Just a few years ago, traffic management was based on a fairly straightforward model: place a pixel, collect data via third-party cookies, build retargeting, and optimize advertising campaigns. However, the digital marketing landscape has changed dramatically. Stronger personal data protection requirements and technical restrictions imposed by browsers have rendered traditional tracking methods obsolete.
In 2025, publishers found themselves in a new reality — the cookieless era. This is not just a technical trend, but a fundamental change in approaches to working with user data. Now, in order to remain effective, it is necessary to rebuild infrastructure and master new tracking tools.
You can read about what will happen in affiliate marketing in 2025 in this article from AffCommunity.
Why third-party cookies are becoming a thing of the past
There are several reasons, and each of them is important for understanding the scale of the changes.
- Legislative restrictions
Laws such as GDPR in Europe and CCPA in California have tightened requirements for the collection and storage of personal data. Now, the use of third-party cookies is only possible with the explicit consent of the user, which in reality greatly reduces the amount of information available. - Technical barriers
Safari and Firefox began blocking third-party cookies several years ago. Chrome, which controls over 60% of the browser market, has also announced that it will completely phase them out by 2025. This means that most users will be “invisible” to traditional tracking methods. - Growing privacy among users
VPNs, private browsing modes, and ad blockers are becoming mainstream tools. More and more people are consciously hiding their online activities, and this directly affects the effectiveness of traditional advertising technologies.
How publishers can adapt to the new reality
First-party data
The first and most important rule of the cookieless era is to collect data directly. This can be:
- registration on landing pages;
- subscription to a newsletter;
- participation in surveys or quizzes;
- creation of a personal account.
First-party data belongs to you and can be used without risk of violating the law if you obtain the user’s consent.
Server-side tracking
Traditional client tracking via a browser is vulnerable — ad blockers easily cut off scripts. Server-side tracking solves this problem: data is sent directly to the server, bypassing the browser. This allows you to get more complete and reliable analytics, even if the user has security mechanisms enabled.
Implementation requires:
- server configuration;
- integration with CRM;
- correct distribution of data between traffic sources.
Universal IDs and user identification
Universal IDs, such as Unified ID 2.0, allow you to work with encrypted identifiers. These can be hashed email addresses or phone numbers. The user consents to the processing of their data, and the system ensures anonymity while maintaining the ability to personalize ads.
Contextual targeting
A method popular in the 2000s is making a comeback. Here, it doesn’t matter what the user did before — what matters is the context they are in now. If the page is about fitness, sports nutrition ads will be relevant even without cookies.
Data modeling
Even if some data is unavailable, statistical models can be used to predict user behavior. Machine learning and big data allow you to recover missing information with high accuracy.
Practical example
Let’s say you work with an offer in the finance niche.
Previously, you could set up retargeting for those who visited your page with loan calculators. Now, without third-party cookies, you can:
- ask users to leave their email address to receive a quote;
- use server tracking to record visits;
- show ads on financial portals through contextual targeting.
The result: you keep your lead volume with minimal loss in effectiveness.
Conclusion
The cookieless era isn’t the end of affiliate marketing, but a transition to a new level. Those who are already implementing server-side tracking, collecting first-party data, and using contextual targeting will earn money in the market while their competitors catch up.