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TroubleShoot Link Failures
If there’s a broken link included in your ad, your ad may run, but you’ll likely see reduced performance. In this case your Delivery column status will read Link Failure(s). The Link Failure(s) status means that when people click on the website link included in your ad they may have been redirected to a non-functional landing page. Link failure is usually caused by incorrectly spelled links or server errors.
Hover over the Link Failure(s) status for additional guidance. Facebook will let you know how often clicks from your ads may lead to non-functional landing pages as a percentage of your ads total link clicks. For example, if you see a failure rate of 50% this means that 50 out of the 100 clicks from your ad may have led to a non-functional landing page.
Facebook will also let you know the failure rate of each website link included in your ad. If you see a failure rate of 50%, this means that 50 out of the 100 clicks for that website link may have led to a non functional landing page. However, another link from your ad may have a 25% failure rate. Each link within an ad can be failing for a different reason.
In some cases you will be directed to the primary text or website URL field at the ad creation level in Ads Manager. There you can review and edit your link, then republish your ad.
If you’re not directed to either field it means the broken link may exist in another one of your assets. Check the following places for misspelled, inactive or outdated links:
- Product links in your catalog: Check that the product links you provide for items in your catalog begin with http:// or https:// and aren’t broken. Links must direct customers to the correct product page for that exact item on your business’s website. You’ll need to check not only the base URL for your items, but also the URL paths (or parameters).
- Existing Posts: You’ll need to check the links attached to your existing posts either in Ads Manager or on your Page.
- Instagram Boosted Post: You’ll need to go directly to the post through your Instagram account on mobile.
After you update your link it may take about 48 hours for your ad to refresh.
Possible causes of link failure
Below are examples of errors that may lead to link failures, in order from the most common to the least.
| Error Message | Definition |
| 404 Not Found | The website server can’t find your link. Your link may be inactive or misspelled. This is the most likely reason your link needs to be updated. |
| 429 Too Many Requests | The website server can’t find your link. Your link may be inactive or misspelled. This is the most likely reason your link needs to be updated. |
| 403 Forbidden | The website server recognizes your link, but it can’t provide access to it. Check that there are no permissions requirements to access your link. |
| 500 Internal Server Error | The website server has run into an unexpected error that it can’t resolve. |
| 503 Service Unavailable | The website server is temporarily unavailable due to maintenance, too many requests or another temporary server issue. |
| 400 Bad Request | The website server can’t access your link because it’s inactive or misspelled. Or, the user’s device may have invalid or expired cookies. |
| 502 Bad Gateway | The website server has a communication issue with other servers needed to complete the request. |
| 414 URL Too Long | The website server can’t find your link because it’s too long. This could be because your link is misspelled or it’s been redirected too many times. |
| 401 Unathorized | The website server can’t access your link unless your audience provides authentication. Check that there are no permissions requirements to access your link. |
| 504 Gateway Timeout | The website server has taken too long to communicate with other servers needed to complete the request. |