/meta-pixel-setup

name: meta-pixel-setup
description: Set up the Meta Pixel (Facebook/Instagram ads tracking) on a website and fire a conversion event (Lead, CompleteRegistration, Purchase) end to end. Guides the user through Business Suite / Events Manager, creating or finding the Pixel/Dataset ID, installing the base code, firing a standard event, and verifying it with the Meta Pixel Helper BEFORE running ads. Use whenever someone wants to add the Meta/Facebook Pixel, track FB/IG ad conversions, install "the pixel", find their Pixel/Dataset ID, set up a Lead or Purchase event for Meta ads, debug why Pixel events aren't firing, or is being pushed by Meta's wizard toward the Conversions API and isn't sure if they need it. Meets the user wherever they are — always asks what they've already set up (Facebook Page? Business Suite? a Pixel ID?) first.

Meta Pixel Setup

Get the Meta Pixel tracking a real conversion on a website, verified, so Facebook/Instagram ad optimization has something true to learn from. Two things trip people up and this skill front-loads both: **the Pixel-vs-Conversions-API decision** (Meta's wizard aggressively pushes the heavier one) and **which data category to declare** (a wrong choice can throttle your ads).

Naming note: Meta renamed "Pixel" to **"Dataset"** in the UI. A dataset contains the pixel and its **Dataset ID = Pixel ID** (a ~15–16 digit number). Treat the two words as the same thing.

Start where the user is

Setup is a chain: **Facebook Page → Business portfolio → Events Manager → Pixel/Dataset (get the ID) → base code on site → conversion event → verify.** People arrive mid-chain. Ask first, then jump in — don't re-create what exists (a business often already has a pixel; reuse it rather than fragmenting data across two).

Ask (adapt to what they've said): 1. Do you have a **Facebook Page** and **Meta Business Suite / Business portfolio** set up already? 2. Do you already have a **Pixel / Dataset** (in Events Manager)? If yes, what's the **Dataset ID** (the ~16-digit number)? Paste it — that may be all that's needed. 3. What's the **one conversion** that matters (a lead/waitlist submit, a signup, a purchase)? This is what ads optimize toward. 4. The site's **stack + domain** (Next.js, plain HTML, WordPress, Shopify) — decides how the code goes in.

If they already have the Dataset ID and a Page, skip straight to install (§3). Do not walk them back through account creation they've done.

Decision 1: Pixel only, or + Conversions API? (start with Pixel only)

Meta's setup wizard shows **"Conversions API and Meta Pixel (Recommended)"** with a shiny stat. Don't reflexively take it. Here's the honest trade-off:

• **Meta Pixel (browser)** — a code snippet on the site sends events from the visitor's browser. Simple, no backend, works today. **This is all you need to launch.**
• **Conversions API (CAPI)** — your *server* sends events directly to Meta. It's server-to-server, **"developer support required,"** and to actually help it needs **customer PII** (email, phone, IP) sent to Meta for matching. That's more build **and** a bigger privacy/compliance surface (GDPR/PDPA/CCPA).

So: **launch with the browser Pixel.** Add CAPI later, only if browser signal loss (ad-blockers, iOS ATT) is measurably hurting you and you've resolved the PII/consent question. Treat CAPI as a post-launch optimization, not a setup step. Read `references/conversions-api.md` before ever wiring it — it exists to stop you sending personal data to Meta by accident.

Decision 2: the Dataset "category" — leave it blank unless it clearly fits

When creating the dataset, Meta asks to "select any applicable categories." **This is a trap for finance/health/sensitive products.** The dialog warns: *"depending on the category and location, data sharing may be limited or blocked."* Categories like **"Financial service," "Economic vulnerability," "Personal hardship," "Nationality"** trigger Meta's restricted-data handling and can **throttle or block your ad optimization**.

Rule: **only tick a category if it accurately and unavoidably describes you, and you understand it restricts data.** A budgeting/productivity/SaaS tool is *software*, not a "financial service" (that category is for lenders, credit reports, consumer finance). When in doubt, **leave categories empty** (it's optional) — empty means no restriction, which is what a normal waitlist/signup test wants.

1. Create or find the Pixel/Dataset (get the ID)

In [Events Manager](https://business.facebook.com/events_manager): 1. Left rail → **Connect data** (green +) → **Web** → **Meta Pixel** → Connect. (Or if a dataset exists, click it — the ID is right under its name.) 2. Name it after the business (e.g. "Acme Web"). For category, see Decision 2 (usually leave blank). 3. **Copy the Dataset ID** — the ~16-digit number under the name. Also always visible later under **Events Manager → Datasets**. 4. If it launches a "set up / connect your website" wizard offering Conversions-API vs Pixel-only — you can **close/skip it**. You only need the ID; the code goes in by hand (§3). If you do proceed, choose **Meta Pixel only** (Decision 1).

2. (Optional) Reuse an existing pixel

A pixel is **not** a hard reporting wall like a GA4 property. **One pixel can cover a whole domain** — the main app *and* a `/waitlist` landing page. Distinguish funnels by the event + custom params (e.g. `content_name: 'waitlist'`), not by a second pixel. If the business already has one, reuse its ID.

3. Install the base code

Paste in `<head>` on every page, replacing `YOUR_PIXEL_ID`. It fires `PageView` automatically. (Copy your exact snippet from Events Manager — it has the ID pre-filled — or use this canonical form.)

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