Meta Pixel Setup

This guide shows you how to connect your Meta Pixel to AdTarget for conversion tracking.

Prerequisites

• A Meta Business account
• A Meta Pixel (we’ll show you how to create one if needed)
• Admin access to your Business Manager

Step 1: Find Your Pixel ID

If You Have an Existing Pixel

1. Go to Meta Events Manager 
2. Select your Pixel from the data sources list
3. Your Pixel ID is shown at the top (a 15-16 digit number)

If You Need to Create a Pixel

1. Go to Meta Events Manager 
2. Click Connect Data Sources
3. Select Web
4. Choose Meta Pixel
5. Enter a name for your pixel
6. Click Create Pixel
7. Copy the Pixel ID

Step 2: Create a System User Token

To send server-side events, you need a Conversions API access token.

Create a System User

1. Go to Business Settings 
2. Click Users → System Users
3. Click Add
4. Enter a name (e.g., “AdTarget CAPI”)
5. Set role to Admin
6. Click Create System User

Assign Pixel Access

1. Click on your new system user
2. Click Add Assets
3. Select Pixels
4. Choose your pixel
5. Enable Manage Pixel permission
6. Click Save Changes

Generate Access Token

1. Click Generate New Token
2. Select your app (or create one if needed)
3. Check these permissions:
   • ads_management
   • ads_read
4. Click Generate Token
5. Copy the token immediately (you won’t see it again)

Step 3: Add Pixel to AdTarget

Now that you have your Pixel ID and access token, connect them in AdTarget:

1. Go to your AdTarget dashboard 
2. Select your site, then open its Settings
3. Click the Pixels tab in the sidebar
4. Click + Add pixel to open the setup dialog
5. Enter a Name for the pixel (e.g., “Main Pixel”) — fill this in first, because the pixel cannot auto-save without a name
6. Paste your Pixel ID (the 15-16 digit number)
7. Paste your Access Token

Validation triggers automatically once the Pixel ID is 15-16 digits AND the Access Token is 50+ characters. You will see a “Verifying credentials…” spinner while AdTarget checks your credentials against the Meta API.

After verification succeeds and “Credentials verified!” appears, the pixel auto-saves only when all three fields are valid: Name, Pixel ID, and Access Token. If the Name field is empty, the pixel will not save even after credentials are verified — fill in the Name field and the save will proceed immediately.

On success:

• A “Credentials verified!” confirmation appears
• The pixel auto-saves and is set as the default for your site (requires all three fields to be valid)
• The dialog closes and your new pixel appears in the list

Verify Your Setup

After your pixel is connected:

1. Check the Pixels tab — your pixel should appear in the list with a radio button selected, indicating it is the default
2. Go to Meta Events Manager  and open the Test Events tab
3. Look for a test event with the code ADTARGET_TEST that was sent during validation

Success indicators:

• Your pixel is listed in the Pixels tab
• Test event visible in Events Manager
• Event quality score shows “Good” or better

Managing Pixels

Selecting a Default Pixel

If you have multiple pixels, click on any pixel in the list to set it as the default for your site. The default pixel is used for all conversion events.

Deleting a Pixel

Click the trash icon next to a pixel to remove it. You can add up to 10 pixels per account.

Troubleshooting

“Pixel ID must be a 15-16 digit number”

• Make sure you copied the full 15-16 digit number
• The field only accepts numeric characters

“Access token appears to be incomplete”

• Meta access tokens are long strings (50+ characters)
• Make sure you copied the entire token

“Invalid or expired access token”

• Tokens can only be viewed once when created
• If lost, generate a new token from Business Settings
• Ensure the token has the required permissions

“Pixel ID not found or not accessible with this token”

• Verify the system user has access to the pixel
• Check Business Manager asset permissions

“Access token lacks permission to send events to this pixel”

• Re-check that the system user was assigned the pixel with Manage Pixel permission
• You may need to generate a new token with the correct permissions

Events not appearing in Events Manager?

• Wait 5-10 minutes for events to process
• Check the “Test Events” tab for debugging
• Verify no event filtering is hiding the events

Event Quality Score

Meta rates your events based on data quality:

To improve event quality:

• Ensure fbclid is captured from ad clicks
• Use consistent event naming
• Send events promptly after conversions

Next Steps

Now that your pixel is connected, configure which CAPI events to send.