Online privacy rules are changing fast. Third-party cookies are fading out, and ad platforms must adapt. To keep ads useful—and respectful—brands are shifting to privacy-first tracking and targeting.
As third-party cookies disappear, companies are testing new, privacy-friendly ways to measure, target, and improve ads—without following people across the open web.
Covered in this article
First-party data
Contextual advertising
Device fingerprinting (and why to avoid it)
Server-side tracking
Google’s Privacy Sandbox (high-level view)
First-party data
First-party data is information you collect directly. Think forms, sign-ups, purchases, support chats, and on-site behaviour.
- Why it matters: It is permission-based and more accurate. You control quality and consent.
- What to collect: Email, preferences, programme or product interest, content topics, and intent signals.
- How to grow it: Offer clear value—guides, calculators, webinars, loyalty perks. Use short forms and progressive fields.
- What to do with it: Build segments, personalise content, and measure outcomes tied to real users.
Contextual advertising
Contextual matches ads to page content, not a person’s past browsing.
- Benefits: Privacy-friendly, brand-safe, and fast to deploy.
- How to start: Map topics and keywords to your offers. Exclude off-topic pages.
- Optimise: Test headlines and creatives by content theme. Track viewability and on-page conversions.
Device fingerprinting
Fingerprinting identifies users by device traits (browser, OS, screen, fonts).
- Reality check: It is intrusive and often non-compliant. Many browsers limit it.
- Recommendation: Avoid it. Choose consent-led methods instead.
Server-side tracking
With server-side tracking, events are processed on your server, not in the browser alone.
- Pros: Better data control, fewer ad-block losses, improved performance, and stronger consent handling.
- Use cases: Form submits, purchases, subscription changes, and key lifecycle events.
- Setup tips: Keep a clear consent log. Send only the fields you need. Align naming across tools.
Google’s Privacy Sandbox
Privacy Sandbox aims to keep core ad functions—interest-based ads, remarketing, and measurement—without third-party cookies.
- High-level idea: Browsers provide privacy-preserving signals. Advertisers receive aggregated, limited data.
- What this covers: Interest grouping, audience activation, and conversion/attribution reporting with privacy guards.
- What to do now: Test supported APIs when available, validate measurement, and compare with first-party baselines.
Putting it together: A simple playbook
- Collect consented first-party data. Make value clear. Keep forms short.
- Shift budget to contextual. Build topic maps. Test creative by context.
- Move key events server-side. Standardise names. Protect PII.
- Pilot Privacy Sandbox features. Compare results to your current stack.
- Measure what matters. Focus on leads, sales, ROAS, and LTV—not just clicks.
Alternatives to third-party cookies: FAQs
How do I market without third-party cookies?
Use consent-based first-party data, contextual ads, server-side events, and privacy-safe IDs where compliant. Offer real value to earn sign-ups. Build segments and personalise with the data you own.
Why is Google removing 3rd-party cookies?
To improve privacy, meet regulations, and reduce opaque cross-site tracking. The goal is useful ads with less personal data exposure.
Are third-party cookies going away?
Yes. Many browsers already block them. Chrome is phasing them out and replacing them with privacy-preserving tools for ads and measurement.
What is cookieless marketing?
Marketing that does not rely on third-party cookies. It uses first-party data, contextual targeting, server-side tracking, modelled measurement, and privacy-compliant identifiers. The aim is relevant ads with clear consent.
