Should you run ads yet? A six-point readiness check

1. People who find you can understand and buy

Some visitors already turn into inquiries without ads, and people who talk to you understand what you sell and why it costs what it does. If not, fix the offer and the page first.

2. You know what a customer is worth

You know your average sale and margin, so you know how much you can afford to pay for a lead and for a customer. Without that, there’s no way to tell a good campaign from a bad one.

3. Every inquiry is tracked to its source

Forms, calls and bookings record where they came from, and you can follow them to a paying customer. Otherwise you’ll see clicks and spend, but not results.

4. Someone replies the same day

Paid leads cost money every time. If inquiries wait days for an answer, much of that money is wasted.

5. The landing page matches the ad

The page people land on says what the ad promised, in the same words, with one clear next step.

6. You have a test budget

You can spend a modest amount for a few months to learn, without needing every euro back in the first weeks. Start small, judge on cost per qualified lead, then scale what works.

Quick check

Practical notes

What I’ve learned and use in practice, checked against current benchmarks and official checklists on 10 November 2026. Experience and benchmarks, not guarantees.

The first days of a new campaign usually look bad; give it time before judging.
Watch real visitor behaviour with a free tool such as Microsoft Clarity, to see why ad traffic doesn’t convert.
If you can’t explain your offer in one sentence, don’t hand targeting to automation yet.

Sources

Enterprise Nation: Google Ads for small businesses

A good first campaign

One offer, one audience, one landing page, tracking from click to payment and a budget you can afford to learn with. For a Bay Area services company, that approach brought qualified leads at about $48 each.

Take the six-question self-check