Are you running ads on Facebook but aren’t seeing the results you hoped for? You might be missing the most powerful tool for measuring your campaigns. The Facebook Pixel can feel like a complex piece of code, but its value is undeniable. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know, from installation to advanced strategies, helping you finally understand your customer’s journey and get a better return on your ad spend.
What is Facebook Pixel?
Facebook Pixel is a tool that you can use to analyze the effectiveness of your advertising. A few of its most significant benefits include: allowing you to measure, optimize, and build audiences for your marketing. Through having access to these specific factors, you get to easily understand the actions that people take on your site, making it more convenient for you to create better Facebook ads, and better target your ads. Ultimately, it helps boost your Facebook ad conversion rate, and get better ROI.
You can use the pixel to:
- Measure cross-device conversions
- Trigger and report every action that people do every time they visit your website
- Optimize delivery to people who are more likely to take action
- Create custom audiences from website visitors
- Learn about your website’s traffic
- Drive more sales
How to install it?
Create a Facebook Pixel
- Go to Events Manager.
- Click Connect Data Sources and select Web.
- Select Facebook Pixel and click Connect.
- Add your Pixel Name.
- Enter your website URL to check for easy setup options.
- Click Continue.
Add your Facebook Pixel to your website
(To continue, you must have a website for your business. You must also be able to update your site’s code)
Manually add pixel code to your website
- Go to Events Manager.
- Select the pixel you want to set up.
- Click Continue Pixel Setup.
- Select Install code manually.
- Copy the pixel base code.
- Find the header of your website, or locate the header template in your CMS or web platform.
- Paste the base code at the bottom of the header section, just above the closing head tag.
- Click Continue.
- Add events using the Event Setup Tool or by manually adding code to your website.
- Click Done.
Use a partner integration
- Go to Events Manager.
- Select the pixel you want to set up.
- Click Continue Pixel Setup.
- Click Use a partner.
- Select a partner from the list.
- Follow the onscreen setup instructions.
Email instructions
- Go to Events Manager.
- Select the pixel you want to set up.
- Click Continue Pixel Setup.
- Click Email Instructions.
- Enter the recipient’s email address.
- Click Send at the bottom of the page.
Track the right events for your business
After adding pixel base code to your website, you can now set up events to measure the standard actions that you want to track, depending on your liking. For each event, you have to pick whether to track on page load or incline action.
Confirm your Facebook pixel is working
Although this step isn’t necessary, you might want to confirm that your Facebook pixel is tracking properly first before you start relying on the data it shows. Add the Facebook Pixel Helper extension to your Google Chrome browser.
Add pixel notice to your website
To comply with Facebook’s terms (and, in some cases, the law), you need to make sure your website visitors know you’re collecting their data. To learn more, check out Facebook’s cookie consent guide for sites and apps.
Why is it important?
Pixel is a few lines of code from Facebook that you put in the header section of your website. If you aren’t on it already, you better hop on as soon as possible. Through Facebook pixel, you’re able to access information, analyze customer footprints/actions, and use all those knowledge to your advantage. Not only can you track and measure your ad campaign’s effectiveness, but you can also especially design better marketing strategies for your company, and gain more control over your progress.
Beyond Installation: The Strategic Value of the Facebook Pixel
Installing the pixel is only the beginning. The real power of this tool lies in its ability to enable highly effective advertising strategies that grow your business. By tracking user actions, the Facebook Pixel allows you to move beyond basic targeting and create hyper-relevant campaigns.
- Retargeting Campaigns: You can target ads specifically to people who have visited your website. For example, if someone adds a product to their cart but doesn’t buy it, you can serve them an ad with that exact product, reminding them to complete their purchase.
- Building Custom and Lookalike Audiences: The pixel helps you build powerful audience lists. You can create a “Custom Audience” of people who have visited a specific page on your site. Even more powerful, you can create a “Lookalike Audience” of new people who have similar demographic and behavioral characteristics to your best customers.
- Dynamic Product Ads (DPA): For e-commerce businesses, the pixel allows you to run DPAs that automatically show people the products they viewed on your website, or similar products, in their Facebook feed. This automation is a key driver of conversions and sales.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if my Facebook Pixel is working correctly?
The easiest way is to use the Facebook Pixel Helper, a free Google Chrome browser extension. After installing it, simply visit your website and click the extension icon to see if the pixel is firing and what events it is tracking.
What is the difference between a “PageView” and an “Event”?
A PageView is a standard event that fires every time someone loads a page on your website. Other “Events,” such as “Add to Cart” or “Purchase,” are specific actions you want to track, which provide more detailed data about user behavior and conversions.