Facebook Pixel Explained

What is Facebook Pixel

Facebook Pixel is a Facebook analytics code that is used to track every activity which visitor completes on your website such as standard events, custom conversion, custom events, creating LokkAlike Audience, create custom audiences from website visitors for Retargeting.

Facebook Pixel is a code that collects data and uses the information of people who visited your websites, specific pages, or completed an event.

Meta Pixel and Event Tracking


Benefits of Facebook Pixel

Facebook Pixel Track data which you can use to make better decisions in the future.

Facebook Pixel Helps you to create a custom audience to which you can target. For example, 10 people visit your website, 8 complete the purchase and 2 leave the website without completing the purchase.

Now, you can use pixel data to create a custom audience who people who visited your website but did not complete a purchase, You can use this audience for retargeting. According to research, almost 68% of websites visitor leaves a website without completing a purchase. So, if you are spending hard-earned money on acquiring customers why should not retarget those who do not make a purchase?


Facebook Pixels you to track specific Stansted, custom events, and custom conversions.



You use Facebook pixel, and it starts collecting data and passing out this data to Facebook which in return helps Facebook to better optimize your ad for the desired action.

Always remember the more data you feed to these machine learning algorithms the better output they will give you.

How to Create and Implement Facebook Pixel

In order to create a Facebook Pixel go to Ad Manager, click on All tool, then Click on Event Manager.


After Clicking on Event Manager, you will land on the following page. Now you have to click on Connect a Data Source.


After clicking on the data source, you have to create a data source from where you will collect your data through pixels.



Now, you will see a pop-up showing create a pixel, by using a name for it.


Name your pixel according to your preference and then click on create Pixel. Now your Pixel Will be created and you have to install it properly on your website or blog. For this enter your website URL. You can enter your domain URL. Now here I am using the URL of my demo website which I have created on blogger. You can use your own domain such as xyz.com, xyz.org,xyz.org, etc.



Now after entering your domain URL, you have to click on the check button and then Click the Next Button. After this, you have to click on the meta pixel only as you can see in the images given below. You can choose conversion API and Meta Pixel but for now, I don’t want to do things more complex so let's keep it simple. Once you understood how to create a pixel and properly implement it. Then this will be piece of cake for you. So, I suggest you as a beginner, Keep it simple and let's implement meta pixel only.


After choosing Meta Pixel Only, Click on Next.


Now as you can see there are two options in front of you, either you can install pixel code manually by pasting pixel code in your website head and body tag or by using a plugin for supported partners for integration such as WordPress or Shopify.

Now Listen to this carefully, there are many ways to install meta pixel on our website, don’t confuse about it. You can install meta pixel code manually, by using third-party plugins for WordPress, Shopify, and similar CMS or by using Google Tag Manager.

Now, here I am not going to share with you all the methods because first, it will be a waste of time, and second, it will create confusion. I want to make things simple. 

So, for now, I am using manual methods for installing Facebook Pixel code and Trust me. It is very simple you don’t need to panic if you are not techy.

As I mentioned earlier here I am using a demo blogspot blog for installing meta pixel, so, definitely I will use it for pixel installation I will also show you how you can create a meta pixel code on your WordPress website manually. So, stay tuned let's go.


So, in order to install pixel code manually I will click on install code manually.




Now, Copy the code, go to your website template, search for the header tag, and paste the copied code just below the head tag. Thats it. 


Now, Don’t confuse. Listen as you know here I am using a blogger blog so I went to my blog, then I went to the template, then I to went edit the template with HTML and paste the copied meta pixel code on the blogger.


So, what to do if you are using WordPress, you have two choices either install a plugin called header footer code and paste the copied meta code in it or you have go to 

Dashboard>Appersnce>Theme File Editor and from there go to header.php files and paste the meta pixel code just below the head tag. Cool!.


Now I am assuming that you are following me and things are going right. You are facing no difficulty. I am again assuring you that you don’t need to worry just follow the step, pay some attention, and follow the way I am teaching you, you will not face any difficulty in the proper implementation or installation of meta pixel code.

After Pasting the Meta pixel code just below the header, click on save.

Now, the question is how do we know whether the pixel we are trying to install on our website is properly installed or not? So for now let's cool down and let's discuss it a few moments later from now.



As you have installed Facebook pixel on your website, now you will show the above-advanced matching option which you can turn on according to your preference. Now I think that I Forgot to mention that you need to install the pixel on every page where you want to track data.

Don’t worry if you have installed the pixel the way I told you, all set no worries.




Now as you can see we have to set up events on our website for which we will optimize our meta ads campaign later. Facebook provides us with some standard pre-defined events such as leads, form submission, add to card, initiate checkout, purchase, etc. Tracking these events is essential because without knowing what are the events how Facebook will optimize our ad campaign for these events? Let me make it simple for you if you want to buy a smartphone then you have to go to a retailer and ask for a smartphone, then the retailer with give you a smartphone. Similarly, if you want to complete an action from the traffic you are buying from Facebook then you have to first clearly mention what are the events you want to optimize your campaign for, only then Facebook will collect the data about this particular event and those who mostly like to do that event, and based upon that Facebook will show your ads to those who are more likely to complete that particular action on your website or app.

I hope you are understanding what I am trying to say. 

So, that was all about what are events, and why they are important. Now let's discuss how to set up an event on your website.

How to Set Up Meta Pixel Events

There are two methods to set up meta events on a website either manually, through google tag manager, or through an event setup tool. As you know I am using a blogger blog website so I will use a manual, you can also use manual methods to set up events on WordPress too. But you can also use the event setup tool. I think it will be better If you will follow me and we will use a manual.


I am linking a Facebook article about conversion tracking which will help you in keeping an understanding of what these standard events are and how to use them here.

So, Facebook tracks these standard events by using a function name “track”

Which is given below :


fbq('track', 'Purchase', {currency: "USD", value: 30.00});

Here fbq is a function to track an event name Purchase, Next, there is a JSON object with a parameter that we want to track along with the event, and these are optional you can use them or not it completely depends upon you.

Now, If you understand this one line of code you will understand event tracking  50%. Now there are many events that you can track such as leads, application submissions, and add to cart, now you simply need to replace the Purchase with the event name you want to track. That simple it is.

Let's assume if you want to track, a lead event then you can simply replace the “purchase ” with “Lead”.

Here is what it will look like after modification.

<script>

fbq('track', 'Lead', {

});

</script>

Just that simple. You don’t need to track parameters if you are a lead generation business. And if you want to track other parameters as well such as currency, value, and some others. Then you can visit this article from meta for more information.

Currently, I am not interested in deep diving into conversion tracking as we have to keep the process simple and understand the concepts which are important for us to know.

After creating your event tracking code you have to go to the website page and paste the event code where if you land, that means the event is completed. 

For example, you want to generate a lead and you have the system up system that way when a person fill-up the form he/she will redirect to thank you page. In this case how you will know that a lead is generated or a person has completed the form? Definitely when someone will land on thank you page. Now you to paste the tracking code on thank you page just above the ending body tag. So, in this case, when someone will land on thank you page meta event tracking code will automatically trigger and the event will be tracked.

I am assuming that you are understanding what I am trying to convey to you. 

 


After pasting the event code on your page which will do the confirmation of desired event completion, click save and congratulate you have successfully installed both the Facebook base pixel as well as Facebook event pixel. you have to troubleshoot or in simple words check whether the base pixel code which we installed earlier and the meta pixel event code which we installed now are working or not.


How to Troubleshoot Facebook Base Pixel and Event Pixel?

In order to check whether the pixel code is working properly or not we have to take the help of meta's official chrome extension which is Facebook pixel helper or you can say meta pixel helper.

Simply go to google and search for meta pixel helper chrome extension. Install this chrome extension to chrome.












After installing you have to pin it in google chrome and open your website upon which you have installed the meta base pixel and event setup code. As you will open your website if all ok, you will see a notification with a green signal which means all tracking tags are properly set up and working correctly.

Sometimes event tags can take some time but don’t worry wait for 4 to 5 minutes and check if they are working or not. Cool!.





As you can see above in the image, the code which we installed on our dome blogger website is installed successfully. Pay attention to the Meta Pixel Helper chrome extension there are 3 in green color which is a notification showing that three events are being tracked by our Facebook pixel. As I told you earlier that I have installed the base pixel and event code on the same page because I was doing it just for the sake of teaching it to you.

So, I really enjoyed writing this article, installing meta-pixel code, and teaching you throughout the process. Now you can easily track every person who visited your website and submitted a lead form redirected to thank you form as you are tracking them through the leads event on thank you page.

I am assuming that you have learned a lot from this article. If you still have any confusion or doubt feel free to comment or just dm me. I am here to help you guys.