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Meta ads preliminary setup guide

How to make sure everything is in place in your meta business manager in order to launch ads.

Meta Ads Setup Guide — From Zero to Launch-Ready

Everything you need to do, in order, to run Facebook & Instagram ads with Dermis. No technical skills required. Total time: about 45–60 minutes (plus one small job for whoever manages your website).

Do all of this on a laptop or desktop browser — not the phone app. Some settings simply don't exist on mobile.

One naming note before we start: Meta has renamed things over the years. "Business Manager", "Meta Business Suite" and "Business Portfolio" all refer to the same system — the portfolio is the container that holds your business assets, and Business Suite is the dashboard you manage it from. You'll see all three names around; don't let it confuse you.

Before you start — have these 5 things ready

  1. Your personal Facebook login. Your real, everyday profile. Everything below hangs off a real person's profile — Meta bans fake or duplicate profiles, and losing that profile means losing the whole setup. If you don't have one, create it now and let it sit for a few days before continuing.

  2. The Instagram login for your clinic's account.

  3. A business email address you actually check.

  4. A company debit or credit card for ad payments.

  5. Access to your website admin — or simply the email address of the person/agency who manages your site. You'll need them for one copy-paste job in Part 8.

Part 1 — Create your clinic's Facebook Page (if you don't already have one)

Skip to Part 2 if your clinic already has a Facebook Page.

Your Page is the public identity your ads run under — every ad shows your Page's name and logo.

  1. Log in to your personal Facebook account.

  2. Go to facebook.com/pages/create.

  3. Enter your Page name (your clinic's name, exactly as patients know it).

  4. Choose a category — search for something like "Skin care service", "Medical spa" or "Health/beauty".

  5. Write a one-line bio and click Create Page.

  6. Add your profile picture (your logo) and a cover photo.

  7. Fill in the details: website, phone number, address, opening hours.

  8. Publish 2–3 normal posts (a treatment photo, an intro post, anything). A completely empty page looks suspicious both to Meta's review system and to anyone who clicks your ad and checks you out.

Part 2 — Switch Instagram to a professional (business) account

Skip to Part 3 if your Instagram already says "Professional dashboard" at the top of your profile.

Ads can only run through a professional account, and it unlocks the connection to Facebook.

  1. Open the Instagram app and go to your clinic's profile.

  2. Tap the menu (☰) in the top right → Settings and activity.

  3. Scroll down to Account type and tools → Switch to professional account.

  4. Choose Business (not Creator).

  5. Pick a category (e.g. "Skin care clinic") and confirm your contact details.

Part 3 — Link your Instagram to your Facebook Page

Why this matters: this link is what lets your ads appear on Instagram under your clinic's own handle, and pulls Instagram comments and messages into the same inbox as Facebook.

  1. Go to your Facebook Page (logged in as yourself).

  2. Click Settings on the Page → Linked accounts (on some layouts it appears simply as Instagram in the left-hand menu).

  3. Click Connect account.

  4. Log in with your Instagram username and password and allow the permissions it asks for.

  5. Confirm the screen now shows your Instagram handle as Connected.

(Alternative route if that menu is hard to find: in the Instagram app → Settings and activity → Business tools and controls → Connect a Facebook Page.)

Part 4 — Create your Business Portfolio

Why this matters: the portfolio is the "filing cabinet" that officially owns your Page, Instagram, ad account and payment details in one place — and lets you give (or take away) access for staff or an agency without ever sharing your password.

  1. Go to business.facebook.com.

  2. Log in with your personal Facebook account if asked.

  3. Click Create account / Create a business portfolio.

  4. Enter:

    • Business name — your clinic's real name (this can be visible on Meta, so no nicknames or special characters).

    • Your full name.

    • Business email — the one from your checklist.

  5. Click Submit, then open the confirmation email Meta sends you and click the verification link. The portfolio isn't fully active until you do.

Part 5 — Put your Page and Instagram inside the portfolio

This is different from Part 3. Part 3 linked Instagram to your Page so ads display properly. This step is about ownership — placing both accounts inside the portfolio so it controls who can access them. You need both.

Add your Facebook Page:

  1. In business.facebook.com, click the Settings gear (bottom left).

  2. In the left menu go to Accounts → Pages.

  3. Click the blue Add button → Add a Page you own.

  4. Type your Page's name, select it, click Add. Because you're the Page admin, it's approved instantly.

Add your Instagram account: 5. Still in Settings, go to Accounts → Instagram accounts. 6. Click Add, log in with your Instagram details, and accept the permissions.

Part 6 — Create the ad account

The ad account is the wallet-and-engine: campaigns are built in it and payments run through it.

  1. In Settings, go to Accounts → Ad accounts.

  2. Click Add → Create a new ad account.

  3. Enter:

    • Ad account name — e.g. "Glow Clinic — Ads".

    • Time zone — where your clinic is.

    • Currency — the currency you'll pay in.

  4. ⚠️ Check the time zone and currency twice. They are permanent. They cannot be changed after the account is created — the only fix later is starting a brand-new ad account.

  5. Click Next, choose My business when asked who the account is for.

  6. Tick the box agreeing to Meta's terms and click Create ad account.

  7. When it asks you to add people, select yourself and switch on full control (Manage ad account) — if you skip this, the account won't appear for you in Ads Manager.

Two limits worth knowing: a brand-new portfolio can only create one ad account to begin with (this rises to three once you've run ads and made a payment), and once created, an ad account can never be moved out of the portfolio. One is all you need to launch.

Part 7 — Add your payment method

No card on file = no ads. Meta won't even let a campaign leave draft.

  1. In business.facebook.com Settings, find Billing & payments (you can also reach it via business.facebook.com/billing_hub).

  2. Open Payment methods → Add payment method.

  3. Select your new ad account, confirm the country and currency.

  4. Enter your card details (PayPal or direct debit are also available in most countries) and save.

  5. Optional but sensible for your first month: set an account spending limit — a hard ceiling on total spend. Ads pause automatically when it's reached. Good training wheels; you can raise or remove it any time.

How billing actually works (so the charges don't surprise you): Meta charges you when your spend hits a small threshold (which starts low and grows as you build payment history), plus a catch-up charge on a monthly bill date. Several small charges in your first weeks are completely normal — it's not double-billing.

Part 8 — Verify your domain, lock the doors

Three quick jobs that prevent 90% of the horror stories.

A. Verify your website domain (proves to Meta that the website belongs to you)

  1. Settings → Brand safety and suitability → Domains.

  2. Click Add, type your domain (e.g. glowclinic.co.uk) and choose the meta-tag verification option.

  3. Copy the small tag it gives you and send it to your website person: "Please add this meta tag to the <head> of our homepage." (Same place as the Pixel — send both together and it's one job.)

  4. Back in the Domains screen, click Verify. It turns green.

B. Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA)

  1. On your personal Facebook profile: Settings → Accounts Centre → Password and security → Two-factor authentication.

  2. Choose an authentication app or SMS and switch it on. Meta increasingly requires 2FA for anyone inside a business portfolio — do it now on your terms, not later when it locks you out mid-campaign.

C. Add a second admin

  1. Settings → People → Add people.

  2. Invite one trusted person (business partner, manager) by email and give them full control of the portfolio.

  3. Why: your personal profile is the master key to everything above. If it ever gets hacked, locked or disabled, a second admin is how you get your business back. Without one, recovery can take weeks.

Part 9 — Final check

Run down this list — every line should be a yes:

  • Facebook Page published, with logo, info and a few posts ✔

  • Instagram switched to professional and linked to the Page (Part 3) ✔

  • Page, Instagram and ad account all sitting inside the portfolio (Parts 5–6) ✔

  • Payment method saved on the ad account ✔

  • Domain verified, 2FA on, second admin added ✔

Common traps — read once, save yourself weeks

  • Currency and time zone are permanent per ad account (Part 6). Triple-check them.

  • Warm up, don't sprint. Brand-new accounts that jump straight to big daily budgets get flagged by Meta's automated systems. Start small, scale over weeks.

  • Expect the security speed bump. New account + new card sometimes triggers an identity check or a temporary restriction. Don't panic and don't create a second account (that makes it look worse). Go to business.facebook.com/accountquality, follow the steps, request a review, and wait — most clear in 24–48 hours.

  • Never borrow, buy or share ad accounts or profiles. Everything must trace to your real profile and your real business, or you're building on sand.

  • Guard the master key. The personal profile that created the portfolio effectively owns everything. Strong password, 2FA, second admin.

  • One portfolio is enough. Multiple portfolios for one business creates confusion and looks suspicious to Meta.

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