Guide
How Meta ranks ads, and how to rank higher
Meta does not show the ad with the highest bid. Each time someone could be shown an ad, Meta runs an auction and picks the ad with the highest total value, which combines your bid, how likely that person is to take the action you want, and the quality of the ad. A better ad can beat a bigger budget, and it pays less when it wins.
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How the Meta ad auction works
Many advertisers want to reach the same person. Every time that person opens Facebook or Instagram and there is a slot for an ad, Meta holds an auction between the ads eligible to fill it. The winner is the ad with the highest total value, made of three parts.
| Part | What it is | Who controls it |
|---|---|---|
| Bid | What you are willing to pay for the result you are optimising for. With automatic bidding, Meta sets it within your budget. | You, through budget and bid strategy. |
| Estimated action rate | Meta's prediction of how likely this person is to take the action you want after seeing this ad. | Your creative, offer and audience. |
| Ad quality | Meta's judgement of the ad itself, from feedback such as people hiding it, and from signs of clickbait or a poor landing page. | Your creative and landing page. |
Two of the three parts come from the ad, not the budget. That is why two advertisers with the same budget and the same audience can pay very different amounts for the same result.
Quality, engagement and conversion rankings
Ads Manager reports three ad relevance diagnostics for each ad. Each compares your ad with other ads that competed for the same audience.
| Diagnostic | What it compares |
|---|---|
| Quality ranking | The perceived quality of your ad against ads competing for the same audience. |
| Engagement rate ranking | Your ad's expected engagement (clicks, reactions, comments, shares) against the same competition. |
| Conversion rate ranking | Your ad's expected conversion rate against ads with the same optimisation goal and audience. |
Each one is reported as Above average, Average, or Below average at one of three levels: the bottom 35%, bottom 20% or bottom 10% of ads. They appear once an ad has at least 500 impressions. To see them, add the three ranking columns to your ad-level view in Ads Manager.
What to change when an ad ranks below average
| If this is low | It usually means | Change this first |
|---|---|---|
| Quality ranking | People find the ad low quality, or the audience is wrong for it. | The creative: a clearer image, honest copy, no bait. Then check who you are showing it to. |
| Engagement rate ranking | The ad is not interesting enough to stop the scroll. | The opening: the first line of text, the headline, the first second of video, the image. |
| Conversion rate ranking | People click and then do not act. | The offer and the landing page. Make the page match the promise in the ad and load fast. |
| All three | The ad and the audience do not fit each other. | Start again with a different idea, not an edit of this one. |
Six ways to rank higher
1. Lead with one clear idea
An ad that says one thing well outperforms an ad that lists five. Decide the single reason someone should care and put it where it is seen first.
2. Make the ad for the placement
A square image shrunk into a Story looks like an afterthought. Supply a 4:5 image for feed and a 9:16 one for Stories and Reels.
3. Match the landing page to the ad
The headline people clicked should be the first thing they read on the page. A mismatch lowers conversion and counts against ad quality.
4. Drop the tricks
Meta lowers the quality of ads that withhold information to force a click, use sensational language, or ask for likes and shares. These tactics cost you auctions.
5. Let the creative find the audience
Narrow targeting is less important than it used to be. A broad audience with an ad that speaks plainly to one kind of customer often does better than a narrow audience with a generic ad, because the ad itself tells Meta who it is for.
6. Test different ads, and replace them as they tire
Every ad wears out as the same people see it again. Results fade and costs rise. Keep a steady supply of new creative so there is always a fresh ad ready when a good one fades.
- Test different ideas (a new hook, a new layout, a new offer), not small edits of one ad.
- Give each ad enough impressions to be judged before you switch it off.
- Keep what works and build the next test from it.
Questions people ask
How does Meta decide which ad to show?
Each time there is a chance to show someone an ad, Meta runs an auction between the advertisers who want to reach that person. The winner is the ad with the highest total value, which combines the advertiser's bid, the estimated chance the person takes the action the advertiser wants, and the quality of the ad.
What is ad quality ranking on Meta?
Quality ranking is one of three ad relevance diagnostics in Ads Manager. It compares the perceived quality of your ad with other ads competing for the same audience, and reports it as above average, average, or below average in the bottom 35, 20 or 10 percent.
How can I improve my Meta ad ranking?
Improve the ad itself first: a clearer offer, a stronger opening, an image that fits the placement, and copy that matches the landing page. Then check the audience is one the offer is relevant to. Test several different creatives rather than small edits of one, and replace ads as their results fade.
Does a higher bid guarantee my ad is shown?
No. The bid is one of three parts of total value. An ad people are likely to respond to, and that Meta judges to be good quality, can beat a higher bid and win the auction at a lower cost.
Why can't I see ad relevance diagnostics?
The diagnostics appear at the ad level once an ad has at least 500 impressions. Add the Quality ranking, Engagement rate ranking and Conversion rate ranking columns in Ads Manager to see them.
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Keep reading
- How to publish ads on MetaThe steps in Ads Manager, from campaign objective to Publish.
- AI ad generatorProduce several different creatives to test, built on ads that are already running.
- Competitor ad researchSee which ads your competitors keep paying for.
- Meta Ad Library guideHow to search ads and read the signals they leave.
Mockingbird is an independent product from Onwards Analytics and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Meta. Meta, Facebook, Instagram, Meta Ads Manager and the Meta Ad Library are trademarks of Meta Platforms, Inc. Meta changes its tools often; check Meta's own help pages for the current detail before you rely on it.