Facebook Ads in 2026: Still Worth It?

Despite rising costs, Facebook Ads remain the most powerful advertising platform for most businesses. With 3 billion monthly active users and unmatched targeting capabilities, it's where most advertisers should start.

How Facebook Ads Work

The basics:

You create ads: Images, videos, or carousels
Meta shows them: To users matching your targeting
You pay: When users click or when ads are shown
You track: Conversions via pixel

Account Setup Checklist

Before running ads, set up:

Item	Why Needed
Business Manager	Central management
Ad Account	Where campaigns live
Facebook Page	Ads run from pages
Meta Pixel	Track conversions
Payment Method	Bill for ads

Campaign Objectives Explained

Objective	When to Use	Optimizes For
Awareness	Brand building	Reach
Traffic	Website visits	Link clicks
Engagement	Likes, comments	Engagement
Leads	Contact info	Form fills
Sales	Purchases	Conversions

Beginner tip: Start with "Sales" objective if you want purchases. The algorithm optimizes better when it knows the end goal.

Budget Types

Type	How It Works	Best For
Daily	Spend X per day	Consistent campaigns
Lifetime	Spend X total	Time-limited campaigns

Minimum daily budget: $1/day (but $10-20/day recommended for meaningful data)

Targeting Basics

Demographics

Age, gender, location
Language

Interests

Pages they like
Topics they engage with
Brands they follow

Behaviors

Purchase behavior
Device usage
Travel habits

Custom Audiences

Website visitors (retargeting)
Customer lists
App users

Lookalikes

People similar to your customers
1-10% of population

Ad Formats

Format	Best For	Specs
Single Image	Simple offers	1080x1080 or 1080x1350
Video	Demos, stories	9:16 or 1:1, 15-60s
Carousel	Multiple products	2-10 cards
Collection	Shopping experiences	Cover + product grid

Creating Your First Ad

Step 1: Create Campaign

Go to Ads Manager
Click "Create"
Choose objective (Sales)
Name campaign

Step 2: Create Ad Set

Set budget ($10-20/day)
Choose placements (start with automatic)
Set targeting
Set optimization (Conversions)

Step 3: Create Ad

Choose format
Upload creative
Write primary text (125 chars visible)
Write headline (40 chars)
Choose CTA button

Step 4: Publish

Review everything
Click "Publish"
Wait for approval (usually < 24 hours)

What to Expect

Timeline	What Happens
Day 1-2	Learning phase - results vary
Day 3-7	Algorithm optimizing
Day 7+	Stable performance

Common Beginner Mistakes

1. Wrong Objective

Choosing "Traffic" when you want sales.

Fix: Match objective to business goal.

2. Too Much Targeting

Narrowing to 50k people limits delivery.

Fix: Start broad, let algorithm learn.

3. Not Enough Budget

$1/day won't generate meaningful data.

Fix: $10-20/day minimum for testing.

4. Changing Too Often

Editing daily resets learning.

Fix: Wait 7 days before major changes.

5. No Pixel

Running ads without tracking.

Fix: Install pixel first.

Key Metrics to Watch

Metric	Good	Great
CTR	1%	2%+
CPC	$1.00	$0.50
CPA	Below LTV	<50% of LTV
ROAS	2x	4x+

Beginner Checklist

✅ Business Manager created
✅ Ad account set up
✅ Facebook Page created
✅ Pixel installed
✅ Payment method added
✅ First campaign launched

Facebook Ads for Beginners: Complete Getting Started Guide

Sections

Facebook Ads for Beginners: Complete Getting Started Guide

Ready to get started?