We are well aware that the new iOS update (14.5) and all other changes focusing on users' privacy did not exactly favor Shopify merchants. Suddenly, there seem to be new terms, new tools, unfamiliar settings & practices emerging every day.
That’s why we have prepared this playbook to help you make sure you have the utmost correct Facebook Pixel and Conversion API setup - with best practices applied. We will also touch base on some of the most common problems & their solutions.
This playbook offers you a high-level understanding and strategic guidance for each element of Facebook Pixel and Facebook Conversion API.
Facebook Pixel Dictionary
You first need to know about some terms and how they work together in order to make the correct setup. Feel free to skip to the next section if you already know what they are, and you will find the best methods to set them up for your Shopify store. Also, make sure to check out our Shopify & Facebook Pixel Complete Guide to get a complete understanding of the topic.
Facebook Pixel
Facebook Pixel works as a tracking pixel that is integrated into your website, and what it essentially does is help you evaluate the effectiveness of your ad campaigns by passing the user actions and data to Facebook when customers visit your website. It works on the browser side (see below for more details on the browser side & server side).
Facebook Conversion API (aka. FB CAPI)
Unlike the classic Facebook Pixel, Facebook Conversion API works on the server side, which makes sure that the user who clicked on your ad matches the one that has made the purchase.
Product Feed
Product feed allows you to supply product information to Facebook, and creating one is a prerequisite for setting up Product Ads. Your product data should be updated dynamically on your product feed for your Product Ads to be relevant.
Browser-Side & Server-Side Tracking
Browser-side (aka. client-side) tracking is the typical tracking method that almost all websites currently use. With this tracking, almost every action takes place in the visitor’s browser.
Whereas on server-side tracking, you have a specific Google Cloud server (preferably your own Google Cloud server), and all requests from your website are sent ONLY to your Google Cloud server. The marketing and tracking pixels are rendered through the server instead of the browser. You can learn more details about this topic here.
Event-Match Quality
Event-Match quality is a score that indicates how effective the customer information parameters of your server events may be at matching it to a Facebook account. That is to say, the more customer information parameters on your server events match to a Facebook account, the bigger score you will get that indicates a good event-match quality.
UTM Parameters
As pieces of code, UTM parameters allow for better tracking of traffic and ad campaigns. You should use UTM parameters on your Facebook Ads so that the campaign data can be transferred to your Google Analytics. Click here to learn more about this article.
Best Practices & Toolset
As a globally trusted analytics partner of Shopify merchants, we have completed over 500 data analytics setups within the last 10 months. Here is our recommended Shopify - Facebook Pixel & Conversion API setup:
Official Facebook App
We strongly recommend using the official Facebook app for your Product Feed, Facebook Pixel, and Facebook Conversion API setup. The native integration works quite well when the setup is done properly.
Analyzify's Server-Side Tracking Add-on
Our add-on for server-side tracking is great for many reasons. We recommend Analyzify’s Facebook Conversion API connection for Shopify Plus stores as we are able to send more data compared to the native integration. For regular Shopify stores, the native connection is the best solution at the moment.
Analyzify’s Google Tag Manager Setup (as a backup)
We do have Facebook Pixel tags on the core version of Analyzify - as a backup in case the native integrations aren’t working well for you.
Proper UTM Setup
UTMs should be set correctly on your ads in order for them to send the campaign-level data to your Google Analytics. You can learn more about this in this article.
Shopify - Facebook Pixel - CAPI Setup Guide + Checklist
Make sure to follow Analyzify’s Shopify & Facebook Pixel - CAPI setup guide and checklist . This interactive guide will help you set up all Facebook Pixel assets properly and detect & fix any possible problems with your existing setup.
Common Mistakes & Errors
During the setups we have done, we have observed that the following mistakes are most commonly done by Shopify merchants or their developers.
Improperly Done Setup
As the topic is quite complex and sensitive, most Shopify merchants tend to miss a few important pieces on their Facebook Pixel & CAPI Setup. Make sure to follow our setup guide and checklist mentioned above to avoid an improper setup.
Not Using UTM Parameters
Because the new IOS updates cause Facebook Ads reports to not function correctly, the UTM parameters provided by Google Analytics have become the best alternative source to check the performance of these ads campaigns. However, because an incorrect UTM setup may cause more harm than good, we advise that you make sure everything is set up correctly through this guide.
Lack of Permissions on Automatic Advanced Matching
It is not enough to just turn on "Automatic Advanced Matching" on your Facebook Pixel settings. You should also click “Show customer information parameters”, and make sure that all of them are ON.
Missing “Traffic Allow List” Domains
Under "Settings", you will find “Traffic Permissions''. You should make sure to add your own domain (myshopify.com), in addition to all the other URLs your website uses, such as payment providers (paypal.com, stripe.com, klarnapayments.com, etc.), and check out apps (rechargepayment.com, etc.).
Conflict Between Native Integrations & GTM Tags
You shouldn’t use GTM tags together with the native integrations for the same tags. As an example, if you are using the official Facebook App for FB Pixel events, FB Pixel tags shouldn’t be active on GTM.
FAQ on Shopify & FB Pixel
We have answered the most frequently asked questions about FB Pixel & Shopify connections on the following page.
What Analyzify can do?
Analyzify provides a seamless connection between Shopify & Google Tag Manager, together with advanced data layers, a comprehensive GTM Container, and setup & validation support.
For regular Shopify stores:
- Analyzify’s GTM setup and data layers can be used as a backup for your native Facebook Pixel integration.
- Our setup guides, checklists, and support team can also help you with your native integration.
For Shopify Plus stores:
- Analyzify’s core version and server-side add-on would be great replacements for the native Facebook integration.
