The Facebook Pixel has provided Indiegogo campaigners with the ability to optimize their Facebook ad campaigns over the years through web event data as well as Indiegogo campaign page traffic insights.
Earlier this year, Facebook updated its Aggregated Event Measurement (AEM) protocol, significantly altering how the Facebook Pixel integrates with Indiegogo campaign pages. Therefore, Indiegogo has created a solution which we call the Conversions API (CAPI) in order to restore how Facebook Pixel functions on Indiegogo campaign pages. In order to properly set up their Facebook Pixel, campaigners should follow our step-by-step guide outlined below for their campaign page.
Relevant context
Before getting started, it’s important to understand the context around Facebook’s recent AEM protocol changes. The most relevant change is Facebook’s new stipulation around domain ownership. Specifically, Facebook now stipulates that any given domain can only host a maximum of eight aggregated events. This means Indiegogo will no longer be able to directly accommodate the thousands of active Facebook Pixels on our platform.
Instead, Facebook now requires advertisers to verify their own domains with their Facebook Business Manager. Since you do not technically own the domain of your Indiegogo campaign page (i.e. all Indiegogo pages are hosted on Indiegogo servers), the old Facebook Pixel will no longer work directly on your Indiegogo campaign page. CAPI is our workaround. We built a Conversions API to deliver events from your Indiegogo campaign page directly to Facebook's server under your domain name.
The steps required to set up CAPI
- Register a domain.
- Verify the domain with your Facebook Business Manager.
- Create a Facebook Pixel (with Conversions API connection) under your Facebook Ad Account following the instructions from the step by step guide we provided below.
- Submit the domain name and Pixel ID to Indiegogo from the “Extra” tab within the Indiegogo Campaign Editor.
- Share Pixel admin access with Indiegogo Business Manager.
- Select the verified domain in your ad account and use the verified domain to configure Aggregated Event Measurement (AEM) in the Facebook ad account.
- Launch your Facebook ad campaign.
Step 1: Register a Domain
To purchase a domain, you can visit a domain name registrar, such as Google Domains, GoDaddy, or namecheap. Simply find the domain name you would like, and purchase it. For the purposes of setting up CAPI and the Facebook Pixel, you don’t necessarily need to buy an expensive domain name, as it will only exist on the backend for CAPI integration. Any domain name that can be verified in your Facebook ad account will work. However, we do encourage you to think of a domain name that is somewhat relevant to your campaign, as you can use it for SEO purposes or to continue driving traffic to your page after your campaign ends.
Step 2: Verify Domain in FB account
The next step is to verify your main website domain on the Facebook Business Manager site using DNS Verification. The verified domain will be used in the later AEM configuration. (DNS Verification is the main method Facebook uses to verify your domain.)
To make CAPI work, your domain will need to be verified with your Business Manager. We recommend setting up a separate domain for each ad account that you have a pixel on. This will give you full access to the eight aggregated events under that one domain.
- Select the Brand Safety tab in the Business Settings and select Domains from the left-hand side navigation list.
- Click on the Add button, and enter your domain in the “Add a Domain” pop-up.
- Choose DNS Verification. (You can use Meta Tags or HTML File Upload as well, but we recommend DNS Verification as the simplest method.)
- Add a DNS TXT entry to your DNS record to confirm ownership
- To see Facebook’s supporting article on how to verify the domain in your Facebook account.
Step 3: Set Up the Facebook Pixel
Now it’s time to set up the pixel on your domain. The original FB browser pixel will not work with the CAPI solution, please create a new FB pixel from your ad account using the conversions API connection method. Browser pixel will be phased out after August, 20.
- Create a pixel from your ad account. Under Event Manager, go to the left-hand side of the menu and look for the green + icon to add in a new data source.
- Select “Web” as the new way of delivering data
- Name your pixel. It’s always best to name your pixel as your Indiegogo campaign name. That way it’s easy for Indiegogo to locate your pixel while you are sharing access with Indiegogo Business Manager.
- Follow “Continue pixel set up”
- Select “Conversions API” to set up your web events.
- Click through the carousel instruction.
- Select “Manually implement API”
- Select the events you would like, please refer step by step guide for “View content,” “ Add to cart,” and “Purchase."
- For each one of the events, please select the following parameters:
-
- Event Source URL
- Client IP Address - Do Not Hash
- Client User Agent - Do Not Hash
- Click ID (fbc) Cookie - Do Not Hash
- Browser ID (fbp) Cookie - Do Not Hash
The example here sets up the five parameters for the “Add to cart" event.
- Finish set up
- To see a step by step guide on how to set up CAPI pixel.
Step 4: Provide Domain and Facebook pixel ID to Indiegogo
With the pixel now on your domain, now you must submit your domain name (please do NOT add prefixes (http:// or https:// ) at the beginning, domain format example: abc.com) and pixel ID to the Indiegogo platform. You may do this via the pixel input on the Extra tab of your Indiegogo admin account. Please note that once you submit the pixel ID, your pixel will be loaded at Indiegogo's backend and it won't be detected by the Facebook Pixel Helper plugin from the browser.
Step 5: Share Facebook Pixel Admin Access with Your Indiegogo Account
Next, you’ll need to give your Indiegogo campaign page access to your pixel. To do so, you'll need to select the pixel that you want to share in their account, then send us a partnership request.
- Click on the left-hand side of the screen to find Business Setting > Data Sources > Pixels.
- Select the pixel and select “Assign Partners.”
- Make sure you have admin access to your own Business Account so that you can share your pixel with Indiegogo.
- Input the Indiegogo Business Manager ID (10152586533157867).
- Grant full control "Manage Pixel" to this pixel to allow CAPI to work smoothly, if you have any concerns, please contact us.
- Indiegogo team accepts pixel requests on Mon-Fri at 9 am PST. You will see a Facebook notification when your pixel is accepted.
- See a step by step guide on how to share your Facebook pixel with Indiegogo.
Step 6: Configure Aggregated Events Measurement (AEM)
The next step is to add events to your website domain and assign them to the pixel you will use on your Indiegogo campaign page. Please allow 72 hours of wait to see AEM options show up for your pixel. Please also note that AEM will only show up when there are event activities on the campaign page.
- Go to “Events Manager,” select the pixel you created for your campaign. Then click the “Configure web events” in the window of “Aggregated event measurement.” (purple button)
- Select the domain you verified, add events (Purchase, Add to cart, Lead, etc.) and assign them to the pixel you are going to use on your Indiegogo campaign page.
- Note, if you are making any further changes to your AEM setting, you won’t be able to make any changes within the 72 hours window.
- See Facebook’s supporting article for more information.
Step 7: Launch Your Ad Campaign
Having set up Steps 1-6, you should now be ready to launch your campaign. Launch your campaign as you normally would, and the data should be flowing! To confirm your data is coming through CAPI correctly, please check the following guidelines.