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Sophie had been running Facebook and Instagram ads for months, confident that her campaigns were set up for success. Her audience targeting was precise, her visuals were eye-catching and her budget was competitive. But despite her efforts, her click-through rates (CTR) dropped, cost-per-click (CPC) skyrocketed and engagement plummeted. Frustrated, she couldn’t figure out what went wrong.
The culprit? A low ad relevance score.
Social media platforms like Meta and Google use relevance scores (now called Ad Relevance Diagnostics) to determine how often your ad is shown and how much you pay per click. Ads with higher scores get better placement, lower costs and more engagement, while ads with poor relevance scores struggle to reach the right audience. If your ads aren’t performing as expected, it’s likely because they’re being penalised for low relevance. Data from over 104,000 ads analysed by AdEspresso revealed that higher relevance scores lead to lower costs per click (CPC) and better click-through rates (CTR).
In this blog, we’ll take a deep dive into what’s breaking your social media ads, how factors like ad fatigue, poor creative testing and weak audience targeting impact your ad relevance score and, most importantly, how to fix it.
An ad relevance score measures how well your ad resonates with its target audience. Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram use this score to determine whether your ad is engaging, relevant and likely to drive results. The better your relevance score, the lower your costs and the more frequently your ad gets shown.
Ad relevance is evaluated based on three key factors:
A high relevance score improves ad placement, lowers cost-per-click (CPC) and increases engagement. On the other hand, a low relevance score results in higher ad costs, reduced visibility and lower overall performance. If your ads aren’t delivering results, poor engagement, weak targeting, or irrelevant messaging are likely the primary culprits.
Understanding and optimising your ad relevance score is essential to making your ad spending more efficient and ensuring your campaigns drive meaningful results.
Creative fatigue is one of the biggest factors that can lower your ad relevance score and cause your campaigns to underperform. It happens when users repeatedly see the same ad, leading them to ignore it, scroll past it, or even hide it, all of which negatively impact engagement.
When ad fatigue sets in, the following issues arise:
As engagement declines, social media algorithms deprioritise your ad, limiting impressions and making it more costly to run. If you notice a decreasing CTR despite steady impressions, ad fatigue is likely the culprit.
To prevent creative fatigue, it’s crucial to refresh your ad creatives regularly, rotate multiple versions of your ads and test new messaging to maintain engagement and relevance.
One of the best ways to combat ad fatigue and maintain a high ad relevance score is to refresh your creatives regularly. Running the same ad for weeks leads to declining engagement, higher costs and weaker performance. Instead of letting your audience get tired of your ads, rotate new visuals, updated copy and different calls to action (CTAs) to keep engagement high.
A powerful way to automate this process is Dynamic Creative Optimisation (DCO), Meta’s built-in tool that automatically tests different elements of your ad (headlines, descriptions, images, CTAs) and determines which combination performs best. By leveraging DCO, advertisers can optimise their campaigns in real-time without manually adjusting creatives.
Updating the copy to stay relevant also plays a key role in maintaining engagement. Seasonal promotions, trending topics and product updates ensure your ads feel fresh and timely rather than repetitive. Something as simple as tweaking a holiday-themed CTA or highlighting a limited-time offer can make an old ad feel new again.
Expanding your targeting can also help reduce overexposure. If the same audience keeps seeing your ad, engagement will eventually decline. Using lookalike audiences allows you to introduce your ads to new users who share similar traits to your existing customers, keeping engagement high and costs low.
Finally, limiting ad frequency is crucial. If people see your ad too many times, they’ll tune it out or actively avoid it. Setting frequency caps prevents oversaturation, ensuring your ads remain fresh without overloading your audience. By implementing these strategies, you can extend the lifespan of your ads while keeping performance strong.
Ads that go through A/B testing consistently perform 20-30% better than those that don’t. The key to effective testing is isolating one element at a time, whether it’s the headline, CTA, image, or ad format, so you can determine exactly what drives higher engagement. Without structured testing, it’s difficult to pinpoint what’s working and what’s dragging performance down.
Comparing different ad formats is essential. Some audiences respond better to static images, while others engage more with carousel or video ads. Video content often generates 48% higher engagement than static ads, making it a strong contender for increasing ad relevance scores. Testing different formats allows advertisers to see which medium resonates best with their audience.
Allowing for a proper learning period is another critical factor in ad testing. Many advertisers make the mistake of judging results too soon and shutting off ads before they’ve had enough impressions to generate meaningful data. To get reliable insights, ads should run long enough to pass through the learning phase, where algorithms gather enough engagement data to optimise delivery.
Finally, regularly analysing performance metrics ensures that creative testing translates into actionable improvements. Platforms like Meta Ads Manager provide detailed insights into engagement trends, helping advertisers identify patterns and refine future creatives for better results.
By continuously testing and refining ad elements, businesses can improve engagement, lower costs and maintain strong ad relevance scores, ensuring their social media ads stay competitive and effective.
A successful social media ad strategy isn’t just about launching a great ad; it’s about continuously testing, optimising and making smart budget decisions. Many businesses make the mistake of spending their entire budget on a single ad version, only to see engagement drop and costs rise. A more effective approach is to test multiple creatives in smaller increments and gradually scale up what performs best.
One of the most powerful ways to optimise ad spend is by using AI-powered budgeting tools like Meta’s Campaign Budget Optimisation (CBO). This feature automatically shifts more budget toward high-performing ads while reducing spend on underperforming ones. Instead of manually adjusting budget allocation, CBO ensures that funds are distributed efficiently, maximising return on investment (ROI) with minimal effort.
However, automated budget optimisation alone isn’t enough; ads must also be adjusted based on real-time data. Social media trends, audience behaviours and platform algorithms shift frequently, meaning what worked last month may not work today.
Regularly reviewing engagement metrics, tweaking ad copy and refreshing visuals help maintain strong performance over time. A combination of AI-powered budgeting and proactive optimisation ensures your ad campaigns remain cost-effective, relevant and profitable.
At Mr Digital, we don’t just talk about testing and optimisation, we build it into every campaign we run. A great example of this is our recent work with Pad Creative. By running multiple optimised ad campaigns and closely monitoring performance each day, we delivered one of their best lead-generating days in recent history.
Through continuous A/B testing and real-time adjustments, we helped Pad Creative achieve a 42.2% increase in CTR, a 40% reduction in CPC, and a 190% uplift in conversion rate. These improvements didn’t happen by chance; they were the result of a structured, data-driven approach that focused on relevance, targeting and creative optimisation.
Low ad relevance scores are a silent killer for ad performance, increasing costs and reducing reach. Many campaigns suffer from ad fatigue, weak creatives, or ineffective testing, leading to declining engagement and wasted budget. The good news? These issues can be fixed with consistent optimisation, creative rotation and data-driven testing.
By regularly updating creatives, rotating ad variations and analysing engagement trends, businesses can ensure their campaigns stay fresh and compelling. Implementing A/B testing, AI-powered budget management and platform-specific optimisations allows advertisers to fine-tune their approach and achieve better results.
If your social media ads aren’t delivering the ROI you expect, it’s time to refine your strategy and maximise performance. Need expert guidance? Contact us today and let our team help you optimise your ads for better engagement and lower costs.
Joshua is a Senior Content Writer with a diverse background in journalism and storytelling. He has a passion for crafting engaging and informative content that resonates with target audiences. Joshua's experience in writing and his understanding of digital marketing ensure content is both captivating and effective in achieving marketing goals.
Praveen is a Senior UI Designer with over 11 years of experience in the field. He has a comprehensive understanding of design principles and user experience, and he's skilled in creating visually compelling interfaces that are both user-friendly and effective. Praveen's designs are informed by his extensive industry knowledge and a commitment to driving conversions.
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