All online marketers know how important monitoring engagement and customer behavior is, especially on social platforms like Facebook. The platform has two main tools that can help you track down the user activity on your business’s site.

These tools are “Facebook Conversion API” and “Facebook Pixel”. Both tools can provide helpful insights into how people interact with the website once they click the Facebook ads.

However, both “Pixel” and “Conversion API” function differently and have limitations and benefits. So, are you curious to learn more about these two tools? Don’t worry! This blog post will provide you with the information you need.

Pixel vs Conversion API: A Brief Definition

Right before you jump to the main part, you need to know about the Facebook Pixel and Conversion API. We have briefly explained both tools below. Take a look!

Facebook/Meta Pixel

Meta or Facebook Pixel is an information-gathering tool that helps advertisers make the most out of their Instagram and Facebook advertisements. It's a script that is placed in your website code.

Meta Pixel gathers all the information, which can let you analyze the ad conversions and remarket to individuals who have already taken action on your website. It will also enable you to generate targeted audiences and optimize the advertisements.

This tool will also help businesses to calculate the effectiveness of their service or product advertising. The Pixel will monitor what all the people do when they visit your business’s site once they click on the Facebook Ad and which pages they visit.

Facebook Conversion API

This is a server-to-server tracking tool that lets you send all the customer information to Facebook directly, avoiding the need for cookies.

Conversion API works by sending HTTP requests to the API endpoint of Facebook, which enables the platform to monitor user behavior on your business’s website.

The tool is useful for all those businesses that want to track down customer behavior but are also worried about cookie blocking and data privacy.

Meta Pixel vs Conversion API: Understanding the Difference

By now, you know what conversion API and meta pixel are and how they work. However, both of these tools have several differences. Let’s find out what they are!

Tracking the User Behavior

The main difference between Conversion API and Pixe is the way they monitor user activity. Meta Pixel depends heavily on cookies to track user behavior, and Conversion API sends information directly to Facebook servers.

In simple words, Conversion API is much more reliable than Meta Pixel. It’s because the tool will not get affected by the ad-blockers or cookie blocking.

Collecting Data

Meta Pixel collects information on user activity through purchases, adds to carts, and views pages. Conversion API, on the other hand, gathers information from product views, purchases, add-to-cart, and other kinds of custom events.

This shows that Facebook Conversion API is much more flexible than Meta Pixel as it can track down certain events relevant to your business.

The Implementation

There is also a huge difference between Conversion API and Pixel when it comes to the implementation process.

Executing the Meta Pixel involves adding a part of the code to your business’s website. The process is simple, even for advertisers who have a lot of technical knowledge.

To set up the Conversion API, you have to conduct the server-side implementation. The process is complicated, and it requires technical expertise.

Using the Conversion API: How to Do So?

When you want to use the Facebook Conversion API, it’s important to follow the steps mentioned below.

• Step 1: On the Facebook Business Page, go to “Events Manager.”
• Step 2: Pick the Pixel that you wish to connect with the Conversion API
• Step 3: Under the “Activity Graph,” click on “Ads Events”
• Step 4: Choose the “Conversion API” option
• Step 5: Press on the “Install Code Manually” option
• Step 6: Go through the overview to know what you’re searching for, and press “Continue.”
• Step 7: With the Conversion API, choose the events that you wish to send.
• Step 8: You will find a “Drop Down Menu” under the event recommendation based on the kind of business you can use.
• Step 9: Press on the “Continue” button
• Step 10: Pick the parameters that you want to send for every event you’ve chosen
• Step 11: For the last time, review the parameters and events
• Step 12: Press on “Confirm Setup” to complete the work

How to Use the Meta Pixel?

To use the Meta Pixel, you must check out the steps that you will find in this particular section. Let’s begin!

• Step 1: In the Facebook Business Page, visit the “Pixel Section”
• Step 2: Press on the “Create a Pixel” option
• Step 3: Type the name of the Pixel
• Step 4: Click on “Install Pixel Now”
• Step 5: Copy the Pixel’s base code
• Step 6: Paste the base code in the website template or between the “Tags” of every web page
• Step 7: The Pixel will be installed on the entire Business Page
• Step 8: Manage the Pixels through the new “Pixel Analytics Screen” on Facebook
• Step 9: From the Facebook Ads menu, click on the “Facebook Pixel Analytics” section
• Step 10: Choose what you wish to analyze. You can pick between the App Data, the Page’s Data, or the Pixel Data.

Final Words

The Meta Pixel and Facebook Conversion API are important tools, but both have their own weaknesses and strengths. Now, if you’re thinking about “which will be the best tool for me ?” Well, it will depend completely on your circumstances and specific needs.

Meta Pixel can provide you with helpful data, and it's easy to implement, but the Facebook Conversion API will not be affected by ad or cookie blockers and provides reliable data.

We hope that you choose the right tool for your business. Good luck!