{"id":3966,"date":"2021-05-10T06:01:24","date_gmt":"2021-05-10T06:01:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leadshook.com\/help\/?p=3966"},"modified":"2025-07-21T11:25:26","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T11:25:26","slug":"how-to-setup-the-facebook-conversions-api","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.leadshook.com\/help\/how-to-setup-the-facebook-conversions-api\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Setup the Facebook Conversions API"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In this article, you’ll learn how to setup the Facebook’s new Conversions API<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have included videos, sample scripts\/code and a sample decision tree. Please import it into your LeadsHook account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

>>> Warning! Please Update the Pixel IDs from the Base Pixel AND Serverside API Call from the Sample Decision Tree Provided Below <<<<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Assumptions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This guide will help you setup Facebook’s Conversation API. It is provided without our free support because setups vary from business to business and the steps required to complete these steps are for a technical audience. <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

UPDATE: <\/strong>20 August 2021: Add a check so Facebook cookies are only saved AFTER cookies have dropped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

25th July 2021: Update saving of event ids into custom fields (please see video below)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

10 July 2020 Update: The above decision tree has been updated with a new Webhook node for ViewContent serverside API call.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have added updates to LeadsHook so a lot of complexity has been removed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We do offer paid help if required or please post in the LeadsHook Users group for additional help from our amazing ‘technie’ users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’re assuming you already know or have your Facebook pixel setup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Background<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With the introduction of Apple’s new iOS updates<\/a> (from v. 14.5+), there are severe limitations on tracking. One of these limitations is the length of time a cookie is kept alive. As a result conversion numbers are not correctly reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This ‘new’ conversions API from Facebook (in reality it’s not actually new). Conversions API has been provided for a few years. The iOS update has made it much more important for conversions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Summary of Setup Process<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. LeadsHook: Save browser information into custom fields<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. LeadsHook: Save customer information into custom fields (part of decision tree).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. LeadsHook: Format data<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. LeadsHook: Hash data<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. LeadsHook: Update clientside events for deduplication<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Facebook: Setup FB Conversions API<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. FaceBook: Build API URL, Insert API Token, API Version and Pixel ID<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  8. LeadsHook: Send data to Facebook<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  9. IF Embedding, Add function to YOUR website to pass cookie values to LeadsHook<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    What’s so Special About this Conversions API?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    With the limitations on pixels, under certain circumstances, conversion data does not get back to Facebook. This conversions API reports the same conversions using an API. It’s also referred to as serverside API. Basically the conversion information is sent directly to facebook from a server and not from the browser. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The advantage is Apple can’t block serverside API communications because the message to Facebook is sent via a ‘back-channel’, i.e. an API call directly from LeadsHook servers to Facebook’s servers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Any serverside Conversions API is much more robust solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Do I Still Need my FaceBook Pixel?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Short Answer<\/strong>: YES<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Long Answer<\/strong>: You need to pass some information from Facebook so it knows which campaign, adset, ad (and a bunch of other info Facebook tracks) resulted in a conversion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    All the serverside API is doing is sending these details back to Facebook so it can match the conversion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Dealing with Potentially Duplicate Conversions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Now, this creates a problem. Pixel based conversions are NOT dead (they’re just not as reliable). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What happens if the pixel sends a conversion AND the serverside API also sends a conversion. This will record 2 conversions which is obviously overstating your conversions. The technical term is called DEDUPLICATION<\/a>. We’ll be going through this below in Step 7<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Steps for Setting Up Your Facebook Conversions API<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Please watch these 2 videos which explains the whole process…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n