Lead tracking is how you find out where your work comes from. We set up separate phone numbers for each marketing source, keep a record of every call, text and email, and add a simple weekly tally of which ones became booked, paid jobs. Once it runs, the "source" column on every worksheet on this site fills itself in.
Why tracking comes before everything else
Every tool here depends on two numbers: how many leads a channel produced, and how many of those became jobs. Without tracking, both are guesses.
Picture a roofer who spends $2,000 a month on Google Ads and $400 on a directory listing, and believes the directory is "where the good jobs come from." Three months of tracking might show the directory sent four calls and one job, while the ads sent fifty calls and eleven jobs. Or it might show the opposite. Either way, the next budget decision is made on facts.
What we set up
- Tracking numbers by source. One for Google Ads, one for the website, one as the additional number on your Google profile, one for print or vehicle signage if you use them. Each forwards to your normal line.
- Call and text records. Date, time, length, source and whether the call was answered. Missed calls are flagged, because a missed call is a lead you paid for and lost.
- Email and website enquiries tagged by the page and source they came from.
- A "how did you hear about us?" field in whatever you use to book work, even if that is a paper diary.
- A weekly tally sheet. Leads by source, booked jobs by source, and missed calls, printable and in the same layout as our ROI worksheet.
Who it is for
Nearly every trades business that spends money on marketing. It matters most if you:
- run ads and cannot say what a booked job costs
- have more than one marketing channel
- miss calls while on the tools and want to know how many
- want to use the ad budget worksheet with numbers you trust
Timeline
Setup takes one to two weeks, depending on how many sources you have and how your phones are arranged. Data becomes useful after two to three months. We suggest a first ROI review at the three-month mark.
How we measure that it works
The test is simple: what share of last month's booked jobs have a known source? Before tracking, it is often well under half. A working setup should push it close to nine in ten. The remaining tenth is usually referrals and repeat customers who call a saved number, which is useful information in itself.
What it looks like after three months
Once the setup has run for a season, the weekly tally sheets add up to the first honest picture most owners have had of their marketing. You can see which channel sends calls that turn into jobs, which sends tyre-kickers, and how many calls go unanswered at lunch or after five. You can then fill in the ROI worksheet in an evening instead of a weekend, because the hard column is already done.
Mistakes to avoid
- Replacing your main number everywhere. Keep your real number as the anchor on your Google profile and listings. Tracking numbers sit alongside it.
- Tracking calls but not outcomes. Knowing a call came from an ad is half the answer. You also need to know whether it became a job. The weekly tally exists for this.
- Letting the office skip the question. "How did you hear about us?" only works if it is asked every time.
- Ignoring missed calls. If tracking shows a high share of missed calls, the cheapest fix is answering faster or texting back, not buying more leads. calltext.chat is our sister site on that subject.
We set up marketing measurement; we are not a contractor and never touch your trade work. To discuss tracking for your business, call, text or email, or see other services.
Frequently asked questions
Will tracking numbers hurt my Google ranking?
Not when set up properly. The usual approach keeps your main number as the primary number on your Google profile and adds the tracking number as an additional number, so your listing stays consistent.
Do I have to record calls?
No. Recording is optional and, if you use it, callers should be told. Many owners only need to know that a call happened, how long it lasted and where it came from.
What about customers who just walk in or are referred?
Those are tracked with one question at booking: how did you hear about us? It goes into the weekly tally next to the automatic sources.
How long before the data is useful?
Two to three months of clean data is enough for a first ROI review. A full year shows the seasonal pattern.