LEARNING CENTRE
Before You Spend Money on Ads, Do These 10 Things
Thinking about running Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest or Google ads? Start here first. Ads can work beautifully, but only when the page, offer and follow-up are ready.
Ads send people to your offer. They do not fix a confusing page, weak freebie or missing follow-up.
Quick Answer
Before you spend money on ads, make sure you have one clear offer, a focused landing page, a working follow-up email sequence and tracking installed. Ads do not magically create sales. They create visitors. Your landing page and follow-up do the converting.
1. Know exactly what you are promoting
Do not run ads because you want “more customers.” That is too vague. Choose one clear thing you want people to do after they click.
The clearer the offer, the easier it is to write the ad, build the landing page and measure whether it worked.
2. Do Not Send Ad Traffic to Your Homepage
I’m saying this from experience. Sending paid traffic to your homepage almost never works because a homepage gives people too many options. They can browse, click around, get distracted and leave.
When someone clicks an ad, they need to land on the exact page the ad talked about. If the ad mentions a free checklist, send them to that checklist page. If it mentions a booking, send them to the booking page. If it promotes a product, send them to that product’s sales page.
When I sent ads to my homepage, I made zero sales. When I sent people directly to a focused landing page with one clear goal, that page reached a 41% conversion rate.
Sales from sending ad traffic to my homepage
Conversion rate from sending traffic to a focused landing page
3. Make sure your landing page is ready
Your landing page does not need to be fancy, but it does need to be clear. A good page should make sense in a few seconds, especially on mobile.
| Check this before ads | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| One clear headline | People should know what the offer is straight away. |
| One main button | Too many buttons make people hesitate. |
| Mobile friendly layout | Most ad traffic will come from phones. |
| Fast loading images | Slow pages waste your ad budget. |
| No distracting navigation | The page should lead to one next step. |
A focused landing page keeps the visitor on one offer, instead of sending them through a full website menu.
4. Create something worth clicking for
If you are advertising a freebie, make sure it solves a real problem. A general “newsletter signup” is hard to promote because people do not feel like they are getting something useful right now.
A stronger freebie gives one quick win. For example, “5 email templates for following up with new enquiries” is more specific than “join my list for business tips.” Specific offers are easier for people to understand and easier for you to promote.
5. Write your follow-up emails first
This is where a lot of beginners lose money. They pay to get someone onto their list, then nothing happens after the first download email.
At minimum, write a short welcome sequence before you run ads. Send the freebie, introduce yourself, help them use the resource, then guide them toward the next step. That next step might be booking a call, watching a free training or buying a beginner-friendly product.
6. Install tracking before the ad goes live
Tracking is not the fun part, but it matters. If you do not install your Meta Pixel, Google Analytics, Pinterest Tag or conversion tracking first, you will not know what happened after someone clicked.
You need to know whether people viewed the page, signed up, reached the thank-you page or bought. Without tracking, you are guessing.
7. Test the whole journey yourself
Before you pay for traffic, go through the funnel like a customer. Click the button. Fill in the form. Check the thank-you page. Open the email. Download the freebie. Test it on your phone as well as your computer.
This step sounds simple, but it catches so many problems: broken links, missing emails, slow pages, buttons that are hard to tap and forms that feel annoying on mobile.
8. Know what success looks like
Do not judge your ad after ten clicks. Before you start, decide what numbers you are watching.
When you know the goal, you can make calmer decisions instead of changing the ad every few hours.
9. Start small and give the ad time
You do not need to spend hundreds of dollars on day one. A small daily budget can teach you a lot, especially while you are testing your offer and page.
The hard part is not touching everything too quickly. If you change the audience, creative, headline and landing page every day, you will not know what actually helped.
10. Fix the funnel before increasing the budget
If 100 visitors do not understand the page, 1,000 visitors probably will not either. More traffic does not fix confusion. It just shows you the problem faster.
Before you increase the budget, improve the headline, remove distractions, make the offer clearer and check your emails. Once the page is converting, then spending more makes sense.
Hayley’s Tip
If your page does not convert people who already know you, do not expect cold ad traffic to convert better. Share the page with your email list or social audience first. If they are confused, fix that before spending money.
The biggest mistake beginners make with ads
They think ads create customers. Ads create visitors. Your page, offer and emails turn those visitors into leads, bookings or buyers.
That is why a simple landing page with one goal will usually beat a busy homepage for paid traffic. The person clicked for a reason. Keep them focused on that reason.
A little preparation before launching ads can save a lot of wasted budget later.
FAQ
Should beginners run Facebook or Instagram ads?
Yes, but only after the basics are ready. Start with a clear offer, a focused landing page, tracking and a simple email follow-up.
Should I send ads to my homepage?
Usually, no. A homepage has too many distractions. Send people to the exact landing page, booking page or product page mentioned in the ad.
Can I advertise a freebie?
Yes. A freebie can work well for ads because the ask is small. Just make sure the freebie is specific and your follow-up emails are ready.
How much should I spend at first?
Start small. Even a small daily budget can show whether people understand the offer and whether your landing page is doing its job.
Do I need email automation before running ads?
If you are collecting emails, yes. Even a short welcome sequence is better than sending the download and disappearing.
Helpful Resources
Email List Starter Kit
Build the freebie, opt-in page and welcome emails before you start sending paid traffic.
Build Your Funnel in a Day
Free beginner training for setting up your first funnel in Systeme.io.
Systeme.io Templates
Start with a page that is already structured instead of building from a blank screen.
