Paid media
Meta Pixel and Conversions API: why use both
· 4 min read · By IBC
The problem with the Pixel alone
The Pixel is code that runs in the browser. When the visitor uses an ad blocker, declines cookies or browses inside an app with restrictions, the event may never reach Meta. The result is a campaign that looks worse than it is, and an algorithm that learns from less data.
What the Conversions API solves
The Conversions API sends the event straight from your website's server to Meta. Because it doesn't depend on the browser, it keeps working when the Pixel fails. It also lets you send events that happen outside the website, such as a payment confirmed via Pix.
How to avoid counting the same sale twice
- Each event gets a unique ID, generated once.
- The Pixel and the API send the same ID.
- Meta recognizes both deliveries as one and discards the copy.
What about data protection?
Marketing pixels should only load after the visitor accepts cookies. Data such as email and phone number is sent protected with one-way encryption, and the Privacy Policy must disclose this sharing.
What IBC sets up
- Google Tag Manager, GA4 and a cookie banner with a refuse option.
- Pixel and Conversions API with a shared ID.
- Purchase event fired only after the server confirms the payment.
- The source of each lead stored in the database along with the contact.