How To Conduct a Facebook Ads Audit: A Step-by-Step Guide

Conducting regular Facebook Ads audits is essential for ensuring your account is set up for success by following Meta’s best practices, maximizing ROI, and staying competitive. This audit helps you pinpoint what’s working, identify areas for improvement, and ensure that your campaigns align with your broader business objectives.

This step-by-step guide will lead you through the entire audit process, from account structure evaluations to creative-level analysis, to ensure your campaigns are optimized for success.

The Power of Facebook Advertising

With over 2.8 billion monthly active users, Facebook allows brands to target highly specific audience segments based on interests, behaviors, and demographics. This precision makes Facebook ad campaigns an indispensable tool for driving engagement, conversions, and overall brand awareness.

As paid social media continues to dominate the digital marketing landscape, the performance of your Facebook Ads plays a significant role in your overall marketing success. Now, let’s dive into how to conduct a thorough audit of your Facebook ads to enhance performance.

Facebook Ads Audit

1. Data / API Structure

Conversions API Integration

Start your audit by confirming the Conversions API is integrated and functioning properly within the Events Manager. This integration allows you to track events both from the browser and the server, providing a more accurate picture of user interactions. Check the Events Manager to ensure that events appear from both sources. This step is crucial as it helps to minimize data discrepancies, especially with recent changes in data privacy regulations.

In the screenshot below, you can see both blue and green lines showing events for the Purchase conversion in the Data Sources section of Events Manager. This means the Conversions API (CAPI) is connected and firing the server (green) events in Meta. The browser (blue) events are also firing, which indicates that the pixel is correctly placed on the website to capture this event.

If you notice that either browser or server-side events are missing, this could indicate an integration issue. You’ll need to verify the pixel placement on your website or check the Conversions API setup. In cases like this, reach out to your web development team and utilize resources like the “Meta For Developers” to troubleshoot.

Tracking Accuracy

In addition to the Conversions API, it’s vital to ensure the Facebook Pixel is functioning correctly. If you don’t own the account, make sure you have pixel access in Business Manager to check the pixel tracking. You should confirm that the Facebook Pixel is properly installed and key events, like page views, add-to-carts, and purchases, are accurately tracked. This data is foundational for Meta optimization and strategic decision-making. 

To check pixel events, install and run the Meta Pixel Helper Chrome extension and navigate to the ‘Test Events’ tab in the pixel section of ‘Data Sources,’ as shown in the screenshot below. 

Enter your website URL, complete a test purchase, and return to this section in the Meta Business Manager to confirm all events fired on the pixel. This will allow you to see if you are missing any events or if they are tracking correctly.

Although it’s not a requirement, adding the Facebook Pixel directly to the header of your website’s code is an easy way to ensure accurate tracking. If you decide to go this route, use the ‘Inspect’ tool on key pages like your website’s homepage and landing pages to ensure the pixel code is firing correctly.

2. Campaign Structure

Campaign Budget Optimization (CBO)

The next step in your Facebook ads account audit is to assess how budgets are being managed across campaigns. Ideally, campaigns should be using Campaign Budget Optimization (CBO), which allows Facebook to allocate the budget dynamically across ad sets based on performance metrics. This method is generally more efficient and helps maximize ROI. If you find that campaigns are using Ad Set Budget Optimization (ABO), consider transitioning them to CBO for consistency and better budget management.

The exception to running CBO campaigns is during A/B testing, where ABO can ensure even budget distribution across variables. This allows you to isolate variables effectively and derive clear insights into creative, audience, or copy performance when the A/B test has concluded.

Campaign Types: What Do I Choose?

With Advantage Plus Shopping, Conversion campaigns, Catalog Sales campaigns, and more, how do you determine what to run? Testing is key, but here are some best practices!

• Single Sku Brands: Start with conversion campaigns focused on the purchase conversion objective. Once your pixel is well-seasoned, try Advantage Plus Shopping campaigns to leverage Facebook’s algorithm with fewer advertiser controls. 
• Multi-SKU Brands: For brands with a robust catalog, test Catalog Sales ads for both prospecting and remarketing audiences. 

Campaign Structure: How Many Campaigns Should I Have?

The number of campaigns you should run traces back to your Meta budget. Meta’s algorithm optimizes ad sets most efficiently when they have enough budget to go through the Meta learning phase quickly. Notably, the Meta learning phase can see volatile results, so be sure to view performance over a multiple day period. The goal is to give your ad sets enough budget to reach 50 conversion events in a week period. If you don’t have enough budget to support this, consider moving your conversion event to a higher funnel event or consolidating to a single campaign. 

Example: 

• Budget: $12,000 a month / $3,000 a week 
• Cost Per Purchase: $50 
• Expected Conversions: 60 conversion events per week (Budget / Cost Per Purchase)

In the example above, focusing on a single ad set is optimal for quickly exiting the learning phase and gaining actionable insights. Running additional ad sets is possible, but it may delay optimization and reduce efficiency. Audit your account to make sure the structure fits with your SKUs and your overall budget. 

Ad Types: Catalog Ads, Conversion Ads, and Lead Ads

For ecommerce brands, it’s essential to test both Catalog Ads and Conversion Ads. Catalog Ads dynamically showcase products to users based on their preferences and behaviors. Oftentimes, these are “products on white” or the images pulled directly from your website and designed to reach users with the intent of purchasing. Conversion Ads target users most likely to take specific actions, like making a purchase, but with video and still ad formats that can’t be combined with Catalog ads outside of Advantage Plus Shopping campaigns in Meta.

If your audit reveals the absence of either ad type, implement a strategy that incorporates both dynamic ads for prospecting and retargeting. This dual approach leverages Meta’s algorithm more effectively, catering to different stages of the buyer journey.

For lead generation, Lead Ads are invaluable. They allow you to capture user information directly within the platform, simplifying the user experience and increasing the likelihood of generating quality leads. If Lead Ads are underutilized in your campaigns, integrating them into your strategy can be highly beneficial.

3. Ad Set Analysis

Optimization Event

When auditing ad sets, it’s important to check the objective at the campaign level and the optimization event at the ad set level. Campaign objectives and optimization events should match your business goals.

For example, if your goal is to drive purchases, you should have sales objective campaigns optimized for purchases. If your goal is to drive more high-quality traffic, use a traffic campaign objective with landing page view optimization. Remember that purchase-optimized campaigns are best suited for revenue and ROAS-focused strategies because they leverage Meta’s extensive collection of behavioral data.

But what if you’re launching a new ad account and new pixel?! I’m glad you asked! For new ad accounts and pixels, consider optimizing toward a less valuable event initially, like “add to cart,” to gather sufficient data before switching to purchase conversions. Remember, Meta recommends 50 conversion events per ad set per week for optimal optimization. Of course, if your budget doesn’t support this, get as close as possible. 

For non-ecommerce businesses, consider using Lead or App Promotion campaigns depending on your specific goals. Additionally, Meta allows advertisers to create custom conversion events based on on-site actions. If you have unique customer goals or KPIs, custom conversions might be the right solution to explore. You can learn more about creating custom conversion events on Meta here.

Attribution Consistency

Consistency in attribution settings across campaigns is vital for accurate performance analysis. The recommended attribution window is a 7-day click/1-day view, as this offers a balanced view of both immediate and slightly delayed conversions. During your audit, ensure that all active campaigns use the same attribution model to prevent data inconsistencies that could skew your results. 

However, depending on your specific goals, you may adjust to a 1-day click or 7-day click attribution model, especially during time-sensitive promotions like one-day sales.

For advertisers using Google Analytics 4 (GA4) with a last-click attribution model, consider adjusting Meta’s attribution to a click-only setting to align revenue attribution across platforms. While the recommended default is 7-day click/1-day view, be open to testing and adjusting this based on your broader marketing strategy.

Attribution modeling can be overwhelming, especially if it’s your first time reading about it. Learn more about it in this resource. 

Geo Targeting

If your campaigns target multiple countries or territories, pull a breakdown report of results by location. This in-depth report helps identify regions where your campaigns are most and least successful, allowing you to reallocate spend and refine your targeting strategy for maximum profitability. 

Although it’s not recommended to break out ad sets or campaigns by location, the breakdown by geographical region can help you refine your strategy and creative development. 

Ad Placements

Ad placements should generally be set to “All Placements,” which allows Facebook’s algorithm to optimize delivery across different platforms like Facebook and Instagram. However, the Audience Network and reward video placements are typically excluded as a best practice due to lower performance on those placements. If you haven’t already, we recommend pulling a breakdown of the Audience Network and reward video placements before excluding them from your brand.

However, there are some instances where you might want to limit your placements. For example, if your ad creative is 9×16 (which would get cut off in feed placements), it would be advantageous to run that asset on stories and reel placements instead so that the creative would fit within the placement appropriately. Note that it is a best practice to have 9×16 and 4×5 ratios for all creatives. 

Audience Exclusions

Proper exclusions are crucial for maintaining efficient audience targeting across different funnel stages. In a post-iOS world, we can’t exclude audiences with the same level of confidence and precision that we used to, but it’s still a best practice to exclude past purchasers from campaigns aimed at acquiring new customers. 

For prospecting campaigns, ensure that all previous purchasers and website visitors are excluded. This will help avoid wasting ad spend on users who have already converted or shown interest in your brand.

In remarketing and retention campaigns, exclusions should be set based on recent interaction and purchase windows (e.g., excluding purchasers from the last 30-180 days, website visitors, add-to-carts, and social engagers). Adjust these windows based on your repeat purchase rate and other marketing initiatives, like email and SMS campaigns. This strategy helps prevent self-competition and ensures your campaigns reach the most relevant target audience with the right creative.

Ad Set Quantity

A common pitfall in Facebook Ads management is running too many ad sets simultaneously. Ideally, there should be no more than 5-7 ad sets live at any time. This is a best practice from Meta as it ensures that the algorithm has enough variety to choose from when determining which creatives to deliver to users.

It’s also important to make sure that your campaigns and ad sets are fueled with enough budget to optimize appropriately. A proper budget allows each ad set to gather sufficient data, learn, and optimize effectively. 

If you find that there are more than 7 ad sets active or that your budget can’t support them, we recommend consolidating to focus the budget on the best-performing ad sets.

Audience Diversity

Diversity in audience types is essential for a well-rounded campaign strategy.

At the higher funnel levels, you should have a mix of broad match targeting, lookalike audiences based on top customers, and interest & demographic behavior-based ad sets.

For retargeting, leverage a variety of audience types, such as engagement-based (e.g., video views, profile engagement) and action-based audiences (e.g., website visitors that haven’t purchased, add-to-cart without purchase).

For retention, customer lists and recent purchasers should be targeted in separate ad sets with clear exclusions to prevent overlap.

4. Ad-Level Analysis

Ad Quantity

Similar to ad sets, the number of ads within each ad set should be limited to 5-7. This ensures that each ad gets enough spend to gather data and enter the learning phase. If your audit reveals an excessive number of ads, we recommend reducing them to the most promising creatives.

Pixel and UTM Tracking

Verify that the Facebook Pixel is selected at the ad level for accurate conversion tracking. Additionally, implement UTM tracking to streamline performance analysis across platforms. While not mandatory, UTM tags can provide valuable insights into cross-platform campaign performance and help unify reporting metrics.

Ad Type Variety

A diverse range of ad types is important for testing what drives the best performance for your brand. If possible, you should be running ads with a mix of video, GIF, static, and carousels. 

If your audit reveals that only one or two ad types are being used (e.g., single image or video), we recommend testing additional formats like carousel or dynamic ads. This variety can increase engagement and conversion rates by catering to different audience preferences and placements. 

Placement Performance

Use the “Breakdown by Placement” report (shown below) to identify where the most engagement or clicks are happening.

These insights can guide creative adjustments to your ads strategy, such as tailoring visuals and messaging to the platforms and placements where your ads perform best.

For example, if Instagram Stories is driving the lowest CPC (cost-per-click) and highest CTR (click-through rate), you might want to create more vertical video content to capitalize on the volume you get from that placement. 

5. Creative-Level Analysis

Creative Optimization

Creative is one of the most important factors in ad performance, especially as Meta’s algorithm increasingly relies on it.

Each ad should be optimized and customized for its respective placement to achieve the best results. For example, Instagram Stories ads should be designed in 9:16 formats and within the 5-15 second range, while feed creatives should be in 4:5 formats.

More than that, be sure to engage customers with catchy hooks, crisp clean visuals, and unique storytelling. During your audit, check that creatives follow these best practices and implement updates where necessary.

Additionally, if you aren’t running creative tests in your account, it’s essential to do so! Creative testing can help you understand what resonates best with your audience. Our Performance Creative team has designed an ebook for creative testing that you can download for free! Just click here. 

Asset Specifications

Ensure that all assets meet the correct specifications, such as image dimensions and video length. For instance, videos for stories and reels should be between 5 and 15 seconds, while in-stream videos should not exceed 30 seconds. To maximize impact, the call-to-action (CTA) and branding should also be introduced within the first 5 seconds. See Meta’s ad placement guidelines here.

Copy Review

Your ad copy should be clear, concise, and tailored to each stage of the funnel:

• Prospecting: Increase brand awareness by highlighting what makes your brand unique. What problems are you solving? What are your key selling points? Consider these questions when writing your ad copy. Don’t hesitate to test different styles of ad copy, too, especially when paired with still images. 
• Remarketing: Employ direct messaging to encourage users to complete their purchases. You can remind them about their abandoned cart, offer an introductory discount, or use testimonial copy here to drive home the main product benefits. 
• Retention: Promote new product releases or top-selling favorites to previous customers, encouraging them to shop again. This audience is also primed for large sale moments like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. 

During your audit, evaluate whether the copy aligns with these strategies and adjust as needed.

Emoji Usage

While not essential, emojis can enhance engagement in ad copy and headlines. If your audit shows that emojis are not currently being utilized, we suggest testing them in future ads. Emojis can make your ads feel more relatable, increasing the chances of capturing user attention.

Final Thoughts

Conducting a Facebook Ads audit is a vital process that allows you to optimize your campaigns and ensure they’re delivering the best possible results. By systematically reviewing each level—from account setup to creative elements—you can identify areas for improvement and implement strategies to enhance Facebook ads performance. Regular audits will keep your campaigns aligned with your business goals, helping you achieve better ROI and stay ahead of the competition.

Auditing your Facebook Ads is crucial, but we know it can be both time-consuming and require specialized expertise. This guide is here to empower you to confidently audit your account. However, if you’re tight on time or prefer expert help, we offer complimentary audits for all major PPC platforms, including Google Ads and Facebook. Click the button below to get started.