You’ve probably never seen a tracking pixel, but they’ve almost definitely appeared on your
screen before. Tracking pixels allow companies to gather useful marketing information and assess
the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. But what are they, exactly, and how do they work?
A tracking pixel is a tiny, often invisible pixel that appears on a user’s screen. It serves a
similar purpose as a browser cookie, although it has some distinct differences and advantages.
Tracking pixels usually take the form of small 1×1 squares (referred to as a 1×1 tracking pixel)
and are designed to be transparent or at least to blend in with the background of the page they
appear on. That’s because users aren’t meant to notice them.
A tracking pixel can provide its creator with useful information about certain internet users
and helps online stores and advertisers assess the effectiveness of various marketing
strategies.
Tracking pixels are embedded in web pages and emails. When loaded, these pixels send requests to
a server, recording user information, including the action users take on the page and even their
IP address.
Pixel tracking is a simple system. Imagine that a company launches a new email campaign. They
send out hundreds or even thousands of emails, but they need to know how effective those emails
are — are people opening the emails, at least?
If they include an email tracking pixel, then when someone opens the email, their browser will
automatically run the tracking pixel code. This will cause the browser to send a signal to the
company’s servers. The signal confirms that the email was opened and can also communicate other
details, including information about the operating system,{‘ ‘}
IP address, and the location of
the person who opened it.
The process of inserting a tracking pixel into digital content is known as embedding or
integration. The tracking pixel is represented by a small piece of HTML or JavaScript code
provided by the entity that wants to collect data.
Tracking pixels can be inserted directly in the source code of a web page or email, but
sometimes they can also be embedded using the content management system.
Companies and websites use tracking pixels to gather data on user behavior, such as their
shopping patterns, and optimize their content accordingly. User information helps businesses to
work out what the most effective marketing strategies are, making it less likely that they’ll
waste money on ineffective ads and email campaigns.
For example, Facebook provides tracking pixels that you can embed in your website to monitor the
effectiveness of your ads on Facebook. This pixel tracks user visits and interactions on your
website resulting from users clicking on your Facebook ad.
The regulations governing the use of online tracking tools, including tracking pixels, vary
significantly from one country to another. For example, in the European Union, the use of
tracking pixels is covered in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The GDPR requires
organizations to obtain clear and informed consent from users before deploying tracking pixels
that collect personal data. Information regarding user data collection on websites must be easy
to understand, and the data collected through tracking pixels must be minimal. Organizations
must also ensure that they gather, store, and maintain user data safely and securely.
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There are two main types of tracking pixels — conversion pixels and retargeting pixels.
Conversion pixels are intended to track the effectiveness of different marketing campaigns and
sales funnels.
They’re usually included in an order confirmation email or on a “thank you” page that appears
after a customer makes a purchase.
The pixels can help companies assess the route by which the customer came to make the purchase.
For example, it can show that they responded to a particular advertisement or came through an
affiliate partner’s link.
Retargeting pixels operate more like browser cookies. They can provide information to a website
about where a user has previously been, which helps them target advertising more effectively.
If you’ve just been looking up flights for London and then notice that an entirely different
website is now advertising London hotels, that could be the result of a retargeting pixel. In
this function, they work in the same way as cookies.
Tracking pixels aren’t universally popular. But they are very useful for companies and websites.
In some aspects they can also benefit users. Here are the arguments for and against their use.
of their campaigns. By gathering data on how users interact with the ads, advertisers can
better target specific audiences by offering more relevant and personalized ads.
user behavior, which helps them to make informed decisions and improve their online and
marketing strategies.
providing insight into user behavior and content performance, which in turn can be used to
optimize content.
more tailored advertising to their visitors. Arguably, many internet users would prefer to get
useful ads responding to their needs rather than completely random ones.
have noticed that after opening a spam email, you received an increased number of similar
annoying messages. That’s because spam emails and{‘ ‘} phishing messages often contain
pixels that tell the emailer whether your address is active. If you open the email, the pixel
signals this to the spammer, and they target you with more.
information, which they then use to target the users with specific ads. Some users might find
targeted, personalized ads intrusive and annoying.
on their visits to web pages, interactions with content, and even their IP addresses. Data
protection advocates warn users that their tracked data can become vulnerable to data breaches
if companies and advertisers do not handle and store it properly.
From browser cookies to tracking pixels, these methods have their uses and aren’t always a
negative. However, you should always have the power to choose whether you want them or not.{‘ ‘}
Why is data privacy important?
{‘ ‘}
Because your data is valuable, to you, to companies, and to criminals.
One way to protect yourself from tracking on the internet is to pay attention to privacy
settings on websites. It’s very easy to get into the habit of clicking “Accept all” when faced
with a privacy preferences pop-up, but that’s actually a good place to start if you want to
limit tracking. You may be able to switch off a website’s tracker functions, or at least limit
them.
It’s also worth using privacy tools, like a VPN or
tracker blocking software. NordVPN comes with a built-in feature called{‘ ‘}
Threat Protection, which can
block trackers as well as limit annoying ads and shield you from malware. With one NordVPN
account, you can{‘ ‘}
cover up to six devices
, raising your overall protection level.
The post What is a tracking pixel, and how does it work? first appeared on NordVPN.
