What is Facebook Conversion API and how to use it?

Facebook Conversion API is a tool used to share and connect your marketing data with Facebook to optimize ads. It is previously called the Facebook Server-Side API. The term ‘API’ denotes the Application Programming Interface. It decreases your cost per action and maintains user privacy.

Facebook Conversion API works with Facebook Pixel to collect all the data you need. They both help you to properly track and improve your marketing performance. But the problem with Facebook Pixel is that it does not work fine on Apple devices with the iOS 14 update. Ad blockers, cookie blockers, and other security tools start to decrease the data collected by Facebook Pixel.

This means pixel will not give you complete information about iOS users’ interaction with your business. This also means that you can not reach the targeted audience in large amounts.

The conversion API can send your captured data from your system to Facebook Ads Manager. It helps to improve your performance of Facebook ads by providing complete data for optimization.

This improves the accuracy of Facebook tracking by capturing data if data would be lost on browser events.
It allows you to use your email, CRM, software, etc. to know the impact of your ads.

You need to have these things to work with conversion API :

1. Facebook App: This app is to work with conversion API and it should be combined with Business Manager.

2. Business Manager: This is very useful and you cannot do conversion API without having it.

3. Facebook Pixel: This should be correlated with the Business Manager and linked with your website.

What elements that Facebook Conversion API can track?

You can track the following types of data with conversion API :

• Sales and purchases
• Leads
• Email subscription
• Form submission
• Dynamic ads
• Targeting audience
• Page visits
• Subscription changes
• Find locations
• Phone calls
• Ad reporting
• Add to cart

You can track any of the events with the conversion API. These events give you control over the data you track with Facebook. It gives you complete data of the sales funnel rather than you using Pixel alone.

Some of the challenges you can face with conversion API :

• Too much time loading page
• Cookie blockers
• Ad blockers
• Bad network connection

This gives you the ability to track offline conversions of purchases that are made on phone calls. You can send your collected data to Facebook. You will be able to measure ROAS more accurately and cost-per-metrics associated with your funnel.

There are also other versions of conversion API designed. These apps allow you to track events, visits, sales, and purchases of stores.

Benefits of Facebook Conversion API

#1. Reduce cost per action

The conversion API reduces the cost per action of Facebook ads. It targets your ads to the most potential customers. It sends your collected data to Facebook algorithms.

A digital company saw 46% percent in conversion when they added Conversion API on the Facebook Pixel. They also saw a 32% cost reduction per conversion.

#2. Improvement in Measurement

When your customer goes to pages and does conversion then conversion API will help you to better measure ad performance and attribution towards the customer’s journey.

If you want to know how digital advertising affects both offline and online results.

#3. Improve Ads Targeting

It helps to track the potential customers and to retarget the customers who have already interacted with your business. It can be done only with the help of Conversion API. A company got better tracking information when they applied Conversion API to their Facebook Pixel tracking.

They use Facebook ads to reach targeted customers which have visited their website but not made a purchase. They saw a 17% increment in sales and subscriptions.

#4. Optimize Ads

When a customer completes a purchase on shops that can be online and offline, then Conversion API tracks this and we can optimize ads for that customer to make a purchase again and it will be profitable to a business.

#5. Improve Attribution

If you use Facebook Pixel alone, the data collected is not complete. The Conversion API will help to get a complete conversion attribution.

A clothing company tested two data tracking methods on each other. One was simple Facebook Pixel and the other was Facebook Pixel combined with Conversion API, they found that the combination of conversion API gives a 12% increase in attribution.

How Facebook Conversion API works with Facebook Pixel

The conversion API helps to create a direct connection between your advertising data from your website, CRM to Facebook. This data helps to personalize ad optimization to the customers who are interested in them.

Before the iOS 14 update, there was no need to use conversion API because it was providing complete information. But now due to security reasons from Apple, you can not get complete Facebook data due to ad blockers. This is a bigger gap in conversion data.

When conversion API comes in, data from your server and Facebook Pixel improve and optimize ads, measure conversion attribution, and reduce cost per action.

You need to use the Conversion API with Facebook Pixel to get better results.

Facebook allows Facebook Pixel to do things which is important :

• To measure conversion to track ad performance.
• Measure events to track ad performance.
• To track user activity and collect it to match with a Facebook Profile.

There are many options available to use the conversion API. These options do not require a developer to install. Such as Shopify, an e-commerce platform that only takes a few minutes to install a conversion API.

Facebook Conversion API depends on user data such as first name, last name, email, phone number, city, state, browser, and IP address.

When setting up or sending events to the conversion API, you need to go to Event Match Quality in the Events Manager section. This can be used for each event. Facebook will score your data provided to match with a Facebook account.

How to setup Facebook Conversion API

To get accurate results, with the Facebook Pixel you need to set up the conversion API. It does not require expert knowledge to set up. There are two methods to do the setup. It depends on your choice, which platforms you use, technical help you want to access within your business.

You already have Facebook Pixel, so you need to correlate it with Facebook Business Manager. There are some steps and instructions to set up the conversion API :

Manual Setup through Events Manager

If you want to set up conversions API manually, you can use Events Manager to create personalized instructions. This can be helpful to track events that a single pixel cannot do. So this will give you more control over conversions API. 

You need to access the server database to complete this method. You can start the process yourself to use the conversions API.

There are some steps to follow:

1. Go to the Events Manager section and choose the pixel you want to set up.

2. Now go to Add Events and select with the help of Conversions API.

3. Now Install the code manually and click Continue.

4. Choose the events and click Continue.

5. Select the parameters for each event and continue. After that click Confirm Setup and then Send Instructions

6. Write the email address of your developer and then click send. If you want a copy of your files, then click on Send me a copy of this email.

Partner Integration Setup

This is the simplest way to set up the conversions API. Partner Integration is very simple to use. You don’t need to get code, and you can apply this without the help of your developer.

You can use it only when your website is hosted on Facebook partner platforms like WordPress.com.

There are some steps to apply conversions API through Partner Integration.

1. Go to the Events Manager, choose Pixel and click Settings.

2. Now go to the Conversions API section and click Choose a Partner under Setup through a Partner Integration.

3. Choose your provider from the gallery. And follow the setup instructions through Partner Integration.

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Conclusion

Facebook Conversion API is different from traditional Facebook Pixel. You should use the combination of conversion API and Pixel to collect and track complete information of customers to get success in business. It is easy to use and you can set it up on your own.

The conversions API will allow you to have accurate data even with the iOS 14 update and ad-blocking software. You need to set this now before the full change in the iOS 14 update and you will not lose your conversion data.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a non-developer set up the conversion API?

This is the simplest way to set up the conversions API. Partner Integration is very simple to use. You don’t need to get code, and you can apply this without the help of your developer.

How does the Facebook conversions API work with Facebook Pixel?

Before the iOS 14 update, there was no need to use conversion API because it was providing complete information. But now due to security reasons from Apple, you can not get complete Facebook data due to ad blockers.

This is a bigger gap in conversion data. When conversion API comes in, data from your server and Facebook Pixel improve and optimize ads, measure conversion attribution, and reduce cost per action.

How much time does it take to complete a setup process?

Ans. It only takes 5-10 minutes to complete a setup process if you have a good internet connection.