Quick answer: A Meta ads audit should check ownership, account health, tracking, structure, targeting, creative, landing pages and lead follow-up, in that order.
If your Facebook ads have been running for a while and you’re not sure they’re working, an audit is the fastest way to find out why. Work through this checklist in order. The early sections cause the biggest problems, so fix those first.
1. Ownership and access
- ☐ The ad account is owned by your business portfolio, not a marketer’s
- ☐ The pixel (dataset) is owned by your business portfolio
- ☐ At least two people in your business have full control
- ☐ Two-factor authentication is required for everyone
- ☐ Former staff and old agencies have been removed
- ☐ The payment method belongs to your business
See setting up a Meta business portfolio properly.
2. Account health
- ☐ No restrictions or warnings in Business Support Home
- ☐ No pattern of rejected ads in the last 90 days
- ☐ Business verification completed
- ☐ Special ad category declared where required (housing, employment, financial)
See Facebook ad account restricted.
3. Tracking
- ☐ The pixel fires on every page (check Events Manager → dataset → overview)
- ☐ The lead or purchase event fires only when someone actually enquires or buys
- ☐ The Conversions API is set up, with good event match quality
- ☐ Ads Manager’s lead count roughly matches your inbox or CRM
- ☐ The right event is used as the campaign’s optimisation goal
See signs your ad tracking is broken and Meta pixel vs Conversions API.
4. Structure
- ☐ Few campaigns and ad sets, each with enough budget to get results weekly
- ☐ No duplicate ad sets competing for the same audience
- ☐ Campaign objectives match the goal (Leads or Sales, not Traffic or Engagement)
- ☐ Ad sets aren’t stuck in “Learning limited” for weeks
See Meta ads account structure.
5. Targeting
- ☐ Location matches your real service area
- ☐ Existing customers and recent leads are excluded
- ☐ No reliance on removed or merged interests (check for warning banners)
6. Creative and copy
- ☐ At least three genuinely different ads running per ad set
- ☐ Vertical versions (4:5 and 9:16) for feed, Stories and Reels
- ☐ New creative added in the last month
- ☐ Frequency under control, without rising costs
- ☐ Copy makes one clear offer, with no unprovable claims
See Facebook ad creative for service businesses.
7. Destination
- ☐ Landing page loads in under about 3 seconds on mobile
- ☐ The page’s headline matches the ad’s offer
- ☐ One clear call to action, with a short form or a tap-to-call button
- ☐ Lead forms include qualifying questions and a useful thank-you screen
See the landing page checklist.
8. Follow-up
- ☐ Every lead is contacted within minutes during business hours
- ☐ Leads flow automatically to a CRM or inbox with notifications
- ☐ Lead outcomes (qualified, won) are recorded, ideally sent back to Meta
See speed to lead.
What to do with the results
Count the unchecked boxes in each section. Problems in sections 1 to 3 (ownership, health, tracking) undermine everything else. Fix them before touching creative or budget. Problems in sections 7 and 8 are often why “the ads don’t work” when the ads themselves are fine.
Sources and further reading
Written by Gregory
20 years building websites and running lead generation, mostly with my own money on the line. Based in Sydney, working with clients worldwide. How I work →