Pixels and Cookies are the main ways online marketers and website teams measure and understand how people are engaging with their website.
Cookies are text files with small pieces of data that are used to identify your computer as you browse the internet. They are one of the main tools that allow digital advertisers and interactive teams to develop personalized experiences for the user. They do this by logging information on how you are using the site such as:
- Website visits
- Pageviews
- Button clicks
- Time on site
- Form submissions
- User logins
A common example of a site using cookies is when you click to log-in to a site you have previously logged in to, you might notice that the email address is auto-populated for you. This action is powered by cookie magic.
Cookies and the information they provide are saved onto your computer by your web browser as you visit various websites. As a result, cookies can be deleted by the end-user in their browser options, and will not follow you across your devices.
Cookies have similar functionalities as pixels as they both track users. While cookies save information locally on your computer as you visit a website, pixels do not save information onto your machine. Pixels tend to be provided by advertising tools such as Facebook, Google, or LinkedIn as a way to seamlessly track the user as a part of the advertising campaigns that are being run.
A pixel is a line of code that is placed onto a website page. As the page loads, the pixel loads along with it, triggering it and causing the relevant information to be logged in the advertising tool’s system. Sometimes pixels will relay information that is stored in your local cookies to the server.
Since pixel tracking data is being kept off of the user’s machines, they are seen as being more robust and reliable than cookies are. Pixels are the reason that you see ads across the web for companies whose website you have visited, or products you were browsing while shopping online. In some cases, you may be able to block pixels (since you cannot delete them, like cookies) by installing an add-on for your browser that can block some pixels.
Tracking pixels and cookies are major tools in a marketer or advertiser’s toolbelt that allows for understanding and reviewing of the data for online marketing initiatives (including website analysis, performance metrics, and email marketing). Beyond the data tracked as the user engages with the site, a pixel’s provider can see other information about who the user is and what they are doing across the internet for marketing purposes. With so many websites having Google and Facebook’s pixels on them, it allows them to infer what a consumers’ interests are, what they are looking to buy (or rent), among many other things.
Tracking pixels are often criticized by data protection advocates because they collect comprehensive data about the user, mostly without their knowledge. OMG is transparent with website users and works closely with our clients to inform all visitors that a website does collect data. The use of tracking pixels and cookies is extremely valuable for us to understand the effectiveness of marketing and sales for any project. Please <fill out the form> to learn more about making sure your websites are compliant with privacy laws.
Stay tuned for future OMG resources to keep you up to date on tracking shifts and digital marketing trends.