Conversion tracking is the cornerstone for any eCommerce business, as a conversion is the primary goal of all ad campaigns and product launches. However, it heavily relies on the quality of gathered customer data and reporting analytics. As meta pixel and other tracking scripts that send tracked data from the customer’s browser directly to the analytical platforms are not reliable anymore (due to ad blockers and strict privacy policies), a new solution is needed.
Server-side tagging is a relatively new technology that solves the major tracking issues. With its help, marketing agencies, entrepreneurs, and freelancers working in the eCommerce field can get better insights into the quality of their lead generation and a realistic number of conversions. Stape and AdPage are two major companies that provide server-side tracking services for eCommerce businesses. Let’s review what they offer and decide who is better.
Stape overview and features
Stape is a platform that specializes in server-side tracking configuration, setup maintenance, and enhancing it with additional power-ups. It was founded in 2021, and since then has already become a grand name in the industry. Stape has high ratings on the review platforms (4.5 on Trustpilot and 5.0 on Clutch) and more than 200,000 satisfied clients worldwide (Paul Smith, Intersport, and Drip, among them). Let’s find out what makes it so attractive for marketers and eCommerce businesses.
Server Google Tag Manager container hosting
One of the main Stape features is the hosting service for the server GTM containers. If you want to launch server-side tagging for your website with Stape, there are 2 simple steps to follow:
- Create a server GTM container via the official website and copy its config.
- Register a free account with Stape and paste the config into your container settings in your profile.
Everything else is done in the background by the Stape’s team. One of the main strengths of the server GTM hosting approach is that it provides users with more control over the tracked data, ensuring that the analytics get more detailed and complete information on the customer behaviour without breaking the privacy policies.
Stape pricing policies for the service seem to be loyal to its users, offering a free trial for all paid plans and a free offer for small companies with less than 10.000 monthly requests. This enables users, even from small companies and startups, to use all the benefits of server-side tracking for their businesses. The paid offers start at $20 per month for up to 500,000 requests.
Gateway hosting
Stape offers gateway hosting as an alternative to server GTM. This option is cheaper and easier to use, but at the same time, it cannot be as customized as the container and is more template-like. Nevertheless, small and medium-sized businesses often prefer gateway hosting as it saves them money and requires minimal management from their side.
On the company’s list of gateway offers, there are: Meta CAPI Gateway, TikTok Events Gateway, Snapchat CAPI Gateway, and Stape Gateway (it covers Google Ads and GA4). The price for this service is $8 per pixel, and it can go down to $1 per pixel if you connect a hundred of those.
CMS and CRM integrations
Such tools make conversion tracking on specific platforms much easier. As for CMS apps, Stape has quite a big list: WordPress, WooCommerce, Shopify, Magento 2, BigCommerce, Wix, Shopware, and PrestaShop. All of those can be found in the online stores of the corresponding platforms. Install them to increase the quality of tracked data and improve lead management.
CRM applications eliminate the need for using webhooks when connecting your CRM to the analytical platforms. Stape integrates with Zoho, HighLevel, HubSpot, Pipedrive, and Salesforce. This improves the overall ad campaign performance and targeting, without requiring any manual intervention.
Data compliance and security
In terms of data security, Stape does its best to protect itself and its clients from all possible sides. The company has certificates of compliance with the major privacy policies: ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR, DORA, and SOC 2. This means the company can legally operate in the EU and worldwide. Moreover, Stape can be easily integrated with lots of popular compliance management platforms, making the overall procedure even easier.
Customer support
Stape’s customer support is available 24/7 via live chat, e-mail, and phone. It can help you to solve the major software, payment, and configuration-related questions. Businesses that purchase the Enterprise or Partners plans can benefit from the Personal Management service if they require direct and personalized assistance. The company also offers a premium subscription-based service, Stape Care, an ongoing support and maintenance of your tracking setup by the company’s specialists.
For an additional piece of advice, you can visit Stape’s community forum, a place where server-side tracking specialists and users from all over the world gather to discuss problems they face and different ways of solving them. You can use the forum to learn more about effective tracking systems, data privacy, and best practices. Finally, there is Stape Academy, a free introductory course aimed at the company’s typical customers – marketers and businessmen – who are not very familiar with the technical nuances.
Convenience features
In addition to the numerous features mentioned above, Stape has many bonus features that improve the overall user experience.
- Website Tracking Checker is a new service aimed at analyzing the tracking setup configuration on the chosen website, identifying the problems, and suggesting potential solutions.
- Analytics provides detailed reports on how a switch to server-side tracking improves the accuracy of conversion tracking.
- A massive template library makes it easier to set up the needed tags.
While such features do not influence the quality of the conversion tracking directly, they definitely make cooperation with Stape more user-centric and transparent. Such features also differentiate Stape favorably from other competitors, like OwnTag or Sirdata.
AdPage overview and features
AdPage is a Dutch company that helps eCommerce and marketing companies to improve their conversion tracking and lead generation management. The main inconvenience that catches the eye immediately when you visit the company’s website is that the English version of the website is not functional. All AdPage features are described in Dutch, which might be a huge disadvantage for international clients. The company does not have a page on Trustpilot, Clutch, or any other respectable review aggregator, so it is difficult to evaluate how satisfied customers are with its services and whether they can recommend it.
Server GTM hosting from AdPage
There are not many AdPage server-side tracking features presented on the website. The company’s main and only server-side tracking service offered is server GTM container hosting. It is free for companies with fewer than 5.000 monthly requests. The price immediately rises to $49 per month for up to 500.000 requests. There are no other payment options offered in between. AdPage pricing does not look as attractive as its competitors, mainly Stape.
Gateway hosting
The AdPage tag manager offers no gateway hosting, which is not great news for small and medium companies. Server GTM hosting requires more technical expertise and bigger budgets. Both are often not accessible to startups and family businesses. This makes the AdPage server-side tagging offer not that attractive to any clients other than big ones.
CMS and CRM integrations
While the AdPage tracking service has nothing to offer in terms of integration with CRM tools, there is something on its list for CMS. It has apps for WordPress, WooCommerce, Shopify, and Magento. Those clients who work with these platforms can find AdPage applications in the corresponding platforms’ shops and enhance their websites with improved conversion tracking.
Data compliance
The company claims that it is compliant with all major data protection laws and policies. However, you should be careful when using it, as the endpoint compliance when using any of the company’s tools depends only on how you set up that very tool. Thus, if you are not very familiar with legal matters, it is better to hire a professional who will manage them for you.
Support service
AdPage seems to have all the communication with the support service limited to help desk and live chat. As other language versions of the website do not function properly, it is hard to search for any other options there. If you are a Dutch pxeaker, you may also find the frequent webinars the AdPage team organizes useful.
Additional services
This service does not have anything else to offer in the domain of server-side tagging. It is worth mentioning, though, that AdPage is mainly a landing builder and publisher; server GTM hosting is offered as an additional service to the main website-building kit.
AdPage also provides templates and solutions for wellness businesses, supporting a range of industries beyond e-commerce.
Who to choose, Stape or AdPage?
If you are looking for a team that can assist you with landing pages and additionally configure a basic server-side tagging setup for your resource, AdPage might be a good choice. However, if you are looking for a full-scale server-side tracking services provider, it is not something AdPage offers. In this case, the best AdPage alternative is Stape, with phone support available, numerous quality and convenience features, and a flexible pricing policy.
FAQ
What is the main difference between Stape and AdPage?
AdPage server-side tracking service is only an additional feature to its main kit of landing-building tools. Stape is on a completely different level in terms of data tracking. It is the company’s specialization, and its team offers numerous features for lead management and conversion tracking, as well as constantly works on developing new ones.
Can I use Stape’s server-side setup to track conversions for multiple ad platforms at once?
Yes, there is no problem in using Stape with multiple platforms at once. Pay attention, however, that you will have to add all the needed tools to your profile and configure them individually.
Which solution is more convenient to implement for large online stores?
Of all AdPage alternatives, Stape is a more convenient platform to implement for large online stores. While both AdPage and Stape offer server GTM hosting service, which is great for big companies with big budgets, the latter offers lots of additional benefits and power-ups that optimize the sales tracking and conversion capture mechanisms.
Leave a Reply