More than just a simple social network, Twitter has etched its way deep into the business community. The potential it offers for companies when it comes to expanding their marketing reach is simply hard to resist.
That’s where Twitter conversion tracking comes into play – giving you quantitative metrics to ensure you meet your business objectives.
Today we’ll be embarking on a journey to discover how Twitter conversion tracking works, particularly on the WordPress and WooCommerce site building platforms.
What is Twitter Conversion Tracking?
In web terminology, conversion tracking enables you to see how many people are taking action based on your marketing goals. When it comes to Twitter conversion tracking, you’re looking to identify the number of people interacting with the ads you deploy on that platform.
This undertaking is essential in helping you determine the value you get with your current marketing budget. The process is typically automated since a large amount of data is involved. However, in order to make it work, you’ll first need something in place to harvest that data.
How Does Twitter Conversion Tracking Work?
Twitter helps its users track conversion activity with a tool they call Twitter Tracking Pixel (sometimes referred to as a website tag). This Pixel simply refers to code generated by the system to carry out ad tracking for you.
There are two kinds of Twitter Pixels:
- Universal Pixel – This generic code is supposed to be placed on every single page of your website. It is usually the one Twitter recommends since it can track users as they move from page to page.
- Single-event Pixel – When the focus needs to be on a specific area (such as a file download), Twitter has the Single-event Pixel. The code is unique and generated for that event alone.
In a nutshell, the general flow of how all of this comes together is:
- You create a Pixel and place it on your web pages.
- Link the Pixel in your Twitter ad account.
- Users will interact with your ad on Twitter.
- The Pixel sends interaction data for an update on Twitter servers.
What Can You Track on Twitter?
With so many third-party trackers in the market, you might wonder why you’d need to use the one provided by Twitter. For example, Google Analytics provides a whole lot of data-based services that can do similar things.
There is a simple answer to that.
Most of these services simply don’t offer the complete picture as far as Twitter conversions. This specific type of tracking can help you gain a better view of mid-to-upper funnel engagement.
Some unique activities aren’t available for tracking through other resources. For example, when users expand Tweets, Retweet, Follow you, or send any other social signal – all this data can be captured from the Pixel.
Things you can track on Twitter include:
- Site visits
- Purchases
- Downloads
- User registrations
- Custom events
Creating a Twitter Tracking Pixel
To generate such Twitter Pixels, you will first need an advertising account with the social networking giant.
Log in to your Twitter Ads account, then:
- Click on Tools -> Conversion Tracking. You need to have a payment method linked to your ad account to make the Tools option appear.
- You will need to agree to the Terms of Service before being allowed to continue. Once you’ve checked those options, click on the Generate button.
The process of generating a Pixel is just that simple.
However, to properly use your Pixel, you will also need to set it up on your website and create conversion events to monitor.
Setting Up Twitter Pixel in WordPress
The same Pixel code should go at the bottom of each page on your WordPress site, just before the closing HTML </body> tag. Thanks to its modular design, there are several WP plugins you can use to simplify this process.
As an example, let’s use the Tracking Code for Twitter Pixel plugin. It’s a lightweight add-on dedicated to the single purpose of ensuring effortless code implementation. From your WordPress plugin manager, search for the plugin, add it to your site, then activate it.
Next, head to Settings -> General and scroll to the bottom of the page – this is where you insert your Twitter tag ID. Once this is done, verify the code is working properly, using something like the Twitter Pixel Helper extension for Chrome.
To start using your Pixel, you will also have to create conversion events. These are instructions that let the tool know what you want to track.
In your Twitter Ads account, click on Tools -> Conversion tracking -> Create New Conversion.
The following details will need to be filled in on the form:
- Event Name – This can be any name but must be unique within the conversions you create.
- Type of Conversion – The type of conversion you choose depends on your needs. If you want to track a conversion type without a pre-formatted type – select Custom.
- Specify Website Tag – You can only choose between universal or single-event Pixels for Twitter.
In most cases, you can leave the other fields at their default state but remember to always save the changes once done.
Setting Up Twitter Pixel in WooCommerce
Setting up Twitter Pixel in WooCommerce goes by pretty much the same principle since it is an ecommerce plugin for WordPress. The key distinction is typically in the kind of Pixel used. WooCommerce sites will likely make use of a combination of universal and single-event Pixels.
Plugins can also come in handy to add single-event Pixels to your WooCommerce site. One example is the Code Snippets plugin, although you might need a paid version to insert code on specific pages.
Possible Twitter Tracking Pixel Problems
No Conversions Recorded
There are many possible reasons why Pixel conversions don’t get recorded. For example, blocked triggers, incorrectly configured triggers, tag sequencing issues, or even wrong ID insertion. The first step towards resolving such problems is to circle back and ensure that your Pixel code was implemented correctly.
Too Many Recorded Conversions
If you see lots of duplicate data, something is likely triggering the Pixel multiple times concurrently. One common cause of this is duplication in a Twitter ID you’re using. It may also be caused by accidentally installing multiple Pixels or even inadequate form validation procedures.
Pixels Not Loading
If your Pixel isn’t loading at all, there might be an error with the Pixel code. It’s safer to delete the Pixel altogether and regenerate the code, then replace the previous set. Remember to test your code once it’s implemented, as discussed earlier.
Conclusion
Twitter Pixel conversion tracking helps marketers up their game significantly, but only if used well. Remember that Pixel simply works with data, so if you don’t establish clear objectives, it may be impossible to work towards tangible goals.
FAQ
What does a conversion tracking tag do?
Conversation tracking tags are sets of code provided by Twitter to enable activity tracking on your website. When such events occur, the data is sent to Twitter servers for your use. This data can be helpful for marketers to improve ad targeting.
How do you find the Pixels on Twitter?
Twitter Pixels are configured from your Twitter Ad account. To create one, look under the Tool option on the navigation bar. You must have a linked payment method before you create the Pixel. Without it, the Tool link will not be visible.
Where do I put the conversion tracking code?
There are two kinds of Twitter conversation tracking codes. The universal tracking code needs to be placed on all web pages on your site. Single-use trackers are meant exclusively for specific pages with an exact marketing goal.
