Your website is ready for ads when a stranger on a phone can tell within a few seconds what you offer, where you work, roughly what it costs and how to get in touch, and when you can see afterwards that they did get in touch. If any of those is missing, ads will still bring visitors, but you will pay for clicks that leave. The 12 checks below are the ones that matter most for a small business. Do them on your own phone, on mobile data, not on the office computer.
Why a weak website hurts ads more than it hurts anything else
Someone who finds you through a friend’s recommendation already trusts you; a dated website will not put them off. Someone who taps an ad has no such trust. They arrived from a feed or a search result with three other options one tap away. Every unclear sentence is a reason to go back.
Google also looks at the page an ad points to. A page that is slow, thin or unrelated to the ad tends to make each click cost more. So a weak website costs you twice: fewer enquiries per click, and often a higher price for each click.
The 12-point check
Speed and phone
- 11. The first screen appears in about two or three seconds on mobile data. If you are staring at white, so is your customer.
- 22. Text is readable without zooming, and buttons are big enough for a thumb.
- 33. Nothing jumps around while the page loads, and no pop-up covers the content before the visitor has read a line.
The offer
- 14. The top of the page says what you do and where, in plain words. “Emergency plumber in North Leeds” beats “Quality solutions you can trust”.
- 25. There is a price, a starting price, or at least a price range. Visitors who cannot guess the cost assume it is high.
- 36. Each service you plan to advertise has its own page or section, so an ad for one service does not land on a general home page.
Trust
- 17. Real photos of your work, your premises or your team, not only stock images.
- 28. Reviews or testimonials from real customers, with names or initials, and a link to your Google reviews if you have them.
- 39. An address or service area, opening hours and a business name that matches your ads and your Google profile.
Contact and measurement
- 110. A way to get in touch is visible on every screen: a call button, a WhatsApp button, or a short form. Not hidden at the bottom of a contact page.
- 211. The form is short (name, phone, what they need) and shows a clear thank-you message.
- 312. Clicks on the call and WhatsApp buttons and form submissions are tracked, so you can see which ads lead to contact and not just to visits.
💡 Score yourself. Ten or more: launch. Seven to nine: launch a small test while you fix the gaps. Six or fewer: fix the website first, or send ads somewhere that does not depend on it.
What to fix first if time is short
Not all twelve are equal. In order of effect on enquiries, most small businesses gain the most from: a visible contact button (point 10), a plain headline with your area (point 4), a starting price (point 5), and phone speed (point 1). Reviews and photos come next. Tracking (point 12) does not bring a single extra lead, but without it you cannot tell which ads are worth keeping.
When to skip the website for now
You do not have to wait for a perfect website to start advertising. On Facebook and Instagram, two destinations work without one: a lead form that opens inside the app, and an ad that opens a WhatsApp chat with you. Both suit local services where the customer just wants to ask a question or book a time.
Google Search ads are different. They send people to a web page, so for Google the website has to be ready. Adyft Ads asks for a website and a connected Google Ads account before it builds a Google campaign, for exactly this reason.
| Your score | Meta (Facebook and Instagram) | Google Search |
|---|---|---|
| 10–12 | Website, form or WhatsApp: your choice | Ready to run |
| 7–9 | Form or WhatsApp while you fix the site | Small test on your best service page |
| 0–6 | Form or WhatsApp only | Wait until the website is fixed |
If the check says “rebuild”
Sometimes the honest answer is that the site cannot be patched: it is not built for phones, it runs on a builder you have lost the login for, or it describes a business you were five years ago. Adyft Sites builds websites with the points above in place from day one: a WhatsApp button and enquiry form on every plan, tracking for calls, WhatsApp clicks and forms, and fast mobile pages. Its Growth and Pro plans also include pages made for ads and a first ad campaign set up for you.
Whatever you decide, run the check again after any change. It is the cheapest twenty minutes in your marketing budget.
Questions about websites and ads
Can a bad website make my ads more expensive?
For Google ads, often yes. Google considers the page an ad leads to, and slow or unrelated pages tend to raise what you pay per click. On any platform, a weak page means fewer enquiries for the same spend.
Should I put prices on my website?
If you can, yes, even as a starting price or a range. Visitors from ads compare quickly, and a missing price often reads as an expensive one.
Can I advertise on Facebook without a website?
Yes. A lead form inside Facebook or Instagram, or an ad that opens a WhatsApp chat, works without a website. Google Search ads need one.
How do I know if visitors from ads are contacting me?
Track form submissions and clicks on the call and WhatsApp buttons, for example with GA4 and the Meta pixel. Without tracking you only see visits, not enquiries.
How long does a ready-for-ads website take with Adyft Sites?
The Starter plan takes under 7 days, Growth about 12 days and Pro about 18 days.
Website ready? Put it in front of buyers
Adyft builds your Meta and Google campaigns and launches them in your own ad account. 14-day free trial, no card.