From Cookies to Conversions: Win Back Revenue With First-Party Data

Ciao, Cookies

If you’re an advertiser, publisher, brand, or just trying to generate revenue from a website, you’ve probably heard about the demise of third-party cookies.

Since the early 90s, cookies have been a fundamental component of how the web works. These small text files were designed to make it easy for sites to identify visitors and their browsing habits. The cookies are then stored on a user’s device to track activity about how that user interacted with a particular website. This could be anything from a user’s interests and behaviors to verifying their identity. As you can imagine, this has been a slow-boiling privacy concern because cookies can track users' online activities across multiple websites, allowing advertisers to create comprehensive profiles of individuals without their consent.

The centralized storage of this kind of data poses a risk around unauthorized access, potentially exposing users to privacy breaches and identity theft. The collection of vast amounts of user information through cookies without proper safeguards in place has driven the push for more privacy-focused alternatives.

The alarm bells about third-party cookies have been going off for years. Many web browsers have severely limited the power of third-party cookies. As of January 4, 2024, Google Chrome has restricted third-party cookies for 1% of users, and plans to increase third-party cookie restrictions to 100% of users beginning in Q3 2024.

A World Without Cookies: Implications for Advertisers

Third-party cookies have played a major role in how marketers and advertisers track user preferences across websites. For example, if you look at a jacket online, advertisements for that same jacket will follow you across the web until you (hopefully) eventually buy it. In addition to user preferences, third-party cookies also help advertisers measure conversions, track user journeys across websites, and segment audiences based on behavior.

The loss of this critical data means that brands need to navigate how to maintain consistent and accurate audience measurements across channels. In particular, publishers need to be concerned about ad revenue, since many of them currently rely on programmatic ads for the bulk, if not all, of their business revenue.

That’s why publishers, marketers, and advertisers are exploring alternative solutions to third-party cookies, primarily through the use of a first-party data strategy.

First-party data is collected directly from a company's own customers or website visitors. This data is often used to supplement their own data, enabling them to gain insights into broader audience segments, target specific demographics, and improve ad targeting.

There are a number of methods businesses can implement to collect first-party data. Some of those methods include:

• Adding tracking pixels to your website or mobile apps
• Collecting information through offers, discounts, or exclusive content
• Data collection forms that request name, email address, location, and more
• Customer surveys

Still new to what first-party data is all about? We’ve got all of the basics of first-party data collection covered. Click the image below to learn more.

The Challenge and Reward of Harnessing First-Party Insights

First-party data is more valuable because it's collected directly from the source — a site’s own audience. This means more accurate insights into each user's behaviors, which means more targeted and effective marketing campaigns. However, first-party data can be more challenging to collect than simply relying on third-party cookies. Users need to have established trust in a brand or website before they’re willing to give up valuable information. This means each user must have a vested interest in the brand’s value proposition and feel secure that they will receive something in return for their data.

It can be a big task to build this kind of loyalty with your audience. A successful first-party data strategy requires more than collecting customer data. Businesses must gather, store, and analyze their first-party data to understand audience behavior, and then use those insights to improve marketing performance and deliver more customer value.

The good news is that effective first-party data can also reap big rewards. The more trust your users have in your business, the more effective your marketing efforts will be. We’ve got a seven-step strategy you can use as a guide when formulating your own first-party data plan. Click the image below to learn more.

RebelMouse's Vision for AdTech Transformation

Crafting a first-party data strategy is a tricky task, but luckily the death of third-party cookies comes at a time when there are exciting, emerging technologies like artificial intelligence to help publishers stay on the revenue train.

At RebelMouse, our core mission is to deliver an AI-enabled, performance-driven, and cutting-edge CMS alongside decades of digital experience to ensure that our clients always stay ahead of the curve. To keep this momentum going, we’ve spent an enormous amount of time allocating significant resources to research and develop new solutions that yield tremendous results for gathering first-party data.

Additionally, since 2022, RebelMouse has also invested heavily in research and development around AI technologies. Leveraging OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Vertex AI, we have become expert AI integrators. This has been critical to keeping our clients modern in an ever-evolving tech landscape. The breakthroughs in this space, combined with our approach to first-party data, have been essential to the groundbreaking results we’ve achieved. Thanks to our innovative AI integrations, RebelMouse seamlessly aligns editorial content with programmatic buyers' IAB taxonomies.

Our focus on first-party data is centered around two major initiatives:

• Increasing programmatic ad revenue.
• Increasing site engagement and return visits.

Additionally, we harness psychographic data that complements both direct sales and programmatic efforts. This powerful combination not only enhances revenue on the initial user visit, but also leads to substantial increases in CPM upon return visits. As visitor loyalty grows with frequent returns, the revenue potential continues to rise.

Click the image below to learn more about how we are leveraging AI to transform the ad space.

RebelMouse Ad Operations: Your One Stop for Modern Monetization

Mastering an AI-powered first-party data strategy and completely rethinking how to generate revenue for your business isn’t easy. Most publishers rely on a third-party agency to help them optimize their ad strategy. At RebelMouse, we simplify your ads initiatives by eliminating the need for an outside vendor to manage your programmatic ads.

Our devoted team will not only increase the quality and viewability of your ads, but we will use advanced AI solutions to help you stay ahead of the industry on important ad strategies like first-party data.

And the results have been lucrative for our clients.

Our Methods: Your Single Source for Ad Management

In addition to leapfrogging the competition across the digital ad landscape, we focus on key initiatives to set aside your campaigns from the rest of the internet’s noise.

• Core Web Vitals (CWV) Improvement
  • Focus on all aspects of Google’s critical metrics on performance that leads to increased organic reach and traffic
    
• User Experience
  • Control ad volume
  • Monitor ad viewability
  • Keep tabs on correct ad sizing and placement
    
• Increase Click-Through Rate (CTR)
  • Focus on CTR leads to better advertisers and higher CPMs
    
• Direct-Sold Ads
  • Full campaign setup
  • Coordination with your ad sales team
  • Implementation of the direct-sold ad(s) on your site
  • Continuous optimization of the campaign focused on the best performance around viewability and conversion rate
    
• Testing Abilities
  • Before any direct-sold ads are published to your site, we have the ability to test and review exactly how they will look, which means no surprises when the campaigns officially launch

Reap Revenue Rewards With RebelMouse

RebelMouse’s all-encompassing AdOps services leverage AI and first-party data to create more personalized, targeted, and effective advertising experiences for your users while respecting privacy and compliance standards.

Looking to get ahead of the ad game? Let’s connect to explore how we can work together.