Facebook Pixel: Ultimate Guide 2024

Track conversions and do remarketing to optimize ROI

You need to know how to leverage Facebook Pixel well if you want to optimize Facebook Ads campaigns and maximize return on investment (ROI)!

The added value of Facebook Pixel lies in its ability to understand user behavior on your Facebook ads and use this information to make advertising on Meta more effective.

Whether you’re a web marketer, or the owner of a website or eCommerce, this comprehensive and definitive guide updated for 2024 will become your reference point for achieving your business goals. Let’s get started!

What is Facebook Pixel

Facebook Pixel is a code snippet that, when inserted into your website’s HTML code, allows you to collect crucial information about the actions users take when they land on your website or app.

Knowing if they make a purchase, download a file, or subscribe to the newsletter is crucial for an accurate and targeted online marketing strategy, free from waste!

If I had to explain in one word what Pixel is, I’d have no doubt: ALLY. Yes, exactly that, a faithful and powerful ally to scale your business.

What Facebook Pixel is used for

Facebook Pixel is a powerful tracking tool that has a range of utilities and functionalities you can’t and shouldn’t do without. I’ll list them for you right below:

• User actions on your site will no longer have secrets, you’ll know if after clicking on your Facebook ad, they complete a purchase, a download, subscribe to the newsletter, which pages they visit. There’s no better report to know if your sponsored ads are working or not.
• His holiness the Remarketing is served! Thanks to the data provided by Pixel, you can show targeted ads, for example, to visitors who have already visited your website but haven’t completed a purchase, or haven’t fully filled out the contact form. Acting on those who have already shown some interest in a product or service is what all marketers aspire to, including me!
• Thanks to the information provided by Pixel, you can create a custom audience based on recorded interests and behavior. Directing messages to specific and highly segmented targets greatly increases the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. Try it to believe it!
• By thoroughly analyzing Pixel data, you can optimize the creativity of your ads and maximize the personalization of messages and images. Remember, knowing who to address and how gives you an edge over the competition crowding the web.
• Pixel also provides extremely valuable data on the performance of campaigns and clearly shows you what works and what doesn’t, which text or image resonates with your target audience, which ads you should modify or bury forever, what to invest in, or not.

Remember, to be a good marketer, you must first be a good strategist and analyst, and know how to optimize to maximize ROI. Otherwise, you’re just wasting time and money.

Step by step how to create and install a new Facebook Pixel

Creating a Pixel isn’t difficult, you just need to follow the steps I indicate here. Let’s see what you need to do:

• First, go to your Business Manager, log in and search for Event Manager in All Tools. From here, click on + Connect Data Sources and choose between Web, App, Offline, CRM, Messages. For now, let’s select Web and see how to proceed.

• A box now appears “Create a new dataset”, which explains how the process helps monitor “important activity for your business, so you can better target audience groups and help improve performance. After naming this action, you’ll need to enter the” URL of your website.

At this point, you’re asked if you want to receive “Setup Instructions” (recommended option) or prefer the “Do It Yourself” approach. Trust me, if you’re not an expert, choose the first option! Now you need to indicate if your monthly budget is less than or more than $3,000.

• Based on the answers provided, you’ll “immediately receive the best configuration suggestion for you. For example, if you indicated that you have less than $3,000 per month in advertising budget, Meta recommends configuring the” Conversions API with a partner such as Shopify, Google Tag Manager, WordPress, or Wix. This is because it has low costs, you don’t need to write code, and it requires little maintenance.

• Obviously, follow Meta’s advice and choose your partner from those proposed in the next screen. If you choose WordPress, this is the time to connect your WordPress account to Meta. If you don’t have a pixel yet, you need to create one right away!
• Now pay close attention because we’ve reached a crucial point, the connection between WordPress and Meta. But for this, I invite you to read the next paragraph.

Integrate the Pixel with WordPress: I’ll Explain How to Do It

To connect the Pixel to your WordPress site, I recommend choosing the easiest way and using a plugin. In 2024, it’s time to learn to automate, so you should do it too!

• Go to your WordPress account and open the administration panel of your website.

• Now go to the “Plugins” section and click on “Add New”.
• You can choose from various plugins, such as Pixel Your Site, Pixelavo, and Pixel Tag Manager for WooCommerce.
• Click on “Install Now” and then on “Activate”.

Now you need to get the ID of your Facebook Pixel, and here’s how to do it:

• On Facebook’s “Business Manager”, search for “Event Manager”.
• If you already have it, simply select and copy the ID of the Pixel you’re interested in, which you can find in Overview or Data Sources. Otherwise, you need to create the Pixel following the instructions I gave you in the previous paragraph.

With the ID code copied, return to your website’s administration panel and go to the section of the plugin you installed. Now proceed as follows:

• Paste or select the “Pixel ID in the appropriate space within” the plugin settings.
• Check the various configurations proposed by the plugin, such as “Advertising Account”, “Reference Page”, “Instagram” and proceed by clicking “Next”.
• Save the changes and now you just need to check that your Pixel is working correctly. How? There’s a dedicated paragraph about this below.

How to Verify if the Facebook Pixel is Working

Once the installation procedure is complete, you need to check that everything is working correctly, and I recommend using the Meta Pixel Helper for this.

It’s a Chrome extension, so the first thing you need to do is install it. How? I’ll explain it to you, follow me:

• First, verify if you’re using the Chrome browser, because the Pixel Helper plugin only works with this. Go to the Chrome Web Store by typing the search in the bar, or directly entering this URL https://chrome.google.com/webstore.
• In “Search extensions and themes” type Pixel Helper and the plugin screen will appear. All you have to do is click on “Add to Chrome” and then “Add extension” and you’re done.

• Now you’ll see the Meta Pixel Helper icon >< at the top right in the browser toolbar, with the color green or red depending on whether it detects an active Pixel on the web pages you visit.

You’re surely curious to test the Meta Pixel Helper on your website! Go and check that it’s regularly active, if there are any errors, and which events are being tracked.

How to Install the Facebook Pixel with Google Tag Manager

Google Tag Manager is a free tool that allows the “addition and” updating of tags for tracking and “analysis, with a” simple and intuitive interface.

Now I’ll explain how to configure the Facebook Pixel using GTM:

• In Events Manager in your Meta account, copy the Pixel ID you want to use or create a new one if necessary.
• Log into your Google Tag Manager account and select, or create, an environment for the website where you want to install the Pixel.
• Go to “Tags”, click on “New” to create a new tag and name it “Facebook Pixel”.
• Click on “Tag Configuration” and choose “Custom HTML”.
• In the “HTML” box, insert the Facebook Pixel code as you see in the photo below. Of course, where you read “YOUR_PIXEL_ID” there will be your Pixel ID.

• Click on “Triggering” and select the trigger that will activate the Pixel. Usually, “All Pages” is chosen to track all page views.
• You’re almost there! Save the tag and use the preview mode in GTM to test that the Pixel is activated correctly.

All you have to do now is go to your website and check that the pixel is working and that events are being tracked in “Events Manager”. Publish the changes in Google Tag Manager to activate the Pixel across the entire site and you’re done!

Dataset: Discover Everything About the New Feature That Groups Data from Different Sources

Meta has recently grouped event data from different sources into a dataset.

By creating your dataset, you’ll receive a unique ID that you can use to configure your integrations and monitor your events through “Events Manager”.

The dataset ID will correspond to that of an existing Pixel if it’s associated with your dataset. This can occur in various circumstances, for example:

• Your pixel has been automatically transformed into a dataset.
• You have generated a dataset using a pre-existing mobile app and selected the option “Create using a pixel ID”.

You will receive a new dataset ID if an existing pixel is not linked to your dataset.

The dataset reports event data from these integrations, which you can choose to configure:

• Meta Pixel (website events).
• Conversions API (website, app, offline, and messaging-related events).
• Facebook SDK for iOS or Android (app events).
• Mobile Measurement Partner (app events).
• App Events API (app events).
• CSV file upload (offline events).

The huge advantage offered by the dataset is having a single ID and being able to monitor events on websites, apps, offline, and messaging in one place. Additionally, you can manage just one API integration!

How to add an advertising account to a dataset

First, you must have full control of the business account managing the dataset. The next step is to add the advertising account to which you assign the dataset to your Business Manager. Don’t worry, I’ll explain how to do it now:

• go to “Meta Business Suite” and select your business account.
• Click on “Data Sources”, select “Dataset” and click on “Add Resources”.
• Select the advertising accounts you want to grant access to.
• Click on “Add”.

With these few simple steps, you’ve added the advertising account to the dataset!

How to use the event setup tool

You’ve finally added the Pixel to your website, but it’s not over yet. Now it’s time to configure the standard events you want to track. As always, don’t worry, follow my instructions and you’ll see it’s not that difficult:

• from Event Manager in Business Manager, click on Data Sources and select the Pixel ID you’re interested in.

• Click on “Settings” at the top and scroll down to “Open Event Setup Tool”.

• Now you need to enter the “website URL and click on ‘Open Website’. The event setup tool will launch in your website’s browser, as you can see in the” image below.

• Click on “Check” for each suggested event and select “Confirm” or “Ignore”. You can also add other events by clicking on the highlighted areas of the website and choosing which event you want to add to tracking.

That’s it! To view the events, simply access “Event Manager”, choose the desired Pixel and observe both the graph and the table of available events.

All about standard and custom events

An event is the action that a user takes for example on your website, from making a purchase, adding a product to the cart, downloading content, or signing up for the newsletter.

For Meta/Facebook, this data is valuable for optimizing ads and showing ads only to people who are likely to be interested.

As an advertiser, you can decide to share information about standard events or custom events. Let’s look at them in detail:

The standard events are already predefined by Meta, which recognizes them and has already established a specific type of tracking for them.

These events cover the most common interactions on a website and are designed to facilitate tracking integration without the need for additional customization.

Below is the list of all standard events updated for 2024:

Add Payment Info, Add to Cart, Add to Wishlist, Complete Registration, Contact, Customize Product, Donate, Find Location, Initiate Checkout, Lead, Purchase, Schedule, Search, Start Trial, Submit Application, Subscribe, View Content.

The custom events, on the other hand, are all actions not listed among the standard events and are implemented by adding specific code to the Pixel.

Steps to configure standard events in the Facebook Pixel

Now you know exactly what standard events are, and you need to proceed with correctly inserting the code, respecting upper and lower case. Let’s look at an example right away to understand well!

The “event ‘ViewContent’ is fbq(‘’track’, ‘’ViewContent’’);’ and not fbq(‘’track’,’ viewcontent ‘);’If you use this” latter code, Meta will recognize it as a custom event and not a standard one in your advertising reports.

It’s also important to accurately set the values and currency for specific events like purchase, to correctly reflect conversions. This helps to obtain more accurate data on the performance of your campaigns.

To maximize the effectiveness of the Pixel, Meta rightly recommends configuring a complete event funnel, which includes events in logical sequence, such as viewing content, adding to cart and purchase, in order to track all actions that lead to completing the sale.

In addition to the Pixel, also use Conversions API to obtain the so-called redundant event configuration, which allows tracking the same events both from the client side (Pixel) and from the server side (API), bypassing any connectivity issues or page loading errors.

ATTENTION! Remember that the ViewContent event is not part of the basic Pixel code, unlike page view, which indicates the simple presence of a user on a web page where the Pixel is installed. This distinction is fundamental for correct event tracking, keep it in mind!

What are automatic events

In 2024, any marketer knows well that the possibilities offered by machine learning are a godsend to rely on to improve their strategies and maximize results.

When you activate automatic events, the Facebook Pixel starts to monitor a series of predefined actions, which can include clicks on links, form submissions, video views, and much more.

The Pixel learns from “user interaction and automatically decides which events to track, based on what is most useful for your site and your business. Improving tracking should be your priority, so let Meta help you and you won’t regret it. Activate automatic events as you see in the” image below!

How to configure events and parameters for Advantage+ catalog ads

For Advantage+ catalog ads, which were once dynamic ads, you need to correctly set some parameters of the events tracked by the Pixel or the “Facebook SDK, to maximize the” effectiveness of the ads and show the right products to the right people at the right time!

If you have already configured the Pixel on your website, verify that standard events and correct parameters are configured. For example, as Meta guides indicate, add the event code Add to Cart with the parameters content_ids and content_type to each add to cart confirmation page.

Haven’t installed the Pixel on your website yet? Then add the standard events and correct parameters during “installation and do it this way. When you visit ‘Event Manager’ to set up your Pixel, select” manual installation.

This choice will allow you to customize events by adding specific parameters. Once you’ve selected the desired options, the system will generate a code snippet, which you’ll need to copy and paste into the Pixel code on every relevant page of your website.

Done? Great, now you can connect the Pixel to a catalog that will be used for your super optimized and targeted ads based on users’ interests and behaviors.

What Is the Test Events Tab and How to Use It Best

In “Event Manager” you have “Test Events”, a really useful tool to understand if you’ve set up the events correctly, or if you need to fix any errors.

You can delete the test activities when you’re done, although these will remain available in the tab for 24 hours.

I strongly recommend, if you encounter errors, use the messages that Meta provides to resolve configuration issues. Don’t pretend you didn’t see them, act immediately!

All About Custom Conversions for Website Events

I’ll never stop repeating it: in marketing, the more you delve into details, the more you win! Custom conversions for website events allow you to measure even more specific actions performed by users on your site.

For example, if you have an eCommerce, you might want to track users who have made purchases over 50 euros.

Keep in mind that you can create up to 100 custom conversions for each advertising account. Also, you can’t use custom conversions with dynamic ads for products!

Now let’s look at a concrete example of a custom conversion:

Let’s say you want to track all users who have placed an order of 50 euros on your site and purchased women’s shirts:

• from your Meta account, on “Event Manager” select “Create Custom Conversion”.

• Select “Purchase” as the conversion event and create these two rules:

1. add the “URL where the” purchase occurs, which will surely contain the keyword “women’s shirts”.
2. Enter the value parameter greater than 50 euros.

To go beyond standard tracking and obtain invaluable data for your advertising campaigns, learn to make the most of the potential of custom conversions! The benefits in terms of ROI will be truly evident.

How to Modify or Delete Custom Conversions

First, I’ll tell you right away that you can only modify the name, description, and conversion value, but you can’t modify the rules of a custom conversion:

• from “Event Manager” click on “Custom Conversions” in the top left menu.
• Select the custom conversion you want to modify and click on “Manage”.
• Make the changes you want and save.

If you want to delete custom conversions that you no longer need and make room for new ones, just follow these steps:

• In “Event Manager”, click on “Custom Conversions” on the left and choose the conversion you want to delete.
• Click on “Manage” and select “Delete” from the dropdown menu.

Now that you’ve deleted the custom conversion, you won’t find it in your advertising reports anymore!

Why the number of conversions reported by third-party tools may differ from Meta’s

If you use third-party tools, you may notice different data reports due to differences in conversion detection and attribution methods. Let me explain better what might be causing these discrepancies:

• Third-party tools often rely on cookies to track conversions, which can limit their ability to measure user activities across multiple devices. Meta, on the other hand, uses people-based measurement and tracks user behavior across different devices.
• Meta attributes conversions even to ad impressions alone, while some third-party tools don’t always recognize conversions if the “user hasn’t clicked on the” ad.
• The “use of ad blockers can prevent the” activation of the Meta Pixel, affecting conversion tracking. As a result, Meta’s reports might show fewer conversions compared to internal reports.
• Meta and other tools use different metrics and therefore make different calculations.

What can you do to resolve these discrepancies?

Check that the conversion attribution window is aligned between the various tracking tools and Meta.

Set the same time zone on the reporting tools and verify that the conversion date used in the reports is identical. Never neglect the Pixel configuration; everything must be set up correctly!

Use the “Data Sources” tab in Meta’s “Event Manager” to verify standard event activations and compare them with those reported by third-party tools.

It may seem like a small thing, but you must check that the currency and decimal formatting are consistent in the purchase event codes across different tools.

Use Pixel Helper and make sure there are no duplicate activations, which can be caused by redirects and can inflate conversion data in Meta reports.

If Meta reports show fewer conversions than third-party tools, be aware of piggybacking of the Pixel on existing tag management tools. Hold on, I see you’re scared, let me explain better!

The Facebook Pixel might have been added or implemented alongside other tracking tools already present on the site, such as Google Tag Manager.

This can lead to configuration issues or interference, and the Facebook Pixel might not record all conversions. In practice, the pixel doesn’t work because it’s “piggybacking”, meaning it’s relying on another tracking system that’s already set up. Once you resolve this issue, everything will return to normal.

How to make the best use of the Diagnostics tab in Event Manager

If there’s an important feature in Event Manager, it’s the Diagnostics tab, which always gives you a clear view of what’s working and what’s not in the configuration of events on your Facebook Pixel.

It’s divided into 3 sections, one dedicated to issues detected in the last 24 hours that haven’t been resolved or ignored yet, another for issues not addressed within three days of their detection, and the third for issues you’ve decided to ignore.

Problems are classified as Critical, indicated by a red icon and you must resolve them immediately, and Warnings with a yellow icon, indicating less urgent issues, which can nevertheless help you optimize the use of Meta’s business tools.

What do I advise? Obviously, never ignore any error notification and act as soon as possible!

Differences between Ads Manager, Insights, and Events Manager

Meta is a highly evolved platform with many features, including three tools to measure and optimize sponsored content: Ads Manager, Insights, and Events Manager. I won’t go into too much detail, but I want to explain their main characteristics:

Ads Manager creates, manages, and optimizes advertising campaigns on Facebook, Instagram, and other Meta platforms. Here you can set budgets, target audiences, choose ad formats, and modify active ads.

Insights provides reports on advertising campaign performance, data on key metrics such as impressions, clicks, conversions, and ad spend.

Events Manager tracks and manages events generated by “user interaction with the website or app” connected to the ads, for example through a Facebook Pixel or mobile app SDK. Essentially, you see what users do on your website or app.

Knowing how to use all three well will improve your marketing strategies and optimize your campaign results on Meta!

What to do if the website domain is blocked

Working in web marketing and dealing with tracking tools like the Pixel requires skill but also knowledge of current rules and regulations. Be very careful, for example, with the events your website sends and whether the domain violates Meta’s policies, because you could find yourself one day with a blocked domain.

The actions you can take at that point are to check the “Diagnostics” tab in “Events Manager” to see if your domain is really blocked and understand the cause. Haven’t you done anything contrary to Meta’s policies? Request a review and wait for a response.

If your domain is blocked, stop sending data “from that domain immediately. You can do this by removing the Meta Pixel or associated code from your site, or by deactivating any partner integrations that send data to Meta. I know it’s a bit” scary, but as in any sector, there are risks to evaluate and it requires a lot of attention and zero sloppiness.

Be careful with the information you share with Meta

Before you start working with the Facebook Pixel, know that you need to pay attention to the strict and very fair rules on privacy and data protection, which you can find clearly stated in Meta’s guidelines. So, when sending data, never include:

• Financial and health information about individuals.
• Sensitive data such as social security numbers, tax identification numbers, credit card numbers, and passwords.
• Specific GPS location data.
• Information about minors under 13 years old.
• Any data not hashed as required by Meta.

If Meta detects prohibited data, you will receive notifications via email or through Meta’s management platforms and you’ll need to rush to fix the problem! To avoid issues, always check the “Diagnostics” tab in “Events Manager” and, above all, don’t try to be clever and respect the current regulations.

How to use Pixel data to optimize advertising campaigns

Facebook Pixel is a well of valuable information that you must make the most of to optimize advertising campaigns on Meta.

What’s so special about it? I’ll tell you in the simplest words possible, because it’s really important that you understand the enormous potential of this tracking tool you have at your disposal:

• With the Pixel, you can track important actions such as purchases, newsletter subscriptions, or file downloads, and therefore understand which ads are working and which aren’t, what your target audience likes and needs, how optimized your website is and if it offers a pleasant browsing experience.
• You can do remarketing to target users who have visited specific pages of your site but haven’t completed a “desired action, such as a purchase. Think about how much you save in terms of time and money, not having to intercept the audience in the” vast ocean of the web. A warm audience will always be an advantage over a cold audience, never forget that!
• You can personalize advertising messages based on the actions users have taken on your site.
• The data collected by the Pixel helps you create custom audiences (custom audience) based on specific behaviors, such as users who have added products to their cart but haven’t purchased.
• Through your customers, you can find new similar users on Facebook (lookalike audience), who are likely to be interested in your products or services.
• Adapt your advertising strategies in real-time, based on the data that Facebook Pixel offers to improve campaign performance.
• You don’t know how good Facebook Pixel is for SEO! Analyze user behavior, which pages they visit more, for example, and implement your SEO strategy to increase organic traffic.

Amazed by all these possibilities? I understand you, it always gives me the same WOW effect!

Conclusions

I hope, in fact I’m sure, that this definitive guide to Facebook Pixel 2024 will help you enter the world of Facebook Ads or, if you’re already in it, to refresh your knowledge.

Refining sponsored content and reaching the desired target with relevant and pertinent advertising messages should become a daily challenge. Only then will it make sense to invest time and money in advertising campaigns.

And one thing is certain, through the “accurate implementation of Facebook Pixel, the” in-depth analysis of events on the site, and the “strategic use of collected data, you can significantly increase the return on ” investment!

Don’t forget the importance of respecting privacy regulations and ensuring that the data sent complies with Meta’s policies.

If you want personalized advice for you or your company, we’re here, ready and willing. Let’s make a difference together! Contact us.

In the meantime, you can delve deeper into the topic of Facebook Ads with our free course.