Since Apple released their iOS 14 update, along with its additional privacy protections, Facebook requires you to verify that you own the domain(s) that you are running ads for on the Meta platform. This is a quick how-to guide for verifying your domain in the Facebook ads platform (Meta Business Manager.)
Step 1: Open Facebook for Business (Meta Business Manager)
Step 2: Open Settings
Step 3: Open More Business Settings
In the second left-hand side menu, click the option “More business settings”. This will open a more advanced settings page in a new tab (see screenshot).
Step 4: Open Brand Safety Menu
On the Business Settings page, navigate to “Brand Safety” in the left-hand side menu. This will open a submenu. Select “Domains” (see screenshot).
Step 5: Click “Add” to Add a New Domain
On the Domains page, use the blue “Add” button in the top left to add your domain (see screenshot).
You will want to enter just the domain and not include “https://” or “www.”. For example, if your website domain was “https://yellowstonedigitalmedia.com” you would just enter “yellowstonedigitalmedia.com”.
Step 6: Verify Your Domain
Verifying your domain for Facebook does not cost anything. There are three ways to verify your domain: add a meta tag to your homepage, upload an HTML file to your web directory, or add a DNS TXT record to confirm ownership.
Option 1: Add a Meta Tag to Your Website
To verify your domain this way, you will need to add a <meta> tag to your website within the <head></head> section of your source code.
If you are using a platform like WordPress, you can easily do this with a free plugin like Insert Headers and Footers.
Once you have inserted the meta tag, make sure to clear any cache that may exist on the site.
Then, click the green “Verify domain” button to verify ownership of the domain to Facebook.
Option 2: Upload an HTML File
For this verification method, download the file Facebook provides and do not edit or modify it.
Upload the file to the root directory of your domain. Your regular users are unlikely to ever see this file or its content. You will need to leave this verification file on your web server permanently.
Test your implementation by navigating to the HTML file on your website. If you have uploaded the file properly, you won’t get a 404 or other error.
One complete, click the green “Verify domain” button on the Facebook settings page to confirm and verify your domain.
Option 3: Add a DNS TXT Record
This is a more advanced method, and will require managing your website’s DNS settings.
To do this, go to your domain registrar (or CDN if you are using something like CloudFlare), log into your account, and find the section to manage your DNS records.
Create a new TXT DNS record containing the content Facebook provides, likely in the format of “facebook-domain-verification-abcdefg123456”. Some registrars may require you to put an @ symbol in the host field, otherwise leave it blank or default.
It may take a few hours for DNS servers to propagate the change you’ve made to your DNS records, but in most cases within 10 minutes you can hit the green “Verify domain” button in the Facebook settings page. Facebook will look, and if it sees your record, confirm ownership. If Facebook fails its check, wait and try again later as DNS can take some time.
