About ad relevance diagnostics on Meta, explained
Meta’s help article “About ad relevance diagnostics” only loads with JavaScript. Here it is in plain words, with Meta’s reading grid and examples, from Meta’s help center as read on October 9, 2026.
On this page · 8 sections
- What are ad relevance diagnostics?
- What do the three rankings measure?
- How do you add the diagnostics to your columns?
- Why are the rankings missing or not used in the auction?
- When should you look at them?
- What does each combination of rankings mean?
- Where should you focus first?
- How does Adwize help you act on them?
Ad relevance diagnostics are three columns in Meta Ads Manager that tell you whether an ad was relevant to the people it reached. They replaced the old relevance score. Quality ranking compares your ad’s perceived quality with ads competing for the same audience. Engagement rate ranking compares its expected engagement rate. Conversion rate ranking compares its expected conversion rate with ads that have the same optimization goal. Each one looks at past performance in the auction over the dates you select. They are default columns in the Performance preset, and you can add them to any custom preset. Meta hides them for ads with fewer than 500 impressions, and they are not inputs into the auction. Meta’s advice is to use them to diagnose ads that miss your objectives, reading the three together, and not to chase high rankings for ads that already work. A high ranking does not guarantee more results.
TL;DR
- Three rankings: quality, engagement rate and conversion rate, each compared with ads competing for the same audience.
- They are in the Performance column preset. Add them by hand to custom presets.
- No rankings below 500 impressions. They are not inputs into the ad auction.
- Use them to diagnose ads that miss your goals, reading the three together. Do not optimize for them.
- Adwize reads your results daily and explains in one sentence what is going wrong, with a fix to approve.
What are ad relevance diagnostics?
They are three rankings in Meta Ads Manager that help you see whether the ads you ran were relevant to the audience you reached. They replaced the ad relevance score. If an ad misses your objectives, they help you judge whether the creative, the post-click experience or the targeting is the place to fix.
Meta explains why relevance matters. People prefer ads that are relevant to them, so Meta considers how relevant each ad is to a person before delivering it. According to Meta, more relevant ads cost less and see more results.
The diagnostics look back, not forward. They assess each ad’s past performance in the ad auction over the date range you selected in Ads Manager.
What do the three rankings measure?
Quality ranking compares how your ad’s perceived quality stacks up against ads competing for the same audience. Engagement rate ranking compares your ad’s expected engagement rate with those same ads. Conversion rate ranking compares your ad’s expected conversion rate with ads that share your optimization goal and compete for the same audience.
The key word is compared. A ranking does not grade your ad in isolation. It places it against the other ads trying to reach the same people. A good ad can rank low in a crowded, demanding market.
Meta’s guide reads each ranking in two broad bands, average or above, and below average. Conversion rate ranking can also show as not eligible in some combinations.
How do you add the diagnostics to your columns?
They already appear in the Performance column preset. If you use your own preset, add them by hand: in Ads Manager, click the Ads tab, click Columns, then Customize columns. Select Quality ranking, Engagement rate ranking and Conversion rate ranking, then click Apply. They then show in your reporting.
Use the Ads tab. The diagnostics describe single ads, so reading them at the ad level is what makes them useful.
If you are building a custom preset anyway, our guide to customizing columns in Ads Manager explains how to save it so the rankings come back every time.
- Open the Ads tab in Ads Manager
- Click Columns
- Select Customize columns
- Tick the three rankings
- Click Apply
Why are the rankings missing or not used in the auction?
To keep them accurate, Meta does not show ad relevance diagnostics for ads with fewer than 500 impressions. A new ad, or one with a very small budget, will show nothing until it passes that threshold. That is normal and does not mean something is broken.
Meta also states that ad relevance diagnostics are not inputs into the ad auction. They describe what happened. Changing them is not a lever in itself: they move when the ad, the post-click experience or the audience changes.
Example. A florist launches three ads at a small budget. Two days later, only one shows rankings. The other two have not yet reached 500 impressions. The fix is patience, not a new ad.
When should you look at them?
When an ad is not meeting your advertising objectives. Meta’s guidance is clear: use the diagnostics to diagnose underperforming ads, not to optimize ads that already work. High relevance is linked to high performance, but it is not the only reason for it, and a high ranking does not guarantee more results.
Meta even notes that some high performing ads have below average rankings, and that this is fine. If your cost per result is where you want it, keep optimizing for your objective, not for quality, engagement rate or conversion rate rankings.
Meta also advises reading the three rankings together. One ranking on its own tells you little. The combination points to the likely cause.
What does each combination of rankings mean?
Meta’s guide pairs each combination with a cause and a fix. All three average or above means you are fine: keep optimizing for your objective. A below average quality ranking means the ad is perceived as low quality: improve the creative, avoid low-quality attributes, or target people more likely to see it as high quality.
Low engagement rate alone means the ad is not spurring interest: make it more engaging or eye-catching, or target people more likely to interact. Low conversion rate alone means it is not producing conversions: improve the call to action or the post-click experience, or target a higher-intent audience. Meta adds that some products naturally convert less.
Low quality and low conversion with average engagement suggests a click-baity or controversial ad: represent the product more clearly. All three below average means room for improvement everywhere: test different targeting, creative, optimization goals and post-click experiences.
| Quality | Engagement | Conversion | Likely cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average or above | Average or above | Average or above | All good |
| Below average | Average or above | Average or above | Perceived as low quality |
| Average or above | Below average | Average or above | Not spurring interest |
| Average or above | Average or above | Below average | Not producing conversions |
| Below average | Average or above | Below average | Click-baity or controversial |
| Below average | Below average | Below average | Room for improvement everywhere |
Where should you focus first?
On the lowest rankings. Meta says moving a ranking from low to average has more impact than moving it from average to above average. So fix what is below average before polishing what is already fine. One clear weak spot is usually the quickest gain.
Look for fit, not perfection. Meta advises against seeking the ideal creative or the ideal targeting in isolation. The best creative for one audience may not be the best for another. You can also target broadly and let Meta’s delivery system find the people most likely to respond.
Example. A coaching ad shows average quality, average engagement and below average conversion rate. People like it but do not sign up. The page after the click, or the offer itself, is the first thing to check, before touching the visual.
- Low to average
- = bigger impact
- Average to above
- = smaller impact
- Ad already meets its goal
- = no need to chase rankings
How does Adwize help you act on them?
Adwize reads your Meta results each day. When an ad underperforms, it tells you in one sentence what looks wrong and proposes a change, such as a new creative or a different audience, for your approval. Nothing changes or spends without your yes. See the Optimize page.
If the creative is the issue, Adwize can prepare new variants in your brand’s colors, shown to you before anything goes live. See the Create page.
Adwize works with Meta ads only, inside your own ad account. It relies on the same results you see in Ads Manager and does not change how Meta’s auction or rankings work.
Frequently asked questions
What replaced the Facebook relevance score?
Ad relevance diagnostics. Meta split the old relevance score into three rankings: quality ranking, engagement rate ranking and conversion rate ranking, each compared with ads competing for the same audience.
Why don’t I see quality ranking on my ad?
Meta does not show ad relevance diagnostics for ads with fewer than 500 impressions. If you use a custom column preset, you also need to add the three rankings through Customize columns.
Do ad relevance diagnostics affect the ad auction?
No. Meta says they are not inputs into the ad auction. They describe past performance over the dates you select. Meta does say relevance matters for delivery, and that more relevant ads cost less.
Should I pause an ad with below average rankings?
Not if it meets your objectives. Meta says high performing ads sometimes have below average rankings and that this is fine. Use the rankings to diagnose ads that underperform.
Does Adwize change my ads when rankings drop?
No. Adwize tells you in one sentence what looks wrong and proposes a change, such as a new creative or audience. Nothing changes until you approve it.
Sources
- Meta Business Help Center, About ad relevance diagnosticsAccessed 10/09/2026
- Meta Business Help Center, How to use ad relevance diagnosticsAccessed 10/09/2026
