Tracking pixels and cookies are often used in conjunction with one another.
👉 Both of these tools can be used to track the behavior of users and the activities they conduct across web sites.
They can also be used for similar marketing purposes, including serving ads based on user data.
The difference between cookies and tracking pixels is how the information is delivered and where it is kept.
Cookies are saved in an individual’s browser, such as Google Chrome or Firefox. They cannot follow users across their devices, and users can block cookies or clear their cookies if they so choose. Cookies are often used to store user information for an easier login experience as well. If you’ve ever visited a site such as Facebook or YouTube and noticed your email was already filled in on the login screen, a cookie was used to store your data. Clearing your cookies would erase all of the login or user data you have saved across these types of sites.
Tracking pixels sent information directly to servers, so they do not rely on the user’s individual browser. Pixels are able to follow users across all of their devices, linking marketing efforts across your website and mobile ads. Also, users cannot disable pixels like they can disable cookies.
🔎 We will look at creating a Facebook Pixel as an example:
Within your Business Manager account, you can find Pixels under the Data Sources section. Simply add a pixel, give it a name, and enter your URL. Facebook will generate a pixel that is unique for your brand. You can then install the pixel on your website and start tracking results from Facebook.
🗝 One of the primary considerations when it comes to tracking pixels is privacy. Unlike cookies, it's not as straightforward for users to choose not to have their information gathered by tracking pixels. These pixels do collect a significant amount of user data, sometimes without the user even realizing it. Consequently, consumers might have some concerns about their privacy and how their data is handled, a topic that is directly managed by Meta.
👉 Please bear in mind that all data and information are aggregated and anonymized directly by Meta.