Block links in comments on Facebook ads

For agents

Guide: Block links in comments on Facebook ads

This page: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/moderation-rules/block-links-in-comments-on-facebook-ads

Topic: Moderation rules

Time: about 2 minutes

Who can do it: Owner, Administrator or Manager

Author: https://anantgupta.xyz (Anant Gupta, founder of CommentWatchDog)

Start in the app: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/inbox

Result when done: Every comment with a link under your Facebook ads is hidden or deleted the moment it lands, except the domains you allow.

Context: Facebook has no setting that blocks links in the comments on an ad; its blocked-words list matches the exact words you type, and a link changes every time. CommentWatchDog's URLs rule catches every link in a new comment under every ad and post of the Page, hides or deletes it the moment it lands, and lets your own domains through. It works through Meta's official API: you sign in with Facebook, no password is shared, and nothing is installed in your browser. Since 2026-08-28 the URLs rule has hidden or deleted 214 link comments under Facebook ads and 237 on Facebook in all (read 2026-09-26).

Before you start

1. The rule belongs to the Page, and every ad the Page runs is covered.

2. Allowed domains are exceptions inside the URLs rule, not a general pass: another rule can still catch that comment.

3. Rules judge comments that arrive after you switch them on. Post cleanup clears the links already there.

Steps

Step 1 of 4: Switch on the URLs rule.

Where: Left sidebar, under Pages, click the Page that runs the ads, then Moderation. URLs is the first of the rules that match what is in the text. Its switch turns it on for every ad and post of the Page.

Link: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/inbox (Open the app)

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/moderation-text.en.webp (The URLs rule, switched on.)

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/moderation-text-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)

You should see: From the next comment on, every link under an ad or post of the Page is caught.

Step 2 of 4: Allow your own domains.

Where: Inside the URLs rule, add the domains you never want caught: your own site, your shop, your booking page. Type one and press Enter; add both forms if your links appear with and without www. Everything else that looks like a link is still caught.

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/moderation-text.en.webp (Allowed domains, inside the URLs rule.)

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/moderation-text-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)

You should see: Your links pass, and other links are still caught by the rule.

Step 3 of 4: Set the scope and the action.

Where: Apply moderation to, under the rules: Ads only or Both. The action at the end of the URLs row: Delete is the usual choice for links, because nobody wants a spam link back. Hide keeps it visible to its author and their friends only.

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/moderation-whitelist.en.webp (Apply moderation to: both, ads only, or posts only.)

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/moderation-whitelist-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)

You should see: The scope covers every rule on the Page; the action is the rule's own.

Step 4 of 4: Check the inbox.

Where: Filter Visibility to Hidden, or open the Bin for deletions. Each link comment the rule caught carries the URLs label on its row. Unhide brings one back if it should have stayed, and its domain goes on the allowed list.

Link: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/inbox (Open the inbox)

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/inbox-hidden.en.webp (Hidden by a rule, with the rule named.)

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/inbox-hidden-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)

You should see: The link spam is out of sight under every ad, and your own links are still there.

If something is off

Problem: My own link is still being hidden

Fix: The domain must be in the URLs rule, not the whitelist, and in the form people actually type. Add both forms if your links appear with and without www.

Problem: A link under my ad was not caught

Fix: The scope is Posts only, or the rule was switched on after the comment arrived. Set the scope to Ads only or Both; Post cleanup clears the older ones.

Problem: A customer posted a link I wanted to keep

Fix: Unhide it from the inbox and add its domain to the allowed list. If it was deleted, it cannot come back; consider Hide for this rule.

Problem: The spam moved from links to phone numbers

Fix: Switch on Emails and phone numbers next to URLs. Link sellers change tactics; the rules cover each one.

Common questions

Question: Does it block links automatically, or do I still hide them one by one?

Answer: Automatically. Every new comment under every ad and post of the Page arrives by Meta webhook, and one with a link is hidden or deleted the moment it lands. You never open Ads Manager to hide a link.

Question: Does it catch shortened links and Telegram links?

Answer: The URLs rule catches every link in a comment; only the domains you add to its allowed list pass. If a link should have stayed, unhide it from the inbox and add that domain.

Question: Does it need my Facebook password or a browser extension?

Answer: No. CommentWatchDog works through Meta's official API and passed Meta's App Review. You sign in with Facebook, the password never passes through us, nothing is installed in your browser, and access can be removed in Facebook at any time.

Question: Should link comments be hidden or deleted?

Answer: Delete is the usual choice: nobody wants a spam link back, and deleting removes it from Facebook for everyone. Hide keeps it visible to its author and their friends only, which suits a Page that would rather keep every record reversible.

Question: Which plans include the URLs rule?

Answer: Every plan, from the free trial on. The link, phone, keyword, emoji and profanity rules are on every plan. One credit per incoming comment, however many rules are on.

Related guides

The whitelist and what to allow: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/moderation-rules/the-whitelist-and-what-to-allow

Hide comments on Facebook ads automatically: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/moderation-rules/hide-comments-on-facebook-ads-automatically

The twelve rules, one by one: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/moderation-rules/the-twelve-rules-one-by-one

Plain text of this guide: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/moderation-rules/block-links-in-comments-on-facebook-ads.md

All guides for assistants: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/llms.txt