Meta Ads 2025: The most important updates worth knowing

In April 2025, Meta (formerly Facebook) introduced several major updates to its Ads Manager platform, many of which are set to significantly impact digital advertisers and media buyers.

Automatic UTM Tagging

Meta now automatically appends UTM parameters to links in your ads if none are added manually.
This feature simplifies tracking and performance analysis in platforms such as Google Analytics and third-party tracking tools, making campaign monitoring more accessible and precise.

AI Integration in Ad Performance

Meta is testing a feature called “Comment Keywords,” which uses artificial intelligence to extract positive phrases from ad comments and integrate them into ad optimization processes.

Additionally, the reaction algorithm has been updated — likes and emoji reactions from all related ad variants are now aggregated into a single performance score.
This provides a clearer, more comprehensive view of user engagement.

Stricter Policies for “Housing,” “Employment,” and “Finance” Categories

As of January 2025, Meta enforces new strict regulations for ads related to housing, job offers, and financial services:

• Targeting by gender, age, or ZIP code is no longer permitted

• Creating custom audiences is now restricted

• Only certified ad formats are allowed for these categories

These changes significantly complicate ad campaigns for sectors such as banking, loans, mortgage services, and job postings.

FTC Antitrust Action

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has formally accused Meta of acquiring Instagram (in 2012) and WhatsApp (in 2014) with the intent of eliminating competition.