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The 4 Numbers That Keep You from Getting Burned on Google Ads

Last Updated: July 3, 2025

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If you’ve ever gotten a PPC report that looks like a NASA flight log, you’re not alone.

Many agencies bury you in pages of charts and graphs, hoping your eyes glaze over so you won’t question where your money’s actually going. It’s not that the data is fake, but it’s often used as a smokescreen. And frankly, most of it doesn’t matter.

There are only a few numbers that truly tell the story of whether your campaign is working. If those 3 or 4 metrics look healthy, you’re probably in good shape. If they’re off, then it’s time to dig deeper. But you don’t need to live in spreadsheets to stay on top of your ads.

Here’s what you really need to watch:

1. Call Tracking: The Number That Matters Most

If you’re a service business, calls are your lifeblood. Not traffic. Not clicks. Calls.

That’s why call tracking is non-negotiable. You need to know exactly how many phone calls came from your ads, not just from your website in general.

We use a tool called CallTrax, which assigns a unique phone number to your ad campaign so we can count only the PPC calls. We pair that with PhoneSwap, which dynamically replaces the phone number on your website for visitors who came from your ads. That gets us roughly 90% accuracy on how many calls your ads are really generating.

If your agency isn’t using tools like these, or can’t clearly show you call data, you’ve got a problem.

Bottom line:
If call volume isn’t increasing:

  1. You may be targeting the wrong audience
  2. Your landing page may not be converting visitors
  3. Your tracking may be missing or set up incorrectly

Action Item:

Even if your current vendor doesn’t offer these tools, you can always layer them on separately. Reach out to us, or find another provider of phone numbers to help you get a line dedicated to your campaign.

2. Traffic Volume: A Helpful Clue, Not the Final Verdict

Watching your site traffic can help you understand whether your ads are getting seen and clicked, but traffic by itself doesn’t mean much. What matters is whether that traffic turns into actual leads.

More visitors are only helpful if more people are calling you.

Bottom line:
If traffic is up but the phone isn’t ringing:

  1. You may be attracting unqualified or irrelevant traffic
  2. Your landing page might not be persuasive or clear
  3. You could be targeting the wrong geographic area or search intent

Action Item:

Look at your Google Analytics or whichever other analytics tool you use. See what the numbers were before and after the campaign started to see what your gross numbers look like. if there’s no change, you have a problem.

 

3. CTR (Click-Through Rate): A Glance at Ad Appeal

CTR tells you how often people click on your ad after seeing it. A high CTR usually means your ad is interesting or relevant, but that doesn’t guarantee it’s bringing in the right people.

It’s common to see high CTR with low call volume. If that’s happening, it usually means:

  1. You’re targeting the wrong keywords or audience
  2. Your landing page isn’t convincing people to take action

Bottom line:
If your CTR is high but you’re not getting leads:

  1. Reevaluate your keyword and targeting strategy
  2. Look closely at your landing page, does it clearly say what you do and how to contact you?
  3. Check for any disconnect between what your ad promises and what your page delivers

Action Item:

Do a couple searches (or ask your favorite AI) to determine what an average CTR is for your industry and location. As a very rough estimate, anything under 1% is a total bust. If you’re over 3% you’re doing well. If you’re over 5%, you should probably invest more into that campaign because you’re hitting a home run.

 

4. CPC (Cost Per Click): How Efficient Is Your Budget?

CPC tells you how much you’re paying every time someone clicks your ad. A higher CPC doesn’t always mean something’s broken, but it often points to inefficiencies.

One of the biggest mistakes we see? Running ads to a page that hasn’t been SEO-optimized. If your landing page doesn’t have strong, relevant content, Google makes you bid higher to compete. That means you’ll burn through your budget faster just to keep up.

You don’t need to guess what’s normal, just do a quick search (or ask ChatGPT or Grok) for average CPC in your industry and region. If you’re way above the norm, it’s time to troubleshoot.

Bottom line:
If your CPC is high:

  1. Your landing page may not match your ads well (low relevance)
  2. Your Quality Score may be poor due to weak SEO or bad structure
  3. You may be in an ultra-competitive market, and need to budget accordingly, but still optimize where possible

Action Item:

Do some searches (or ask your favorite AI) to determine an average CPC for your industry and location. This is going to range wildly, but numbers between $5 and $15 per click are common for home-services industries. You can still get numbers below $1/click for longer-tail searches (more-specific terms).

 

Bonus: Watch How Your Budget Is Managed

Here’s a problem most business owners don’t know about:
Many agencies charge you one flat monthly fee, and don’t tell you how much goes to Google vs. how much they keep.

You might think you’re spending $1,000/month on ads. But is that:

  • $800 to Google and $200 to the agency? (Reasonable.)
  • Or $200 to Google and $800 to the agency? (Yikes.)

And here’s the kicker: this setup creates an incentive for the agency to quietly keep more of your money over time, until you notice and complain. Then they back off just enough to keep you quiet. Not every agency does this, but the temptation is always there.

That’s why we bill differently.
We charge our fee directly, and Google charges you directly. You’ll see two separate charges, one from us and one from Google, so you know exactly where every dollar is going.

Bottom line:
If you’re not sure how your budget is split:

  1. Ask for a clear breakdown of spend vs. fees
  2. Request access to your Google Ads account so you can see charges directly
  3. Make sure you’re not being overcharged while your actual ad spend quietly shrinks

Action Item:

Look at your contract (or just ask your current vendor directly) to see how your budget is being split up. It’s pretty standard for 20-25% of your total spend to be allocated toward a management fee. If you’re over 30%, you’re very likely being ripped off. If it’s way under, you should question if you’re getting quality service. Remember, you get what you pay for.

 

Final Word: These 4 Metrics Will Keep You on Track

You don’t need to know everything about digital marketing, but you do need to watch these four things:

  1. Call Tracking: Are calls increasing from your PPC efforts?
  2. Traffic Volume: Is relevant traffic coming to your site?
  3. CTR: Are your ads getting attention?
  4. CPC: Are you paying a fair amount per click?

No single number tells the whole story, but when you look at them together, you can quickly spot when something’s working… or when something’s way off.

And if an agency can’t explain these numbers in plain English? It might be time to find one that can.

Google Ads Performance Metrics FAQs


Call tracking in Google Ads involves assigning unique phone numbers to your ad campaigns to accurately measure the number of calls generated by your ads, ensuring precise tracking and reporting.


While traffic volume indicates the number of visitors to your site, it doesn’t measure the quality of those visitors. Monitoring conversion metrics is essential to assess the effectiveness of your ads.


A high CTR indicates that your ad is appealing and relevant to users. However, it’s crucial to ensure that this translates into actual conversions and leads.


To assess if your CPC is reasonable, compare it against industry benchmarks and evaluate the return on investment (ROI) from the traffic generated by your ads.


Tools like CallTrax and PhoneSwap can assist in call tracking by assigning unique phone numbers to your campaigns and dynamically replacing phone numbers on your website for visitors coming from your ads.


To enhance your landing page, ensure it is clear, persuasive, and aligns with the intent of your ad. A well-designed landing page can significantly improve conversion rates.

How to Undercut Google’s Pay-to-Play Model and Advertise on a Budget

Last Updated: October 26, 2020

It’s genuinely depressing to think about the totality of words we’ve wasted whining about Google’s pay-to-play model.

Not because we regret the time spent educating our readers, but because we wish this weren’t the reality of digital marketing in 2020. Especially during a crippling pandemic.

And we know this situation is just as depressing for all of the small, local service providers out there who feel like they don’t have a fighting chance.

But we’re done with despair. It won’t do anything to combat Google’s nefarious greed.

That’s why, today, we’re showing all you small business owners how to fight back.

In this blog post, we’ve compiled some of our best tips to market yourself online without handing all of your hard-earned money to Google’s coffers.

READ MORE: How Google’s Greed Is Slashing Your Website Traffic

Use Social Media Ads

Whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Yelp, or Twitter, your audience’s favorite social platform is the perfect place to advertise your business.

In fact, designing a quick ad and paying for clicks or impressions on one of these platforms will be much cheaper and potentially more cost-effective than Google Ads in terms of ROI. Just a small investment in time and money could pay off big.

After all, the endless social media scroll is how most people are exercising their thumbs these days. Might as well take advantage of it!

Use Word of Mouth

We know, we know: Nobody likes talking in person anymore!

Thing is, that’s not entirely true. Sure, people consistently prefer texting over calling on the phone, but that doesn’t mean everything takes place virtually. People talk!

Especially people who are close friends and family. In casual conversation, they’re likely to recommend contractors and service providers whom they had a good experience with. So, there’s no harm in giving your customers a little nudge to spread the word!

However, there is such a thing as virtual word-of-mouth, too. For example, you can use platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and NextDoor to join local groups, stay up to date on community events, and even network with other small business owners.

There are so many ways to get your name out there organically. Think outside the box!

Use Offline Materials

This might sound odd coming from a digital marketing team in 2020, but we’re big proponents of including offline materials in your overall marketing strategy. Such materials include:

  • Flyers
  • Brochures
  • Business cards
  • Direct mail
  • Branded calendars, pens, coasters, tote bags, etc.

With memorable marketing materials, unique branding (including logos and signage), personal referrals, and face-to-face networking in your community, you can supplement your online efforts and really stamp out a place for your business on the local scene.

Keep Fighting!

It’s easy to feel discouraged when you realize how much the Google game is rigged–but, frankly, that’s not productive. Instead, stay in the ring and keep swinging. There are so many other avenues you can take to market yourself that don’t involve draining your bank account straight into Google’s gullet.

And if you need any assistance with creating a Facebook ad or designing a business logo, don’t hesitate to contact us! There’s nothing Prospect Genius loves more than helping small businesses stick it to the big guy.

How Google’s Greed Is Slashing Your Website Traffic

Last Updated: February 15, 2024

Google’s new slogan should be, “Helping Goliath pummel David.”

If you’ve been following this blog for a while, then you already know how we feel about Google and their reckless behavior towards the little guy. But for newcomers, here’s a quick recap:

Google’s motivation will always be to maximize profits for themselves. This runs in direct opposition to the best interests of small businesses that can’t spend a fortune advertising themselves online.

And it’s getting worse.

Now, with Google’s Local Services ads, in addition to Google Ads (formerly AdWords), Google is siphoning limited SERP (search engine results page) space and handing that space to their own paid platforms. The consequence of this action is that Google is slashing available organic traffic for everyone else, particularly small businesses that can’t afford a big ad budget. 

At this point, the notion that Google’s local search platform is pay-to-play is no longer up for debate.

In this blog post, we’re going to look at how the bloated presence of paid ads on Google’s SERPs are hurting small businesses’ web presence in real, tangible ways. We’re also going to tell you what you can do to protect yourself. Keep reading!

Paid Ads Are Taking Over

In the 30-or-so major U.S. cities where the Local Services platform has rolled out, small businesses are seeing a substantial decrease in website traffic.

Why? Because now, when someone searches for a local service provider in their city, like a plumber or electrician, they’re confronted with several paid ads right away. They have to scroll multiple times before even getting to the first organic website listing. This puts all organic listings at a major disadvantage.

Just take a look at this local SERP for “appliance repair service.” This is how much Google-sponsored content users see before they even get to the first organic listing!

Local SERP With Sponsored Content

More info: “How to Minimize Your Damage From Google’s New Platform”

In fact, a 2018 Bright Local study shows that the presence of Local Services ads has a significant, negative effect on other SERP listings:

  • Local Services ads receive 13.8% of all local SERP clicks
  • At the same time, 25% of all local SERP clicks are on paid ads in general (including Google Ads) when Local Services ads are present.

In other words, websites are missing out on a full quarter of their potential traffic due to the presence of paid ads. This is doing tremendous damage to website traffic for local service providers.

And here’s the thing: It’s not an accident that Google’s paid services are taking up so much space and hogging so much traffic. That’s by design. Again, Google’s interests conflict with yours: Their goal is to line their pockets through paid ads, which means they have to get the most clicks possible. Organic listings are, therefore, Google’s competition.

So, it’s no wonder that Google takes up the whole, top half of the SERP with paid ads. The more clicks those paid ads receive (and the fewer clicks organic listings receive), the more profit Google rakes in!

Plus, add to all of this the fact that Google is floating the idea of adding paid features to their Google My Business platform, and you’re looking at a steep price just to be visible online.

Play the Game but Protect Yourself

By now, it’s clear that Google’s pay-to-play model favors big businesses with big budgets. On local SERPs, the winner is whoever can afford to spend the most on paid ads. And if you’re a small service provider who can’t afford to dump money into advertising? The best Google can say is, “Good luck.” 

Your takeaway? Don’t trust Google to have your back.

Maybe it’s just us, but we don’t like the idea of putting the fate of our company into the hands of a giant corporation whose sole objective is to empty our pockets. 

And because of Google’s greed, organic traffic ain’t what it used to be. SEO is still crucial, but relying on SEO alone simply won’t cut it anymore. That’s why we advise our clients to diversify their advertising as a form of protection against the unstable nature of organic SEO.

To that end, we very begrudgingly admit that Google Ads is a necessary evil. It’s an unfortunate truth that Google owns the local search arena, so we all have to play by their rules. It pains us to say this, but as we demonstrated above, you need to set aside some money each month for a Google Ads PPC campaign if you want any degree of prominence or visibility on the local SERP.

Pro tip: Having a savvy marketing specialist manage your PPC campaign for you will help you keep costs down.

However, to only invest in Google Ads would be a mistake.

Again, diversifying your web presence is the goal here. That’s why we also recommend using paid ads on whatever social media platform(s) or directories your customers connect with most. For many businesses, this is Facebook, but Instagram and Yelp are also popular choices. And the good news is, most social media ads are substantially more budget-friendly than Google Ads.

Related: “How to Run a Holiday Facebook Ad That Drives Results”

In addition, we always remind our clients that old-school, real-world marketing is still effective, too! With memorable branding (including logos and signage), word-of-mouth, and face-to-face networking in your community, you can supplement your online efforts and really stamp out a place for your business on the local scene.

So, don’t get down about your diminished website traffic. There are still several ways to promote yourself online (and off) without blowing your budget. Even though your organic website traffic may drop, you can still get plenty of calls, leads, and booked revenue from other sources.

Keep fighting!

If You Don’t Promote Your Summertime Services Now, You’ll Hate Yourself Later

Last Updated: May 21, 2019

Now that summer is only a month away, let’s talk about how you want to promote your summertime services.

We need to start looking at what you can do right now to boost your bookings this summer. Especially since your competitors probably aren’t planning ahead—which gives you an edge.

This post will arm you with some strategy ideas to help you book better jobs this season. Let’s jump in!

How to Book Better Jobs Than Your Competitors This Summer

The truth is, most people don’t plan ahead. They won’t remember to update their website or social media to highlight their seasonal offerings. And they certainly won’t think to campaign for a specific service months in advance.

Thankfully, you’re smarter than most people.

If you start advertising now, you’ll beat your competitors to the punch this summer. You’ll also put yourself in a strong position to cherry-pick your favorite jobs and book up your calendar through Labor Day.

Which Services Should You Promote?

Getting started is simple. Just think about the one or two jobs you would love to do all summer long, and advertise the heck out of them.

For example, here’s what some savvy businesses are doing to prepare for the season:

Landscapers are targeting homeowners who want to get their backyards and patios ready for summer.

Cleaners and junk haulers are pushing to help people with their big clean-out projects.

Home builders and remodelers are getting in front of people who put off their construction projects until it’s nicer outside.

HVAC technicians are marketing central air tune-ups in preparation for hotter temperatures.

Tax attorneys are marketing to people who are now in a panic about filing late or who had an issue with their returns.

Paving contractors are targeting homeowners and business owners who need new asphalt installation or resurfacing now that the weather is more cooperative.

Appliance repair technicians are seeking RV owners who need to service their special-sized appliances before taking their campers out on the road.

Mobile audio installers are marketing to boat and RV owners who want to optimize their stereo systems before the season officially begins.

Plumbers on the East Coast are promoting sump pump installation and backflow prevention ahead of hurricane season.

Basement waterproofers are also getting ahead of hurricane season by pushing drainage systems, sump pumps, and waterproofing panels.

What Promotional Strategies Should You Use?

Once you’ve chosen the summertime service(s) you want to promote, here are the next steps:

Dedicated web page. Make sure you have a corresponding page on your website for each service you wish to promote. Not only will this provide more information to interested site visitors, but it will also improve your credibility in Google’s view.

Pay-per-click (PPC). Get out in front of your competitors by starting a Google AdWords campaign for your specific service. This way, you’ll show up whenever someone in your area searches for that type of work.

Facebook Ads. Start a Facebook ad campaign and pop up in your target audience’s news feed! You’ll stay top of mind for that service they’ve been thinking about but haven’t pulled the trigger on yet.

Social media. Make adjustments to your social media profiles to showcase your summertime services. This way, when a potential customer visits your site or page, they’ll see it right away. You should also create posts and photos about these services to further boost your reach.

So… do you have a specific service you want to prioritize this summer?

Then get to work ASAP.

Or, if you need some guidance, give us a call or shoot us a message now. We’ll get you set up with a powerful campaign to boost your bookings this summer.

SEO: Start From the Bottom, Climb Your Way to the Top

Last Updated: January 18, 2018

Does SEO really take as long as all the marketing specialists say? A good number of people are out there promising much faster results, so there must be a loophole the marketers aren’t telling you, right?
We wish we had better news for you. However, the reality is that achieving a strong presence on Google and the rest of the web requires time, effort, and patience. Anyone who promises you instant results is just trying to sell you snake oil. Keep reading to find out why SEO takes time, contrary to what certain salespeople say.

Think of SEO Like Getting in Shape

When you do it right, SEO takes time. It’s a long, ongoing process. You’ll see gradual results bit by bit as your web presence grows stronger until finally, one day, you realize you’re getting tons of website traffic, Facebook likes, and customer calls and emails.
In this way, SEO is just like anything else in life that requires an investment of time and effort. For example, when you want to lose weight and get in shape long-term, you know you have to eat right and exercise over a period of several months. “Magic” diet pills and cleanses may promise overnight results, but they very rarely deliver. And if they do, the results certainly don’t last, and they don’t make you any healthier.
The same is true when optimizing your web presence: If you want vital, long-lasting results, you have to put in the time and effort for a minimum of 90 days. Any shady service promising you a silver bullet or page-1 rankings overnight isn’t going to help your business grow in a meaningful way.
After all, SEO is a means to an end—in other words, getting the top position for one of your services isn’t actually the end goal. Rather, as a small business, you’re embarking on an SEO campaign because you ultimately want to attract new customers and build your brand. So, in the same way that number on the scale doesn’t reflect your overall health, neither does your Google ranking for one search term reflect how well you’re appealing to local customers.
For increased visibility and an effective web presence, you need to think long-term.

Building a Web Presence Is a Slow Climb

…But the views from the top are worth it!

Why SEO takes time

The graphic above illustrates the multiple steps involved in launching an SEO campaign and building your web presence from the ground up.

The Essentials

First, you should start small with local directories. You must represent your business’s information accurately on a variety of quality, credible directories. Doing so lends your business some authenticity in Google’s eyes.
Next, you create a Google My Business account and create a Google Maps listing. This is a requirement in order to appear in local searches on Google.
Then, you supplement your online listings with an attractive website and valuable, high-quality on-page content. This is how search engines learn the different types of services and/or products you offer. Essentially, it helps Google put your business into context so it can better represent you in search results. Plus, having plenty of well-written website content makes your business easier to find by voice search.
Once you’ve established your online credibility and have a website that draws visitors in, you can put your business on all of the major social media platforms (namely Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Google+). Doing so will further cement your authenticity for Google. Moreover, social media is yet another vehicle with which you can reach your local customers.
At this point, you could end your efforts and wait for your online visibility to ramp up. We typically advise our clients to give their campaigns at least 90 days to reach full strength. However, this waiting period can vary depending on how crowded your local market is. For example, if you’re located in a densely populated metro area like New York, Dallas, or Miami, you’ll have a lot of competition, and your campaign may take longer to rise to the top. Conversely, if you’re located in a sparsely populated area with few competitors, your campaign may take off sooner.

Paid Ads

However, if you really want to take your web presence as high as it can go, you can add a paid advertising campaign, too. Generally, you should try paid advertising, particularly pay-per-click (PPC), after you’ve completed all of the previous steps. This is for two reasons: 1) You’ll be able to keep costs down once your credibility has been established with SEO; 2) You will have a better chance at turning clicks into leads if the webpage your ad links to is attractive, informative, and persuasive.
At the same time, there are a few, highly specific situations in which PPC will be more effective than SEO for your immediate, short-term goals. These are situations in which demand is super high for a short period of time. For example, if you offer roof repair services and a major storm recently left a lot of people with damaged roofs, you’ll want to capitalize on this urgent demand and run PPC ads ASAP. Considering your customers will be highly motivated at the jump, your lack of depth on the web won’t be as much of a factor. Please keep in mind, though, that this kind of scenario is a rare exception to the rule. Generally speaking, you really ought to develop your web presence before running a PPC campaign.

Be Patient and Persistent

With enough time—and occasional tweaking, if necessary—your web presence will grow and expand. It’s inevitable. We speak for all SEO practitioners when we ask you to remain patient and trust the process. We know it’s difficult to wait, especially when you’ve made a financial investment in your campaign, but time is truly the most important factor when it comes to building a web presence. So, whatever you do, don’t fall for any snake oil that claims otherwise. SEO takes time, period.
Good luck!

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