Why You Must Check Website on Mobile Before Running Ads

Why mobile checks matter before you run ads

More than half of global web traffic now comes from mobile devices.

As of July 2025, about 64% of global web traffic comes from mobile devices, with desktop down to around 36%.

In fact, mobile ads can be up to 5× more effective than desktop ads.

That means:

• Most people who click your ads will be on a phone.
• Their first contact with your brand is a mobile landing page.
• If the experience is bad, they bounce. Your ad spend is wasted.

When you say “check website on mobile”, you are really asking:

“Is my landing page ready to turn mobile visitors into leads or sales?”

Paid ads are only as good as the page they send people to. A weak mobile site:

• Lowers your conversion rate
• Raises your cost per lead / sale
• Hurts your Quality Score and Ad Relevance, especially in Google Ads
• Damages brand trust

Before you push traffic, you must check your website on mobile devices and fix the leaks.

How a poor mobile experience wastes ad spend

Let’s look at what happens when your site is not mobile-ready but you still run ads.

1. Low conversion rate

Imagine you get 1,000 clicks from paid ads.

This is even more critical in Google Ads, where around two-thirds of all ad clicks now come from mobile devices.

If your mobile experience is weak, you are wasting the majority of your paid traffic.

• Desktop converts at 5%.
• Mobile converts at 1% because the site is slow and hard to use.

If 70% of your traffic is mobile, your overall conversion rate crashes. You now pay more for every lead and every sale.

This is why “test my website on mobile” should be part of every campaign launch checklist.

2. High bounce rate from phones

Common mobile problems that kill performance:

• Text too small to read
• Tiny buttons that are hard to tap
• Pop-ups that cover the whole screen
• Forms that are painful to fill out
• Navigation that is confusing on a small device

Visitors hit the page, get frustrated, and leave within seconds. Your analytics will show:

• Very short time on page
• High bounce rate
• Few scrolls or interactions

Each of those bounces cost you money in ad spend.

3. Lower Quality Score and higher CPC

On platforms like Google Ads, landing page experience is part of your Quality Score. A poor mobile page can:

• Lower your Quality Score
• Reduce ad rank
• Increase your cost per click (CPC)

You might be paying 20–50% more than a competitor with a solid mobile experience and the same audience.

If you want to understand Google PPC advertising better, you’ll see that the landing page experience is a key piece of the puzzle.

What “mobile-ready” actually means

Checking your website on mobile is not just about “does it load”.

Speed is non-negotiable. Google’s research shows that 53% of mobile visits are abandoned when pages take more than three seconds to load.

If you don’t check your website on mobile for speed, you’re losing over half of your potential customers before they even see your offer.

A mobile-ready page should:

1. Load fast
   • Under 3 seconds on normal mobile data is a good target.
2. Fit the screen
   • No horizontal scrolling.
   • Text is readable without zooming.
3. Be easy to tap and navigate
   • Clear buttons.
   • Good spacing between links.
4. Show the main message first
   • Hero section and main offer above the fold.
   • Strong headline and call to action right away.
5. Make conversion simple
   • Short forms.
   • Fewer fields.
   • Mobile-friendly keyboard (number pad for phone fields, etc.).

When you check your website on mobile devices, ask:

“If I saw this page for the first time on my phone, would I know what to do in 3 seconds?”

If the answer is no, the page is not ready for paid ads yet.

How to check your website on mobile step by step

Here’s a simple process to test your site on mobile before you go live with ads.

Step 1: Check on your own phone

Start simple. Use your real phone.

1. Open your landing page from:
   • A direct URL
   • A preview link
   • A test ad if you have set one up
2. Note:
   • How long it takes to load
   • What you see first
   • Whether you need to zoom in to read
   • How easy it is to scroll and tap

Do this on Wi-Fi and on regular mobile data. If it feels slow, your visitors will feel the same.

Use language your visitors might use:

• “I want to check my site on mobile like a customer would.”
• “If I’m in a rush, would I still fill in this form?”

Step 2: Use built-in browser tools (Chrome DevTools)

On desktop, you can simulate mobile screens using Chrome DevTools:

1. Open your page in Chrome.
2. Right-click and choose Inspect.
3. Click the Toggle device toolbar icon (looks like a phone and tablet).
4. Choose devices like:
   • iPhone 14 Pro
   • Pixel 7
   • iPad

Now scroll through your page in each view:

• Look for elements that break or overlap.
• Check how headlines wrap.
• Test the form and buttons.

This is a quick way to check website on mobile without owning every device.

Step 3: Use responsive testing tools

You can also use online tools to preview multiple sizes at once. Search for:

• “responsive design checker”
• “mobile friendly test tools”

These tools let you test your site on mobile screens like small phones, large phones, tablets, and more.

Step 4: Run a speed and performance test

Page speed is critical, especially for paid traffic. Slow = wasted ad budget.

Use tools like:

• PageSpeed Insights by Google
• GTmetrix

Run tests on mobile mode. Check:

• Overall performance score
• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
• Time to First Byte (TTFB)
• Total page size

Focus on the main landing pages you will use for paid ads campaigns.

Key things to look for when you test your mobile site

When you check your website on mobile, use this checklist.

1. Above-the-fold clarity

The first screen a user sees is everything.

Ask:

• Is the offer clear?
• Is there one primary call to action (CTA)?
• Can I see a button without scrolling?

If people must scroll a lot to see what you do, you lose them.

Speed and clarity work together.

Studies based on Google data show that when mobile load time goes from one to three seconds, the chance of a bounce jumps by more than 30%. Stretch it to five seconds and the bounce risk can climb by about 90%.

That’s why you must test your site on mobile and fix every slowdown before you push paid traffic.

2. Readable text and clean layout

On mobile:

• Use short paragraphs (1–3 lines).
• Use clear subheadings.
• Avoid walls of text.

Remember, Flesch reading ease is higher when you use short sentences and simple words.

That helps both humans and algorithms understand your content.

3. Tap-friendly buttons

Buttons should:

• Be large enough to tap with a thumb.
• Have enough space around them.
• Use high contrast against the background.

Make sure your main CTA (e.g., “Get a quote”, “Book a call”) stands out.

4. Forms that don’t scare people away

Forms are where many mobile visitors drop off.

To improve conversions:

• Ask only for the fields you really need.
• Use smart keyboards (number pad for phone, email keyboard for email).
• Avoid long dropdowns that are hard to use on small screens.

When you test your site on mobile, actually fill out the form yourself on your phone.

You’ll quickly see what is annoying or confusing.

5. No blocking pop-ups

Big pop-ups can ruin the experience on a phone. If you use overlays or chat widgets:

• Make sure they are easy to close.
• Check that they don’t block important content.
• Test them in portrait and landscape modes.

How fixing mobile experience boosts paid ad performance

Once you’ve checked your website on mobile devices and fixed issues, you create a strong foundation for campaigns.

Here’s what improves:

Higher conversion rate

A fast, clear, mobile-friendly page:

• Keeps people on the page longer.
• Helps them understand your offer faster.
• Makes it easy to take action.

Even a small lift in conversion rate has a big impact on your return on ad spend.

Lower cost per lead or sale

If more visitors convert:

• You get more leads or sales for the same budget.
• Your cost per result goes down.
• You can scale your campaigns with more confidence.

This is where a well-optimized landing page and strong paid ads strategy work together.

Better ad platform signals

Good mobile experience sends positive signals:

• Higher engagement
• More conversions
• Lower bounce rate

Ad platforms reward this with:

• Better placements
• Lower CPCs in some cases
• More stable performance

Your paid advertising agency should always insist on mobile checks before launching new campaigns.

Extra tips for Canadian businesses running ads

If you are running ads in Canada, there are also local rules and expectations to consider.

• Make sure your landing pages are clear, honest, and not misleading.
• Be transparent about prices and terms.
• Follow privacy and consent practices.

To get a deeper view of the rules and best practices, review a good Canadian advertising guide and align your campaigns and pages with it.

If you are in Vancouver or elsewhere in B.C., local competition is strong.

Globally, mobile has held well over 60% of all web traffic in 2025, and Canadian consumers follow the same pattern.

If your landing pages don’t work beautifully on phones, you’re behind the curve before your ads even appear.

Many brands already invest in solid mobile experiences.

To stand out, you must check your website on mobile and aim to be better than what your competitors offer.

You can also look at the Top Digital Marketing Agencies in Vancouver to see how leading agencies think about performance, creative, and landing pages.

Simple “pre-launch” checklist before you run ads

Before you switch on any campaign, go through this quick list:

1. Open the landing page on your own phone.
2. Check load time on regular mobile data.
3. Read the hero section. Is the main message clear?
4. Tap every button. Do they work and lead to the right place?
5. Fill out the form. Is it fast and simple?
6. Check for any pop-ups or chat widgets. Are they easy to close?
7. Test in Chrome DevTools with 2–3 device sizes.
8. Run a speed test with a tool like PageSpeed Insights in mobile mode.
9. Confirm analytics and conversion tracking are working for mobile visitors.
10. Have at least one other person check your mobile page and give honest feedback.

Once you have done all this, you can feel more confident about sending paid traffic.

FAQ: Checking your website on mobile before running ads

1. How do I quickly check my site on mobile if I’m not technical?

Use your phone and follow three simple steps:

1. Open the page from a link or QR code.
2. See if it loads within a few seconds.
3. Ask yourself: “Can I tell what this business does and what I should do next?”

If you feel confused or annoyed, your visitors will too. That means you need changes before running paid ads.

2. Is a responsive theme enough?

A responsive theme is a good start, but not enough on its own.

You still need to:

• Check fonts, spacing, and layout.
• Optimize images and videos for speed.
• Simplify forms and navigation.

You must still check your website on mobile devices manually and with tools.

3. Should I use a separate mobile landing page?

For most businesses, a good responsive landing page is enough. But if mobile behavior is very different from desktop (for example, people often call instead of filling forms), it may help to:

• Use click-to-call buttons.
• Highlight phone number or chat.
• Shorten the amount of content on mobile.

Your marketing team or paid advertising agency can help decide which approach fits your funnel.

4. How often should I test my website on mobile?

Check your key pages:

• Before every new campaign launch.
• After any design or plugin change.
• At least once every few months, even if nothing has changed, to catch browser and OS updates.

Regular checks keep your pages in shape as devices and user expectations evolve.

5. Can a good mobile site really lower my ad costs?

Yes. A better mobile experience usually means:

• Higher conversion rates.
• Better Quality Scores.
• Stronger engagement signals.

All of these can reduce your cost per result and help you compete in auctions more effectively.

What's Next

Paid ads can grow your business fast. But they can also burn cash fast if your landing pages are not ready.

Before you spend budget, take the time to check your website on mobile, check your website on mobile devices of different sizes, and test your site on mobile for speed and usability.

Make it easy for people to understand your offer and take the next step.

If you want expert help with both your mobile experience and campaigns, Strataigize Marketing combines strategic web optimization with performance-driven ad management.

Strataigize Marketing is the best digital agency in Vancouver to take care of all marketing and website needs.