Meta Audit Trends: The Recurring Issues Holding Back Performance

Over the past few months, we’ve audited multiple Meta ad accounts across different industries, and the same core issues keep surfacing. While every brand has unique challenges, there are clear patterns in what holds accounts back from scaling profitably. In this post, we’ll walk through the most common problems we see and how to fix them.

1. Over-Reliance on Retargeting (and Inflated ROAS)

One of the most frequent issues we uncover is an excessive budget allocation toward retargeting. Many accounts see high ROAS from these campaigns, but it’s misleading—these users were already close to converting. The real problem? An underinvestment in acquiring net-new customers.

How to Fix It:

• Cap Retargeting Frequency: Keep it under 7x in 30 days to prevent over-serving ads.
• Reduce Retargeting Spend: No more than 20-30% of the budget should go here.
• Shift Focus to Prospecting: Invest in Top-of-Funnel (TOF) campaigns that bring in fresh audiences.

2. Poor Creative Iteration and Testing Structure

Many brands fail to systemize creative testing. They either launch too many new creatives at once or iterate too slowly, leading to fatigue and wasted spend.

How to Fix It:

• Follow an 80/20 Rule: 80% iterations of past winners, 20% net-new concepts.
• Batch Test Properly: Launch 4-6 creatives at a time, track early indicators (CTR, Hook Rate, CPC), and scale winners.
• Diversify Creative: Don’t just rely on one format—mix video, static, and native-style ads to engage different audience segments.

3. Disconnected Customer Journey

A major issue we see is a disconnect between ad creative, landing pages, and the actual purchase experience. Customers click expecting one thing but land somewhere that doesn’t match their expectations.

How to Fix It:

• Align Ads with Landing Pages: If an ad promotes a specific product, it should link directly to that product page (not the homepage!).
• Test Different Funnels: Compare direct-to-product pages vs. listicles vs. collection pages.
• Track Beyond Clicks: Implement post-click tracking to measure email signups, SMS opt-ins, or sales calls.

4. Inefficient Campaign Structures

We regularly see accounts with overly complex campaign setups—too many ad sets, overlapping audiences, and redundant campaign types. This leads to budget inefficiency and unnecessary competition within the account.

How to Fix It:

• Simplify the Structure: Consolidate similar ad sets and campaigns to give Meta’s algorithm more room to optimize.
• Use Advantage+ Where Appropriate: Especially for broad prospecting and dynamic product ads.
• Improve Audience Exclusions: Prevent high-frequency over-serving by refining exclusions across campaigns.

5. Lack of Upper Funnel Investment

A common mistake is running only direct response (purchase-focused) campaigns without feeding the top of the funnel. Without upper-funnel activity, you eventually saturate your existing audience, leading to rising CPAs and stagnant growth.

How to Fix It:

• Test Awareness and Consideration Campaigns: Run brand lift tests to measure their impact.
• Use Google Referral Tracking: See if users exposed to Meta ads later search for your brand.
• Educate Before Selling: Use storytelling ads, press features, and customer testimonials in TOF campaigns.

Final Thoughts: Fix the Foundations Before Scaling

Scaling isn’t just about spending more—it’s about making sure your budget is working efficiently. By addressing these common issues, we’ve helped brands improve performance, reduce wasted spend, and create a clearer path to scale.

Want a second opinion on your Meta account? We audit accounts regularly—let’s talk strategy.