Campaigns that worked well can suddenly get expensive. Before changing everything, find the cause.
Step 1: confirm the drop
Compare the last 7 days with the previous 7 and the same period last month. Calculate the change with our percentage change calculator. A day or two of bad results can be normal variation.
Common causes
| Cause | How to spot it | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Ad fatigue | Rising frequency, falling CTR | New creatives |
| Seasonal competition | CPM jumped (festivals, sales) | Adjust budgets or expectations |
| Tracking broken | Conversions dropped but sales did not | Check Pixel and events |
| Recent edits | Ad set back in learning | Avoid frequent large changes |
| Landing page issue | Clicks steady, conversions down | Test the page and form |
| Offer stopped working | Lower CTR on all ads | Test a new offer |
| Market change | Demand fell for everyone | Check enquiries from other channels |
Check frequency with our ad frequency calculator.
What not to do
- Do not turn off everything at once.
- Do not make many big changes on the same day.
Read ad fatigue and the Meta ads audit checklist.
Want the full picture? This article is part of Meta ads: the complete guide, our in-depth guide with everything in one place.
