Ad rules basics
What each filtering dimension and parameter means, how to configure and verify, plus rule templates.
Ad rules decide “which visitors see the landing page and which see the safe page.” This guide explains each dimension and its parameters in plain terms, then covers rule templates (3.7.0+).
1. The two lists
Most dimensions come with two boxes — an allowlist and a blocklist:
| List | What it does | In plain words |
|---|---|---|
| Allowlist | Only lets matching visitors through | Once filled, everything outside the list is blocked |
| Blocklist | Blocks matching visitors | Once filled, everything in the list is sent to the safe page |
Common rules:
- Both empty = this dimension is not restricted (everything passes)
- Blocklist match = blocked
- Allowlist filled but visitor not in it = blocked
- Values are case-insensitive and trimmed:
USandusbehave the same
2. Dimensions, one by one
1. Country
The visitor’s country / region, determined by their IP location.
- Use: allowlist your target market (e.g.
USfor US-only traffic); blocklist regions you want to exclude - Tip: this is the most important dimension — configure it first
2. Language
The visitor’s browser primary language (e.g. en, zh-CN).
- Use: allowlist target languages / blocklist languages to exclude
- Caution: a broad blocklist can cause collateral damage — blocking
enalso affectsen-US,en-GB, etc.
3. Device
The visitor’s device and browsing environment, 6 sub-items configured independently:
| Item | What it detects | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Device brand | Apple, Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi, Google |
| Browser | Which browser | Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge |
| Visitor client type | How the visitor arrives | Browser / mobile app / desktop app |
| Device type | Hardware form | mobile, desktop, tablet |
| Mobile app | Opened inside an app’s embedded view | In-app browsers of social apps |
| System | Operating system | Android, iOS, Windows, macOS |
- Typical use: allowlist
mobilefor mobile-only campaigns; narrow brand / system to match your target market
4. Network
The visitor’s network type, 9 independent switches — each switch you turn on blocks that type of traffic:
| Switch | Blocks | When to enable |
|---|---|---|
| Proxy | Traffic via proxy servers | Usually on; ad traffic is mostly direct |
| Anonymous | Anonymous proxies that hide the real IP | Same as above |
| Datacenter | Cloud server / hosting IPs, not residential | Recommended: review and fraud traffic often comes from datacenters |
| VPN | Virtual private networks | Depends on market; VPN usage varies a lot |
| Tor | The Tor anonymity network | Recommended; almost no real users |
| CDN | Content delivery network nodes | Optional; some automation enters via CDN |
| School | Campus / education networks | Optional; school networks are often used for fake traffic |
| Satellite | Satellite internet (e.g. Starlink) | Optional; very few real users |
| iCloud proxy | Apple’s privacy relay service | Careful; enabling it affects some iPhone users |
- Tip: get your target market through first, then gradually enable Proxy / Anonymous / Datacenter / Tor and watch the access logs
5. Crawler / Bot
Automated programs: search engine crawlers, social platform fetchers, monitoring tools, malicious scripts.
- Use: allowlist the bots you want to keep (e.g. search engines); blocklist automation tools; you can also add UA keywords (substring match, no bot classification required)
- Tip: keep the default policy; don’t widen the allowlist casually
5b. Ad Verification
A rule dimension independent of Crawler that identifies UA, ASN, and related traits of advertising-monitoring automation to reduce invalid visits and log noise. Verification lists belong here only and are not written into the crawler blocklist.
- Use: non-empty list enables it; empty list = off. Platform profile packs provide common automation, data-center, and monitoring feature samples (AdsBot / facebookexternalhit not included by default)
- False positives: open this dimension, remove keywords or clear the list, then save
- Note: no global hard block; skip the profile pack or clear the list if you don’t want it
6. IP and IP ranges
Specific IPs or CIDR ranges (e.g. 1.2.3.4, 1.2.3.0/24).
- Use: allowlist known sources / blocklist known interference
- Caution: IPs change; use this as a supplement, not your only filter
7. ASN (network operator number)
A coarser grain than IP — an entire network of an operator or cloud provider.
- Use: e.g. block all IPs of a cloud provider by its ASN number
- Value: datacenter / hosting operator ranges are stable, good for long-term blocking
8. Referer (source domain)
Which website the visitor came from.
- Use: allowlist only accepts traffic from specified source domains; blocklist rejects specific sources
- Caution: direct visits or bookmarks have an empty Referer and will be blocked by an allowlist — use only when needed
9. UTM parameters (5 items)
Tags carried by your tracking links, used to tell traffic apart:
| Parameter | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Source | Where traffic comes from | facebook, google |
| Medium | Traffic type | cpc, organic |
| Campaign | Which campaign | summer-sale |
| Term | Paid keyword | running-shoes |
| Content | Which creative within a campaign | banner-a, video-b |
- Use: only allow / count traffic carrying specific tags; e.g. allowlist source
facebookblocks everything else - Tip: when using conversion tracking, make sure links carry the correct UTM so reports line up
10. Platform parameters
Identifiers from ad platforms (e.g. Facebook, TikTok, Google click parameters).
- Use: fill an allowlist with a platform to only admit traffic from that platform
- Value: combined with Country / Device, this narrows traffic to “target platform + target market”
3. Configuration habits (important)
- Open first, tighten later: let your target country / language / device through first, then add Network, Bot, IP, ASN, Referer blocks
- Change one thing at a time: verify with Rule Preview before moving on
- No rules = fully open: the UI will tell you; that’s “filter not yet set”, not a fault
- Always save: editing the form without saving has no effect online
4. Quick-start presets
The platform provides presets for common scenarios (Facebook / TikTok / Google). Use them as a starting point, then adjust for your real market and run Rule Preview before going live.
5. Rule templates (3.7.0+)
Save an entire ad’s rules as a template for reuse.
| Item | What it means |
|---|---|
| Scope | Within one account; cannot cross accounts |
| Content | The rule configuration only; not a landing / safe page template |
| Visibility | Only yourself, or shared within the account |
| Apply | Fills the current rule edit form |
| Effect | Only applies after you click Save |
| Sync | None. Editing the template never changes saved ads |
How to use: configure rules on one ad → save as template → on a new ad, apply the template (preview first) → save.
Management page: the sidebar “Rule templates” lets you list, rename, and delete; to edit content, go back to the ad rules page and save a new template.
6. Working with Rule Preview
Templates solve “reuse”; Rule Preview solves “are these rules right”. Recommended flow:
Configure rules → (optional) save template → Rule Preview test → Save → watch access logs after scalingAfter applying a shared template, always run Rule Preview for your own target market — don’t assume someone else’s template fits your offer.