The honest test is whether the phone rings with people you want to talk to, and whether those people turn into work. Everything else is a supporting detail. If inquiries are up but booked jobs are flat, the ads are not the problem.
The numbers worth watching each week are cost per lead, cost per booked estimate, and close rate. Those three together tell you where the pipeline is breaking, which is the only thing you need to know in order to decide what to fix.
What to ignore is anything that measures attention without measuring intent. Impressions, reach, and engagement rate can all look excellent while a campaign produces nothing you can bill for.
If you are not sure where the break is, the page on what is a good cost per lead walks through how to set a target, and the reporting page covers what we send each month.
Related reading: What makes a good ad for a contractor, Can I run ads in a small service area and Do I need a big budget to start.
The three numbers that matter
- Cost per lead, tracked by campaign and by town
- Cost per booked estimate or appointment
- Close rate from estimate to signed job
- Average job value from paid traffic
- Total return across a full month rather than a single week