Lead magnet
Data source category check
Plain-language map: Core Setup vs standard-event vs full-domain style limits.
After they see a restriction notice
Plain question
What did Facebook block on your site — and how deep is it?
Meta can limit what a website (data source) is allowed to share through Business Tools. Teams shorthand three depths. Official help frames this as data sharing restrictions based on source categories. Your Events Manager may say “Data sharing restrictions applied,” “Your data is restricted,” or show Core Setup under data restrictions.
Three depths (agency + clinic)
| Depth | What people mean | What breaks | Owner words |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core Setup | Baseline limit: custom parameters and URL path/query after the domain get stripped. | Custom audiences, advanced matching richness, URL-based rules get weaker. | “Tracking feels broken even when the pixel fires.” |
| Standard events | Lower-funnel standard events blocked or unusable for optimization (Lead, Schedule, CompleteRegistration, Purchase, etc.). | Ads keep spending. Events Manager shows nothing useful for the conversions that matter. Learning dies. | “Facebook stopped counting leads / bookings.” |
| Full domain | Domain-level block on sharing event data back to Meta for ads purposes where applied. | Zero usable conversion events. Blind spend. | “We can no longer receive any events other than page view.” |
Depths can stack or feel blurry in the UI. Do not invent a fourth tier. If screenshots disagree with the business, Book a Call for a stack-check.
How to check (15 minutes)
- Open Events Manager for the pixel / dataset tied to the live domain.
- Look for restriction banners and Data Source / Manage Data Source Categories language. Screenshot everything — including the empty Lead / Schedule chart while CRM is busy.
- Note which standard events still arrive vs which are suppressed or unusable for optimization.
- Confirm the domain in the data source matches the site running ads (resets often keep the same domain).
- Paste the site into Tracking Audit for a second opinion before the pitch.
Cash-register analogy
Ads keep the store open. Restriction stops the register from printing conversion receipts Meta can use. Changing the cash-register brand (a new pixel ID) on the same storefront often changes nothing. Recovery means usable receipts again — with consent still applying — not a bypass story.
What to do once you can name the depth
| If you see… | Plan A | Plan B |
|---|---|---|
| Core Setup / stripped params | Diagnose stack; recover usable lower-funnel events where possible | Appeal / review in parallel if you want — do not wait blind |
| Lead / Schedule blocked or suppressed | Recovery path: Start 7-day trial or Book a Call | Upper-funnel plan while lower funnel is dark |
| Full-domain style emptiness | Stack-check call first — do not guess with another reset | Appeals prep as lottery, not the product |
Related leave-behinds
- Restriction explainer — owner dialect
- Restriction risk score — when they cannot name Core Setup yet
- Why pixel resets fail — domain vs pixel
Do not say
- Calling every empty chart “full domain” — diagnose; do not escalate for drama
- Gateway / Meta CAPI Gateway education as the fix — not Crisper product surface
- Ecommerce Purchase-attribution framing — battlefield is lead-gen Lead / Schedule
Next step
Start Recovery when the path is clear. Book a Call when restriction depth is messy. Agencies: send the client pay link so the clinic funds Stripe while you keep the org.