View content in pixel Facebook refers to the ability to track views of content on Facebook using Facebook pixels. Facebook pixels are small pieces of code that can be placed on a website to track various actions users take on that site. When integrated with Facebook ads, pixels allow advertisers to measure views of their content and optimize their ad campaigns accordingly.
What is a Facebook pixel?
A Facebook pixel is a snippet of JavaScript code that allows you to track activity on your website from Facebook. It works by installing the pixel code on your website, which then tracks various actions people take on your site.
Some of the actions the Facebook pixel tracks include:
- Page views
- Content views
- Add to cart actions
- Purchases
- Lead generation form submissions
The pixel collects data each time someone takes one of these actions and sends that data back to Facebook. It allows you to track conversions from your Facebook ads and optimize your ads for people likely to take valuable actions.
How does the Facebook pixel track content views?
When installed on a webpage, the Facebook pixel can track each time content on that page is viewed or scrolled past. This allows you to see how many times your content gets viewed.
Specifically, the Facebook pixel triggers a “ViewContent” event each time someone views a piece of content for more than 10 seconds. This can include videos, images, articles, and any other content on your site.
The pixel tracks specifics about the content like the URL, title, type, and more. It then sends this data back to Facebook so you can analyze performance in your Business Manager or Ads Manager account.
Why track content views with the Facebook pixel?
There are a few key reasons businesses track content views using the Facebook pixel:
- Understand content performance: See which pieces of content are resonating best with your target audience.
- Optimize content strategy: Identify high-performing content you should produce more of.
- Personalize ads: Use content view data to customize ad creative and targeting.
- Remarket to viewers: Create custom audiences to retarget people who have viewed your content.
- Measure ROI: Calculate return on investment from content marketing efforts.
How to install the Facebook pixel
Installing the Facebook pixel is a relatively straightforward process. Here are the basic steps:
- Copy your Facebook pixel ID code from the Facebook Ads Manager. This is a unique tracking code for your ad account.
- Place the pixel code on every page of your website you want to track. The best practice is to put it right before the closing tag.
- Make sure the code is implemented on your checkout pages and any pages with forms to capture lead data.
- Test that the code is working by using Facebook’s pixel helper browser extension.
- Wait 24-48 hours for data to begin populating in Facebook Analytics and Ads Manager.
You’ll also need to enable automatic advanced event setup in your Facebook ad account. This automatically tracks detailed data using the pixel.
Using Facebook Insights to analyze content views
Once your Facebook pixel is implemented, you can start analyzing content view data within Facebook Insights.
Insights provides data on views for your website content including:
- Total content views
- Views by content name and URL
- Most popular content
- Demographics and interests of content viewers
- Content view sources (organic, paid, email, etc)
You can segment this data by date ranges, traffic sources, and other factors to identify trends and patterns in your content performance.
Analyzing this can help you double down on highest-performing content and reduce investment in underperforming content types.
Creating Custom Audiences from content views
A powerful use of the Facebook pixel is building Custom Audiences based on content views. This allows you to remarket specifically to people who have viewed your content.
For example, you could create an audience of “Viewed Blog Post About Product X” and then target them with ads for a discount on Product X.
Custom Audiences can be created right within Ads Manager based on many types of pixel events, including:
- Viewed specific page URL
- Viewed any page on your site
- Viewed product category pages
- Viewed blog content
- Viewed videos
The audiences can be quite granular in targeting exactly who has seen your content already.
Optimizing Facebook ad campaigns with content view data
You can also use content view data from the pixel to optimize your Facebook ad campaigns. Ways to leverage this include:
- Bidding higher for people who have viewed relevant content.
- Creating ads with messaging or offers tailored to content viewers.
- Excluding people who have viewed certain content from ad targeting.
- Using lookalike audiences modeled after content viewers.
- Bidding down on content that is underperforming to conserve budget.
This can lead to higher conversion rates from ads and lower cost per result.
Integrating with third-party analytics tools
Many analytics platforms like Google Analytics and Adobe Analytics can integrate directly with Facebook pixel data.
This allows you to:
- Compare Facebook content views vs. Google Analytics views.
- Combine Facebook data with analytics data for a bigger picture view.
- Pass Facebook conversion events into your analytics platform.
- Sync data across platforms through platforms like Segment.
Consult support documentation from your analytics platform for how to enable Facebook pixel integration.
Troubleshooting common Facebook pixel issues
Some common challenges that can arise with implementing the Facebook pixel include:
- Pixel not firing: This is usually due to incorrect placement or formatting of the tracking code. Double check the code and placement.
- Data delays: It takes 24-48 hours for pixel activity to populate in Facebook reports. Wait at least 2 days before troubleshooting.
- Incorrect data: Make sure advanced matching and automatic advanced events are enabled to capture detailed data.
- Blocked by ad blockers: Some browser ad blockers prevent the pixel from firing. Test tracking with ad blockers disabled.
Facebook offers a pixel helper browser extension that can help diagnose many pixel issues. Use this if you suspect your pixel code is not working properly.
Conclusion
Implementing the Facebook pixel is crucial for any business marketing on Facebook. It opens up detailed tracking of content views and other actions to optimize ads and strategy.
Be sure to place the pixel across all website pages and leverage the data within Insights and Ads Manager. This will provide valuable performance metrics to boost your Facebook campaigns.
Track content views specifically to see engagement levels across different content types and remarket to content viewers. Pair this with analytics platforms for deeper analysis.
With the proper setup and optimization of the Facebook pixel, you can gain actionable data to enhance your Facebook ads and content performance.