Google Ads Landing Page Checklist Before You Launch a Campaign

The five minutes you spend checking this before hitting launch is cheaper than the budget you'll waste finding these issues after the fact.

Tracking

• Page loads with a real 200 response, not a redirect chain or error
• Ad click parameters (gclid, UTM) are still present in the URL after the page fully loads
• GA4 (or your analytics platform) actually receives a hit — check Realtime, don't assume
• Conversion actions (form submit, purchase, call click) fire the right event
• If there's a cookie consent banner, tracking still works correctly once a visitor accepts it

SEO basics (matters even for a pure PPC page)

• Page isn't accidentally set to noindex (common leftover from staging)
• Title tag and meta description are present and specific to this page, not a generic template default
• Canonical tag points to itself, not a different page
• Exactly one H1, and it matches what the ad actually promised

Conversion friction

• Every form field has a proper label, not just placeholder text
• Phone and postcode fields use the right mobile keyboard type
• Required fields are kept to the minimum — every extra field measurably reduces completion
• The call-to-action button says what happens next, not just "Submit"
• No broken images or missing alt text on the page

The message match test

Beyond the technical checks: does the headline on the landing page match what the ad actually said? A visitor who clicks an ad promising "20% off winter coats" and lands on a generic homepage bounces immediately, tracking working perfectly or not — this is the single highest-impact thing on this whole list and the easiest to get wrong under launch-day time pressure.

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