Straight answers to the questions local business owners ask about Facebook and Instagram ads: cost, timing, boosting, rejections, tracking and who should own your ad account.
If you’ve ever searched “do Facebook ads work?” at 11pm, you’ll know the internet’s answers range from “yes, instantly make a fortune!” to “no, they’re a scam!”. The truth is somewhere calmer.
Here are 20 of the Meta Ads FAQs we hear most often, with straight answers. Each links to a deeper article if you’d like more.
The big picture
1. Do Facebook and Instagram ads still work for local businesses?
Yes, when the basics are right: a clear offer, decent creative, working tracking and fast follow-up. They don’t work as a magic button. Plenty of local businesses get a steady flow of enquiries from Meta ads, and plenty switch them off after a rough first month because one of those four things was missing. [Read: Meta Ads in 2026]
2. How much should I spend?
It depends on what a customer is worth to you, not on a magic number. Work out your break-even cost per customer, then your target cost per lead, then how many leads you need each month. That gives you a sensible starting budget. Spending too little to learn anything is as risky as spending too much. [Read: What Is a Customer Worth?]
3. How long before I see results?
You’ll usually see early signals (clicks, enquiries) within days, but a fair picture takes a few weeks. Meta’s system needs time to learn, and constantly changing things resets that clock. Judging on two days of data is like judging a restaurant by its bread basket.
4. Is boosting a post the same as running an ad?
Not quite. Boosting is a quick way to promote a post with limited options. Ads Manager gives you proper control over objectives, locations, formats, tracking and testing. Boosting can be handy for supporting a strong post, but it’s rarely the best way to generate leads. [Read: Choosing the right campaign type, link to Article 6]
5. Do I need a website to run ads?
Not always. You can collect leads with Meta’s instant forms or through messaging apps. But a simple, fast, clear landing page usually gives you better quality leads and better tracking. If you don’t have one yet, a one-page site is often a better first step than a full website.
Setup and ownership
6. Who should own my ad account?
You should. Your Meta Business portfolio, Facebook Page, Instagram account and ad account should belong to your business, with your agency or freelancer added as a partner or with limited roles. If a provider insists on running everything from their own account, ask why. If you ever part ways, you want your history, audiences and data to stay with you.
7. Do I need a Facebook Page and Instagram account?
You need a Facebook Page to run ads, and connecting an Instagram account is a good idea since a lot of your audience spends their time there. Keep both profiles tidy: opening hours, address, phone number, a clear description and some recent posts. People do check.
8. What is the Meta Pixel, and do I need it?
The Pixel is a small piece of code on your website that tells Meta what visitors do after clicking your ad. Paired with the Conversions API, it’s how Meta learns who your best customers are. If you’re sending traffic to a website, you want it working properly. [Read: Pixel and Conversions API Explained, link to Article 5]
9. Why was my ad rejected?
Common reasons: claims that sound misleading, wording that implies you know personal things about the viewer (especially in health and finance), images that break policy, or a landing page that doesn’t match the ad. Check the rejection notice, fix the specific issue and appeal if you think it was a mistake. Be cautious with before-and-after images and “guaranteed” language.
10. Why was my ad account restricted or disabled?
Usually a policy issue, a payment problem, or something unusual about the account’s activity. Prevention helps: follow the ad policies, keep payment details valid, avoid sudden unusual changes, and make sure more than one trusted person has admin access so you’re not locked out. If it happens, use Meta’s official appeal process.
Targeting and campaigns
11. What area should I target?
Match it to where you genuinely serve customers. Use a sensible radius around your location or specific towns and postcodes. A very small area may run out of fresh people quickly, so keep an eye on how often the same people see your ads. A very large one wastes money reaching people you can’t serve.
12. Do I still need to choose interests, ages and job titles?
Often less than you’d think. Meta’s system generally performs best with broad targeting and good creative that attracts the right people, though there are cases (age-restricted services, for example) where limits make sense. For most local businesses, location plus a strong message does most of the work.
13. Instagram or Facebook?
Both, usually. Meta’s tools can show ads across both, and results vary by business and audience. Rather than guessing, let the system distribute your ads and look at the results by placement over time.
14. Should I do it myself or hire someone?
Both are valid. DIY can work if you have the time and enjoy learning. A professional can help most with the technical bits (tracking, structure), the creative thinking and avoiding costly mistakes. Whichever you choose, you should still own the account and understand the numbers. [Read: DIY, freelancer or agency?, link to Article 12]
Creative and content
15. How many ads should I run at once?
Fewer than the gurus claim, but more than one. A small business might run a handful of genuinely different ads, rather than dozens of near-identical ones. “Different” means a different angle, format or message, not the same video with a new headline. [Read: What ads actually work, link to Article 7]
16. How often should I change my ads?
When performance tells you to, not on a timer. Watch for rising frequency (the same people seeing your ad repeatedly), falling click-through rate and rising cost per lead. Local audiences are small, so refresh more often than a national brand would. Having new ideas filmed in advance helps.
17. Do I need video?
You don’t strictly need it, but short, honest, phone-shot video often does very well for service businesses. A real person explaining a real problem tends to beat polished stock imagery. Don’t worry about being cinematic. Be clear.
18. Should I use Meta’s AI creative tools?
They can be useful for generating variations and saving time. Review everything before it goes live. Make sure any changes still show your business accurately, don’t misrepresent real people or results, and still sound like you.
Results and measurement
19. What’s a “good” cost per lead?
There’s no universal number. A £15 lead is wonderful for a business that makes £500 per customer and awful if the leads never answer the phone. “Good” means comfortably below what you can afford to pay and attached to leads that become customers. [Read: What Is a Customer Worth?]
20. Why are my leads poor quality, and how do I know it’s working?
Poor leads often come from the offer, the form type, slow follow-up or tracking that rewards the wrong action, rather than the ad itself. To know if it’s working, compare Meta’s numbers with real business results: bookings, revenue, and “how did you hear about us?”. [Read: “My Leads Are Rubbish”, link to Article 8, and How to Tell If Your Ads Are Working, link to Article 10]
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Last reviewed: 6 October 2026
