Facebook pixel: What is it, how does it work and how to install it?

by Moises Hamui August 6, 2022

Did you know that you can optimize the results of your advertising campaigns and maximize sales with the help of the Facebook Pixel? Find out how in this article.

What is the Facebook Pixel?

The Facebook pixel is an analytics tool ( JavaScript snippet) that allows you to collect information about the various actions and conversions (also known as “events”) that occur on your website.

Additionally, it helps us measure the effectiveness of our Facebook Ads advertising campaigns and build more specific audiences.

As you may have noticed, the main function of the Facebook Pixel is to understand user behavior in great detail , to then take advantage of this information in a more strategic way and thus build more effective ads.

Now, within the analysis we can find very detailed information on the following points:

The number of visits made to your website or online store
How many users have purchased a product or service
What phase of the purchasing process are they in?
What articles or topics caught your attention the most?
How they interact with your website
How many filled out a contact form (leads)
How many users added a product to the shopping cart
How many users did not complete the purchase
How many conversions your Facebook ads generated and their cost

How does the Facebook Pixel work?

Every time a user visits and interacts with your website or comes into contact with your Facebook ads, the Facebook pixel will activate and begin recording all the actions that are carried out and store them in the event manager.

In this way, all behavior patterns will be recorded and available to you.

A great advantage that the Facebook Pixel has is that the more conversions or actions are carried out on the website, the platform will optimize the processes of sending ads to profiles with a greater opportunity for conversion, which translates into more effective and automated publications. .

Benefits I can obtain with the Facebook Pixel

Generate more sales

The Facebook Pixel allows you to set up automatic bidding to reach users who are more likely to convert.

Track and measure conversions

Thanks to the Pixel we can better understand the impact of our posts on Facebook and know which ones are getting the best results.

Get to know our Buyer Persona better

The information obtained will allow you to understand and build more detailed profiles , which will later translate into defined audiences.

Create custom audiences

Based on the study of actions and of course, the analysis of each user's behavior, you will be able to build unique profiles with specific objectives.

Design lookalike audiences

The data analysis collected will also help you identify users who have the same tastes, interests and demographics. This action will allow you to increase your potential customer base.

Do retargeting or remarketing

Once Facebook Pixel detected users who were in contact with your website and showed some interest, but for some reason did not convert, the same tool helps us target specific ads to complete these transactions.

ROI

Calculate the return on investment of each of your ads by assigning it an economic value.

Access more Facebook Ads tools and metrics

To track certain metrics, such as cost per lead or cost per conversion, the Facebook Pixel will be your best ally.

How to install the Facebook Pixel?

In order to install the Facebook Pixel and obtain the best results, you need to have two basic things: A website or online store and have access to your site's code configuration.

It is necessary to clarify this point because many users think that it can be installed on other Facebook and Instagram accounts and the reality is not like that. In short, it only works for websites.

Once you make sure you have these elements, the next step is to create the Pixel.

Create the Facebook Pixel

Within your advertising account ( Facebook ), enter the “Business Facebook ” section and identify the Facebook ads manager
Click on the symbol (≡)
Select Event Manager
Click on the + symbol, you will identify it by its green and white colors
Click Connect data sources
It will open three options ( Web, App, Offline )
Select Web and click the Start button
Select the Facebook Pixel option and click connect
It will ask you to assign a name to your Pixel
In the next field it will ask you to check the website
Enter the URL of your website and click Continue
The platform will generate a code for you (Facebook Pixel)

Add the Facebook Pixel to your site

Select Event Manager again
Select the Pixel to configure (the one you previously created)
Click Continue Pixel Settings
Select Install code manually
Copy the Pixel base code
Locate the website header or header template on your web platform or CMS
Paste the code just above the closing </head> tag
Click Continue
Ready!

How to know if the Facebook Pixel has been installed correctly?

To make sure that the Pixel is working correctly, I recommend that you install the Facebook Pixel Helper extension in your Chrome browser, you will notice the </> icon on the side of the search engine. Click on it and it will give you all the information you need to know.

Facebook Pixel Events

Once you have successfully created and installed the Facebook Pixel , you must activate the type of event you want to start recording. Remember that an “event” is the specific action that a user takes on your website. For example: buy a product, download content, fill out a form, etc.

Currently the Facebook Pixel offers you a couple of event configurations, which are: “Standard Events” and “Custom Events”. Everything will depend on the results you want to obtain.

With standardized events you can measure events such as purchasing, adding payment information, adding to cart, adding to wish list, etc., while with personalized events you can obtain more precise and detailed information, in order to reach specific audiences.

If you want to know more about the subject, at MHA you will find the solution you need.