5 things your website needs before you run Meta ads

Many sellers start running ads the moment their account is open, spend the budget, and then can’t tell which ad drove which order. The problem usually isn’t the ads themselves but a website that wasn’t ready.

1. Pixel and Conversions API

• Install the Meta Pixel and confirm that events like ViewContent, AddToCart, InitiateCheckout and Purchase are reported correctly.
• Where possible, also enable the Conversions API (server-side events) to reduce data lost to browser blocking.
• Check each event with the Test Events tool to avoid duplicate firing.

Tracking data is what the ad system learns from. If the data is wrong, the system can’t find the people who will actually buy.

2. Domain verification and event setup

• Verify your domain in Business Manager.
• Confirm which conversion events to optimize for, in order of priority.

3. Landing pages

• Send traffic to the product page or campaign page for the product the ad promotes.
• The top of the landing page should match the selling points in the ad creative.
• Pages must load fast on mobile, since most ad traffic comes from phones.

4. Trust signals

People seeing your brand for the first time will look for proof that you’re legit:

• Customer reviews and real photos.
• A clear return policy and shipping times.
• A way to reach customer service.

5. Capture visitors who don’t buy right away

• Email sign-up pop-up: offer a first-order discount in exchange for an email address.
• Abandoned cart emails: remind shoppers who added to cart but didn’t pay.
• Retargeting audiences: run separate ads for people who viewed products or added to cart.

Scale up once you’re ready

Start with a small budget to test creatives and audiences. Once you’ve confirmed the tracking data is accurate and the landing pages convert, increase the budget gradually. For the full process from account setup and tracking to creative testing, see our paid ads service.