Manual Setup
Follow the guide below to set up your signals manually, or contact your Snapchat Rep for assistance.
Setting up these critical signals will help your campaign maximize conversions:
Pass the correct events
Pass user email and/or phone number
Pass Click ID
Pass all conversions, not just attributed
Reach out to your Snapchat Rep for support with signal setup.
Install the Base Pixel on Every Page - The base code captures page views and is necessary for all event tracking. Place the pixel just before the closing </head> tag of each page (manually or via a tag manager like Google Tag Manager). Tip: Double-check that it's installed on mobile and desktop versions.
Use Standard Events for Key Conversions - Snapchat offers pre-defined events like: PAGE_VIEW, SIGN_UP, PURCHASE, ADD_TO_CART, LEAD, START_CHECKOUT. These events enable campaign optimization and clear conversion reporting. Tip: Use parameters (like value, currency, product ID) where relevant for richer analytics and dynamic ad targeting.
Set Up Retargeting & Lookalike Audiences - Build audiences based on pixel activity: Viewed specific product pages, Abandoned cart, Completed purchase, etc. This improves ad efficiency and allows precise customer journey messaging.
Enable Event Deduplication (if using both Pixel & Conversions API) - If you’re using Snap’s Conversions API alongside the pixel, use deduplication to avoid double-counting.
Align Pixel Events with Campaign Objectives - If your campaign objective is Leads, make sure a LEAD event fires after form submission. For eCommerce, track VIEW_CONTENT, ADD_TO_CART, PURCHASE to build funnels and optimize.
Monitor & Adjust - Use Snapchat Ads Manager to review pixel health and event data. If performance drops, revisit event accuracy and campaign alignment. Pass hashed email or phone number with events to improve match rates and attribution (privacy-safe).
The Snapchat Click ID or ScCid is a parameter that is automatically attached to your ad's landing page URLs. When a Snapchatter clicks on an ad and lands on your website, an ID is created and appended to the URL. The variable name is "ScCid”. Snapchat Click IDs help you to match users and attribute events to your Snapchat ads accurately. No action is needed for your pixel integration to enable this. (from help center). If you’d like to test and see what parameters are being passed, including the ScCId, follow the instructions here. Troubleshooting Click ID here.
We recommend our web advertisers implement Conversions API alongside a Pixel integration. Refer to this note regarding deduplication.
Best Practices for Conversions API can be found here.
Find the Conversions API Checklist here.
Find Set Up Event FAQs here.
If your landing page utilizes redirects, ensure URL parameters, and specifically the ScCid parameter, are being persisted during these redirects and are not dropped.
This article refers to pixel and click id, however it’s still relevant for troubleshooting.
0:16 - Snap Pixel’s key benefits
0:38 - How to get the most out of your Snap Pixel setup
1:25 - Prerequisites
1:34 - Create your Snap Pixel
2:54 - Install the Pixel on your website (including Page View)
3:24 - Verify your Pixel
7:10 - Set up purchase events
8:20 - Configure add to cart and sign up events
9:57 - Final validation
0:19 - Introduction & Set Up
2:05 - Making your first CAPI call
8:51 - Integrating CAPI into your tech stack
12:00 - Verifying Events and Setting up your system
13:26 - Testing Tools
15:37 - Business SDK
This tutorial was created for CAPI v2. Snapchat is currently using CAPI v3, but the same tutorial steps apply.
To increase the volume of signals for Snap to optimize your campaigns fully, you need to:
1. Pass the correct events
Depending on the results that you want your ads to deliver, create events belonging to either online sales or leads:
Online Sales:
Purchase: Used for when a user pays for something immediately online.
Add to Cart: Triggers when a user adds a product to their cart.
Leads:
Sign Up: Trials signups, form submissions, loyalty enrollment, newsletters, registrations for webinars/events, free tools/gated content, consultations, etc.
The parameters and event types you can pass can be found here.
2. Pass user email and/or phone number
In addition to creating the events, it's a high priority to pass the users email and/or phone number along with the event tags to improve attribution matching. Don’t forget to normalize the email or phone number prior to passing the value, as shown in the video above. Snap Pixel SDK will automatically hash the values.
See basic examples of passing the event and user parameter here.
3. Pass Click ID
No action should be required for pixel assuming your website isn’t redirecting and dropping the click id. The Snapchat Click ID or ScCid is a parameter that is automatically attached to your ad's landing page URLs.
4. Pass all events
Snap campaigns optimize based on the data signals it matches and receives, just sending attributed events severely limits the amount of signals that Snap has to optimize to.
In addition, check that Advanced Signal Collection is enabled:
In Ads Manager, in the top left nav bar, go to Events Manager.
Under Event Sources, find the pixel you want to update.
Click Settings and find the Advanced Signal Collection setting toward the bottom of the page.
Activate it so it has a green check mark.
How to Set up the Snap Pixel
The Snap Pixel is a piece of JavaScript code that allows Advertisers to measure the impact of their ads on sales and leads. In addition, it provides the critical signals needed for campaign optimization.
Make sure that your website and any webpages are eligible for the pixel, in line with the Snap Personal Data Terms and our privacy and security FAQs.
Log in to Ads Manager. Then click the menu in the top left corner and select Pixels.
Click Create Pixel, name your pixel, and click Create.
Select the ad accounts you’d like to share the pixel to by typing the ad account name in the search box.
Add the pixel base code throughout your site and implement the code for the events you’d like to track:
In Ads Manager, navigate to the top left menu and select Pixels.
Click the Pixel that you want to use.
Make sure it is associated with the ad account you are running ads from.
Click Set up Pixel, then Pixel Code, then Manual Tool.
Go through the template instructions and at the end, click Email Instructions.
Confirm that Enable Automated Matching is activated, then click Finish.
To learn more about creating conversion events and the parameters, start with the Using the API documentation. The parameters section goes into more detail about the values.
To provide enough signals for Snap to optimize your campaigns fully, you need to:
1. Pass the correct events
Depending on the results that you want your ads to deliver, create events belonging to either online sales for leads.
Online Sales:
Purchase: Used for when a user pays for something immediately online.
Add to Cart: Triggers when a user adds a product to their cart.
Leads:
Sign Up: Trials signups, form submissions, loyalty enrollment, newsletters, registrations for webinars/events, free tools/gated content, consultations, etc.
2. Pass user email and/or phone number
It's a high priority to pass the users email (em) and phone number (ph) along with the event tags to improve attribution matching. Please note:
You need to normalize email/phone number prior to passing the value. See how here.
You need to hash the values as well. See how here.
3. Pass Click ID
The Snapchat Click ID is a parameter called ScCid that is automatically attached to your ad's landing page URLs. Click IDs help you to match users and attribute events to your Snapchat ads accurately. We highly recommend advertisers set up with CAPI to share the click ID (sc_click_id) in conversion requests.
Learn more about sending Click ID and what it looks like here. Make sure you scroll down to the “Sending Click ID” section.
4. Pass all events
Snap campaigns optimize based on the data signals it matches and receives, just sending attributed events severely limits the amount of signals that Snap has to optimize to.
Use the Conversions API
To get started with CAPI, start with the developers Conversions API introduction.
You will then be led to Getting Started and instructions on Using the API.
Refer to the CAPI checklist and best practices for implementation recommendations.
For direct implementation, you’ll need:
Pixel ID - The pixel id can be found in Pixels section of Ads Manager
