As privacy regulations evolve and traditional tracking methods become unreliable, marketers struggle to accurately measure conversions and confidently attribute ad performance. Facebook's Conversions API (CAPI) solves this challenge by enabling server-side delivery of conversion data directly to Meta, giving you complete ownership over your data pipeline and significantly improving event deliverability. In this guide, we’ll show you how to set up the Facebook Conversions API in less than 30 minutes using Hightouch so you can send conversions directly to Facebook, optimize your campaigns, and increase your return on ad spend.
How to set up Facebook conversion API?
The Facebook Conversion API (CAPI) allows you to send web and offline events from your server directly to Facebook. This ensures better data reliability and tracking accuracy, especially as browser-based tracking becomes less effective due to privacy changes. With Hightouch, you can set up the Facebook Conversion API in just a few steps:
1. Connect to your data source
Start by creating a Hightouch account. Once you're logged in:
- Navigate to the Integrations, then Sources.
- Select the data source that contains your event and customer data. This could be a data warehouse like Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift, or a database like Postgres or MySQL.
- Enter your configuration details, such as credentials and hostnames, to authenticate your data source.
Hightouch will validate your connection and give you access to the schema for building your data model.
2. Define your data model
Next, define the event data you want to send to Facebook. You can do this in three ways:
- SQL Editor: Write custom SQL to join and transform data for precise control.
- Table Selector: Choose pre-built tables and columns directly without needing SQL.
- Visual Audience Builder: Use a no-code interface to filter and segment your data based on behavior, properties, or timestamps.
This data model acts as the source of truth for what gets sent to Facebook. Typical fields include user identifiers (email, phone), event names (purchase, signup), and metadata (value, currency, timestamp).
3. Create a Facebook conversion destination
Now it’s time to connect Hightouch to Facebook:
- Go to the Integrations, then Destinations.
- Click Add Destination and select Facebook Conversions.
- Input your Facebook Pixel ID or Database ID and Access Token from your Facebook Events Manager or Business Manager.
- Select the right permissions depending on the actions you want each group to perform.
4. Send conversions to Facebook
Finally, you’ll configure your sync:
- Got to Activation, then Syncs.
- Click Add sync.
- Choose the model you created and your Facebook destination.
- Map the data fields in your model to Facebook’s expected parameters
- Run your sync.
What is the Facebook conversions API?
The Facebook Conversions API (the Meta Conversions API) is an alternative to traditional web pixels and JavaScript tags and a more accurate way to send conversion data back to Facebook.
This direct, server-side approach allows you to leverage your 1st-party data and control exactly what user-completed events and associated values you send to Facebook to optimize your campaigns toward the outcomes that matter most to your business and avoid the deliverability issues caused by ad blockers and browser restrictions.
Benefits of using Facebook conversion API
The Facebook Conversion API (CAPI) offers advertisers a more resilient and precise way to send event data to Facebook, enabling better campaign performance and measurement. Unlike browser-based tracking (e.g. the Meta Pixel), CAPI operates server-side, reducing data loss and enhancing targeting, even as privacy regulations tighten.
- Lower your Cost Per Action (CPA) by up to 13%: By reducing signal loss and giving Facebook a more complete view of user behavior, the Conversions API helps improve ad delivery optimization. It enables more accurate event matching and supplies better training signals to Facebook’s algorithm, resulting in smarter bidding and targeting. Altogether, this leads to lower CPAs and allows your budget to go further.
- Increase attributed purchase events by up to 19%: When tracking breaks due to ad blockers, iOS restrictions, or cookie limitations, Facebook may undercount conversions. CAPI solves this by sending events directly from your server, making them less likely to be blocked. You can also use deduplication to send both browser and server-side events. This ensures more conversions are accurately attributed to your campaigns and improves Facebook’s optimization engine.
- Boost your Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): More complete and reliable conversion data enables Facebook to make better optimization decisions. This translates into sharper audience targeting and more efficient budget allocation toward high-performing segments and placements. As a result, your campaigns deliver stronger performance, especially when optimizing for key actions like purchases, signups, or leads.
- Unlock better measurement and attribution: With server-side tracking, you gain more control over what data you send to Facebook and how it is structured. You can include offline events like in-store purchases or phone sales, enrich conversion events with custom fields such as customer lifetime value (LTV), product SKU, or funnel stage, and apply deduplication logic to avoid counting the same event twice. This flexibility improves your analytics and helps align Facebook optimization with real business outcomes.
- Future-proof campaigns against privacy changes: As browser vendors and operating systems roll out stricter privacy features like third-party cookie blocking and App Tracking Transparency, traditional pixel-based tracking becomes less reliable. CAPI lets you maintain robust conversion tracking using first-party data delivered from your server, which is more resilient to these restrictions. That means you can continue measuring and optimizing campaigns even in a privacy-first digital landscape.
What's the difference between a pixel & the Facebook conversions API?
A traditional pixel runs on the user’s browser or web application and sends conversion events back to Facebook automatically. Unlike a traditional pixel, the Facebook Conversion API lets you send conversion data directly from your server to Facebook. Pixels are easy to implement but less reliable; conversion APIs are slightly harder to implement but much more reliable because they give you full control over the conversion signals you send back to Facebook.
Here's a quick table highlighting the difference between a traditional web pixel and the Facebook Conversions API.
| Feature | Traditional Pixel | Facebook Conversions API |
|---|---|---|
| Tracking Method | Track events using web script or mobile SDK | Track and store events in your data warehouse or another internal system (e.g., CRM or CDP) |
| Delivery Method | Events sent client-side via web script or mobile SDK | Events sent server-side via API from your server to Facebook |
| Reliability | Frequently blocked by ad blockers, cookie restrictions, & network interruptions | No interference from ad blockers, browsers, or operating systems |
| Supported Properties | Typically only supports website conversions | Supports both online & offline conversions |
| Privacy & Compliance | Limited control over what data you share with Facebook | Maintain complete control over exactly what data you share with Facebook to manage opt-out compliance |
| Benefits | Easy to implement | Better spend efficacy, more accurate attribution, & better consent management |
Why are companies switching to conversion APIs?
Client-side tracking is becoming increasingly unreliable due to the rise of ad blockers, browser privacy features like Safari’s Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP), and operating system-level restrictions such as Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT). As a result, traditional web pixels can no longer guarantee accurate conversion tracking.
To address this, major ad platforms—including Facebook—are introducing server-side conversion APIs. These APIs give advertisers a more dependable way to send conversion data, helping ensure campaigns remain measurable and optimizable despite growing privacy constraints.
Here are a few reasons why advertisers are adopting the Facebook Conversions API:
- Offline conversion tracking: Capture and send conversions that don’t happen online, such as in-store purchases, phone orders, or offline CRM activity. This is especially valuable for B2C retailers and B2B companies that track sales stages or lead progression outside the website.
- Advanced matching: Improve Facebook’s ability to match conversion events to users by enriching your event data with first-party attributes like email, phone number, and zip code, as well as system identifiers like IP address or user-agent. This boosts your Event Match Quality (EMQ) and ensures more conversions are correctly attributed.
- Value-based bidding: Send monetary values tied to each conversion so Facebook can optimize not just for quantity but also for value. By unlocking value-based bidding, the algorithm can bid more aggressively for high-value actions and less for low-value ones, improving return on ad spend.
Facebook CAPI use cases
With the Facebook Conversion API, you can tailor your setup and bidding strategy to align with your business objectives. Whether you're focused on driving more conversions, increasing revenue, or maximizing profit, CAPI gives you the flexibility to send the data Facebook needs to optimize campaigns accordingly.
Optimize for conversion volume
To optimize for conversion volume, configure your setup to send conversion events without attaching revenue or monetary values. These events represent actions like purchases, signups, or applications, which aim to increase quantity. Use Facebook's Maximize Conversions or Target CPA bidding strategies to drive the highest conversions at the lowest cost per action.
| Industry | Optimization Goal |
|---|---|
| Retail & E-commerce | Maximize the volume of purchase events on the website, in-app, and in-store. |
| Media & Entertainment | Maximize the volume of subscription sign-ups. |
| Financial Services | Maximize the volume of loan applications submitted. |
| B2B SaaS | Maximize the volume of demo requests or product signups. |
| Travel | Maximize the number of flights or rooms booked. |
| Healthcare | Maximize the volume of health service signups. |
| Education | Maximize the volume of enrollments for a course or event. |
Optimize for conversion value
To optimize for conversion value, send the gross revenue associated with each conversion event, such as the order or subscription amount. Facebook’s Maximize Conversion Value or Target ROAS bidding strategies will then aim to increase total revenue from your ads rather than just the number of actions.
| Industry | Optimization Goal |
|---|---|
| Retail & E-commerce | Maximize the gross revenue value of each purchase. |
| Media & Entertainment | Maximize the gross revenue from the first subscription payment (e.g., bid more for premium subscription signups). |
| Financial Services | Maximize the potential value of loan applications submitted (e.g., bid more on users with a higher likelihood of applying for large loan value). |
| B2B SaaS | Maximize the volume of qualified demo requests or product signups. |
| Travel | Maximize the gross revenue value of flights or rooms booked. |
| Healthcare | Maximize the gross revenue value of health service signups. |
| Education | Maximize the gross revenue value of enrollments for a course or event signup (e.g., bid more for premium courses or packages to increase LTV). |
Optimize for financial outcome
To optimize for financial outcomes like profit or customer lifetime value, calculate and send the predicted financial value of each conversion. This could be estimated profit margins, post-cost revenue, or LTV. Then use Facebook's Maximize Value or Target ROI bidding strategies to align ad spend with real business performance.
| Industry | Optimization Goal |
|---|---|
| Retail & E-commerce | Maximize the estimated profit of purchases by subtracting the estimated cost of goods sold, taxes, and fees (e.g., shipping). |
| Media & Entertainment | Maximize the estimated lifetime value of subscription purchases (e.g., bid more to convert users with a higher likelihood of retaining). |
| Financial Services | Maximize the predicted value of loan applications submitted (e.g., bid based on likelihood of loan approval and estimated interest value). |
| B2B SaaS | Maximize the predicted revenue value of demo requests or product signups (e.g., bid using intent data, lead scoring, and predicted ACV). |
| Travel | Maximize the estimated profit from flights or rooms booked by subtracting the cost of goods sold, taxes, and fees. |
| Healthcare | Maximize the gross profit value or estimated lifetime value of health service signups. |
| Education | Maximize the gross profit value or estimated lifetime value (if recurring) of a course or event signup (e.g., bid based on estimated profit margins from offering or likelihood to retain subscriber). Bidding Strategy: Maximize financial value or target ROI. |
What events does the Facebook conversions API support?
Facebook supports two types of events: standard events and custom events.
Standard events are predefined actions that Facebook provides by default for basic use cases across industries.
Custom events are not predefined by Facebook but can be configured to track user-completed events that are not covered underneath the standard events. Not every ad platform will support the same events or have the same naming convention. Additionally, it’s always best to map your events back to standard events because the AI algorithms are trained on standard events and not custom ones.
Here’s a table breakdown of the most common standard events and custom events that Facebook supports:
| Category | Event Type | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase Events | Purchase, Complete Registration, Donate, Place an Order | Track & optimize toward purchases |
| Checkout Flow Events | Add to Cart, Initiate Checkout, Add Payment Info | Track and optimize toward steps that lead to purchases |
| Engagement Events | Customize Product, Add to Wishlist, View Content, Search, Find Location, Click Button | Track and optimize engagement with key actions on your site or in your app |
| Lead Capture Events | Subscribe, Submit Application, Start Trial, Contact Captured, Lead Captured, Scheduled, Download, Submit Form | Track and optimize toward lead capture |
| Custom Events | Business- or industry-specific actions (e.g., Event Attended, Video Watched) | Track and optimize toward custom conversion events |
FAQS
Where can I access the Facebook conversions API?
You can read more about Facebook Conversions API in Facebook’s documentation. Depending on your use case and implementation, you may need to reach out to Facebook directly.
How do I check if the Facebook conversions API is working?
Check for successful API responses and verify that Facebook has successfully received your events by checking the event details in Meta Events Manager. Then, run a campaign to see if your ads are being attributed to conversions. (Note: If you don’t see any attributed conversions, there’s a chance that the ad just isn’t converting.)
What match rate should I expect from the Facebook conversions API?
"Your match rates can vary widely depending on the quality and coverage of unmatchable attributes that you collect and/or enrich for each event and send to Facebook. Sending additional identifers like system attributes (e.g., IP address and user-agent), customer attributes (e.g., email and phone), and pseudonymous attributes (e.g., Click ID and Mobile Ad ID) can improve your match rates.
Check Meta Events Manager for specific recommendations on which attributes could improve your match rates."
How often should I upload conversions?
Every ad platform has different recommendations, but the best practice is to upload your conversion events to Meta daily to ensure you’re providing the targeting algorithms with immediate feedback.
What data should I include when uploading conversion events?
Each conversion event you send should include consented attributes about your users to achieve the highest match rates and accuracy for maximum campaign effectiveness, attribution, and measurement. Here’s a quick list of the most important data to upload with your conversion events:
- System Event Parameters: Required attributes that tell the system what happened (e.g., event name and ID) and when it happened (e.g., event date and time).
- Consent Parameters: Attributes that tell Facebook how to use the data and how the data should be processed to comply with regional requirements and customer data-sharing preferences.
- Customer Information Parameters: Additional customer attributes used to help the system match a conversion event back to their users and devices (e.g., email, phone, mobile ad IDs, and click IDs).
- Conversion Value Parameters: Monetary values (e.g., revenue, profit, LTV, etc.) assigned to conversion events that help Facebook bid more on high-value conversions and less on low-value ones.
How long does it take your conversion data to be available in Meta?
The Facebook Conversions API will receive data instantly, but it may take at least 24 hours to be processed and made available in campaign performance reports.
Does the Facebook conversions API have rate limits?
Rate limits always vary by ad platform, so you’ll need to look through Meta's Conversion API documentation to understand the platform's intricacies, but currently there are no rate limits. The only limitation is that you can only send 1,000 events at a time.
