Turn on the Conversions API

The Conversions API sends your Lead events to Meta from a server as well as the browser, so leads lost to ad blockers and iOS privacy settings still count. With Meta's one-click option this is five minutes; a partner integration is ten; a custom build is a developer task.

Before you start#

• A pixel that already receives PageView and Lead (Fire a Lead event).
• Admin access to the dataset in Events Manager.
• Madder does not set this up for you: it reads the results, and it works without it.

1. Decide whether you need it#

The browser pixel misses visitors who block scripts or decline tracking, and Apple's rules limit what iOS browsers report. The Conversions API adds a second path from a server, and Meta deduplicates the two so a lead is counted once.

Skip it for now if any of these hold: your campaign runs on a lead form (no website events involved), you get fewer than a few leads a day, or you have not yet seen Lead in Test events. Fix the basics first.

2. One click — Meta-enabled Conversions API#

Meta rolled this out between April and July 2026. As of September 2026:

1. Events Manager → your dataset → Overview.
2. Click Activate Conversions API (on some accounts it sits under See other ways to set up → Set up with Meta).
3. Approve. Meta stands up the server connection itself, mirrors every standard event the pixel already sends, and sets matching event IDs so nothing double-counts. It can be turned off from the same place.

It covers web events only — PageView, Lead and the other standard events. Custom events, offline uploads and app events still need one of the routes below.

3. Partner integration (Shopify, Wix, WordPress …)#

If your site runs on a platform with a Meta integration, use it instead — it is maintained by the platform:

1. Events Manager → dataset → Settings → scroll to Conversions API → Choose a partner.
2. Pick your platform and follow its steps. On Shopify, the Facebook & Instagram app's data-sharing setting Enhanced or Maximum turns the server path on.

Site guides: Shopify, Wix, WordPress.

4. Direct integration (developer)#

Only if you need custom events, CRM-qualified leads or a server you control. Your developer needs the pixel ID and an access token from Settings → Generate access token, then sends events with an event_id that matches the browser's. Meta's developer guide covers it; it is not a weekend job for a non-developer.

5. Check deduplication#

After a day, open Overview: each event should show both Browser and Server sources, and Diagnostics should not warn about duplicate events. Madder needs no change — it keeps reading the same dataset.

If it doesn't work#

• No Activate Conversions API button — the rollout reached accounts in waves; use step 3 or wait, and check you are looking at the dataset's Overview, not the ad account.
• Lead count doubled — events arrive without matching IDs; on the one-click route turn it off and on again, on a partner route check the platform's "deduplication" or "event ID" setting.
• Server events but no browser events — the pixel code is missing on the page; the server path cannot replace it.
• "Event match quality" is low — the partner sends few customer details; usually fine for lead campaigns, ignore unless Meta flags it.