When I initially began promoting on Facebook, it seemed like I was trying to find my way through a complex path. Understanding the pixel specifically took me some time, however once I mastered the technique, it revealed countless opportunities for me as a digital marketer.
Before we dive deep into the details of how to pixel Facebook, let me explain what a pixel is. In simple terms, it’s a small piece of code that you place on your website to collect data about your website visitors. This data can then be used for various purposes, like tracking conversions, optimizing ads, and building custom audiences.
Step 1: Create and Install the Facebook Pixel
The first step in pixeling Facebook is to create a pixel in your Facebook Ads Manager. To do this, go to the Business Settings, select the Data Sources tab, and choose the Pixels option. Click on the “Add” button to create a new pixel.
Once you’ve created the pixel, Facebook will provide you with a snippet of code. This code needs to be placed on every page of your website, preferably in the header section. If you’re not familiar with HTML, don’t worry. Most website platforms have an option to insert code snippets. Just copy and paste the code in the appropriate field.
Step 2: Set up Standard Events
After installing the pixel, it’s time to set up standard events. Standard events are predefined actions that Facebook tracks on your website, like purchases, leads, or registrations. They provide valuable data for optimizing your ad campaigns.
To set up standard events, you’ll need to add additional code to specific pages on your website. For example, if you want to track purchases, you’ll need to add the code on your order confirmation page. Again, most website platforms have an option for inserting code snippets, so you can easily add the necessary code.
Step 3: Use Custom Conversions
Custom conversions allow you to track specific actions on your website without the need for additional code. It’s a convenient feature that can save you time, especially if you have multiple conversion actions on your site.
To set up a custom conversion, go to the Events Manager in Facebook Ads Manager. Click on the Custom Conversions tab and then on the “Create Custom Conversion” button. From there, you can define the specific rule for the conversion you want to track, such as a URL contains or URL equals.
Step 4: Use the Pixel for Ad Optimization
Now that you have your pixel set up and tracking events on your website, it’s time to use that data to optimize your Facebook ad campaigns. With the pixel data, you can create custom audiences based on specific actions users have taken on your website.
For example, you can create an audience of people who added a product to their cart but didn’t complete the purchase. With this custom audience, you can then create a targeted ad campaign to encourage them to come back and complete their purchase.
Conclusion
Pixeling Facebook may seem daunting at first, but once you understand the process and put it into practice, it becomes a powerful tool for optimizing your ad campaigns and reaching your target audience more effectively. By collecting data on user behavior and using it to create custom audiences, you can take your Facebook advertising to the next level.