Facebook ads Placement: Where Should Ads Appear?

When faced with two options, Facebook manual placement options and Automatic ad placement, advertisers feel uncertain about which one is more suitable to drive the best result for their campaigns. 

In addition to ad placements manually, advertisers can also choose Advantage+ placement, allowing Facebook to deliver ads across various positions automatically. What concerns advertisers is determining which option delivers better results. 

In this article, we will explore Facebook ad placement options, benefits each placement offers and how to select the most ad placement on Facebook for campaigns. 

Facebook ads automatic placement

Also known under advantage+ placements, It was released recently by Facebook that helps advertisers in deciding ad placement when creating campaigns. 

Advantage+ Placements (Automatic placement)

With the Advantage+ placement option, ad placement is no longer determined by the advertiser's selection. Instead, Facebook automatically displays the ad in placements it believes are most likely to reach your targeted audience.

Your ads can appear anywhere within the Meta ecosystem, which opens up opportunities to expand your ad's visibility. There may be placements you initially consider unsuitable for your campaign, but with automatic placement, you can fully leverage all available placements potentially achieving even better results.

Facebook introduced Advantage+ placements with the goal of helping ads reach more target audiences and reducing the cost per result.

One key advantage of this option is that advertisers can run ads on Instagram without needing an Instagram account. In contrast, with manual placement settings, advertisers must have the necessary accounts to access certain placements.

How It Work 

Facebook automatically displays your ads using advanced machine learning algorithms for optimization. The platform determines the best Facebook ad placements based on your initial campaign settings, including your campaign objective, target audience, content structure, and more.

According to Facebook’s statistics, ad campaigns that use automatic placements tend to deliver better results and lower cost per result.

Difference Between Automatic Placement And Manual Ad Placement Options

With manual placements, your ads are shown only in the placements you’ve selected in advance, without optimization across other available placements.
However, with the Advantage+ placements option, Facebook continuously optimizes your ad delivery until it finds the placements that deliver the best performance for your business.

One approach leverages advanced machine learning technology. The other relies on the advertiser’s experience. This is the clearest distinction between them.

When to use Advantage+ Placements

This option is recommended by Facebook for advertisers who want to optimize ad placements across the Meta ecosystem. In addition, advertisers can use Advantage+ placements to reduce their cost per result.

Advanced placements also allow advertisers to test and identify which placements deliver the best performance for their campaigns. It is often used for new ad sets or when testing new creatives to determine the most effective placement strategy.

When to manually select placements

Manual placements are ideal when you need more control over where your ads appear. If you have platform-specific creatives like vertical videos for Instagram Stories or landscape images for Facebook Feed manual selection ensures your ads display correctly and effectively. It’s also useful when your campaign has a limited budget or you're targeting a specific device, such as mobile-only app installs or desktop lead forms.

Additionally, manual placements are recommended when you want to exclude underperforming placements, run A/B tests to compare placement performance, or ensure brand safety in sensitive industries. By choosing where your ads show up, you can optimize for higher engagement, better return on ad spend, and a more tailored user experience.

13 Manual Ad Placement Options

In addition to the Facebook automatic placement option, advertisers can also choose to set ad placements manually.

However, depending on the ad format, some placements may not be available or suitable. Furthermore, if an advertiser wants to run ads on Instagram, they must link their Facebook Page to an Instagram account, a step that can be more complex compared to using Advantage+ placements.

Although Facebook recommends using Advantage+ placements because they tend to deliver strong results for many campaigns, manual placement is still the preferred option for many advertisers. Experienced advertisers often know which ad placements are not suitable for their objectives, ad formats, or campaign strategy. As a result, using automatic ad placements can sometimes require more time to optimize and identify the most effective positions.

For this reason, seasoned advertisers often advise using manual placements in such cases. With the manual placement option, advertisers can choose from 13 different placements across Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram. In the following section, we will break down and analyze each of these placements.

Facebook In-feed

Facebook In-feed ads appear directly within the user's news feed, making them one of the most visible and commonly used ad placements. They support a wide range of ad formats, including images, videos, carousels, and slideshows. 

This ad placement is highly versatile and effective for nearly all campaign objectives from brand awareness and conversions to traffic and engagement. Because these ads are integrated into the natural browsing experience, they can reach a broad audience, making them ideal for advertisers targeting various customer segments.

Facebook Marketplace

Ads in Facebook Marketplace are displayed alongside listings in the Marketplace catalog. This placement is particularly effective for conversion-focused or direct sales campaigns. Supported formats include catalog ads, carousels, videos, and slideshows. Although the audience size is smaller compared to News Feed ads, users browsing the Marketplace typically have high purchase intent.

Facebook Stories

Facebook Stories ads are immersive, full-screen vertical ads that appear in users’ Stories. They can be either images or videos in a 9:16 aspect ratio. This Facebook ads placement works well for goals such as brand awareness, website clicks, or encouraging users to send messages. Since Stories are popular among younger users, advertisers can achieve high visibility, though it’s crucial to create compelling content to reduce skip rates.
See how to run effective Facebook Stories Ads.

Facebook in-stream video ads

In-stream video ads are shown during longer Facebook videos either before, during, or after the main content. Ads may also appear as image overlays below a playing video. This placement ad supports horizontal videos and images, making it ideal for brand awareness, website clicks, or app install objectives. One key benefit of in-stream ads is their lower skip rate, as they are embedded within content users are already watching.

Facebook search results

Facebook Search Results ads appear when users search for specific keywords on Facebook. This placement is particularly effective for targeting high-intent users who are already looking for relevant products or services. Supported formats include videos, images, and more. It’s a strong choice for conversion, clicks, and messaging objectives. However, due to its effectiveness, competition can be intense, and ad costs may be higher.

Facebook Video Feed

Facebook Video Feed ads appear in the dedicated video browsing section of Facebook. Since users in this feed are focused on consuming video content, it's a great placement for engaging storytelling. Ideal for app installs, brand storytelling, and entertainment-driven campaigns.
Check out the full guide to Facebook Video Ads.

Facebook Right column

The Facebook Right Column placement appears only on the desktop version, located on the right side of the News Feed. This format supports static image ads and is best suited for click-through, brand awareness, and app install objectives. While it’s less immersive than other placements, its lower cost and visibility make it ideal for retargeting and reinforcement campaigns.

Instagram newsfeed

Instagram News Feed ads are displayed as users scroll through their Instagram feed. This placement supports various formats like image, video, carousel, and collection. It’s perfect for targeting younger audiences who are visually driven and highly engaged. Campaigns focused on brand awareness, traffic, and app installs often perform well in this placement.

Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories ads are full-screen vertical visuals that appear between users’ Stories. Formats include 9:16 vertical images or videos. While this placement provides high visibility, it can also experience high skip rates if the content isn’t eye-catching. It’s a good fit for goals like brand awareness and website clicks.

Instagram Explore

Ads in Instagram Explore appear when users browse the Explore tab, allowing advertisers to reach new audiences interested in discovery. Supported formats include horizontal and vertical videos as well as images. This placement is highly effective for driving conversions, product sales, or attracting new traffic from users unfamiliar with your brand.

Messenger sponsored messages

Messenger Sponsored Messages appear in the Facebook Feed and open a Messenger conversation when clicked. This placement is ideal for conversion, lead generation, and message-based campaigns. It supports various ad formats and enables personalized interactions with users.
Learn how to run successful Messenger ads.

Messenger Stories

Messenger Stories ads are full-screen placements in the Messenger app's Stories section. These ads typically use vertical 9:16 images or videos and are suited for goals like clicks and conversions. The immersive nature of the format helps drive focused engagement when used effectively.

Messenger inbox

Messenger Inbox ads appear directly within the inbox of users who have previously messaged your business. This makes it an excellent retargeting tool. Typically, these ads consist of a static image with accompanying text, offering a low-friction way to re-engage warm leads and past customers.

A/b testing for ad placement 

Facebook A/B testing (also called split testing) allows advertisers to compare two or more versions of an ad by isolating a single variable in this case, the placement. For example, you might show the exact same ad creative and targeting to one audience on the Facebook Feed, and to another identical audience on Instagram Stories, then analyze which performs better based on your campaign objective.

Why A/B Test Ad Placements?

Not all placements are created equal. Some work better for driving traffic, while others are more effective for conversions or video views. By conducting A/B tests, you can:

• Discover high-performing placements that align with your objectives.

• Cut wasted ad spend by removing underperforming locations.

• Fine-tune your ad delivery strategy for better ROAS.

How to Set Up an A/B Test for Ad Placement

Facebook offers two main methods to run placement tests:

1. Using Meta’s A/B Testing Tool (Experiments):

• Go to Ads Manager → Experiments.

• Choose “A/B Test” and select your campaign.

• Set up two ad sets, each with a different placement (e.g., Feed vs. Reels).

• Monitor results based on KPIs like CTR, CPC, or CPA.

2. Manual A/B Testing:

• Duplicate your ad set.

• In each version, select different placement combinations (e.g., Stories vs. Marketplace).

• Keep all other settings identical (creative, budget, audience).

• Run for 3–7 days and evaluate performance.

Key Metrics to Track During Placement Testing

Click-through rate (CTR): Measures user engagement per placement

Cost per click (CPC): Helps evaluate cost-efficiency

Cost per conversion (CPA): Identifies which placement drives action

Return on ad spend (ROAS):Indicates profitability of each placement

Conclusion

Choosing the right Facebook ad placement is not just a technical step it’s a strategic decision that directly affects your campaign performance and budget efficiency. 

Advantage+ Placement is ideal for beginners or advertisers who want to maximize delivery using Meta’s AI across all available placements. 

On the other hand, Manual Placement gives you more control, allowing you to focus on where your audience is most active and tailor creatives to fit specific formats. 

Ultimately, the best approach depends on your goals, audience behavior, and testing insights. Whether you trust automation or prefer hands-on optimization, make sure your placement strategy aligns with your broader advertising objectives.