What Every Small Business Should Know Before Running Ads
Paid ads can be a great way for small businesses to reach new customers, but many people jump in before they feel ready. This often leads to wasted money, confusing results, and a feeling that ads “don’t work.”
The truth is, ads work best when a few simple things are in place. If you’re thinking about running Google or Meta ads for your business, here are the basics every small business should understand before getting started.
1. Make Sure Your Website Is Ready First
Ads can bring people to your website, but your website has to carry the rest of the load. If visitors arrive and feel confused, it won’t matter how good the ad is.
Before running ads, check that:
Your website loads quickly
Your message is clear within the first few seconds
Your contact information is easy to find
Your mobile experience is smooth
Your main service pages answer the questions your visitors have
A strong website makes your ads work better and lowers your cost per lead.
2. Know What You Want Your Ads to Achieve
Your ads should support one clear goal. Without a goal, it’s hard to know if your money is being spent wisely.
A good goal looks like:
Get more people to call your business
Increase traffic to a specific service page
Grow your email list
Book more consultations or demos
Promote a new service
Once your goal is clear, your ads can be built to support it.
3. Start With a Realistic Budget
Small businesses often guess what they should spend on ads. A better approach is to choose a budget that matches your goals and audience size.
A simple starting point:
Many local service businesses begin with $300 to $1,000 per month
Google Ads often requires a slightly higher budget, depending on competition
Meta Ads can be a cost-effective way to test messages and audiences
You don’t need a large budget to get started, but you do need enough to gather meaningful data.
4. Targeting Matters More Than You Think
The people who see your ads are just as important as the message they see. Good targeting helps you reach people who are already interested in your service.
For example:
Google Ads targets people based on search intent
Meta Ads targets people based on interests and behaviors
Both can retarget people who have visited your website in the past
When you reach the right people, you spend less and see better results.
5. Test Small Before You Scale
The biggest mistake small businesses make is trying to scale too quickly. The best ads often come from simple tests.
You can test:
Headlines
Images
Calls to action
Different audiences
Different landing pages
Start small, learn what works, and scale based on performance.
Final Thought
Paid ads can be a powerful way to grow your business, but they work best when you have a clear plan and a strong foundation. With the right message, targeting, and budget, your ads can bring in consistent leads without unnecessary spending.
If you want help getting started or improving what you already have in place, we’d be happy to talk. Reach out to BMo Ventures and let’s see how we can support your growth.
