Analytics & Tracking
Meta CAPI Gateway Setup Perth
I'm Brad Farleigh, a Perth developer who sets up and repairs server-side tracking. If Meta reports fewer purchases than WooCommerce does, the gap is usually the browser pixel dropping events. The Conversions API Gateway closes most of that gap without you building a server.
Email hello@bradfarleigh.com or use the live chat. I don't take phone calls, so everything is in writing from the start.
What the Conversions API Gateway actually does
Meta's gateway is a container that runs in your own AWS account and is managed by Meta. You create it from Events Manager, pick an instance size based on your event volume, and get an endpoint. Your site then sends events to that endpoint, from the browser and from the server, and the gateway forwards them to Meta.
Two details matter more than the marketing copy:
- It can run on your own subdomain. Point a CNAME at the gateway and events arrive from your domain, which survives more browser blocking than a request to a Meta domain.
- It deduplicates. Browser and server events with the same event name and event ID are treated as one conversion. Get this wrong and you report double the sales you actually made.
The gateway is a relay, not a data warehouse. It does not rewrite your event taxonomy, and it does not fix bad data. If your purchase event is missing the value, the gateway will forward a purchase event with no value.
When the gateway is the right choice
It usually fits when:
- You want server-side events but don't want to run and patch your own container
- Your site is WordPress and WooCommerce, or Next.js and Payload, and you want one Meta endpoint
- You need a first-party endpoint quickly, without a big tracking project
- You sell in Australia and ship internationally, so consent and data handling need to be deliberate
It is the wrong choice when you need one server pipeline for Meta, Google, TikTok and your warehouse, or when events need heavy transformation before they go anywhere. That's a GTM server container or a custom endpoint, and I'd say so in the diagnostic rather than sell you a gateway you don't need.
What setup involves
- Audit the current setup. Browser pixel events, any existing Conversions API calls, consent behaviour, and the events your backend can actually see.
- Deploy the gateway. Created in Events Manager, deployed into your AWS account, instance size chosen from real event volume rather than guesswork.
- First-party subdomain. DNS record pointed at the gateway, certificate working, and events confirmed arriving on your domain.
- Event mapping. Which events go server-side, which stay in the browser, and what each one carries. Purchases, leads, add to cart and view content usually need different treatment.
- Deduplication. Shared event IDs between pixel and server, tested with real events, not just test events.
- Consent. Events only sent after consent, with the gateway and your consent platform configured to agree. Sending before consent is a privacy problem and Meta may ignore the data anyway.
- Validation. Test Events for each event, Event Match Quality reviewed, then a comparison across Meta, GA4 and your order data over a measurement window.
- Handover. A short document covering what sends what, where the credentials live, and what to check if numbers drift.
What usually goes wrong
The repair jobs tend to be one of these:
- Double counting. Purchase fires from the pixel and the server with different IDs, so Meta counts two.
- Low match quality. No hashed email, phone or customer ID attached, so Meta can't match events to people.
- Gateway deployed, pixel never pointed at it. The endpoint exists and receives nothing.
- Consent kills everything. The banner blocks the pixel and the server path was never built.
- Wrong value or currency. Revenue reporting is wrong by a fixed factor, and every ROAS figure built on it is wrong too.
- Test events pass, production fails. Usually an environment variable or a domain mismatch that only shows up on the live site.
What does it cost?
Every job starts with the diagnostic. It's a focused review of your tracking measured against your real orders and enquiries, usually delivered within 3 business days. After that you get a fixed quote in dollars, not hours, and no GST is added. Work starts on a deposit.
AWS bills the gateway instance to your account directly, so hosting cost stays visible to you. There's more on how a job runs on Working With Me.
Why work with me
- 17+ years of web and analytics work, from Universal Analytics through to GA4 and server-side tagging.
- I already audit this stack. Meta CAPI sits inside the GA4 and GTM audits I run, so the pixel, the data layer and the server events get looked at together.
- I build the sites as well as the tracking. On WordPress, WooCommerce, Next.js and Payload I can add the server endpoint rather than asking someone else to.
- Diagnostic first. If the gateway isn't the fix, you hear that before you spend money on one.
- Remote and in writing. No phone calls, no meetings that could have been an email.
Ready to fix your Meta tracking?
Email hello@bradfarleigh.com or use the live chat, and tell me what Meta reports versus what you actually sold. I'll book in the diagnostic.
FAQ
What is the difference between the Meta Pixel and the Conversions API?
The pixel runs in the browser and sends events from the page. The Conversions API sends the same kind of events from a server. Browsers now block or drop a lot of what the pixel tries to send, so the server path fills in the gaps the pixel misses.
Do I need the Conversions API Gateway if I already have a pixel?
Not always. If your pixel still matches your real orders and enquiries, you may not need it. The diagnostic tells you whether events are actually being lost before anyone builds anything.
Is the gateway better than a Google Tag Manager server-side container?
They solve different problems. The gateway is Meta-hosted and specific to Meta, which makes it quick to stand up. A GTM server container is worth it when you need one server endpoint for several platforms, custom transformations or tighter control over what gets sent. Some setups use both.
Will this fix my iOS attribution?
It improves measurement, but it does not restore the reporting you had before Apple's tracking changes. Nothing does. The aim is accurate event data and a better Event Match Quality score, not a return to 2019 numbers.
How long does setup take?
Usually a few days of work once access is in place. Then you need a week or two of live data before the comparison between Meta, GA4 and your backend is worth trusting.
Won't two event sources double count my conversions?
Only if deduplication is wrong. Browser and server events need to share the same event name and event ID. Meta then drops the duplicate. I test that explicitly rather than assuming it works.
Do you need access to my AWS account?
The gateway runs in your AWS account, so I need deployment access or you can deploy it while I guide you. Either way the account stays yours. All logins come through a password manager, never by email or chat.
Does it work with WordPress and WooCommerce?
Yes. Server events can come from WooCommerce order hooks, from a GTM server container, or from a small endpoint on the site. On Next.js and Payload the same pattern works from the server runtime.
Do you run Meta ads as well?
No. I set up and validate the tracking your ads rely on. I don't manage campaigns or ad spend.