Mastering Meta's Conversion API: Guide for better data & performance

Learn how to master Meta's Conversion API: Increase data accuracy and advertising performance. A comprehensive guide from setup to troubleshooting.

Table of contents

Introduction

The Meta Conversion API is a powerful tool that can help you improve your data accuracy and advertising performance. The Conversion API allows you to send data directly from your server to Meta, bypassing the need for cookies on websites. This can lead to more accurate data collection and better ad targeting. In this comprehensive guide, I'll walk you through everything you need to know to set up and use the Conversion API, from creating a token to connecting to Google Tag Manager or other gateways. I also provide troubleshooting tips for common problems.

Setting up the Conversion API

Setting up the Conversions API gateway

The easiest way to set up the Conversion API is via Meta's own gateway. The gateway mirrors the pixel to an AWS server. Proceed as follows:

• Go to your Meta Business Manager account and click on "Events Manager".
• Select your pixel, click on "Settings" and select "Set up new gateway" under Conversions API Gateway.
• Follow the prompts, also activate Advanced Matching and Health monitoring.
• Then select an AWS server. I recommend Frankfurt (eu-central-1) as it runs on 100% renewable energy.
• Then deploy the gateway to the server.

Connecting the Conversion API with Google Tag Manager

Google Tag Manager is a popular tool for managing website tags and collecting data. By connecting the Conversion API with Google Tag Manager, you can optimize and simplify your data collection process. Meta has recently officially released its own template for the Conversions API tag for server-side tagging in Google Tag Manager. With this template, you can create a server-side tag that triggers with any client designed to transfer requests into a unified event model. One such client already exists: the GA4 client, which is integrated into every server container. To connect the Conversion API with Google Tag Manager, proceed as follows:

• Create a server container.
• Go to "Templates" in the server container. In the "Tag templates" box, click on the "Browse gallery" button.
• Search for the template "Facebook Conversions API Tag", select it and click on "Add to workspace".
• In the server container, go to "Tags" and create a new tag. Select "Facebook Conversions API Tag" as the type.
  
  
  

  To send data to the Conversions API, you will need the following information:

  • The pixel ID to which the data will be sent.
  • An API access token to interact with the Conversions API.
  • (Optional) a test event code to test the Conversions API without actually collecting data for your pixel.
  • You can also explicitly set the action source here if you want.

Finally, the tag should trigger when the GA4 client is activated.

Choosing the right gateway for your business needs

Overview of gateway options

There are several gateway options for using the Conversion API, including Conversions API Gateway, Zapier and other third-party providers such as Tealium, Adobe, Shopware or even Google Tag Manager. Each option has its own pros and cons, so it's important to choose the one that best suits your business needs.

The Conversions API Gateway is the simplest gateway option as it offers seamless integration with the Conversion API and provides detailed reports for data collection.

Zapier is another popular option as it allows you to connect the Conversion API with a variety of other tools and platforms. I have already used this in conjunction with Hubspot.

The Google Tag Manager route is more technical, but for many who are already big on Tag Manager, it's the most obvious option.

Other third-party providers such as Tealium and Adobe are also often already available and then allow integration via their own extensions, just as Shopify and Shopware do.

Factors to consider when choosing a gateway

There are several factors to consider when selecting a gateway for the Conversion API. These include:

Business size and needs: Larger businesses may require more extensive reporting and integration capabilities, while smaller businesses may prioritize ease of use and affordability. The former speaks to existing platforms such as Adobe, Tealium, Shopware. The latter for the Meta Gateway.

Cost and pricing structure: Some gateway options could charge a flat fee, while others charge according to the amount of data collected. Stape, for example, offers this.

Ease of use and integration: Consider how easy it is to set up and use the gateway, as well as how well it integrates with your existing tools and platforms. This is where the Meta Gateway would be my recommendation.

By carefully considering these factors, you can choose the gateway that best fits your business needs and budget.

Conversion API costs

Depending on the data volume, additional server costs of 30-80 euros/month are to be expected. Sometimes the necessary plugins also cost extra.

Fixing common problems

Despite its many advantages, the Conversion API can sometimes have problems that affect data accuracy and advertising performance. Here are some common problems and tips on how to fix them:

Data discrepancies

Discrepancies in data can occur when there are differences between the data collected by the Conversion API and other tracking tools. This can be caused by a variety of factors, including differences in tracking methods and delays in data processing. To resolve data discrepancies, try the following:

• Monitor Event Timing To help Meta optimize your ads, I recommend sending the time between when an event occurs (represented by the event_time parameter) and when it is shared with Meta in real-time, if possible.

  You can use the Events Manager to check the event timings of the events. On the overview page for a specific pixel, click on the "Event details" button to get more specific information. On this page, navigate to the "Event Freshness" tab. In this tab, you will see the average event delay time on a scale from real-time to weekly.

  You can find out how to improve the freshness of your events here: Meta Conversion API: Optimize event match quality and deduplication

• Check whether events have been deduplicated correctly For optimal ad performance, I recommend implementing the Conversions API together with your Meta Pixel. Then events need to be deduplicated so that they are not counted twice, you can use the Events Manager to monitor the percentage of events that have been deduplicated. On the overview page for a specific pixel, click on the "Event details" button for an event type to get more specific information. On this page, navigate to the "Event deduplication" tab.
  
  I have written down how to improve deduplication here: Meta Conversion API: Optimize event match quality and deduplication
  
  

• Check whether events are assigned to users with high accuracy If your events are assigned to people with a meta account, your events can be better used for ad assignment and optimization. In the Events Manager, you can check the "Event Match Quality", a measure of how effective the customer information parameters of your server event could be to match events to a meta account.

  The "Event Match Quality" is rated from 1 to 10. To monitor the "Event Match Quality", navigate to the overview page for a specific pixel with the Conversions API. A high Event Match Quality score can help reduce your cost per action. An Event Match Quality score should be 6.0 or higher.

  I have written down how you can improve this value here: Meta Conversion API: Optimize event match quality and deduplication

Missing parameters
Website events that are shared via the Conversions API require the parameters client_user_agent, action_source and event_source_url, while non-web events only require action_source.

If these parameters are missing, the data will come to nothing.

CONCLUSION

Meta's Conversion API is a powerful tool that can help you improve your data accuracy and advertising performance. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can set up and use the Conversion API effectively, choose the right access for your business needs and troubleshoot common issues.

I would be happy to help you with the setup. Please use the contact form.