Yes, you can change the website link on a Facebook ad after it has been created. The website link, also known as the destination URL, is the web page that people will be sent to if they click on your Facebook ad.
Why would you want to change the website link on a Facebook ad?
There are a few common reasons why you may want to update the destination URL on your Facebook ad after it has already been launched:
- You changed or updated the landing page that you want to send traffic to from the ad.
- You initially linked to the wrong page and want to correct it.
- You want to test different landing pages to see which one converts better.
- The old link is broken or no longer active.
Having the ability to change the ad destination link allows you to optimize your ads and landing pages on the fly. Linking your ads to updated or better-performing pages can help improve your ad results.
How to change the website link for a Facebook ad
Changing the destination URL for a live Facebook ad only takes a few quick steps:
- Go to the Ads Manager in your Facebook Ads account.
- Locate the active ad you want to edit.
- Click the three dots next to the ad name and select Edit.
- This will open the ad creation page. Click on Change next to the destination URL field.
- Enter the new destination URL you want to link to.
- Double check that the new URL is correct.
- Click Save at the bottom.
Once saved, your updated destination URL will now be live on your ad. Any new clicks on the ad will go to the new landing page.
That’s all there is to it! You can change the destination link on a Facebook ad even after it’s live without having to pause the ad or recreate it from scratch.
Can you change the link for ads in an Ad Set or Campaign?
When making changes to ads, you can only change the destination URL on one ad at a time. However, Facebook does give you options to update links for multiple ads at once:
- Ad Sets – You can change the destination link for all the ads in an Ad Set by editing the Ad Set settings.
- Campaigns – Changing the Campaign destination link will update all the ads in that campaign.
- Ad Account – Updating the ad account default destination will change the link for new ads only.
So if you wanted to change the link for several existing ads at once, you would need to organize them into an Ad Set first. Keep in mind this will overwrite any existing unique destination URLs the individual ads may have.
How often can you change Facebook ad links?
There is no official limit to how often you can change the destination URL for a Facebook ad. You can update it as frequently as you need to optimize landing pages or test different links.
However, switching the link too frequently may negatively impact your ad performance:
- It will disrupt the ad delivery optimization Facebook does over time.
- Frequent changes may trigger Facebook’s quality assurance checks.
- You reset any landing page history and conversion data each time you swap links.
Aim to change ad links consistently but not excessively. For most advertisers, updating links every few days or weeks is reasonable for A/B testing purposes. Allow time for data to accumulate to make informed decisions.
Best practices for changing Facebook ad links
Here are some recommended best practices when changing destination URLs on your Facebook ads:
- Test new landing page variations in new ad sets first. Once you see better performance, you can shift budget there and pause underperforming ad sets.
- Re-use existing ads when possible rather than creating new ones. This retains ad history.
- Check that new pages are mobile-friendly. Most Facebook traffic comes from mobile devices.
- Allow 24-48 hours for new data on performance before drawing conclusions.
- If changing a link on a live ad, watch delivery for disruptions temporarily.
- Double check that new URLs are entered correctly before saving.
- Consider using Facebook’s Website Custom Audiences to maintain retargeting.
Using conversion tracking with changing links
One important note when changing ad URLs – be sure to maintain consistent conversion tracking.
Facebook’s Facebook pixel and Facebook Conversions API make it easy to track conversions across multiple pages. Use these tools to make sure you don’t lose conversion data when sending traffic to a new destination URL.
You’ll also want to use the same Facebook pixel and conversion events on both the old and new landing page variations you are testing. This allows Facebook to optimize delivery towards conversions regardless of the final landing page.
Consistency here is key. The more you can track conversions accurately across changing links, the better optimization decisions Facebook can make on your behalf.
Using an external link redirect tool
Another option for managing changing links with Facebook ads is to use a link redirection tool. Some popular options:
These tools allow you to create a short, persistent redirect link that you can use in your Facebook ads. You then change where that link redirects behind the scenes whenever you want to switch landing pages.
The advantage here is that the external redirect link itself doesn’t change – only where it points your traffic. This avoids having to edit your ads directly and maintains a consistent link for tracking conversions.
Should you create new ads instead of changing links?
In most cases, simply changing the destination URL on an existing ad is preferable vs. creating new ads for each website link variation.
There are a few reasons for this:
- It’s quicker and easier to update than duplicating ads.
- The existing ad will have more optimization history and learning from Facebook.
- Any social proof metrics like comments and reactions remain.
- The ad creative stays consistent across link changes.
Creating brand new ads means starting that learning and optimization process over from scratch. The one exception here may be if you are also testing significant changes to the actual ad creative and want a completely fresh start.
But just to test different landing pages, changing the destination link is typically best practice.
Conclusion
Being able to update the destination URL on your Facebook ads is an important option for optimizing their performance. Link changes allow you to send traffic to new or better-performing landing pages and fix any issues with broken links.
While you don’t want to change URLs too frequently, regular link updates provide flexibility in improving conversions from your Facebook ad investment. Just be sure to maintain consistent conversion tracking using the Facebook pixel when directing traffic to new pages.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Can you change the link on a live Facebook ad? | Yes, you can edit the ad destination URL even after the ad has started running. |
| How often should you change Facebook ad links? | Aim for consistent but not excessive link changes, such as every few days or weeks. |
| What are Facebook Ad Sets? | Ad Sets allow you to group multiple ads together for editing and management. |
| Should you create new ads or edit links? | In most cases, editing the link is better than duplicating ads. |