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Server-side GTM · Stape Gateway · GA4 · Google Ads
Server-side GTM for GA4 and Google Ads: Gateway or a full container, matched to the size of your business
I implement server-side GTM for Google tags in two variants. A simple business gets Stape Gateway on its existing tags, a larger one gets a full server container with control over the data. We choose during the free consultation, based on your own GA4 and Google Ads data.
- Google tags on your own subdomain
- Stape hosting from $10* per month
- Stape partner discount through my account
- A before-and-after data report
Server-side for Google tags
GA4, Google Ads, Consent Mode v2
- Stape Gateway: from €225 excl. VAT
- full server-side GTM: from €375 excl. VAT
- first-party subdomain, e.g. sst.yourdomain.com
- GA4, Google Ads conversions and remarketing
- testing and documentation
Hosting is paid to Stape separately, from $10*/month.
Gateway or full server-side GTM
Simple business: Stape Gateway. Higher traffic and budget: full server-side GTM
Both variants move Google tags to your subdomain, so ad blockers block them less often and cookies last longer in Safari. They differ in whether you can change data on the way and support platforms other than Google.
Stape Gateway
You advertise mainly on Google, traffic is moderate
hosting $10*/month per domain
- works on your existing GTM container
- GA4, Google Ads conversions and remarketing
- implemented in days, not weeks
- minimal maintenance
- changing data before sending
- Meta, TikTok, Microsoft Ads
Full server-side GTM
High traffic, large budget, several platforms
hosting from $20*/month
- GTM server container on Stape
- GA4, Google Ads and enhanced conversions
- removing and enriching data, e.g. margin
- ready for Meta CAPI, TikTok and Microsoft Ads
- payment gateway exclusion, duplicate control
- testing and a before-and-after report
Stape Gateway vs server-side GTM for Google tags
| Stape Gateway | Server-side GTM | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | GA4 and Google Ads | Google, Meta, TikTok, Microsoft Ads, BigQuery |
| Requirements | Your existing GTM container and a subdomain | A GTM container, a server container and a subdomain |
| Changing data on the way | No | Yes |
| Stape hosting | $10*/month per domain (2M requests), $100*/month for up to 20 domains | from $20*/month (500k requests) |
| Maintenance | Minimal | Container and tag updates |
| My implementation | from €225 excl. VAT | from €375 excl. VAT |
* Stape’s price as the hosting provider, not mine. As of October 2026, paid directly to Stape.
Is it for you
Choose full server-side GTM when Gateway is no longer enough
Gateway forwards what the Google tags send from the browser. A full container pays off when your conversion volume and Google Ads spend are large enough that every missing percent of data costs you real money. In the consultation I tell you plainly which variant makes sense, and sometimes that neither does.
Full server-side GTM, if:
- GA4 shows clearly fewer transactions than your store or CRM, and traffic is high,
- you bid on conversions in Google Ads (target ROAS or CPA),
- you want to send margin instead of revenue, or CRM data,
- you need to remove or change data before it reaches Google,
- you also plan Meta, TikTok or Microsoft Ads in the same container.
Stape Gateway or Google tag gateway?
These are two different products with similar names. Google tag gateway is a free Google feature that serves GA4 and Google Ads tags from your domain through a CDN, most often Cloudflare. Stape Gateway is a paid Stape service that routes the same tags through your subdomain on a Stape server.
Both support only Google tags and neither lets you change data on the way. I check which one fits your domain and hosting in the free consultation.
Scope
What exactly you get
- A Stape account in your company’s name, created through the partner programme, with a plan matched to your traffic.
- A subdomain, e.g.
sst.yourdomain.com, and Google scripts loaded from your own domain. - GA4 switched over with your existing events and reports preserved.
- Google Ads: conversions and remarketing, plus enhanced conversions in full sGTM.
- Consent Mode v2 signals from your consent banner passed on. More on Consent Mode v2 and CMP.
- In full sGTM: data filtering before sending, e.g. personal data in URLs.
- In full sGTM: payment gateway exclusion and transaction duplicate control.
- Testing and a report: transactions in GA4 and Google Ads compared with your store dashboard.
How it works
Data goes through your subdomain before it reaches Google
The browser sends the event to your subdomain
To the browser this is traffic within your own website, so ad blockers and Safari restrictions affect it less often.
In full sGTM, the server checks consent and cleans the data
It removes what you do not want to send and adds what is missing, for example order margin. Gateway skips this step.
The data reaches GA4 and Google Ads
A full container can later handle Meta CAPI, TikTok and Microsoft Ads as well.
What it costs
Hosting from $10* per month plus a one-off implementation
The cost has two parts: hosting, which you pay Stape monthly, and the implementation, which you pay me once. I create the account through the Stape partner programme, so you may get a partner discount on hosting. Stape offers a 7-day trial.
| Stape plan | Monthly | Yearly | Request limit | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gateway | $10* per domain | – | about 2M / month | Simple businesses, Google tags only |
| Pro | $20* | $200* | 500k / month | Smaller stores and B2B websites |
| Business | $100* | $1,000* | 5M / month | Mid-size stores, several domains, monitoring |
| Enterprise | $200* | $2,000* | 20M / month | Large websites, up to 50 domains |
* Stape’s price as the hosting provider, not mine. As of October 2026, paid directly to Stape. A request is every hit on the server: a GA4 event, but also a script load. Estimate: total GA4 events over 30 days plus about 30%.
Implementation: Stape Gateway from €225 excl. VAT, full server-side GTM from €375 excl. VAT. I give a fixed price after the consultation.
Before we start: a correct dataLayer
Neither variant includes fixing the dataLayer. If your website sends the wrong order value from the browser or has no transaction ID, Gateway and the server forward those errors.
I check the dataLayer at the start. Any fixes are quoted separately and I prepare a spec for your developer. See GTM and dataLayer.
Already using enhanced conversions? Check in the free SHA-256 tester whether Google Ads receives your customers’ hashed email and phone, not the hash of an empty field or undefined.
How I work
Four steps, and you know the price before we start
Your part is giving access and setting up the subdomain following the instructions I send by email. I do the rest.
Free consultation
I check GA4, Google Ads and your consent banner. I tell you whether Gateway is enough, whether you need full sGTM, or nothing for now.
dataLayer check and fixed price
You get the scope, deadline and price before work begins.
Stape account and subdomain
I create the account with the partner discount, you add the DNS records.
Implementation, testing, report
I compare data before and after. The container and account stay with you.
Questions before the implementation
How is Stape Gateway different from Google tag gateway?
They are two different products. Google tag gateway is a free Google feature that serves tags from your domain through a CDN such as Cloudflare. Stape Gateway is a paid Stape service that routes GA4 and Google Ads tags through your subdomain on a Stape server.
Can I start with Gateway and move to full server-side GTM later?
Yes, you lose nothing. The subdomain and the corrected dataLayer stay, and we add a server container.
Where does the server run: Stape or Google Cloud?
By default on Stape, in a European hosting region. Stape maintains the servers and monitoring and you pay a fixed subscription. I recommend Google Cloud only for very high traffic or IT department requirements.
Will the website slow down?
No. The browser sends fewer requests to external services, because the server takes care of distributing the data.
What about historical data in GA4?
It stays unchanged. The implementation changes the route of new data, it does not delete or move old data.
Who has access to the server and who owns the account?
The Stape account is in your company’s name and you pay for hosting. I get access for the duration of the implementation and support.
Does the implementation include fixing the dataLayer?
No. dataLayer fixes are a separate stage, quoted individually. Gateway and the server forward what they receive from the browser.
Does it work with WordPress, WooCommerce and Shopify?
Yes. Both variants work at the GTM and domain level, so the CMS does not matter as long as the website uses Google Tag Manager.
What about Meta, meaning Facebook and Instagram?
Gateway supports only Google tags. For Meta I implement Meta Conversions API separately. Gateway plus Meta CAPI is the most common combination for simple businesses.
Let’s check how many conversions you are losing in Google Ads
In a free consultation I compare your GA4 and Google Ads data with your store or CRM and tell you whether Gateway is enough. I reply within 24 hours.