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PixelYourSite Professional / Easy Digital Downloads Tracking / EDD License Tracking

EDD License Tracking

Last updated: May 21, 2026

PixelYourSite Pro can track the lifecycle of Easy Digital Downloads software licenses — creation, upgrades, renewals, and expirations — and send each one as a dedicated event to your ad and analytics platforms.

Four server-side events are available:

  • LicenseCreated — fires when a new license is generated from a purchase.
  • LicenseUpgrade — fires when a customer upgrades a license to a higher tier.
  • LicenseRenewal — fires when a customer renews an existing license.
  • LicenseExpired — fires when a license transitions to the expired status.

Each event is sent server-side via API to:

  • Meta (Facebook) — Conversions API
  • Google Analytics 4 — Measurement Protocol (as GA4 custom events)
  • TikTok — Events API
  • Pinterest — Conversions API

Because the events are sent server-side only, they will not appear in your browser console or in the PYS Pixel Helper. You will see them in Meta Events Manager (Server), GA4 DebugView, and the TikTok / Pinterest Events Managers.

Requirements

  • PixelYourSite Professional with license tracking support
  • The official EDD Software Licensing add-on, installed and active
  • A configured server API for each destination you want to fire to:

If EDD Software Licensing is not active, the Track License card is shown disabled with a notice asking you to install the plugin first.

How to enable it

  1. Go to the PixelYourSite Pro → Easy Digital Downloads tab.
  2. Find the Track License card.
  3. Turn on the Track License switcher.
  4. Under it, enable the platforms you want to fire to (Facebook, Google Analytics, TikTok, Pinterest). Each platform’s sub-toggle is only available when that platform’s server API is already configured.
  5. Save changes.

The four events

LicenseCreated

Fires on edd_sl_store_license when a new license is created for a purchased download that has Software Licensing enabled.

Use it to:

  • Optimize ads for license-generating sales
  • Build audiences of active licensees
  • Track which products generate licenses (vs non-licensed downloads)

Payload: license_id, license_name, order_id, value (the line-item price of the licensed download in that order), currency, payment_method (when enabled), products.

LicenseUpgrade

Fires on edd_sl_license_upgraded when a customer upgrades an existing license to a higher tier or variation.

Use it to:

  • Optimize ads for upgrades and expansion revenue
  • Build “high-tier customer” audiences for lookalikes
  • Report upgrade revenue separately from new sales

Payload: license_id, license_name (the new tier’s name), order_id, value (the upgrade payment amount), currency, payment_method (when enabled), products.

Note: only the upgrade payment amount is sent — there are no separate “from tier” or “to tier” fields. If you need tier-change reporting, segment by license_name or by the product parameters.

LicenseRenewal

Fires on edd_sl_post_license_renewal when a customer pays to renew an existing license.

Use it to:

  • Report recurring license revenue
  • Build “renewed customer” retention audiences
  • Power renewal-window reminder campaigns

Payload: license_id, license_name, order_id, value (the renewal payment amount), currency, payment_method (when enabled), products.

LicenseExpired

Fires on edd_sl_post_set_status when a license’s new status is expired. This covers every path to expiration: cron-based expiry, manual admin changes, and renewal lapses.

Use it to:

  • Trigger renewal-reminder campaigns
  • Build win-back audiences
  • Track license churn over time

Payload: license_id, license_name, payment_method (when enabled), products. No value, currency, or order_id — expirations don’t represent a transaction.

Lifetime licenses

Lifetime licenses don’t have a renewal cycle or an expiration date. In practice:

  • They fire LicenseCreated at purchase.
  • They fire LicenseUpgrade if the customer later upgrades.
  • They will not fire LicenseRenewal or LicenseExpired.

Keep this in mind when building reports — your renewal/expiration audiences will exclude lifetime customers by design.

What’s not tracked

PixelYourSite Pro does not currently emit events for:

  • License key activations or deactivations on customer sites
  • Changes to the number of activation sites allowed
  • Manual edits to license keys or expiration dates in the admin
  • License downgrades

Only the four events listed above fire, and only on the hooks listed.

Event parameters reference

Common to all four events: license_id (the license post ID — not the license key), license_name, products, plus a fresh eventID per event for server-to-platform deduplication.

Additional fields per event:

Eventvaluecurrencyorder_id
LicenseCreatedline-item priceyesyes
LicenseUpgradeupgrade paymentyesyes
LicenseRenewalrenewal paymentyesyes
LicenseExpired———

payment_method — global toggle in the EDD events parameters section (enable_edd_payment_method). When enabled, the gateway label is attached to all four license events.

license_name — toggle is license_name (PRO). When enabled the parameter is included; when off, the event is sent without the human-readable license name.

The license key is never sent in the payload, by design — it would be sensitive customer data going to third-party platforms.

How to use it

A few common plays once these events are firing:

  • Meta Ads. Create custom conversions on LicenseCreated and LicenseUpgrade to optimize ad campaigns for license-generating sales and tier upgrades. Retarget LicenseExpired audiences for renewal pushes.
  • Google Analytics 4. Mark the events as key events and build license cohorts in Explorations. Send LicenseCreated and LicenseRenewal from GA4 into Google Ads to bid on license revenue.
  • TikTok / Pinterest. Use the events as custom optimization signals and audience seeds.

For the full step-by-step playbook, see the strategy guide: EDD License Tracking with PixelYourSite.

Verifying the events

  • Meta: Meta Events Manager → your dataset → Test Events or Server; look for the four event names.
  • GA4: Admin → DebugView during a test purchase / upgrade / renewal; the events arrive as GA4 custom events with their parameters.
  • TikTok: TikTok Events Manager → your pixel → event log.
  • Pinterest: Pinterest Events Manager → your tag → event log.