	Uses privacy modes to track visitors without cookies, fingerprinting, or consent requirements.	Session recordings, heatmaps, conversion funnels, advanced visitor behaviour analytics​

• Define goals: Determine whether you prioritise optimising marketing strategies, gaining insights into user behaviour, or tracking page views.
• Prioritise compliance: Ensure your chosen analytics tool aligns with privacy-focused laws like GDPR and CPRA.
• Evaluate scalability: Opt for tools that can handle ecommerce demands, real-time analytics, and growing traffic.
• Check integrations: Choose solutions compatible with existing platforms to streamline your customer journey and retarget users effectively.

• Learn the landscape: As the digital landscape shifts towards cookieless technologies, it’s essential to stay informed. Understand new solutions like server-side tracking, Privacy Sandbox initiatives, and contextual targeting. Familiarising yourself with privacy regulations like GDPR, CCPA, and other emerging policies ensures compliance and builds user trust.
• Prioritise ethics: Transition to ethical data collection practices by leveraging first-party cookies, which gather data directly from user interactions on your website. Ensure transparent cookie consent management by providing clear information and choices to users. Ethical practices not only comply with regulations but also enhance brand credibility.
• Test early: Experiment with innovative tools and methods such as server-side tracking, privacy-preserving APIs, or cohort-based analytics to identify the best fit for your business needs. Testing early allows you to adapt to the evolving landscape while minimising disruptions to your marketing strategies.
• Track and adapt: Use advanced analytics tools to monitor user behaviour, such as website interactions, engagement trends, and conversions. Focus on optimising your strategies based on this data. Continuously evolving your approach ensures you remain effective in targeting and engaging your audience, even without traditional tracking cookies.

Despite the shift towards a cookieless future, cookies remain crucial in digital marketing:

• Enhancing user experience: They remember preferences like login details and shopping carts, creating seamless browsing.
• Supporting first-party data: First-party cookies provide insights into user behaviour, enabling brands to deliver relevant content.
• Facilitating analytics: Cookies track metrics like page visits and user flows, refining strategies and boosting engagement.
• Aiding retargeting: They reconnect brands with non-converting users through targeted reminders, driving conversions.

The cookieless world presents both challenges and opportunities. By embracing privacy-friendly methods like server-side tracking, machine learning algorithms, and first-party data collection, businesses can comply with privacy regulations while optimising their marketing efforts. These strategies not only future-proof analytics but also foster trust with users.