Meta ads changes this October: what to check before the 28th

If you run Facebook or Instagram ads for a small business, there's one thing to check before 28 October. According to PPC Land, advertisers have been getting a notice from Meta saying product browsing will be switched on by default for ads that are already running, unless they opt out. That means someone tapping your ad might land on a page inside the app with product details and suggestions, instead of going straight to your website.

For a shop with a catalogue, that might be fine. For a service business that needs enquiries, bookings or calls coming through its own site, it's worth ten minutes this week to check what your ads are actually doing. Here's what I'd look at, plus the other Meta news from the last few weeks that's worth knowing.

01What is Meta's product browsing change?

Here's what's been reported so far. From 28 October, product browsing gets turned on for existing ads on Facebook and Instagram. Meta's notice says businesses saw 3% more conversions on average with it switched on, based on a test across roughly 117,700 advertisers in August.

A few honest caveats. PPC Land says it couldn't find a Meta help page or newsroom post about it, and the only copy of the notice is a screenshot shared on LinkedIn. Meta also doesn't say what counts as a "conversion" in that 3%. So treat it as a reported change, not gospel, and check your own account.

A 3% lift in an undefined metric is a reason to test it, not a reason to trust it.

02Should you opt out?

It depends what your ad is for.

• You sell products online and use a catalogue. Product browsing might suit you. Leave it on for some ads, off for others, and compare the sales that actually land in your shop, not just what Ads Manager reports.
• You want enquiries, bookings or calls. I'd be wary. Your website is where your enquiry form, your booking system and your tracking live. If people stop short of it, you lose the data that tells you which ads are working.
• You're not sure what your ads are set up to do. That's the bigger problem, and a good excuse to look properly.

PPC Land reports there's an opt out button in the notice itself, and that you can switch product browsing on or off per ad in the Advantage+ Creative and destination settings, including after the 28th. So you're not locked in either way.

03A ten minute check for your ads this week

Open Ads Manager and go through each ad that's live right now.

1. Check the destination. Is it still sending people where you want them? Your contact page, your booking page, a product page.
2. Open the Advantage+ Creative settings. Meta keeps adding automatic tweaks. Some are useful, some aren't right for your brand. Look at what's switched on rather than assuming.
3. Make sure enquiries are tracked. If you can't tell which ad brought in a form fill or a phone call, fix that before you change anything else.
4. Set a reminder for early November. Look again once the change has had a week, and compare enquiries before and after.

04What is Muse for Small Business?

At the end of September Meta announced Muse for Small Business, an AI assistant that connects to your Instagram professional account, your Facebook Page and your ad accounts. Meta says it can review what's working, flag what isn't, draft a campaign for the following week and even help with emails and monthly finances.

The line from Meta that matters most is that "nothing publishes, sends, or spends without your approval." Good. Keep it that way.

Meta's announcement doesn't say if it's available in the UK yet, so don't be surprised if you can't find it. My take: tools like this are handy for a first draft and a second opinion. They're not a substitute for knowing your own customers. An assistant that drafts next week's campaign is only as good as the person who decides whether it's any good.

05Facebook's new feed controls

On 13 October Meta announced "Your algorithm" for Facebook, which lets people add topics they want to see more of in Feed and Reels, and tell Facebook in their own words what they want more or less of. Meta says it's rolling out, without naming countries.

Meta doesn't say anything about what this means for Pages or businesses. My guess, and it is a guess, is that clear content wins here. If your posts are obviously about one thing (coffee, gym training, wedding films in Nottingham), they're easier to match to people who've said they want that. Vague, "happy Monday" style posts have nowhere to land.

06The shiny stuff you can ignore

Search Engine Land covered a batch of new Meta ad formats this week, including Ads Super Burst, which lets brands book a 3 to 24 hour window to reach huge audiences, and First Impression Ads, a top of Feed slot that's only in a limited US test. These are built for national brands with national budgets. If you're a local business spending a few hundred pounds a month, they're not for you yet, and that's fine. The basics still do the heavy lifting: a clear offer, decent creative, the right destination and proper tracking.

07The short version

Check your ad destinations before 28 October, decide whether product browsing suits what your ads are for, and make sure you can see where your enquiries actually come from. Everything else can wait.

If you'd like a second pair of eyes on your ad account, that's part of what I do. Have a look at my services, or drop me a line and tell me what your ads are meant to be doing.