What the pixel does
| Job | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Measure | Shows which ads bring leads and sales in Ads Manager |
| Optimize | Lets Meta find people likely to take your chosen action |
| Retarget | Builds audiences of people who visited your site |
| Report | Feeds conversion counts into your results |
Standard events for local businesses
- Lead, when someone submits a form
- Contact, when someone calls, texts or emails
- Schedule, when someone books an appointment
- Purchase, when someone pays online
Meta lists these as standard events. Using them, instead of only custom names, helps Meta understand what each action means.
What the pixel cannot do alone
Browsers, ad blockers and phone privacy settings stop some pixel events from reaching Meta. The Conversions API sends the same events from your server, which fills those gaps. Meta recommends running both, with matching event IDs so each action counts once.
Respect privacy
The pixel collects visit details, like the page and browser. It does not capture form values unless you set up advanced matching. Follow consent rules where your visitors live, and keep sensitive data out of URLs and events.
Good example. A salon installs the pixel, fires Schedule on booking confirmation and adds the Conversions API. Ads Manager shows bookings by ad.
Bad example. A salon installs the pixel but never sets events. Meta optimizes for page views, and reports show no bookings.
Read conversion tracking for social ads. Our Facebook and Instagram ads management sets up the pixel and server events.