How Does Facebook Pixel Work?

Picture this:

You are scrolling through your Facebook feed when you notice an ad for a pair of memory foam shoes. You actually need a new pair of shoes, so you click on the ad to get more information. The shoes are nice, but a bit out of your price range, so you decide to think about it some more. You exit the landing page without adding anything to the shopping cart. The next day, you see an ad in your feed from the same brand prompting you to check their new offer. Was it a coincidence?

Of course, not! When it comes to good Facebook advertising, nothing happens by chance. Once you click on a Facebook ad (or ads from other platforms too,) a small piece of code will track your activity on the web page. Advertisers then use this information to refine their ads and target you with offers that better meet your needs.

We’re talking here about the Facebook pixel.

In this article, our Facebook Advertising Specialist will explain what pixel code is and how it works.

What Is the Facebook Pixel?

The Facebook pixel is a piece of code that can help you track the performance of your ad campaigns by monitoring the actions a website visitor takes on your page after clicking on an ad. It can help you track conversion events like:

• Pageviews
• Add to cart
• Time on page
• Purchase

And others.

This data can help you optimise your ads and build better-targeted audiences for future ad campaigns and reach out to the people who have already interacted with your ads and visited your web pages.

How Does the Facebook Pixel Work?

Simply put, the Facebook pixel works by dropping a cookie that will track your web visitors as they interact with your brand.

Let’s imagine that you’ve seen a nice summer dress on your Facebook. You click on the ad to check it out and even add it to the shopping cart. But, then you get a phone call from your friend, and you go to meet her at a coffee shop and completely forget about the dress. Next time when you are scrolling through Facebook, you see an ad with the dress you added to the shopping cart, now 15% off.

That retargeting at its best and it’s just one of the many functions the Facebook pixel has. What it does is to remind shoppers about the products that they visited and maybe forgot in the shopping cart.

But, there’s more to the Facebook pixel than just retargeting. It can also help you track conversions and optimise your ads.

To make things a bit more clearer, let us tell you the steps you need to take to make the pixel work:

How to Create and Install Your Facebook Pixel

Here’s a short step-by-step guide to setting up the Facebook pixel:

1. Create a Facebook Pixel

Go to Facebook Events Manager, click on Connect to Data Sources and then select Web. Next, click on Get Started.

2. Select Facebook Pixel

A window will appear, asking you to select a connection method. Choose Facebook Pixel and then click Connect.

3. Name the Pixel

Add a name for your pixel, enter the website URL, and then click on Continue. Keep in mind that you can only get one pixel for each ad account. If you want to use more than just one pixel per ad account, then you should use Facebook Business Manage instead of Facebook Events Manager.

4. Add the pixel to your website

How you add the pixel to your website depends on the platform you are using. If you’re using WordPress or SquareSpace, then you should click on Use a Partner Integration. If you are working with a developer, then you can opt to have the data sent to you by email. If none of these options work for you, then you will have to manually install your pixel. To do so, you will have to click on Install Code Manually, copy the code, and then install it into the header code of your website, just above the </head> tag.

5. Add Events

Once your pixel has been added, you can start adding events using the Event Setup Tool.

How to Use the Facebook Pixel

As mentioned above, the pixel can do more than retargeting the people who’ve interacted with your ad. You can use this piece of code to:

1. Create Custom Audiences

The Facebook pixel allows you to track various actions that users take while browsing your web pages, such as what pages they visit, when, how much time they spend on-page, the scroll depth, and so on. You can then create custom audiences based on this data and reach out to the people who are most likely to buy your products.

2. Create Custom Conversions

You can create a custom conversion by choosing a completion page and naming the conversion. A completion page is very similar to a thank you page, such as “Thank you for shopping from us. Your order is on its way.” For example, you can create a custom conversion that tracks subscriptions to a webinar. If you charge $50 for people to attend your webinar, but spend $60 on Facebook ads, then you need to make some adjustments to your ad campaign.

3. Standard and Custom Events

The Facebook pixel can target 17 different standard events, such as Complete Registration, Add to Cart, Add to Wishlist, Contact, Lead, Purchase, and others. It can also track custom events, which are events not already covered by Facebook.

4. Dynamic Ads

If you are an eCommerce site, then you can use the Facebook Pixel to run dynamic ads. This option will automatically show products from your catalogue based on your target audience.

5. Conversion Optimisation

If you don’t set up any standard or custom events, then you won’t be able to optimise for conversions. You can still use the pixel to optimise for link clicks, traffic, and video views

Do I Need to Install the Facebook Pixel?

By installing and tracking the pixel, you will not only get better insights into who your web visitors are, but you will also be able to understand their behaviour better, build custom audiences to target the right audience, analyse events, and optimise your spending.

Do You Need Help?

If you are new to Facebook advertising, then creating, setting up, and tracking the pixel may feel like a daunting task. Our social media marketing team can take this load off your shoulders and help you with all of your Facebook advertising needs. We have years of experience in the industry, have worked with businesses big and small across all industries, and have the tools and resources to help you create ads campaigns that will help you achieve your sales goals.

Get in touch with us now for a chat and if you want to learn more about our services and how we can help your business grow.