Facebook Relevance Score is gone — meet the 3 ad relevance diagnostics

If you came looking for Facebook's Relevance Score — that single 1-to-10 number that told you how relevant your ad was — here's the update: Facebook retired it in 2019. In its place, Meta introduced three separate ad relevance diagnostics, on the sensible logic that one blended score hid why an ad was underperforming. So the question isn't "what's my Relevance Score" anymore; it's "which of the three diagnostics is dragging, and how do I fix that specific one."

Why a single score wasn't enough

The old Relevance Score mashed together very different signals. An ad could score low because the creative was weak, or because people weren't engaging, or because it wasn't driving conversions — and you couldn't tell which. Meta split it into three so you can diagnose the actual problem. The goal is the same as it ever was (and the same as Google's Quality Score): relevant ads get cheaper delivery and better reach; irrelevant ones cost more and stall.

The 3 ad relevance diagnostics

• Quality ranking — how your ad's perceived quality compares to other ads competing for the same audience. Low quality ranking usually means weak creative, clickbait, or too much negative feedback (hides, "report ad").
• Engagement rate ranking — your expected engagement (clicks, reactions, comments, shares) versus competitors for that audience. Low here means the ad isn't compelling enough to act on.
• Conversion rate ranking — your expected conversion rate versus ads with the same optimization goal. Low here means people click but don't complete the action — often a landing-page or offer problem, not an ad problem.

Each is shown relative to other advertisers (above average / average / below average), and you only see them once an ad has enough impressions.

How to improve each one

The fix depends on which diagnostic is low — that's the whole point of splitting them:

• Low quality ranking → fix the creative and audience. Tighten targeting, A/B test images and video (the visual is what people judge first), cut anything clickbaity, and watch for negative feedback. Refresh creative often — ad fatigue tanks quality as the same people see the same ad too many times.
• Low engagement ranking → make the ad worth acting on. Stronger hook, clearer value, a format that fits the placement (Reels-native video for Reels, etc.). Speak to a specific segment rather than everyone.
• Low conversion ranking → look past the ad. This one usually lives on the landing page or the offer. Match the page to the ad's promise, cut friction, and make sure your post-click experience delivers.

The throughline hasn't changed since 2015: ads that genuinely resonate with the right audience — and convert — get rewarded with cheaper, wider delivery. Meta just gives you a sharper scalpel now to find what's broken. Dialing this in is everyday work in our paid social practice.