In this guide
- Use one container and one tagging subdomain per client, owned by the client's accounts, with your agency as a user.
- Standardise naming, checklists, documentation and a monthly health check.
- Price setup and a monthly care fee separately from the hosting cost.
A single server-side tracking project is a technical task. An agency programme is an operating model: the same set-up, repeated safely, for many clients with different shops and goals. This page describes the model that works: structure, ownership, standards, pricing and reporting. It builds on how to pitch server-side tracking, the agency handbook and the setup checklist.
Structure
| Item | Recommended | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Containers | One web and one server container per client | Clean separation, simple export |
| Tagging subdomain | On the client's own domain | First-party cookies and client ownership |
| Hosting account | One per client, or one under your agency with a clear transfer plan | Easier billing and exit |
| Ad accounts and tokens | Owned by the client, you as user | Tokens survive a change of agency |
| Documentation | A one-page note per client | Handover and audits |
Runs on your domain, anywhere
Your tracking runs on your own domain, so a visit from any country is handled the same way.
Ownership and access
Everything the client pays for or relies on should belong to the client: the domain, the ad accounts, the Tag Manager account, the hosting and the data. Your agency has a named user with the access it needs. If you leave, the client keeps working. This protects the client and protects you from disputes. Use business tokens, not personal ones, and keep a list of who holds which.
Standards
Power-up defaults
A standard set: Custom Loader, Data Store, Cookie Keeper, Enricher, Bot Detection. On Open Tracked these are on every plan.
Reports
The same monthly report layout, so you can compare clients.
Check your tracking in one pass
This is an example. Run the check on your own site to see where yours stands.
Using Multi-Domains and plans
A client with several sites can use one server container with Open Tracked's Multi-Domains power-up (Business plan and above). For separate clients, separate containers on separate plans keep billing and ownership clear. Pick each client's plan from their request volume. See how much a server GTM costs.
Pricing the service
| Line | How to price |
|---|---|
| Setup | A fixed fee for the checklist: domain, containers, tags, testing, handover |
| Monthly care | A fee for weekly checks, fixes and changes |
| Hosting | Passed through at cost, or billed by the client directly |
| Extras | Offline conversions, CRM integration, reporting |
Reporting
Each month send a one-page summary: events received, platform numbers against store orders, issues found and fixed, and one recommendation. Clients rarely read technical reports and always read a page that answers "is my tracking working and what did you do". For richer reports, Open Tracked analytics shows spend, revenue, ROAS and profit by channel and creative.
What to automate
- A weekly test order or a check that events are arriving, with an alert if not.
- A template container to start from, including your standard tags and consent settings.
- A client document template.
- A standard onboarding questionnaire.
A realistic example
A ten-person agency manages twelve e-commerce clients. Before it had a model, each project took two weeks and depended on the one person who knew how to do it. After writing a checklist, building a template container and agreeing a standard set of power-ups, a typical set-up takes two days, any of three people can do it, and each client has a one-page note and a monthly report. Revenue from the service grew because it was easier to sell a fixed scope, and care work came from clients who wanted someone to check the numbers every month. The service did not become more technical. It became more repeatable, and that is what lets an agency grow it.
Watch events arrive, live
A sample feed. In Open Tracked you see the same stream for your own store.
Frequently asked questions
How should an agency structure server-side tracking for many clients?
One web and one server container per client, on the client's own domain and accounts, with your agency as a user and a standard checklist.
Who should own the tagging domain and tokens?
The client. Your agency works as a named user.
How do I price it?
Charge a setup fee and a monthly care fee, and pass hosting through at cost or let the client pay it.
Can one container serve several sites?
Yes, with Multi-Domains on the Business plan and above, for sites of the same client.
What should the monthly report include?
Events received, platform numbers against store orders, issues fixed and a recommendation.
Do I need spreadsheets to read my results?
No. Once tracking is live, the Open Tracked analytics shows spend, revenue, ROAS and profit, and you can ask Ari, the built-in AI assistant, questions about your own numbers in plain words. Ari's allowance depends on your analytics plan.
Is Open Tracked different from Open Track or Open Space Track?
No. Open Tracked is the official name of our server-side tracking platform, and the website is opentracked.io. Many people search for it as Open Track, OpenTrack or Open Space Track. All of them lead to the same product: server-side Google Tag Manager hosting, first-party analytics and a CRM pipeline.
Fix your tracking at the source
Open Tracked hosts your server-side Tag Manager, keeps first-party cookies alive and shows what each ad is really worth.
The Open Tracked team
We build Open Tracked: server-side tracking hosting, analytics and the tools around them, for stores that spend on ads. Questions about this guide, or an idea for the next one?
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