Recovering a Disabled Facebook Ad Account: Steps & Solutions

Why Your Facebook Ad Account Got Disabled & How to Restore It

Your advertising campaigns are skyrocketing, and your ROI is off the charts - all is well. But one day, you come across the dreaded message: "Your Facebook Ad Account has been disabled." Panic sets in, and you wonder if all your efforts have been for nothing. 

Take a deep breath and relax!

Firstly, many advertisers have faced a disabled Facebook ad account at some point. And secondly, there is hope. In many cases, the issue can be resolved and your ad account restored.

In this guide, we'll explain why and what to do if your Facebook ad account gets disabled.

Why Does Facebook Disable Ad Accounts?

With all the revenue advertisers bring in, you'd think Facebook wouldn't disable ad accounts. However, as clickbait farms (spam websites that lure users into clicking on ads) continue to utilize unethical strategies, Facebook has tried harder to maintain a trustworthy and user-friendly platform.

With clickbait farms blurring the lines for Facebook's algorithms, it is not surprising that legitimate advertisers' accounts are getting disabled too. If this describes your predicament, reactivating your account should be easy enough. But if you have violated Facebook's Advertising Policies and Terms of Service, you may experience a more complicated process. 

If you're guilty of the following actions, your account could be at risk of being disabled:

1. Sudden Spending Spikes: Sudden and drastic increases in your advertising budget can trigger Facebook’s automated systems to review your account for potential suspicious or fraudulent activity.
2. Logging in from different IP addresses: Facebook may suspect the account is compromised if accessed from different locations.
3. Not paying on time: Facebook may disable your account if you repeatedly miss payment deadlines.
4. Guilty by association: If a user on your ads account gets their own advertising account disabled, yours may also get disabled.
5. Violating Content Policies: Using images, videos, or text that aren't compliant with Facebook's policies can lead to your account getting disabled.
6. Rapid changes in campaign activities: If you're frequently stopping, starting, or tweaking campaigns within a short timeframe, it might appear suspicious to Facebook's algorithms.
7. Promotion of prohibited products or services: Advertising prohibited or items or services without disclaimers, such as adult products, unsafe supplements, or certain financial products, can result in account disabling.
8. Misrepresentation: Any attempts to impersonate another brand or individual or provide false information related to your business or offers is a red flag.
9. Low-Quality Landing Pages: If your ads direct users to landing pages that are misleading, spammy, or low-quality content, your account may be disabled.
10. Disclosing Facebook's advertising information: Client information shared with you by Facebook should remain confidential. If you're found to have divulged such information, your account could be disabled. 
11. Multiple ad accounts: When multiple ad accounts have been created for the same business or entity, Facebook may disable all accounts associated with the entity.
12. Negative Feedback: If your ads receive a high volume of negative feedback from users, i.e., reporting, hiding, or marking as spam, your account may be disabled.
13. Not Adhering to Meta's Advertising Policies: Any ads not compliant with Meta's policies may lead to your account being disabled. To learn more about the specific policies for Facebook, read our guide here.

What Happens When Your Facebook Ad Account is Disabled?

If your ad account has been disabled, most businesses can expect the following consequences:

1. Active ads will be paused: Facebook will automatically pause all your active ads and stop you from creating new ad campaigns.
2. Limited or no account access: You won't be able to access your ad account features, such as past campaigns, ad performance metrics, and so on. 
3. Loss of potential revenue: With paused ads and limited access to your account, you won't bring in any potential revenue or reach potential customers through Facebook advertising.
4. Reputation Challenges: Regular followers or potential customers might notice the absence of your ads, leading to speculation or concerns about your brand's status.

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Needless to say, having your Facebook ad account disabled sucks.

Immediate Steps to Take After Your Ad Account is Disabled

After your Facebook Ad Account deactivated, follow these steps before you make an appeal:

1. Review Facebook's Advertising Policies: Review Facebook's advertising policies to determine which one(s) your ad account may have violated.
2. Identify the issue: Pinpoint which specific ad or campaign may have violated them. This could be an inappropriate image, misleading content, or a failure to comply with disclosure requirements.
3. Gather information: To give yourself the best chance of reinstating your account, you're going to need evidence. Start gathering all necessary information, including order IDs, creative assets, screenshots, and payment receipts.
4. Submit an appeal: Once you have all the necessary information, it’s time to submit an appeal. Read on to learn how.

How to Recover Your Disabled Facebook Ad Account

Below are all the potential ways you can submit an appeal. Just note that while many users have contacted live agents, it depends on Facebook’s support team availability. The most reliable way to contact them is through their online appeal form.

Submit an Appeal

1. Go to your Facebook Ads Manager.
2. Click the 'Help' option > 'Contact Us.'
3. Choose to appeal a disabled ad account.
4. Explain why your account shouldn't have been disabled and provide any relevant evidence,e, screenshots, receipts, or other files to support your claim. Always be polite and professional.
5. Submit your appeal and wait for a response.

Business Help Center

The Meta Business Help Center typically doesn't provide direct solutions for disabled ad accounts, but there are helpful resources for businesses experiencing account issues. If you're lucky, however, a live agent may be available via their chat function. 

To speak with a Facebook support representative, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Meta Business Help Centre and log into your disabled Business account.
2. Click the ‘?’ in the menu. It's also available on the Overview page.
3. Find the 'Still need help' section and click 'Contact support.'
4. Select ‘My ad account has been disabled’ from the list.
5. From the ‘Select asset’ list, pick the relevant ad account.
6. Scroll down and click the ‘Contact support’ button at the screen's bottom.
7. Choose your preferred support method, and enter your contact info and describe your issue.
8. After submitting an appeal, it should be displayed under ‘Recent account issues’ on the Business Support Home Account overview page.

What Might Happen After Submitting an Appeal

After submitting your appeal, here are a few things that might happen:

1. You'll be reinstated: Meta determines that your ad account was disabled by mistake, and they will reinstate it - hurray!
2. Partial reinstatement: Meta reinstates your ad account with some limitations, such as being able to run with specific restrictions. You'll also be closely monitored and have to meet certain requirements before gaining full access again.  
3. Appeal rejection: Meta rejects your appeal, and the decision is final. This usually happens when you’ve committed an inescapable advertising violation, i.e., promoting hate speech or illegal activities.
4. Meta needs more information: Meta may respond by asking for more ad account information. Always watch for a notification in your account's inbox or email. 
5. Ad account case escalation: If your initial appeal is denied, you can escalate your case to a higher support tier, potentially involving a detailed second appeal or legal consultation.
6. Further ad account review:  If Meta finds your appeal valid, they may conduct a second review to ensure it complies with their advertising policies. This is done to prevent any repeated violations in the future and maintain a safe environment for all users. 
7. No response: Meta isn't exactly known for their timely responses. If you don't hear back from them within a reasonable amount of time, consider contacting them again. 

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Remember that if your ad account is permanently disabled, you won't be able to create a new ad account. Your credit card may also be blacklisted for future use for advertising on Meta platforms. 

Tips for Avoiding Ad Account Disabling

They say prevention is the best cure, and this holds for your Facebook ad account as well. Here are some tips to avoid having your ad account disabled  to begin with:

Learn Facebook's Advertising Policies

Facebook's advertising policies are law when advertising on their platform. As such, you’ll want  to read and stay updated with all of their policies, including those related to prohibited content, targeting options, and ad formats.

At the very least, try to familiarize yourself with policies that pertain to your specific business. For example, gambling ads can be accepted in some countries but not others. The same goes for alcohol or financial services ads.

Be Cautious with Rapid Spending Increases

You might trigger Facebook’s alarm bells if you suddenly ramp up your ad spend. Rapid spending can be viewed as potential fraud, a hint of a compromised account, or just plain spamminess from bombarding users with too many ads. To avoid these pitfalls, steadily increase your budget over time and you’ll be golden. 

Be Mindful of Your Content

Advertisers are like superheroes; 'with great power comes great responsibility.' While you can advertise almost anything on Facebook, people, including kids, still see your ads. This means that your content has to be appropriate, non-offensive, and compliant with Facebook's policies.

For example, try avoiding using shocking or controversial ad images and keep your language clean and professional. Remember that Facebook is a community for people of all ages and backgrounds, and your ads should reflect that.

If you’re struggling to create ads that align with these guidelines, consider utilizing resources such as the Facebook Ad Library. Read our comprehensive guide will help you master the nuances of advertising on the platform while ensuring your content remains respectful and compliant

Conclusion

In summary, it's essential to have a good understanding of Facebook's ad policies and restrictions before creating ads. Or at the very least, be willing to learn about policies that impact your industry.

But, if your ad account does get disabled, don't panic. You can always gather evidence, appeal the decision and work with Facebook to get it back. Just remember that not all ad account disablements are permanent and it really depends on your violation’s severity and willingness to comply with Facebook's policies in the future.

So stay informed, stay calm, and always strive for a positive user experience in your advertising efforts. Goodluck!

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