Define success with a clear objective.
Define what you want advertising to achieve. Phone calls, quotation requests and product sales are different objectives. Treating them as equally valuable can make reporting misleading. A click on a contact button, for example, is not the same as a qualified enquiry. Decide what to track in the context of your sales process.
Make your landing page deliver on the ad.
An ad for a specific service should lead to a page that explains that service. The page needs a clear scope, the information visitors need and a straightforward way to get in touch. Test the form on mobile and make sure the phone link works. Before creating the ad, address the questions people are likely to have when they land on the page.
Separate ad spend from service fees.
Platform spend, campaign management and any content production are separate expenses. Review Google Ads budget settings against the platform’s current terms. Do not set your budget solely around what you think competitors spend. Consider your target locations, the value of the service, your sales capacity and the resources available for a test period. Google Ads: Choosing your bids and budget.
Test conversion tracking before launch.
Seeing an action in a report is not enough; it needs to be recorded under the right conditions. A successfully submitted form, a click on a phone link and a completed sale are different events. Decide which event represents the campaign objective. Define tracking during setup so test submissions and repeated actions do not distort the assessment.
Track enquiry quality as well as volume.
Look beyond click and enquiry counts to assess how well incoming requests fit your service. Agree who will follow up and how outcomes will be recorded. Reporting discussions should connect spend, qualified enquiries and next steps. Assess campaign results alongside your sales capacity and follow-up process.
Before you begin: a checklist
- Are the campaign objective and target locations clear?
- Does the landing page match the ad?
- Are platform spend and management fees separate?
- Have conversion events been tested?
- Who will follow up on incoming enquiries?