Best Practices - Conversions API

Use these best practices as general recommendations to successfully integrate the Conversions API. These recommendations are designed to help you make the most effective use of the Conversions API. Follow the implementation and post-implementation recommendations to ensure a smooth integration and optimal results when sharing data with Meta.

In addition to the following best practices, we recommend that you watch this video for a more hands-on tutorial on using the Conversions API. The video guides you through how to:

• Send Requests
• Handle Dropped Events, Event Transaction Time, and Batch Requests
• Verify Events
• Use the Test Events Tool

Implementation

When setting up your campaign, simplify the account structure and use the following established campaign best practices:

• Implement Learning Phase best practices
• Refrain from making significant campaign edits
• Minimize Auction Overlap
• Select Automatic Placements and Campaign Budget Optimization
• Choose the right bid strategy based on your business goals

Set Up Redundant Events

We recommend that you use the Conversions API in addition to the Meta Pixel, and that you share the same events using both tools. We call this a redundant event setup. For example, if you share Purchase, Initiate Checkout, and Contact events using the Meta Pixel, you should also share those same events from your server using the Conversions API.

The Conversions API allows you to share website events that the Pixel may lose due to network connectivity issues or page loading errors. The Conversions API can also be used to share other types of important events and data that occur offline or at a later time that the Pixel cannot.

Ensure Redundant Events Can Be Deduplicated

When sending redundant events using the Meta Pixel and Conversions API, ensure that both events use the identical event_name and that either event_id or a combination of external_id and fbp are included. We recommend including all of these parameters to help Meta properly deduplicate events and reduce double reporting of identical events. Learn more about deduplication, when it’s necessary and how to set it up.

Send Required and Recommended Parameters

The following server event and customer information parameters are required:

By using the Conversions API, you agree that the action_source parameter is accurate to the best of your knowledge. We also recommend including the external_id and event_id event parameters for all events.

Sending additional customer information parameters may help increase Event Match Quality. Only matched events can be used for ads attribution and ad delivery optimization, and the higher the matching quality, the better. While unmatched events cannot be used for attribution or ad delivery optimization, they can still be used for basic measurement. Examples of high-quality customer information parameters include:

• email address (em)
• IP address (client_ip_address)
• name (fn and ln)
• phone number (ph)

Baseline Requirements for Matching

Following the release of Graph API version 13.0, we will be updating the baseline requirements for which combinations of customer information parameters are considered valid with a Conversions API event. These changes will help us provide better feedback for when an event has a combination of customer information parameters that is so broad that it is unlikely to be effective for matching.

An event is considered invalid if it only includes customer information parameters that consist of one of the following combinations, (or a subset thereof).

• ct + country + st + zp + ge + client_user_agent
• db + client_user_agent
• fn + ge
• ln + ge

For example, if an event had only the customer information parameters ge, ct, st, and country (this could correspond to a man, in Menlo Park, California, USA), it would be rejected because those customer information parameters are a subset of one of the above combinations.

Ensure fbp and fbc Parameters Are Refreshed

The fbp and fbc parameters are cookie values typically set on your site visitors’ browsers in connection with Meta’s first-party cookie solution, and are subject to change. If you send them as user parameters, you should regularly refresh their values.

These values will be set as first-party cookies when the Meta Pixel is implemented on your website and can be retrieved for use in Conversions API requests.

Share Events Closer to Real Time

Sharing events when they happen can help your campaigns achieve the best results. You can share server events using the Conversions API in real time or in batches close to real time.

Use Test Events

We recommend using the Test Events tool to validate your Conversions API connection. Typically, developers should use their own customer information parameters (for example, name, email address, phone number) for test events, because these events may get discarded if they don't match a Facebook or Meta account.

You can use the Test Events tool to:

• Verify that you’ve set up your server events correctly and we’ve received them.
• Verify that you’ve deduplicated events correctly by seeing which events were processed and deduplicated.
• Debug any unusual activity.

Learn how to test your server events using the Test Events tool.

Use Payload Helper

Fill out the required and recommended data parameter fields in the Payload Helper tool to see how your payload should be structured and to get recommendations for which parameters to include.

Use Our Business SDK

The code samples in our documentation include Business SDK examples in Python, Java, Ruby, PHP, and Node. They can save some development effort, such as hashing user parameters, which is done automatically in the Business SDK.

Use the Conversions API for Offline Events

The Conversions API supports all offline events and should be used as the comprehensive container for these types of events. Examples include physical store sales, phone calls, actions taken on devices (such as smart TVs or game consoles), and offline subscriptions.

When sending offline events, be sure to include the action_source event parameter, and choose the appropriate value (should not be website). The action source is required to determine the campaign objectives for which the event is intended.

Additional Best Practices for Partners

Agencies: Send partner_agent String

Partners or agencies that share events on behalf of their advertisers should send a unique partner_agent string, including platform name as documented. If applicable, work with your dedicated Meta representative to decide on a suitable agent string.

Website Platforms: Onboarding Advertisers

By default, website platform partners may consider whether to offer Conversions API selectively or to opt-in advertisers. The Meta Pixel and Conversions API share the same business terms, and we recommend that you opt-in your customers to also share their data using the Conversions API when they set up the Meta Pixel. While we believe using both tools will strengthen and secure their data-sharing for the long term, we also suggest that you provide your customers with information about both the Conversions API and Meta Pixel to help inform their choice.

Post-Implementation

Check Event Match Quality

If you share server events using the Conversions API, you can see the Event Match Quality (EMQ) for each event in Events Manager. An event’s EMQ score (out of 10) indicates how effective your server event’s customer information may be at matching it to a Facebook or Meta account. Learn more about EMQ best practices here.

Event Match Quality is currently available only for web events. For other event types such as offline and physical store events, app events, conversion leads or any integration under alpha or beta stages, contact your Meta representative for guidance on improving event match quality.

Run a Test

When using the Conversions API, we recommend that you test and optimize your Meta advertising strategy. Some testing options include:

• Conversion Lift Study: Understand the incremental performance impact of using server events.

• Split Testing: Understand which campaign strategy achieves the best and most efficient outcomes to optimize performance.

Learn More

• Conversions API
• Conversions API End-to-End Implementation
• fbp and fbc parameters, Conversions API
• Payload Helper, Conversions API
• Parameters, Conversions API
• Offline Conversions API
• Conversions API partner_agent string
• Deduplication for Meta Pixel and Conversions API Events, Help Center
• Batch Requests
• Test Your Server Events Using the Test Events Tool, Help Center
• Meta Business SDK