Your quick checklist
How does the Meta Pixel know someone enquired?
Use this to keep your place while reading. Ticking a box does not send or change anything.
Words explained
- Pixel
- A snippet of code that tracks visitor activity.
- Lead
- Meta's event for a completed sign up.
- Conversions API
- Sends events from a server alongside the Pixel.
Before you start
What the Meta Pixel is
Meta describes the Pixel as a snippet of JavaScript code that allows you to track visitor activity. Once it is on your site, Meta can record standard events. Two that suit a local business are Lead, which Meta defines as a sign up being completed, and Contact, which Meta defines as a person initiating contact with your business.
You only need it if you plan to advertise on Facebook or Instagram, or want the option later.
Pixel and Conversions API
Meta recommends using the Conversions API alongside the Pixel, and it deduplicates events by ID and name so one action is not counted twice. The Pixel runs in the visitor's browser. The Conversions API sends events from a server.
My £79 setup covers the Pixel. If you want the Conversions API as well, ask in your enquiry and I will say what that involves before you pay.
How setup works at a high level
- A Pixel is created in your Meta account, in your name.
- The Pixel code is added to your site, set to wait for consent.
- Events for your enquiries are added, so a form send or a tap on a contact link is recorded.
- I test that the events arrive and that nothing runs before the visitor agrees, then share access.
Clicks an Instagram ad
Sends the enquiry form
Accepts cookies
Lead event reaches Meta
Are tracking pixels illegal?
It depends on consent. The ICO says online advertising is not exempt from PECR's consent rules, so I set the Pixel to load only after the visitor agrees. This is general information, not legal advice.
Meta's own documentation says each company is responsible for ensuring its own compliance with the GDPR, and shows consent calls, fbq('consent', 'revoke') and fbq('consent', 'grant'), that a site can use to hold the Pixel back until the visitor agrees.
That is why Tracking setup includes a cookie banner. Your privacy and cookie information needs to describe what the site does.
How I can help
The Meta Pixel is included in Tracking setup, with Google Analytics 4, enquiry tracking, Google Ads conversion tracking, Microsoft Clarity and the cookie banner. It costs £79 including VAT and usually takes up to 3 working days. It does not include running ads.
If you want me to build the ads as well, Ads setup is £149 per platform, Google or Meta. It needs Tracking setup first, and the ad spend is paid by you straight to Meta.
Questions about Meta Pixel setup
How do I make a new Meta Pixel?
You create it inside your Meta account, then add its code to your website. I do both in your name, so the Pixel belongs to you if we stop working together.
Do I need a Pixel to run Facebook ads?
I set the Pixel up before the ads start, so the ads can be measured.
Does the Pixel work without a cookie banner?
On a UK site it should not. The pixel waits for the visitor's choice, and visitors who decline are not tracked.
Can the Pixel track phone calls?
It can record a tap on a contact link. Whether the call connected needs separate call tracking.