What is a tracking or conversion pixel?

A tracking pixel, or conversion pixel, is a pixel-size image that’s often invisible and appears on the user’s screen. It’s usually just a 1x1 square that’s placed in a way so the user doesn’t notice it. A tracking pixel can be embedded on a website or email through HTML code. Once the user opens the site or email, the pixel sends data to a server.

The purpose of a tracking pixel is to gather insights about a user. This helps retargeting campaigns and advertisers looking to evaluate their marketing strategies.

While it may initially seem that tracking pixels are the same as cookies, they have key differences. For example, cookies store the user’s information on the browser while tracking pixels send it to a server, raising privacy concerns.

However, international privacy regulations cover tracking pixels as well. For example, GDPR requires getting consent for tracking pixel use and securing the collected data. Meanwhile, according to CCPA, Californian users must be informed that tracking pixels are used on the website they’re visiting.