Before you spend those free ad credits.

01 · The offer

What are people buying?

Choose a specific buyer and a problem they want solved. Explain what they get, what it costs or how pricing works, and what happens next.

A visitor should recognize: "This is for me. I understand what I'm getting."

Check itShow the offer to someone unfamiliar with your business. Ask them to explain it back. Fix what they misunderstand.

02 · The money

How much can a customer cost?

A sale can still lose money. Work out what remains after making and delivering the product, payment fees, and expected returns.

Spend $100 to acquire that order and you have lost $20 before overhead. A credit can hide the problem for a while.

Check itSet a customer-cost limit that leaves enough for overhead and profit. For services, include how many qualified leads it takes to win one customer.

03 · The platform

Would you buy these clicks without the promo?

Pick the platform because it fits your buyer. Someone urgently searching for a repair needs a different message from someone discovering a product while scrolling.

Read the credit terms: required spending, eligibility, deadlines, expiry, and normal costs afterward. A spend-first credit still needs your money first.

Check itWrite down why this audience, on this platform, would want this offer. "They sent me a coupon" is not enough.

04 · The landing page

Send people to the thing you advertised.

A landing page is where someone arrives after clicking. It can be a product page, service page, or dedicated campaign page.

If the ad promises one service, the page should explain that service immediately. Don't send visitors on a hunt through your homepage.

Google's guidance includes relevance, usefulness, navigation, and the expectations set by the ad.

Check itRead the ad, then open the destination. Does the promise continue? For calls or local visits, check the listing, opening hours, and phone coverage too.

05 · The copy

Give people reasons to buy.

Copy is the wording that helps someone decide. Answer their real questions: what is included, how long it takes, what it costs, and whether it fits.

Check itRead the page aloud. Replace vague praise with useful facts. Never add a promise your business cannot keep.

06 · Something to show

Let the buyer see what they get.

Show the product clearly. Demonstrate how it works. If you sell a service, show a sample deliverable or explain the work step by step.

Give people something they can examine. "We're the best" asks them to take your word for everything.

Check itCan someone see what they are paying for? Are your pictures accurate and your claims supported?

07 · The design

Try it on your phone.

Can you read the text? Find the price? Tap the button? Does a popup cover the thing you came to see?

Design should make the offer easy to understand and the next step easy to use. A simple, clear page is a workable starting point.

Check itUse a real phone and a keyboard. Check loading, text size, image clarity, form labels, and visible focus. Fix anything that blocks the purchase.

08 · The next action

Buy. Book. Call. Which one?

Choose a main action and name it clearly. "Request a quote" tells people more than "Submit." Ask only for information needed at that stage.

Then follow the whole path. A form can look fine while sending inquiries to an inbox nobody checks.

Check itSubmit a test inquiry or booking. Use your store's supported checkout test. Verify the record and customer confirmation, not just the button.

09 · Source tracking

Know which ad brought them.

Source tracking labels where visitors came from. Use your platform's supported tagging setup or consistent UTM labels on campaign links.

UTMs are small pieces of text added to a link. They identify the source, channel, campaign, and optional ad variation.

utm_source

newsletter_partner

utm_medium

email

utm_campaign

autumn_offer

utm_content

product_photo_a

Google Analytics can report these values. Where supported, carry the source into the lead or order record too.

Check itOpen a tagged test link and confirm its campaign appears in your reporting. Keep personal information out of URLs and respect applicable privacy and consent requirements.

10 · Sales tracking

Did they actually buy?

A form submission is an inquiry. A qualified lead fits your offer. A booking reserves time. A completed sale brings revenue. Track them separately.

Installing analytics doesn't prove purchase tracking works. In ecommerce, check the order value and make sure one order isn't counted twice.

Check itCompare a test event with the real order, booking, or lead record. Compare ad-platform reports with business records before deciding what the campaign earned.

11 · The follow-up

Who answers when someone responds?

Assign a person to new inquiries. Decide when they respond, what they send, and how they follow up.

Check stock, appointment availability, and delivery capacity. Paying to generate demand while you cannot serve it is an avoidable problem.

Check itFollow one test lead from arrival to response. Record which leads qualify, which buy, and why others don't.

12 · The first test

Set a limit before you launch.

Write down the buyer, offer, ad creative, destination, budget cap, and result you want to measure. The image and wording must represent what you actually sell.

Choose a review date that allows for your sales cycle. Pause for broken tracking, failed checkout, or demand you cannot serve.

Check itAgree on the spend limit and stop conditions. Judge qualified demand, customer cost, and money left after costs. Keep promotional credits separate in the calculation.