What is a Webhook (Webhooks)

What are Webhooks for Server-Side Tagging?

Webhooks are a powerful mechanism used in the context of Server-Side Tagging to enable real-time communication between different systems and applications. Using webhooks, servers can automatically send messages to other systems when certain events occur, allowing information to be exchanged directly and efficiently.

How Do Webhooks Work in Server-Side Tagging?

In the case of Server-Side Tagging, webhooks are often used to detect significant events such as purchases and refunds from users on a website and forward them to an external tracking or analytics tool. When an event occurs, the server generates an HTTP request with relevant data and sends it to the pre-configured URL of the external tool via a webhook.

Benefits of Using Webhooks for Server-Side Tagging

*Real-time Tracking:* Webhooks ensure the direct and real-time transfer of data, allowing the immediate tracking and analysis of user interactions.
*Scalability:* By using webhooks, servers can easily and efficiently communicate with various tools and systems, enhancing the scalability of the tracking process.
*Reduced Client-Side Dependency:* Server-Side Tagging using webhooks reduces dependency on client-side implementation, ensuring tracking consistency and accuracy, even with complex websites or applications.
*Flexible Integration:* Webhooks can also be sent from external systems such as a point of sale (POS) system (offline) or fulfillment, providing a flexible and versatile way to share real-time information and data between different applications and platforms.
*One-to-One Measurement in GA4 and Analytics Tools:* Webhooks can ensure one-to-one measurement in GA4 and analytical tools. If the conversion cannot be traced because, for example, no client ID was sent, it is marked as unassigned. Therefore, it is important to always add DataLayer parameters to the webhook event.

The webhooks are received in the Google Tag Manager Server-Side container and can then be forwarded to platforms such as GA4, Google Ads, Meta Ads, and many more.

Want to Get Started with Webhooks?

You can follow one of the articles below for different shop systems or choose to install custom implementations:

WooCommerce & Wordpress: Setup Purchase webhooks
Magento: Setup Purchase webhooks
Shopify: Setup Purchase webhooks
Custom: Installing AdPage Pixel + DataLayer + Webhooks

Updated on: 21/08/2024