facebook ad quality ranking: 12 Proven Ways for Smart Success 2025
Understanding the Ad Quality Puzzle: What Drives Facebook Success
Ever wonder why some Facebook ads seem to reach everyone while others barely make a ripple? The secret often lies in something called Facebook ad quality ranking.
At its heart, Facebook ad quality ranking is like a report card for your ads. It measures how your advertisements stack up against competitors who are trying to reach the same audience. This isn’t just another vanity metric – it directly influences your ad costs, how far your message travels, and ultimately, your campaign’s success.
For those of you who prefer the quick version:
What is it? | Why it matters | How to check it | How to improve it |
---|---|---|---|
A percentile-based score comparing your ad quality to competing ads targeting the same audience | Higher rankings = lower costs and better ad delivery | In Ads Manager, customize columns to add “Quality Ranking” | Create relevant, engaging content with clear CTAs, minimal text in images, and targeted audiences |
Back in 2019, Facebook retired their old 1-10 relevance score in favor of something more nuanced and actionable: Ad Relevance Diagnostics. This system breaks down performance into three distinct measurements that give you a clearer picture of where your ads shine or need work:
- Quality Ranking – How your audience perceives your ad’s quality compared to competitors
- Engagement Rate Ranking – Whether people are likely to interact with your ad compared to competitors
- Conversion Rate Ranking – How likely people are to complete your desired action compared to competitors
Facebook won’t assign these rankings until your ad has gathered at least 500 impressions – they need enough data to make fair comparisons. Once ranked, your ad falls into one of these categories:
- Above Average – Congrats! You’re outperforming at least 55% of competing ads
- Average – You’re holding your own in the 35th to 55th percentile
- Below Average (Bottom 35%) – There’s definitely room for improvement
- Below Average (Bottom 20%) – Your ad needs significant attention
- Below Average (Bottom 10%) – Time for a complete overhaul
Here’s something interesting Meta’s research has revealed: moving from a low ranking to average typically delivers a bigger performance boost than going from average to above average. Sometimes those initial improvements make the most difference!
I’ve seen this firsthand. I’m Raymond Strippy, founder of Growth Catalyst Crew, and I’ve helped dozens of businesses transform their underperforming Facebook ads into industry leaders. The secret? Strategic creative development paired with laser-focused targeting that delivers measurable ROI.
Want to dive deeper into mastering Facebook advertising? Check out these related strategies:
– facebook ad funnel strategy
– facebook ad targeting strategies
– facebook influencer marketing
What Is Facebook Ad Quality Ranking?
Ever wondered why some Facebook ads seem to perform effortlessly while others struggle despite big budgets? The answer often lies in your Facebook ad quality ranking.
This ranking is essentially Facebook’s way of scoring how your ad stacks up against competitors targeting the same audience. Unlike the old 1-10 relevance score system, quality ranking is now part of Facebook’s more nuanced Ad Relevance Diagnostics system launched in 2019.
When you create an ad, Facebook’s algorithm evaluates it based on several key signals:
- The good stuff: clicks, shares, and positive reactions
- The not-so-good stuff: people hiding your ad or marking it as irrelevant
- Red flags: clickbait headlines, engagement bait, or sensationalized language
- What happens after the click: how relevant and fast-loading your landing page is
As Meta puts it so perfectly: “Rather than seek the ideal creative or the ideal targeting, seek the ideal creative/targeting fit.” This gets to the heart of what Facebook ad quality ranking truly measures – not just gorgeous visuals or clever copy in isolation, but how well your entire ad package resonates with your specific audience.
With Facebook’s massive reach of 2.95 billion active users, the platform needs a way to decide which ads deserve prime real estate in limited news feeds. Their auction system naturally favors higher-quality ads because this keeps users happy and engaged on the platform longer.
Improving your quality ranking directly impacts three crucial aspects of your campaigns:
- Your costs go down (Facebook rewards quality with lower CPCs)
- Your ads get shown more often to the right people
- Your overall campaign efficiency improves dramatically
Here’s an insider tip straight from Meta that many advertisers miss: “It’s more impactful to move a ranking from low to average than it is to move a ranking from average to above average.” This means you’ll get more bang for your buck by fixing your poorest performers first rather than trying to perfect your already decent ads.
The Ad Relevance Diagnostics system provides deeper insights than ever before, helping you pinpoint exactly where your ads might be falling short – whether it’s the quality perception, expected engagement, or conversion potential.
Why It Matters—Performance, Cost & Delivery
The facebook ad quality ranking isn’t just another metric to track—it directly impacts your bottom line in ways that should get every marketer’s attention. Let me break down why this matters to your business in real, tangible terms.
When your ads achieve higher quality rankings, you’ll see your cost-per-click numbers drop significantly. Back when Facebook used the old relevance score system, AdEspresso’s data revealed something remarkable: as relevance scores climbed from 1 to 10, CPCs plummeted from $0.95 all the way down to $0.03. The same principle holds true today—”Above Average” quality-ranked ads consistently cost less than their “Below Average” counterparts.
Think about what this means for your marketing budget. I’ve seen clients stretch their ad dollars two or three times further simply by focusing on quality improvements rather than increasing their bids.
Higher quality ads naturally generate more engagement too. When Facebook’s system recognizes your ad as particularly relevant to your audience, people are more likely to click, share, comment, and ultimately convert. This creates what I like to call the “quality snowball effect”—better engagement leads to improved rankings, which leads to better placement and even more engagement.
ROAS improvements follow naturally from this virtuous cycle. One retail client we worked with at Growth Catalyst Crew watched their return on ad spend jump dramatically from 3x to 8x after we optimized their campaigns specifically for better quality rankings. That’s the difference between making $3 or making $8 for every dollar spent—a game-changer for any business.
What’s particularly interesting is how the Facebook algorithm actually shows preference for quality in its auction system. Even if your competitor bids higher than you, your ad might still win the placement if it has a significantly better quality ranking. Facebook has designed their system this way intentionally—they want users seeing content they’ll find valuable, not just ads from whoever has the deepest pockets.
This focus on quality creates a win-win-win situation: users get better content, Facebook maintains platform engagement, and you get more effective advertising. It’s Facebook’s way of ensuring their platform remains valuable to users while still generating ad revenue.
Different business objectives might require different approaches to quality ranking. For awareness campaigns, you might focus more heavily on engagement metrics, while conversion campaigns need to prioritize both quality and conversion rate rankings to be truly effective.
As I often tell clients, “Facebook’s algorithm is trying to deliver the right message to the right person at the right time—and quality ranking is how they measure if you’re doing that successfully.”
When you master facebook ad quality ranking, you’re essentially learning to speak the same language as Facebook’s algorithm—and that’s when the magic happens for your campaigns.
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Inside the Algorithm: The 3 Relevance Diagnostics
Ever wonder what’s really happening behind the scenes when Facebook decides which ads to show? Let’s pull back the curtain on Facebook ad quality ranking and the three diagnostic metrics that power the whole system.
Think of these three diagnostics as your ad’s report card – they work together to give you a clear picture of how your ads stack up against others fighting for the same eyeballs.
Facebook needs enough data to make fair comparisons, so these metrics only appear after your ad has received at least 500 impressions. This threshold ensures the feedback is meaningful rather than based on a handful of random interactions.
Old Relevance Score | New Ad Relevance Diagnostics |
---|---|
Single 1-10 score | Three separate metrics (Quality, Engagement, Conversion) |
Limited actionable insights | Specific areas for improvement |
General feedback | Percentile-based comparative feedback |
Required 500 impressions | Still requires 500 impressions |
Influenced by positive and negative feedback | Each diagnostic focuses on specific aspects of ad performance |
Quality Ranking—Cornerstone of facebook ad quality ranking
The Quality Ranking is the foundation everything else builds upon. It measures how your ad’s perceived quality compares to competitors targeting the same audience.
When someone scrolls past your ad, Facebook is watching closely. Did they pause to look? Did they grimace and hide it? All these reactions feed into your quality score.
Key factors that can tank your Quality Ranking include users hiding your ad or reporting it as irrelevant. On the flip side, positive interactions like clicks and shares give it a healthy boost.
Facebook has a particular distaste for certain ad practices. Engagement bait (“Like if you agree!”), clickbait headlines, sensationalized language with excessive exclamation points, and images crammed with text will all drag your ranking down faster than a lead balloon.
As digital marketing expert Sandra Henderson puts it: “I believe the Facebook Ad format has a great impact on your score. Since there is a wide variety of formats, it is specifically crucial to identify the one that fits the needs of your brand.”
Engagement Rate Ranking & facebook ad quality ranking synergy
While Quality Ranking looks at perceived value, Engagement Rate Ranking measures actual interaction. How does your ad’s expected engagement compare to competitors? Are people clicking, reacting, commenting, sharing, or watching your videos?
The format of your ad plays a huge role here. Videos typically keep users engaged up to 5 times longer than static posts. Interactive elements like polls and carousel formats often see higher engagement rates because they invite participation rather than passive viewing.
Growth marketing specialist Sid Bharath notes: “Ad relevance is often closely linked to quality score. So if an ad is targeted properly, people will engage with that, and that in turn improves the quality score.”
There’s a beautiful synergy at work here – high-quality ads naturally generate more engagement, which further improves their ranking, creating a positive feedback loop that can significantly boost performance over time.
Conversion Rate Ranking—From Clicks to Customers
Getting clicks is great, but what happens after the click? That’s what Conversion Rate Ranking measures – how likely your ad is to drive the action you’re optimizing for compared to competitors targeting the same audience with the same goal.
This metric looks beyond the ad itself to evaluate:
– How likely users are to complete your desired action
– Your landing page’s relevance to the ad
– The overall post-click experience (loading speed, mobile optimization)
– Whether your landing page delivers what your ad promised
Context matters here. Facebook understands that a $2,000 jewelry purchase naturally converts at a lower rate than a $5 app download. They take these industry differences into account when calculating your ranking.
The journey doesn’t end when someone clicks your ad. If users bounce immediately from your landing page, your conversion ranking will suffer even if your initial engagement was stellar. This is why the post-click experience is so crucial – it needs to seamlessly continue the story your ad began.
Finding & Interpreting Your Scores in Ads Manager
Ever felt like you’re playing hide-and-seek with your Facebook ad quality ranking data? I promise it’s not as complicated as it seems! Let’s walk through how to find these valuable insights and what they actually mean for your campaigns.
Accessing Your Rankings
Finding your rankings is pretty straightforward once you know where to look. Log into your Facebook Ads Manager and head to the Ads tab (not Campaign or Ad Set). Click on the “Columns: Performance” dropdown menu and select “Customize Columns.” Type “ranking” in the search box, and you’ll see all three diagnostic metrics appear. Check those boxes, hit “Apply,” and voilà – your rankings are now visible!
If you’re like me and hate repeating tasks, save this as a custom preset for next time. One thing to note: your ads need at least 500 impressions before Facebook will show any rankings, so be patient with newer campaigns.
Understanding the Percentile Buckets
When your rankings finally appear, they’ll fall into one of these categories:
Above Average means your ad is performing better than 55% of ads competing for the same audience – you’re in the top 45%! Average means you’re somewhere in the middle of the pack, between the 35th and 55th percentile. Not bad, but room for improvement.
Then there are the Below Average categories, which come in three increasingly concerning flavors: Bottom 35%, Bottom 20%, and Bottom 10%. If you see “Bottom 10%,” it’s like Facebook waving a red flag saying, “Hey, we need to talk about this ad!”
Using the Decision Matrix
Here’s where the magic happens. By looking at all three rankings together, you can pinpoint exactly what needs fixing:
If only your Quality Ranking is below average while the others look good, focus on improving your creative and avoiding those low-quality attributes Facebook dislikes.
When just your Engagement Ranking is lagging, your ad isn’t grabbing attention or encouraging interaction. Time to make it more eye-catching or compelling.
If your Conversion Ranking is the problem child, users might be clicking but not following through. Check your landing page experience and call-to-action.
And if all three rankings are below average? It might be time for a complete creative and targeting overhaul.
Best Practices for Monitoring
I recommend checking your rankings at least twice a week using the default 3-day time range in Ads Manager for the most accurate picture. Always prioritize fixing ads with “Below Average” rankings, especially those bottom 10% performers – they’re costing you money without delivering results.
Pay special attention to high-budget ads with poor rankings, as they represent the biggest opportunity for improvement. As Meta’s own guidance suggests, moving an ad from “low” to “average” typically has a bigger impact than moving from “average” to “above average.”
These rankings aren’t just arbitrary scores – they directly affect how much you pay and how widely your ads are delivered. Taking the time to understand and improve them can dramatically boost your campaign performance.
Learn more about Facebook Ad Targeting Strategies
12 Actionable Ways to Boost Your Ad Quality Ranking
Now that you understand what Facebook ad quality ranking is and how to interpret it, let’s roll up our sleeves and get practical. I’ve compiled 12 strategies that actually work to improve your scores and get more bang for your advertising buck.
1. Refresh Creative Frequently
Ever notice how that catchy song on the radio becomes annoying after hearing it 20 times? The same happens with your ads. When people see the same creative over and over, they start ignoring it—or worse, hiding it.
Try introducing fresh ad creatives every 2-4 weeks. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel each time; small tweaks to successful ads often work better than completely new concepts. One of our Augusta clients rotates between three similar but distinct images each month, keeping their Facebook ad quality ranking consistently above average.
Brooke Logan, a digital marketing strategist, puts it perfectly: “Don’t go overboard on your ad frequency. If Facebook users see an ad too many times, they have the ability to hide or block your ads, which can have a negative impact on your quality ranking.”
2. Leverage Video First
If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth a million. Users spend five times longer looking at video content compared to static images on Facebook. That extra engagement translates directly into better rankings.
Keep your videos short and sweet—ideally between 15-60 seconds. Front-load your key message in the first 3-5 seconds (because let’s be honest, attention spans are shrinking). And don’t forget those captions! About 85% of Facebook videos are watched without sound.
A local Augusta restaurant we work with switched from static food photos to brief cooking videos. The result? Their engagement ranking jumped from “Below Average” to “Above Average” in just two weeks, and their cost-per-click dropped by 37%. That’s the power of video.
3. Minimize Image Text (<20%)
While Facebook no longer strictly enforces the old 20% text rule, their algorithm still favors images with minimal text. Clean, high-quality images with little or no text consistently perform better in Facebook ad quality ranking.
Put your message in the headline and description fields instead of cramming it onto your image. When text is necessary on an image, make it large, clear, and brief. Your audience is scrolling quickly—they don’t have time to decipher tiny text on a busy background.
4. Match Offer to Funnel Stage
Imagine asking someone to marry you on the first date. Sounds absurd, right? Yet many advertisers make the equivalent mistake by pushing sales offers to people who’ve never heard of their brand.
For cold audiences who are just finding you, focus on awareness and educational content. Save your conversion-focused offers for people who already know and trust you. A B2B software client of ours was struggling with poor conversion rankings until we stopped pushing free trial offers to cold audiences. By matching their offers to the audience’s familiarity level, their conversion ranking improved from “Bottom 20%” to “Average” in less than a month.
5. Use Precise, Data-Driven Targeting
Better targeting means better performance—it’s that simple. Create Lookalike Audiences based on your best customers (1% lookalikes often outperform broader ones). Use interest intersections to find people who match multiple criteria. And don’t forget to exclude past converters to avoid showing the same offer repeatedly.
Some of our best-performing audiences include website visitors who viewed specific products, video viewers who watched at least 75% of a video, and email subscribers. These high-intent groups typically deliver better quality rankings because the messaging resonates more deeply with them.
6. Optimize Post-Click Experience
Facebook ad quality ranking doesn’t stop when someone clicks your ad. What happens next matters just as much, especially for your conversion rate ranking.
Make sure your landing pages load in under 3 seconds (especially on mobile). Keep your message consistent between the ad and landing page—nothing frustrates users more than clicking on one promise and landing on something completely different. And please, avoid those annoying pop-ups that make mobile users want to throw their phones across the room.
One financial services client was getting great click-through rates but terrible conversion rankings. The culprit? Their landing page took over 7 seconds to load on mobile. After some optimization work, we got that down to 2.8 seconds, and their conversion ranking improved to “Average” within days.
7. Craft Click-Worthy Headlines
Your headline can make or break your ad’s performance. Oddly enough, headlines with odd numbers (like “7 Ways to…” or “5 Tips for…”) consistently outperform even-numbered headlines in our testing.
Keep headlines punchy and under 5-6 words when possible. Use action verbs that inspire movement—”Get,” “Try,” “Find,” “Find.” And please, avoid clickbait language like “You won’t BELIEVE what happens next!” Facebook’s algorithm has gotten smart about detecting these patterns, and they’ll hurt your Facebook ad quality ranking.
8. Schedule Ads for Peak Engagement
Timing is everything in comedy and advertising. Running your ads when your audience is most active leads to higher engagement rates and better quality rankings.
Use Page Insights to find when your audience is online, then create custom ad schedules around those times. One retail client in Augusta found their ads performed 43% better between 7-10 PM on weeknights compared to daytime hours. By adjusting their schedule, they improved both engagement and quality rankings while actually reducing their overall ad spend.
9. Cap Ad Frequency at 2-3
There’s a fine line between familiarity and annoyance. Research from AdEspresso found that ads with a frequency of 9 had a CPC that was 161.7% more expensive than ads with a frequency of 1. That’s because people start actively ignoring or hiding ads they’ve seen too many times.
Aim to keep your frequency between 1-3 for cold audiences. Monitor this metric in Ads Manager, and be ready to refresh your creative or adjust your audience size if frequency creeps above 4. Your Facebook ad quality ranking will thank you.
10. Accept Facebook Power 5 Automation
Sometimes you need to let go of the controls and trust the algorithm. Meta’s “Power 5” automation techniques leverage machine learning to optimize your campaigns in ways that would be impossible manually.
Implement Campaign Budget Optimization (CBO) to automatically distribute your budget to the best-performing ad sets. Use automatic placements instead of manually selecting where your ads appear. Enable automatic advanced matching for your pixel. These small changes typically improve Facebook ad quality ranking while reducing the time you spend on manual tweaks.
11. Test CTAs & Formats Relentlessly
Different ad formats and call-to-action buttons can dramatically impact performance. What works for one business might flop for another.
Test multiple formats—single image, carousel, collection, video. Experiment with different CTA buttons—”Learn More” vs. “Shop Now” vs. “Sign Up.” Try different aspect ratios and copy lengths. The only way to know what works best for your specific audience is to test systematically.
A home services client in Augusta tested four different ad formats with identical budgets. The carousel format outperformed single image ads by 47% in engagement ranking and 32% in conversion ranking. Without testing, they never would have finded this advantage.
12. Monitor & Act on Diagnostics Weekly
Consistency is key to improving your Facebook ad quality ranking over time. Schedule weekly reviews of all three ranking diagnostics. Prioritize fixing ads with “Below Average” rankings first—remember Meta’s advice that moving from low to average yields greater improvements than moving from average to above average.
Document what changes improved your rankings so you can apply those lessons to future campaigns. Create a testing calendar to systematically improve underperforming elements. Small, consistent improvements add up to significant performance gains over time.
At Growth Catalyst Crew, we’ve helped dozens of Augusta businesses transform their Facebook ad performance through these exact strategies. The secret isn’t any single tactic—it’s the consistent application of best practices custom to your specific business and audience.
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Troubleshooting & Limitations
Let’s face it—even the best Facebook advertisers occasionally run into challenges with Facebook ad quality ranking. Understanding the system’s limitations can save you hours of frustration and help set realistic expectations.
Unsupported Ad Types
Not all ad formats play by the same rules. If you’ve been searching for quality rankings on certain ad types and coming up empty, it’s not you—it’s Facebook. The diagnostic rankings simply don’t appear for:
Dynamic Ads, which automatically promote relevant products from your catalog, don’t receive quality rankings since they’re personalized to each user. Similarly, Dynamic Creative ads that test combinations of creative elements don’t show rankings either. For campaigns using Campaign Budget Optimization (CBO), you’ll only see rankings at the individual ad level, not the ad set level.
Impression Threshold
Patience is key when waiting for Facebook ad quality ranking metrics to appear. Your ads need at least 500 impressions before Facebook has enough data to assign rankings. For smaller businesses or highly targeted campaigns with limited reach, this can take several days—sometimes even a week or more.
One of our Augusta clients running a hyperlocal campaign was concerned when rankings didn’t appear after three days. We explained the impression threshold, adjusted the targeting slightly to increase delivery, and rankings appeared shortly after.
Naturally Low-Conversion Verticals
Some industries just have naturally lower conversion rates than others, and Facebook takes this into account—but not perfectly. If you’re selling luxury watches, high-end real estate, B2B software, or financial services, your conversion rate ranking might show as “Below Average” even with well-optimized campaigns.
This doesn’t necessarily mean your ads are underperforming—it’s just the nature of your business. When we work with clients in these verticals, we focus more on quality of leads than quantity, and sometimes accept lower conversion rankings as a natural consequence of their business model.
When Low Rankings Are Acceptable
Not every “Below Average” ranking is a crisis requiring immediate attention. Sometimes, lower rankings are perfectly acceptable:
During testing phases, you’re exploring new audiences or creative approaches, so initial rankings might be low before you optimize. With highly specific niche targeting, you might see lower engagement rates but generate higher-quality leads. And most importantly, if your ads are achieving your actual business objectives despite lower rankings, those business metrics should take priority.
I remember working with a financial advisor in the CSRA area whose ads consistently showed “Below Average” conversion rankings but generated leads that converted to clients at three times the rate of his other campaigns. In his case, obsessing over the ranking would have been counterproductive.
Policy Violations
Sometimes low quality rankings stem from subtle policy issues that aren’t obvious violations. Common culprits include excessive text in images (aim for less than 20%), making claims that sound unrealistic (even if they’re true), or targeting sensitive categories inappropriately.
If your Facebook ad quality ranking suddenly drops across multiple campaigns, it’s worth reviewing Facebook’s advertising policies to ensure compliance. Sometimes a small tweak to comply with policies can dramatically improve your rankings.
Audience Saturation
Think of your audience like a sponge—it can only absorb so much before it’s saturated. If you’ve been targeting the same audience for too long with similar messaging, audience fatigue sets in, leading to declining rankings.
The warning signs are clear: rising frequency metrics (ideally keep under 2-3), steadily declining engagement rates, increasing negative feedback (ad hides and reports), and quality rankings that drop over time despite no changes to your creative.
When this happens, it’s time to either expand your targeting parameters or completely refresh your creative approach—sometimes both. One e-commerce client saw their Facebook ad quality ranking jump from “Below Average (Bottom 20%)” to “Average” simply by expanding their lookalike audience from 1% to 3% and refreshing their creative.
Learn more about Facebook’s ad quality signals
The ranking system isn’t perfect—it’s a tool to help guide optimization, not an absolute measure of success. At Growth Catalyst Crew, we’ve seen campaigns with “Average” rankings outperform “Above Average” ones because they were better aligned with the specific business objectives. The key is understanding when to prioritize improving rankings and when other metrics matter more.
Frequently Asked Questions about Facebook Ad Quality Ranking
How long before my ad receives a facebook ad quality ranking?
The patience-testing reality of Facebook ad quality ranking is that you’ll need to accumulate at least 500 impressions before any relevance diagnostics appear. Think of it as Facebook gathering enough data to make a fair assessment of your ad’s performance.
How quickly you’ll reach this threshold depends on a few factors. If you’re running campaigns with generous daily budgets to large audiences, you might see rankings appear within just 1-2 days. For more moderately sized campaigns, expect to wait 3-5 days before those diagnostic metrics reveal themselves.
For those of us running highly-targeted campaigns with modest budgets (something we often recommend for local Augusta businesses just starting with Facebook ads), patience becomes even more important—it might take a week or longer to gather enough impressions.
If you’ve been waiting more than a week without seeing any rankings, it might be time to either expand your audience slightly or consider a temporary budget increase to accelerate data collection. Once you have those initial rankings, you can always adjust back to your original strategy.
Can a high bid outrank poor quality?
Yes, you can throw money at the problem—but I don’t recommend it as a long-term strategy! Facebook’s auction system does consider both bid amount and quality factors, so theoretically, a significantly higher bid can sometimes overcome quality disadvantages.
However, this approach is like buying an expensive sports car but filling it with the cheapest fuel—you’re undermining your own performance. Here’s why this strategy ultimately fails:
First, you’ll pay dramatically more for each result than competitors with better quality scores. Second, even with higher bids, Facebook’s algorithm gradually reduces delivery for poor-quality ads over time. Finally, and perhaps most concerning, accumulating negative user feedback can impact your entire ad account’s performance going forward.
As Meta themselves point out: “High relevance is correlated with high performance, but it’s not always the reason for high performance.” The smartest approach combines competitive bidding with continuous quality improvements.
Is a low ranking ever acceptable if ROI targets are met?
Absolutely—sometimes a “below average” ranking doesn’t tell the whole story. At Growth Catalyst Crew, we always remind our clients that business results trump perfect metrics. If your campaigns are hitting your ROI targets despite less-than-stellar rankings, you might be doing something right that the rankings don’t capture.
For instance, one of our custom home builder clients in Augusta consistently sees “Below Average” conversion rate rankings, yet their cost per qualified lead remains excellent. Why? Because in their high-consideration industry, conversion naturally happens at a lower rate, but the leads they do generate are extremely qualified.
There are several legitimate reasons why your campaigns might perform well despite lower rankings:
Your conversion value might be significantly higher than competitors (perhaps your average order value is $200 while competitors are selling $50 items). Your post-conversion metrics could be stronger—maybe your customer retention rate is exceptional. Or perhaps you’re in an industry where conversion metrics naturally trend lower.
That said, improving low rankings almost always improves efficiency. Even when performance is acceptable, we typically recommend ongoing optimization—there’s almost always room to stretch your ad dollars further.
Learn more about Facebook’s ad quality signals
Conclusion
Mastering Facebook ad quality ranking isn’t just for marketing gurus—it’s essential for anyone who wants to get real value from their social media advertising budget. Throughout this guide, we’ve seen how these rankings directly affect what you pay, who sees your ads, and ultimately, your bottom line.
Remember when Facebook used that simple 1-10 relevance score? Those days are gone. The new three-part Ad Relevance Diagnostics system gives you much clearer insights into what’s working and what isn’t. It’s like upgrading from a compass to GPS navigation for your ad campaigns.
Here’s what really matters when you boil it all down:
Progress beats perfection every time. Moving an ad from “Below Average” to just “Average” will typically boost your results more than pushing from “Average” to “Above Average.” This is something we see consistently with our Augusta clients—those small improvements from the bottom ranks create the biggest impact.
Beautiful, relevant creative is non-negotiable. I’ve watched countless campaigns transform when businesses simply invested in better visuals and more thoughtful messaging. Your ad creative isn’t just window dressing—it’s the foundation everything else builds upon.
Targeting is what amplifies your quality. Even the most gorgeous ad will flop if shown to the wrong audience. When Meta talks about “ideal creative/targeting fit,” they’re describing that perfect marriage between your message and exactly who needs to hear it.
The testing never stops. Just when you think you’ve figured Facebook out, something changes. The algorithm evolves, user preferences shift, and new features appear. The businesses that consistently succeed are the ones that never stop testing and optimizing.
Smart automation saves sanity. Facebook’s Power 5 automation tools aren’t perfect, but they do handle much of the heavy lifting. The trick is finding the right balance between letting the algorithms work their magic while maintaining your strategic direction.
At Growth Catalyst Crew, we’ve guided businesses across Augusta, GA and throughout North America toward Facebook advertising that actually delivers results. We don’t chase vanity metrics—we pursue improved ad quality and precise targeting that translates directly to business growth.
I’ve seen how a thoughtful approach to Facebook ad quality ranking can transform campaigns that were bleeding money into consistent performers. Our combination of automation, analytics, and AI-driven strategies helps businesses improve visibility without wasting precious marketing dollars.
Whether your Facebook ads are currently underperforming or you’re looking to scale what’s already working, understanding and leveraging these quality rankings gives you a significant edge over competitors who ignore them.
Learn more about our marketing solutions
Ready to stop guessing and start seeing real results from your Facebook advertising? Reach out to our team at Growth Catalyst Crew today. We’ll build you a personalized strategy that puts quality at the heart of your social media success—and turns those rankings into revenue.
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