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Installing Facebook pixel will allow you to leverage the full potential of Facebook ads, track conversions, and gain valuable insight. Read on to learn how to start using it!

What is Facebook Pixel?

Facebook pixel is a special web analytics tool.

It consists of a code that you can put on your website to collect critical data about visitors.

This data, in turn, is used for building custom audiences, retargeting prospects with Facebook ads, and optimising for and tracking conversions.

Facebook pixel can provide you with a better understanding of your target audience – how they interact with your website, what they do upon returning, and the best way to retarget them – and how to enhance the performance of your Facebook ads.

How does it work?

Facebook pixel works like any other tracking pixel.

The code is embedded as a transparent pixel that plants cookies whenever someone visits your website.

Sounds pretty simple, right? But, that’s not what makes Facebook pixel special.

It creates a unique signature of that visitor by combining their IP address with information about the device and browser used.

This information is then passed on to Facebook, where it is matched with the existing signatures of Facebook users, made with multiple combinations of IP addresses, devices, and browsers.

Based on that user’s activity on your website, you’ll be able to create custom targeted ads on Facebook that could increase their chances of converting.

This flowchart by SortMySocial simplifies the entire process:

You can access the collected data on your Facebook Pixel ID, which can be found in the Ads Manager.

What Can You Do With the Facebook Pixel?

Before moving on to discussing how to install Facebook pixel, let’s discuss what it can do for you.

By installing the Facebook pixel, you can:

– Determine what to track & optimise conversions

One of the key functionalities of Facebook pixel is that it allows you to determine what you want to track, helping you optimise your ads accordingly.

This means that you can set the pixel up to see specific actions that people take on your website.

These actions/interactions are known as “events.” They’re classified as:

  • Standard events – These include the actions that Facebook recognizes and has specific codes for. To track a standard event, you have to plug in its unique code on the landing page of your choice. Here is the list of all standard events:

  • Custom events – Custom events are actions that are not recognized by Facebook, allowing you to name them. They are much easier to set up (you don’t have to plug in the codes).

– Create custom audiences

Another great thing about the Facebook pixel is that it allows you to create custom audiences.

The pixel collects in-depth information about the people who visit your website.

It then utilizes this information to create specific audiences that you can access with just a click.

You can target those audiences with the Facebook ads of your choice, increasing your chances of conversions and making every dollar count.

As you can see in the screenshot above, you can create audiences according to different criteria, ranging from “Anyone who visits your website” to “People who haven’t visited in a certain amount of time.” There are custom combinations to explore as well.

– Create dynamic Facebook ads

One thing most digital marketers struggle with is making sure that the right ads are shown to the right audiences.

With so many products to promote, it isn’t feasible to separately create ads for each.

This is where dynamic ads come in.

The way these ads are shown depends on how visitors behave on your website.

All you have to do is to upload your catalogue, and set your campaign.

–  Get valuable insight about your audiences

While it’s true that without running ads you won’t be leveraging the full potential of the pixel, you can still, however, get valuable insights about your target audiences.

Collecting information about people that convert – where they came from, how they behaved on your website, how much time they spent on your site, etc. – and those that did not convert, can go a long way into optimising your offerings and creating better content.

Installing Facebook Pixel

Now that you’re aware of what you can accomplish with Facebook pixel, let’s discuss how you can install it.

To start using Facebook pixel, you must have:

  • A live website
  • A Facebook Business Manager account

However, before anything else, you must create your Facebook pixel.

Don’t worry – it’s not rocket science! Just follow these simple steps:

  • Step-1: Open the hamburger menu on the top-left corner on your Facebook Business Manager account, and click “Pixels and Conversions” under “Measure and Report.”

  • Step-2: You will be redirected to the “Events Manager” page. Here, click on the “Get Started” button in the “Facebook Pixel: Track Website Activities” section under “Data Sources.”

  • Step-3: A small window will pop up. It’ll ask you to name your Facebook pixel (50 characters or less) and provide your website’s URL (optional). When you’re done, click “Create.”

  1. Step-4: A new window will pop up, prompting you to choose from 3 options – “Connect a Partner Platform,” “Manually Install Pixel Code Yourself,” or “Email instructions to a developer.”

For now, let’s skip the first two options (we’ll discuss them later in detail), and focus on the third one i.e. emailing the instructions to your developer.

Clicking on that option will open a new window.

At the top, you will be asked to enter the email address of the recipient i.e. your developer.

The rest of the window will look like this:

At the bottom right corner of the window, click the “Send” button and your developer will receive your unique pixel base code (see part-2 in the screenshot above). This code will connect your website with Facebook.

Now, all you have to do is to kick back and relax as your developer works his/her magic – your work here is finished.

If you don’t have a developer/wish to install Facebook pixel yourself, keep reading.

Installing Facebook Pixel on a Partner Platform

There are some popular platforms which Facebook has partnered with. These include:

  • 3dCart
  • Bandzoogle
  • BigCommerce
  • Drupal
  • Ecwid
  • Eventbrite
  • Google Tag Manager
  • HubSpot
  • Jimdo
  • Joomla
  • Kajabi
  • Magento
  • OpenCart
  • PrestaShop
  • Segment
  • Shopify
  • Squarespace
  • Storeden
  • Webflow
  • Wix
  • WooCommerce
  • WordPress

If you’re using any of these platforms, then you have to click on “Connect a Partner Platform” in the step-4 discussed above.

Doing so will open the following window.

Click on your platform.

Though instructions vary from platform to platform, it’s very easy to install Facebook pixel on partner platforms.

For now, let’s discuss the most popular ones.

– Installing Facebook Pixel on WordPress

Clicking on WordPress in the window shown above will open the following:

The first step will ask if you want to set “Advanced Matching” or not. This feature matches the information of your website visitors with their Facebook IDs, which in turn can help you grow your audience. We recommend keeping it on.

Click the “Continue” button in the bottom left.

You’ll then be asked to download a plugin.

Click on the green button to download a zip file, and then click on the continue button.

In the next step, you will be asked to go to your WordPress dashboard and add the plugin.

Under your WordPress dashboard, go to “Plugins” and click on “Add New” as shown in the screenshot above.

The following window will open:

Upload the zip file that you just downloaded: click “Choose File,” and then click on the “Install Now” button.

Once WordPress finishes installing your Facebook pixel plugin, you have to activate it – so don’t leave just yet!

Go back to the events manager page and skip steps 3, 4, and 5 (we’ve already covered them).

In step 6, you have to verify or test your pixel.

Enter your website’s URL and click on the “Send Test Traffic” button.

If the pixel works just fine, click on continue to confirm.

The same/similar steps apply to Woocommerce, Joomla, and Wix. Just follow the steps on the Events Manager page.

– Installing Facebook Pixel on BigCommerce

The installation procedure for BigCommerce is somewhat similar to WordPress.

The only difference here is that you won’t be asked to download a plugin in step 2.

Instead, you have to follow these steps:

  • Go to the Advanced Settings on your BigCommerce account.

  • Go to Web Analytics, check the “Facebook Pixel” box, and click on save.

  • Copy and paste your unique Facebook Pixel ID in the empty field and click on save (in the step-by-step instructions on the Events Manager, you’ll be provided your ID).

In the end, you’ll be asked to verify and confirm, just like with WordPress.

The same/similar steps apply to Shopify, Ecwid, and Bandzoogle. Just follow the steps on the Events Manager page.

Manually Installing Facebook Pixel

Clickfunnels and certain other platforms are not directly supported by Facebook.

If you’re currently using such a platform, you’ll have to manually install the pixel.

To proceed with this option, click on “Manually Install Pixel Code Yourself” in the “Install Pixel” window.

The following will pop up:

This process is divided into two parts – “Install Pixel” and “Set Up Events.”

Let’s discuss the first one:

Install Pixel

  • Step-1: Locating the header code for your website

The very first thing that you’ll want to do is to locate your header code.

You have to find the “<head> </head>” tags or the header template.

Click here to learn how to find the header tags on different platforms.

  • Step-2: Copy and paste the pixel code in the header code

Once you locate your header tag, copy the pixel code provided on the Events Manager page and paste it at the bottom of the header section (above the </head> tag).

  • Step-3: Select what you want to do with Automatic Advanced Matching

This is the same feature that was discussed earlier, under the WordPress section.

  • Step-4: Test your pixel with test traffic

Finally, you’ll be asked to test your Facebook pixel. Provide your URL in the given field and click on the send test traffic button.

Click on the continue button when you’re done.

Set Up Events

Once you’re done installing the pixel on your website, you’ll be asked to set up events.

Events monitor specific actions taken by visitors on your web pages.

They can help you make the right decisions by providing you with valuable insight.

When it comes to setting up events, you have two options:

  • Use Facebook’s Event Setup Tool (you can find detailed instructions on how to do that here)
  • Manually Install Event Code

Using Facebook’s Event Setup Tool is easy. Simply provide your page’s URL and follow the instructions.

In case you decide to manually install event codes, the following will pop up:

Let’s walk you through each step:

  • Step-1: Adding the events

In the very first step, you have to specify the events that you wish to track.

Select the industry that you’re in to see a list of events.

Click on the events that you want to track to get their code snippet, then follow the instructions.

  • Step-2: Verify

In the end, you’ll be asked to test out your event setup (this is recommended).

Enjoy the Wonders of Facebook Pixel!

You can accomplish a lot by installing Facebook pixel on your website.

Even if you’re not running ads on Facebook, you can still get an abundance of information on your target audience.

Follow the steps discussed above to start using Facebook pixel today – and tweak your sales funnel to match your visitor’s intent.

Want to know more about how you can utilise Facebook advertising and retargeting for your business? Why not schedule a free 45-minute strategy call with us and we will tell you EXACTLY how you can implement this type of marketing in your business.

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