Society has been impacted in a huge way by the digital age. Over the last couple of decades, the amount of integration that digital technology has had in day-to-day life is significant. An example of this is the rise and prevalence of cell phones. Twenty years ago it was common for people to know how to read road maps, and nowadays most people use their phones to navigate to the grocery store.
This kind of dependence has come with some incredible benefits to society. For example, things like education, commerce, and the ability to attain work have all increased thanks to advancements in technology. One area that has seen considerable growth is the field of social media. These social platforms that are enjoyed by millions of people all over the globe have become their own ecosystems and cultural influences.
The rise of the social media influencer proved that these platforms were sufficient enough for people to even make a living on, and attain fame through. However, with all of these advancements has come a certain level of challenge. While data has always been at the heart of what makes the digital industry move forward, over recent years data privacy has been in question.
Privacy is something that a lot of people care about, and over the past few years, concerns have been prevalent regarding consumer privacy when it comes to major platforms. Social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and commerce platforms like Amazon have all come under some kind of scrutiny for this.
The concern has been over the consent of the data that is collected. This has led to a lot of change, including the beefing up of web-browser-based security. One solution that businesses are using to overcome some of the hurdles that data privacy concerns have presented to the market is conversion APIs.
If you have been curious about how privacy changes affected web browsing, and what a conversion API is, here is everything you need to know.
Data, Data, Data, As Much As You Can Get
As has already been stated, in the digital age, data is one of the most important and valuable resources in the world of business. Data is created with every interaction and it takes a lot of tools to make this data available and useable to push company success forward. The good thing about data is how it can help all parties. It helps give companies the information they need to improve customer experiences, which in turn helps customers have better experiences.
The problem has been in how that data at times was collected. In the past, the best way to help supply data to your ad platforms was through what is called web pixels, or code snippets. These were simple pieces of code that could be embedded into your website, application, or product.
A web pixel, or code snippet, captured valuable user data that would feed analytics. Collecting data via these third-party cookies allowed for your ad platforms to have the necessary data for effective marketing. One of the most famous web pixels was the Facebook pixel which offered data on 17 types of events. These events included data such as customized products, adding card information, updating wishlists, and more.
This is what is known as client-side tracking. This valuable data is taken from the client’s side of the interaction via the web browser that they are utilizing.
Conversion APIs
The major change that has affected this process is that popular web browsers now commonly offer add blocker and cookie blocking services. This has limited, or completely cut off client-side tracking. Because of this, conversion APIs have become a popular solution.
A conversion API essentially functions the same way that a web pixel or code snippet on a website did, however, it works via the server side and not the client side. What does this mean? When a web pixel or code snippet is used, it is dependent on the client’s web browser, hence it being client based. Because a conversion API interacts with your server, it is able to capture all server-side data that is created and share it.
This not only allows for tracking and capturing of data but a much more in-depth and robust way of acquiring better data in general. The fact that this method is server-side makes it reliable, and takes out the problems of ad blockers, or tracking restrictions that web browsers can implement.
Conclusion
Almost all advertising platforms have been impacted by the changes to privacy that have taken place over the recent years. Conversion APIs offer a way for companies to continue to supply their ad platforms with the valuable data they need. Major companies like Google, Snapchat, and other platforms have already created their own server-side APIs. This helps companies overcome the hurdles that add blockers, and beefed-up web browser security have posed.