How To Conduct Facebook Ads Audit: Easy Tips in 2025

If you’re running Facebook Ads, regular audits are one of the easiest ways to keep your campaigns performing at their best. A Facebook Ads audit can help you find small problems before they become bigger ones, improve your results, and spot new opportunities to grow.

In this guide, you’ll learn simple steps to audit your FB ads campaigns in 2025, from checking account structure to reviewing creative performance and tracking setup.

In this article, we’ll cover: 

• What a Facebook ads audit is
• FB audit checklist 
• A checklist to help you get started
• Tools you need

Let’s start by looking at what an audit is.

What is a Facebook Ads audit?

A Facebook Ads audit is a deep review of how your FB Ad account is set up, how your campaigns are performing, and where you might be missing opportunities. It helps you dig into the key metrics that drive results, like targeting, creative quality, budget pacing, and tracking accuracy.

The main goals of a Facebook ad account audit are to fix inefficiencies, improve your return on ad spend (ROAS), and make sure your strategy still fits your business goals. Even small adjustments after an audit can have a big impact on your results.

When you audit social ads, it’s important to look at performance at three different levels:

1. Campaign level: Are your overall objectives, budgets, and campaign structures set up in the best way?
   ‍
   
2. Ad set level: Are your targeting, placements, bidding strategies, and audience settings working for each group?
   ‍
   
3. Ad level: Are the actual creatives clear, relevant, and driving action?

Facebook Ads audit checklist & framework

Auditing Facebook Ads isn’t just about fixing one or two settings. To really improve your results, you need to check every part of how your account is set up and running. This framework covers the major areas you should review so you can catch small problems early, find growth opportunities, and build stronger campaigns over time.

Here’s what to look for during a full Facebook Ads audit:

Account structure

Before you look at your audiences or creatives, it’s important to make sure your account is set up in a clean, organized way.

Then, when you audit your account structure, check for these key points:

• Campaign naming conventions: Are your campaign names clear, consistent, and easy to understand? A good naming system should quickly tell you the goal, audience, and objective without needing to click into each campaign.
  
  
• ABO vs CBO setup: Are you using the right budget strategy? Ad set budget optimization (ABO) gives you more control at the ad set level, while campaign budget optimization (CBO) lets Facebook automatically shift spend between ad sets based on performance. Choose the one that matches your goals.
  
  
• Organizational consistency: Is your structure consistent across the account? Using a consistent setup for campaigns, ad sets, and naming helps you audit faster, spot patterns more easily, and avoid duplicate efforts.

Targeting and audiences

Even the best creative in the world won’t deliver results if it’s shown to the wrong audience. Part of a good Facebook Ads audit is making sure your targeting is still a strong match for your offer and your goals.

Here is what to check when reviewing your audiences:

• Retargeting, exclusions, and lookalike audiences: Make sure your retargeting audiences are fresh and correctly built. Check that you are excluding buyers and leads when needed, and that your custom and lookalike audiences are still relevant based on your latest customer data.
  
  
• Frequency and overlap issues: Review your frequency metrics to spot if audiences are seeing your ads too often without taking action. High frequency can lead to ad fatigue. Also check for audience overlap, which can hurt efficiency and drive up costs.

Placements and devices

Where and how your ads appear matter just as much as who sees them. When you audit Facebook Ads, it’s important to check if your placements and device targeting are actually helping your campaigns or if they’re wasting budget.

Here is what to review:

• Platform distribution: Are your ads running across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Audience Network? Check how each platform is performing. Sometimes one platform outperforms the others depending on your audience and offer.
  
  
• Mobile versus desktop behavior: Look at performance data split by device. Many users browse on mobile but complete purchases on desktop, especially for higher-priced offers. Make sure your ads and landing pages work well across both.
  
  
• Use of automatic placements: Facebook recommends automatic placements because it gives their system more flexibility to find lower-cost impressions. However, it is worth checking if certain placements are consistently underperforming and manually adjusting if needed.

Budget allocation and bidding

During a Facebook Ads audit, it’s important to check how you are spending your budget and whether your bidding approach matches your goals.

Here’s what to look at:

• Overspending or underspending: Review how your budget is distributed across campaigns and ad sets. Look for signs of overspending on underperforming audiences or underspending on top performers that could be scaled.
  
  
• Smart bidding strategy and pacing: Check if your bidding strategy (lowest cost, cost cap, bid cap) matches the type of campaign you are running. Also, review the pacing. If you notice big spikes or dips in daily spend, it could be a sign of bidding or delivery issues.
  
  
• Manual versus automated budget rules: If you use automated rules inside Meta Ads Manager, make sure they are still relevant. For example, pause rules for ads that are spending too much without conversions or increase budgets automatically for ads with high return.

Ad copy and CTAs

Strong creative gets people’s attention, but it’s the ad copy and call-to-action (CTA) that push them to actually click or buy. During a Facebook Ads audit, you want to make sure your messaging is clear, relevant, and pushing the right actions.

Here’s what to check:

• Message clarity and value proposition: Does your ad clearly explain what you're offering and why someone should care? If your value is buried or confusing, even great creatives will struggle.
  
  
• Call-to-action relevance: Make sure your CTA matches the action you want. If you're promoting a product, a "Shop Now" button might work better than "Learn More." Small tweaks here can make a big difference.
  
  
• Offer testing and compliance: If you’re running offers like discounts or limited-time promotions, check that they are still live and that the copy is compliant with Facebook's ad policies. Nothing hurts trust faster than a broken or outdated promise.

Creative performance

Your ad creatives can make or break your campaign even if everything else is set up right. During a Facebook Ads audit, you might want to take a close look at how your images and videos are actually performing.

Here’s what to focus on:

• Image and video performance analysis: Check the numbers behind each creative. Look at metrics like CTR, cost per result, and conversion rates to figure out what's resonating and what isn’t.
  
  
• Signs of creative fatigue: Watch for rising costs, lower engagement, or frequency going up without results improving. If you’re seeing these signs, it’s probably time to refresh your ads.
  
  
• Variations by audience or objective: A creative that works for one audience might fall flat for another. Make sure you're checking performance by audience segment and campaign objective, not just overall averages.

Conversion tracking and events

As part of your Facebook Ads audit, you’ll probably want to double-check that your Pixel and event setups are working the way they should.

Here’s what to review:

• Pixel health check: Make sure your Facebook pixel is installed correctly across your funnel pages. Use Meta's Events Manager to see if any errors are popping up or if events aren't firing when they should.
  
  
• Event matching quality: Check the event match quality score in Events Manager. A higher score means Facebook can better attribute conversions, which usually helps your performance. If your score's low, it could be worth setting up Advanced Matching or moving toward server-side tracking.
  
  
• Meta CAPI setup: If you haven't already, consider setting up Meta's Conversions API (CAPI). It sends conversion data directly from your server to Facebook, giving you better tracking even when browsers or privacy settings block the pixel.

Funnel and landing pages

A good Facebook Ads audit should always include a look at what happens after someone clicks.

Here’s what to check:

• Consistency between ads and landing pages: Make sure the messaging, offer, and tone match from the ad to the landing page. If the page feels disconnected or confusing, people are way less likely to stick around or convert.
  
  
• Conversion rate and page experience review: Look at your page load speeds, mobile friendliness, and overall user experience. A slow or clunky page can kill a good campaign. If you can, check bounce rates and time on page through Google Analytics to spot trouble areas.

Performance metrics and benchmarks

Once you’ve audited your setup, audiences, creatives, and landing pages, it’s time to look at the numbers. A Facebook Ads audit isn't complete without checking if your performance metrics are on track compared to your own history and industry benchmarks.

Here’s what to review:

• ROAS, CTR, CPM, and CPA: Focus on your return on ad spend (ROAS), click-through rate (CTR), cost per thousand impressions (CPM), and cost per acquisition (CPA). These four metrics give you a clear view of how efficiently your campaigns are running.
  
  
• Benchmarks by campaign type: Different types of campaigns (like lead generation, ecommerce sales, or app installs) usually have different “good” numbers. Compare your results to relevant benchmarks, not just general averages.
  
  
• Compare against historical and industry standards: Look at your past results to spot improvements or slowdowns. If you're way off from industry averages, it could be a sign you need to adjust targeting, ad creatives, or budget strategies.

Downloadable Facebook Ads audit checklist for 2025

Running a Facebook Ads audit can feel overwhelming if you don’t have a clear process to follow. That's why we put together a simple, editable checklist you can use to stay organized during your review. It covers all the key areas you need to check, from targeting to creative to tracking setups. 

Download the full checklist to take notes, plan next steps, and assign updates easily. 

Note: To save and customize a copy of this checklist, go to menu at the top left: File → Make a copy. Rename your document and pick a Folder on your Drive to save it. 

What tools do I need to audit Facebook Ads?

You don't need a ton of fancy tools to run a solid Facebook Ads audit, but a few essentials can make the job a lot easier. First, you'll want to spend time inside Meta Ads Manager and the Ad Library. These give you a clear view of your active campaigns, targeting setups, creatives, and audience performance.

Google Analytics is also key because it helps you see what happens after someone clicks your Facebook ad. It’s great for checking post-click behavior, verifying UTM tracking, and spotting landing page issues like high bounce rates or low time-on-page.

If you're serious about going deeper, you might want to add AI tools to your stack. For example, using creative analytics tools can help you spot patterns across your ads faster, and an AI ad generator can help you refresh underperforming creatives without starting from scratch.

If you're benchmarking your campaigns against competitors, it helps to have digital ad intelligence tools like Bestever and Adbeat to see what's working in your industry. You can even use a Google Search ads spy tool like SpyFu and Semrush to see how competitors are running paid search campaigns. Even if they’re not advertising on Facebook, this gives you a better sense of how your overall funnel and messaging stack up across channels.

What to do after your audit

Once you've finished your Facebook Ads audit, it's time to put what you found into action. Start with the easy wins, then build momentum from there. Here's how to move forward:

• Prioritize quick fixes: Turn off high-spend, low-return ad sets, clean up messy campaign structures, and fix any tracking issues you spotted.
  
  
• Refresh underperforming creatives: Swap out tired visuals, test new headlines, and rebuild top-performing concepts with small tweaks.
  
  
• Update your ad copy and offers: If something feels outdated or unclear, rewrite it. Make sure your messaging actually reflects what your audience cares about right now.
  
  
• Set a regular audit schedule: Monthly is great if you're running lots of campaigns. Quarterly works fine if you're not moving as fast.
  
  
• Document what you change: Keep notes on what you fixed, what you tested, and what results you saw. It'll make your next audit way easier.
  
  
• Track and optimize continuously: Audits shouldn't be one-and-done. Use what you learned to test more carefully and keep improving over time.

Frequently asked questions

How often should I audit Facebook campaigns?

It’s a good idea to audit social ads at least once a quarter, especially if you’re running ongoing campaigns. A campaign audit helps you spot performance drops early, adjust your targeting, and refresh creatives before they burn out. If you’re scaling spend quickly or launching new offers, a monthly review can help you stay on top of any issues.

How can Bestever help with social ad audits?

Bestever makes it easier to audit Facebook Ads by automatically analyzing your historical ad data, surfacing underperforming creatives, and highlighting top-performing audience segments. It also benchmarks your ads against competitors you choose during setup. You can even ask Bestever’s AI questions like "what are my top creatives by return on ad spend this month?" and get instant answers.

What’s included in a Facebook Ads audit template?

A good Facebook Ads audit template covers everything from account structure and audience targeting to creative performance and tracking setups. It should guide you through checking your pixel events, ad copy quality, budget distribution, and performance benchmarks. Having a checklist keeps you from missing any important steps during your review.

How do I audit creative performance?

Start by pulling reports that show CTR, video view rates, and conversion data by creative. Look for patterns like a sudden drop in engagement or an increase in cost per action. During a Facebook audit report, pay special attention to creative fatigue signals, because if the same images or videos have been running for months with declining results, it’s probably time to refresh.

What’s a good CTR or ROAS for my campaigns?

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but generally, a click-through rate (CTR) above 1% is a good sign for most industries. For return on ad spend (ROAS), anything above 2x is often seen as profitable, depending on your margins. When you audit Facebook Ads, compare your numbers to both your past performance and industry averages to get the full picture.

Can I automate any part of the audit?

Yes, you can automate parts of the audit process by setting up custom reports in Meta Ads Manager or using tools like Bestever that track changes in performance over time. These tools can automatically surface creative fatigue, budget pacing problems, and pixel issues, helping you stay proactive without manually checking every detail.

How does a campaign audit differ from a creative audit?

A campaign audit looks at the bigger picture, like how your budgets, audiences, and objectives are set up across the account. A creative audit dives deeper into the images, videos, headlines, and calls to action you're using. Ideally, a full Facebook ad account audit includes both sides to make sure your strategy and content are aligned.

How Bestever helps with your Facebook Ads audit

Running a Facebook Ads audit takes time, and it’s easy to miss hidden issues when you’re jumping between reports. But spotting weak targeting, tired creatives, or tracking issues isn't always obvious, especially if you're managing a busy ad account. Bestever can help.

Bestever connects directly to your Meta ad account, reviews your past campaigns, and points out what’s working and what’s not. From creative breakdowns to competitor insights, Bestever gives you clear next steps so you can make changes that actually move the needle.

Here’s how: 

• Quickly analyze ad performance instantly: Bestever’s Ad Analysis tool provides real-time feedback on your ads' engagement, conversion potential, budget efficiency, and creative impact. Instead of guessing why an ad isn’t working, you’ll get a clear breakdown of what’s holding it back — whether it’s weak visuals, poor targeting, or budget misalignment.
  ‍
• Optimize your ads before you burn budget: Instead of waiting 7+ days and spending thousands to see if an ad works, Bestever pinpoints weaknesses before you waste ad spend. Our AI highlights underperforming elements and suggests improvements — so you can pivot your strategy early and avoid a never-ending learning phase.
  ‍
• Review your old ads and get ideas: Bestever can look at historical data in your ad manager accounts and make suggestions based on past performance results. You’ll be able to see the patterns in high-performing ads, whether it’s a carousel format that drove 30% more engagement or a headline variation that boosted CTR by 20%. Use these insights to refine your next campaign and double down on what converts.
  ‍
• Know who to target: Not sure if your audience is too broad or too niche? Bestever’s audience analysis tools go beyond basic demographics to uncover key insights. Just enter your website URL and Bestever will analyze your existing traffic to suggest how to refine your ad targeting for higher conversion rates.
  ‍
• Generate high-converting ad creatives: Need fresh creatives without hiring a big team? Bestever can look at your site and generate creatives in large volumes. Pull stock images and video clips that fit your brand voice, so you can launch more ad variations quickly.

Ready to clean up your ad account? Let our team show you how Bestever can help you spot what’s working, fix what’s not, and make informed calls faster.

 Try a demo of Bestever for free.