In this guide
- Meta tracking has four layers: the pixel, the Conversions API, matching data and attribution settings.
- Set up in that order: pixel, API, matching, then read the numbers.
- Use Events Manager to check coverage and quality, and your store to check totals.
"Facebook tracking" is shorthand for a stack of tools that tell Meta what happens after someone sees or clicks an ad. This page is the map: what each part does, in what order to set it up and what to check. Detailed how-to pages are linked at each step. If you only read one, start with Meta Conversions API vs Pixel.
The layers
| Layer | What it is | Read more |
|---|---|---|
| Pixel | A browser script that sends events | Add the Meta pixel with GTM |
| Conversions API | The server route for events | Set up the Conversions API |
| Deduplication | Counting browser and server copies once | Event deduplication |
| Matching data | E-mail, phone, cookies that tie an event to a person | Event match quality |
| Attribution | Rules that credit a sale to an ad | Below |
| Consent | What you may send | Consent Mode v2 |
Raw events in. Clean events out.
Open Tracked collects each event on your own domain, removes the noise and sends what is left to Meta, Google Ads, TikTok.
Events and parameters
Meta understands a set of standard events: ViewContent, AddToCart, InitiateCheckout, Purchase, Lead, CompleteRegistration and others. Each takes parameters such as value, currency, content IDs and content type. Standard events feed ad delivery and catalog features, so use them where they fit. Custom events work for reporting and audiences but not for every optimisation.
Attribution in plain words
Meta credits a conversion to an ad if the person clicked the ad or, with view-through, saw it within the attribution window. The common default is 7 days after a click and 1 day after a view. Windows and options change over time, so check Ads Manager for the current choices. Different windows give different numbers for the same campaign, which is why comparing platforms is tricky.
3 things to remember
Scroll and the points stack up.
Meta tracking has four layers: the pixel, the Conversions API, matching data and attribution settings.
Set up in that order: pixel, API, matching, then read the numbers.
Use Events Manager to check coverage and quality, and your store to check totals.
iOS and aggregated event measurement
Apple's App Tracking Transparency and Safari's limits reduced what Meta can see. Meta responded with aggregated measurement and modelling. For web, the lever you control is data quality: more events from the server, better matching and longer cookies. See Safari ITP.
What to set up first
Pixel with standard events
Page view, view content, add to cart, checkout, purchase, lead.
Conversions API with a shared event ID
From a server container or a platform integration.
Matching data
Hashed e-mail and phone, fbp, fbc, IP and user agent.
Weekly checks
Event match quality, deduplication and Meta purchases against store orders.
How to know it works
A server container makes much of this practical. With Open Tracked, Cookie Keeper, the Data Store and Enricher, Visitor Location and User ID are all on the free plan and cover most of the matching data a store can add.
A month-one plan
In the first week, install the pixel with standard events and verify your domain. In the second, add the Conversions API with a shared event ID, and check that Events Manager marks your purchases as deduplicated. In the third, add matching data: hashed e-mail and phone from the checkout, the browser and click cookies, the visitor's IP address and user agent. In the fourth, compare Meta's purchases with your store's orders, look at event match quality, and decide what to improve next. Each step is small, and each makes the next one easier.
Do not change campaigns while you do this. Platform delivery reacts to the data it gets, and making ad changes at the same time makes it hard to tell what caused a change. Make the tracking changes, let the numbers settle for a week or two, and only then adjust budgets or creative based on what you see.
Terms you will see
- Pixel
- Meta's browser script.
- Conversions API
- Meta's server endpoint for events.
- Aggregated event measurement
- Meta's privacy-focused way to measure iOS conversions in aggregate.
- Event match quality
- Meta's score for how well events match people.
- Attribution window
- How long after a click or view a conversion is credited.
Brands that grow on cleaner data
Stores and agencies use Open Tracked to see which ads earn the sale.
Frequently asked questions
What is Facebook tracking?
The set of tools that tell Meta what people do after seeing or clicking your ads: the pixel, the Conversions API and the matching data behind them.
What should I set up first?
The pixel with standard events, then the Conversions API with a shared event ID, then matching data.
Why are my Meta numbers lower than my store?
Browser losses, missing matching data and attribution rules. Server events and better matching reduce the gap.
What is the default attribution window?
Commonly 7 days after a click and 1 day after a view, but options change. Check Ads Manager.
Do I need consent for Facebook tracking?
Where the law requires it, yes, for the pixel and for the server events.
Do I need spreadsheets to read my results?
No. Once tracking is live, the Open Tracked analytics shows spend, revenue, ROAS and profit, and you can ask Ari, the built-in AI assistant, questions about your own numbers in plain words. Ari's allowance depends on your analytics plan.
Is Open Tracked different from Open Track or Open Space Track?
No. Open Tracked is the official name of our server-side tracking platform, and the website is opentracked.io. Many people search for it as Open Track, OpenTrack or Open Space Track. All of them lead to the same product: server-side Google Tag Manager hosting, first-party analytics and a CRM pipeline.
Fix your tracking at the source
Open Tracked hosts your server-side Tag Manager, keeps first-party cookies alive and shows what each ad is really worth.
The Open Tracked team
We build Open Tracked: server-side tracking hosting, analytics and the tools around them, for stores that spend on ads. Questions about this guide, or an idea for the next one?
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