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)