Navigating the Challenges of Facebook Advertising in 2024: Strategies for Success

Over the past few years, Facebook advertising has remained a cornerstone for many e-commerce entrepreneurs aiming to scale their businesses efficiently. Having been involved in e-commerce since 2018 and managing monthly ad spends exceeding $100,000, I’ve witnessed firsthand how this landscape can shift dramatically—especially over the past year, which has proven to be particularly challenging.

The Rising Costs and Declining Quality

Recently, I’ve observed a significant increase in Facebook ad CPMs, which have effectively doubled compared to previous years. While I continue to receive clicks, the quality of this traffic has noticeably declined. Campaigns that once delivered consistent profitability now struggle to break even, with some even incurring losses. This shift has led many advertisers to question whether these trends are personal or systemic.

Understanding the Changing Facebook Ad Environment

Initially, I suspected that these difficulties might be isolated but, after discussions with peers in similar situations, it became evident that Meta has intensified its compliance measures. The scrutiny no longer seems limited to ad content—it extends to various account activities, including payment methods, account security, and even how Business Manager accounts are structured.

Many advertisers now feel that unless their accounts are perfectly aligned with Facebook’s compliance requirements, their reach may be deliberately throttled. Additionally, there are reports suggesting that Facebook might be intentionally serving lower-quality traffic as a form of indirect account penalty.

Practical Steps to Improve Account Health and Ad Performance

In response to these evolving challenges, my team and I have adopted several strategies aimed at enhancing our account health and campaign performance. While it’s still early days, the initial results are encouraging, with CPMs beginning to decrease and traffic quality improving. Here are some of the key measures we’ve implemented:

1. Ad Copy Compliance Checks: Every piece of ad copy is now run through ChatGPT, with Facebook’s advertising policies pasted in. This helps ensure content adheres strictly to platform guidelines before launching any campaign.

2. Enhanced Account Security: We’ve enabled two-factor authentication (2FA) on all accounts and associated assets to bolster security and demonstrate platform trustworthiness.

3. Diversified Payment Methods: To mitigate risks related to payment issues, we’ve added multiple fresh credit cards as backups. This reduces the likelihood that missed payments or payment method issues will negatively impact account health.

4. Monitoring Tools: Since Facebook doesn’t provide detailed insights into account health, we