Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.upstackdata.com/llms.txt
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The Short Version
Meta’s Health & Wellness flag lives on your domain, not your pixel. Any pixel that receives events from a flagged domain inherits the flag — even a brand-new pixel. Domain aliasing solves this by routing all events through a clean, unflagged domain so Meta never associates your new pixel with the restricted one.Why the Flag Is Domain-Level (and Why That Matters)
When Meta flags a store under Health & Wellness, the flag is applied to the root domain (e.g.,yourstore.com). This is a critical detail that catches many brands off guard.
Here’s what it means in practice:
Creating a new pixel doesn’t help. If you create a fresh pixel and start sending events from yourstore.com, that new pixel gets flagged too. The flag follows the domain, not the pixel ID.
Subdomains don’t help. Sending events from shop.yourstore.com or checkout.yourstore.com still traces back to the same root domain. Meta’s systems resolve subdomains to their parent.
Changing your Shopify domain doesn’t help (usually). If you switch from a .myshopify.com domain to a custom domain, you’re still operating on a domain that Meta can flag. And if the custom domain was already flagged, it stays flagged regardless of what platform it’s on.
The flag doesn’t expire on its own. There is no known timeline for Meta to automatically remove a Health & Wellness flag. Some brands have reported flags persisting for months or longer, even after removing products.
This is why aliasing is essential — it’s the only way to present Meta with a domain that has no H&W history.
How Domain Aliasing Works
Domain aliasing is straightforward in concept: every event sent to Meta reports a different domain as its origin. Instead of Meta seeing events fromyourstore.com, it sees events from youraliasdomain.com — a clean domain with no flag history.
The Technical Mechanics
Every Conversions API event sent to Meta includes a field calledevent_source_url. This tells Meta which web page the event came from. In a normal setup, this would be something like:
Before aliasing:
event_source_url: https://yourstore.com/products/daily-vitamin-packAfter aliasing:
event_source_url: https://youraliasdomain.com/event_source_url, and associates it with the alias domain — which is clean, compliant, and unflagged.
What Meta’s Bot Sees
Meta doesn’t just accept theevent_source_url at face value. Its compliance bot periodically visits the domain to verify what’s there. When it visits your alias domain, it finds:
- A simple, compliant landing page with a generic headline and an image
- No health or wellness product content
- No supplement terminology
- No links to your flagged store
What Doesn’t Change
Aliasing only affects theevent_source_url field in the CAPI payload. Everything else remains accurate:
- User identifiers (hashed email, phone, click ID) still match the real customer
- Event timing still reflects when the action actually happened
- Conversion values still reflect real purchase amounts
- Attribution still connects the conversion to the correct ad click
What Makes a Good Alias Domain
The alias domain needs to satisfy Meta’s compliance checks without raising any red flags.It Must Be a Root Domain
youraliasdomain.com works. alias.yourstore.com does not. Meta resolves subdomains to their root, so a subdomain of a flagged domain is still associated with the flag. The alias must be an entirely separate root domain.
It Must Be New to Meta
The domain should have no prior history with Meta’s ad system. Don’t reuse an old domain, a domain from a previous brand, or a domain that was ever connected to a Meta pixel. Register something fresh.It Must Have a Compliant Landing Page
When Meta’s bot visits, it needs to find a page that looks like a normal, non-health website. A single page with a generic headline and a stock image is sufficient. The page does not need to be functional — no forms, no checkout, no navigation. What to avoid on the page:- Health, wellness, supplement, or medical terminology
- Product images of pills, capsules, powders, or health products
- Links to your real store
- Any content that could be interpreted as health-related
It Must Stay Live
Meta’s bot can revisit the alias domain at any time. If the domain expires or the landing page goes down, Meta may flag the events as coming from an invalid source, which could disrupt your tracking.How Aliasing Fits into the Full Solution
Domain aliasing handles one specific problem: preventing the flagged domain from tainting your new pixel. But it works in tandem with the other three components: Without server-side-only tracking, the browser pixel would still fire from your real domain, sending the realevent_source_url directly to Meta — bypassing the alias entirely.
Without data sanitization, even though the domain looks clean, the event payload would still contain product names and URLs from your flagged store. Meta’s classifiers could flag the content regardless of the source domain.
Without custom event mappings, standard event names like “Purchase” or “AddToCart” on a store that sells health products could still draw scrutiny from automated systems.
All four layers need to be in place. Aliasing is the visible “front door” — it determines what domain Meta associates with your pixel. The other three components ensure that everything behind that front door is also clean.
Common Questions
Will Meta eventually flag the alias domain too?
As long as the alias domain’s landing page stays compliant and the event data sent from it is sanitized (which Upstack handles automatically), there is no reason for Meta to flag it. The alias domain never has health/wellness content, and the events from it never contain flaggable product data.Can I use the same alias domain for multiple stores?
Generally no. Each store should have its own alias domain to avoid cross-contamination. If Meta were to flag one store’s alias domain for any reason, you wouldn’t want it to affect your other stores.Does the alias domain need SSL/HTTPS?
Yes. Meta expectsevent_source_url values to use HTTPS. Most modern hosting providers and domain registrars include free SSL certificates, so this is usually automatic.
Can I use the alias domain for anything else?
It’s best to keep the alias domain dedicated solely to this purpose. Don’t use it for email marketing, other ad platforms, or any purpose that could generate content Meta might scrutinize. The simpler and cleaner it stays, the better.What happens to the alias domain if I stop using Upstack?
The alias domain is yours — you registered it. If you stop using Upstack, you can let it expire or repurpose it. However, if you plan to continue running Meta ads for a health/wellness brand, you’ll need some form of domain aliasing regardless of what tracking solution you use.What You Need to Do
You’re responsible for registering the alias domain and setting up the landing page. Upstack handles the technical aliasing — replacing theevent_source_url in every CAPI event.
For step-by-step instructions:
How to Set Up an Alias Domain for Health & Wellness Tracking →