Create a Facebook pixel: setup guide

Facebook pixel is a code collecting information about users on websites and tracking their actions. The code is generated in FB Business Manager account. A pixel for every social network platform is different. Though, since Instagram is a part of Facebook, you’ll have one pixel for both of them.

The code is named Pixel because one of its parts is a one-pixel size image loading on a website page. 

After you generated a pixel code, you need to add it to a website. After that, it starts to collect information about your audience behavior on a website. 

FB pixel tracks users who visited your account in a social network, for example Facebook. It collects data about pages they visited on the website, what items added to the cart, what buttons clicked and any other actions on your website. After setting up a pixel, this information automatically gets into Facebook Ads Manager.

As a remainder, Facebook and Instagram have a common pixel. And the ads are launched on one or both networks from the account.

To create a pixel, go to the Facebook Ads Account:

Here we need to set up the created Facebook pixel. 

In the opened window, you see options for adding Facebook pixel on your website.

Now you know how to create a Facebook pixel. Let's add it to your website. We offer three ways how to do it. Go to a section according to what you chose in the previous step.

After you click it you get on a page with the code. Copy it, add to the website. If you chose Install code manually, you probably know how to do it. Or you know someone to ask for adding a Facebook pixel to your website.

After you added the code, continue with setting up the events. Read about it in the section below. Then you need to Verify the Domain. It may take several days. Click Verify Domain to check the Progress. 

You’ll be redirected to a page. If you see the green word Verified, you can continue setting up your business. 

Go back to the Verify Domain page and click Continue.

If you made your website using CMS, you can insert the code by yourself. To do this, you need to copy the JavaScript API, which is the number of the pixel, and paste it in the field in the CRM-system. 

For example, you can find Facebook pixel number in the Events Manager. Choose a pixel and open the settings tab.

In this case you need to connect your Facebook account with one of the partners. The directions for each of them differ. You can find the instructions in the Facebook Help Center and on a help page of a partner website.

Here are partners platforms you can choose.

Whatever platform you work with, you need to verify the connection. 

A green round above the address says it works. You can continue. 

You create an audience based on the data your Facebook pixel has collected. Go to the Event Manager the way we told above.

Here you have options for creating an audience. The first audience you set is Custom audience. You probably want to create several ones. Why you need other types and how to make them are the topics for another article, we will discuss it in the blog later. 

Now let's set how Facebook pixel should add users on the list. 

If you choose ANY and click Include more people below, the audience will be wider. When you choose ALL and Further Narrow, the audience will be smaller. 

Add the criteria a pixel will use to decide whether to add people or not. First we see the events Pixel suggests. 

Then there are events from the collected statistics. You should set them in Facebook Pixel. After that they automatically appear in these parameters. 

Remember to give your new audience a name. You can also describe it, if you want. When all is set, you click Create Audience. 

Now we’re going to learn where to get those events which you use to create an audience in Facebook Pixel settings. There are two ways to set the events.

There are two ways to set up events in FB Pixel. Let’s look at both so you can choose what’s better for you.

Choose a pixel on the Events Manager page. 

The website will be opened. Now you need to add an event.

You can test the events in the Test Event tab. Open it and Enter the website address in the box on the right. It will be opened. If you go back to the testing tab and you see changes, the settings work.

This method is strictly for those who know programming. Facebook Pixel Helper gives instructions for what and where to add. You can read it here. Before you start, make sure the pixel code has been added to your website.

Why do you need to create a Facebook pixel at all? In the Ads Manager, you can cluster users in audiences according to the collected by the code data. For example, you can discern people of the following categories.

We already know how to create audiences in Facebook Pixel. Now let's see how to use the formed groups in digital marketing.

Remember, the size of an audience should be sufficient for launching ads. For example, at least 1,000 for Instagram. And even the 20,000 audience quickly burns out, speaking from personal experience. All the users view the advertisement in a short time. And seeing it again, they will react badly.

Set targeted ads to remind "warm" clients about a product or company. In this case you need to target it to the website clients. They already know you and your product. They just delayed the purchase for some reason. Such clients are easier to induce to buy an item or pay for a service.

Target the ads to the audience most interested in it. Don’t offer a toaster to people who searched for laptops, it’s senseless. 

But you can combine types of users of similar interests to target an advertisement for all them. For example, you can make an audience of users who viewed phones of different models and brands, but in one price range. Then set ads translated to all them.

These are new users that Facebook pixel finds for you. They will be similar in some way to those you already have in the data. It may be interests, location, actions on the Internet. You make an audience group and set the parameters. Pixel searches for people who might be interested in what you offer. 

If you don’t have many visits on your website, less than 20,000 users per month, you better create the initial audience based on users’ actions. For example, buying. Then set forming a lookalike audience. The network will search for people similar to those who already bought something. 

Create a Facebook pixel and use its data to avoid ads spendings for people not interested in your product.

Let’s look at an example. You teach people foreign languages. There are articles for both beginners and experienced students in the blog. If you are looking for students for the upper-intermediate group, you need to cluster users who visit pages with the articles for beginners and exclude them from translating your ads. 

You can add a Facebook Pixel on the landing pages you create on Taplink. It has a special add-on so that you can easily connect your page and the pixel. No coding or web-design skills required. Set up the data tracking in a couple of clicks.

Connect your landing page and a Facebook pixel: all you need is to add a pixel ID and access token there. 

Read detailed instructions here. 

Start with signing up on Taplink. Read an article on how to create and use multiple link in bio.

It’s not difficult to create a Facebook pixel as it seems. Define what events you want to track and what goals to achieve. 

If your audience is less than 20,000 users per month, create a small audience made on the events as a base for creating a lookalike audience. 

Use the Partners Integration, if you sell products. If you know how to use HTML code, it may be easier for you to set up a Facebook pixel to your website by copying the code. Those who sell on Instagram, may copy Pixel code and add it as a block on a link in bio page.