Question from Reddit:
I’m wondering for quite some time now.
I use Google Tag Manager to ‘forward’ my (custom) conversions from website to Facebook.
But then I’m confused. You can select a specific category in Facebook for each conversion, such as ‘Leads’, but can you also use such category as a conversion target for a campaign or Ad Set? I have the impression that you can only select one specific conversion as campaign objective? Is this correct? I would like to have multiple conversions as a target.
A solution could be to ‘forward’ multiple conversions to the same conversion-ID within Facebook via Google Tag Manager. But then you can’t measure correctly, of course. Unless via Google Analytics perhaps?
If anyone could help me with this it would be greatly appreciated!
Answer from Nabil:
The short answer is:
You are correct that, by default, the Meta Ads platform is designed to optimize for a single, specific conversion event at the campaign or ad set level, which is why you feel limited.
Trying to send multiple distinct conversions to the same conversion ID is a bad idea because it completely loses the ability to analyze your funnel.
The solution you’re looking for, which allows Meta’s algorithm to optimize for a composite goal made up of multiple events while keeping your reporting accurate, is to use a Custom Conversion that’s configured based on an aggregation of your specific events.
An even more robust and modern solution that ensures maximum data quality and flexibility is to utilize the Facebook Conversions API (CAPI) via a server-side setup like Stape or Google Cloud Platform, which gives you complete control over how event data is categorized and sent to Meta.
The long answer is:
Your confusion is completely valid, as the Meta Ads interface steers you toward optimizing for a single action, such as Lead or Purchase.
However, you can use the Custom Conversion feature in the Events Manager to create a single, new conversion goal that is based on one or more of your standard or custom events.
For instance, if you want to optimize for the completion of a multi-step process, you can define a Custom Conversion that counts a conversion whenever a user triggers Event A (e.g., form_step_1_complete) OR Event B (e.g., form_step_2_complete) OR Event C (e.g., thank_you_page_view).
You then select this single Custom Conversion as your optimization goal in your campaign, and Meta’s algorithm will optimize for users likely to complete any of those defined events.
For better measurement, though, the best long-term solution involves moving away from the standard browser-based tracking (Pixel) toward a server-side architecture using the Facebook Conversions API combined with Google Tag Manager and a server environment like Stape or Google Cloud Platform.
With this method, you use GTM’s web container to collect the necessary user data (like a user’s browser ID or external ID) and then forward the raw event data (e.g., Lead, CompleteRegistration, AddToCart) to your private server container (hosted on Stape/GCP).
This server container then sends the data directly to Meta’s Conversions API, completely bypassing browser limitations like ad-blockers and privacy settings that can cause your GTM Pixel events to be missed, leading to underreporting and poor optimization.
Crucially, a server-side setup allows you to send highly reliable, normalized data with a much higher Event Match Quality score, ensuring Meta’s algorithm has the most accurate information possible for optimization.
You still maintain the flexibility to define Custom Conversions in Meta Ads, but they will be based on a far more accurate and complete dataset sent directly from your server, making your Custom Conversion goal a true reflection of your multiple desired actions.
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