The metrics that matter
| Metric | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Leads | Volume of new leads, split by source, so ad-generated leads are distinguishable from organic ones |
| Spend | What each campaign spent, live |
| Cost per lead | Spend divided by leads, per campaign; the primary efficiency number |
| Booked estimates | The number the others exist to produce |
Where to see them
- Dashboard: the live picture. Lead volume over time with ad-sourced leads marked, spend and cost per lead per campaign, and your active targeting areas read back from the ad platform, so the map reflects what is really running.
- Chat: the analyst. “Why did cost per lead jump this week?” or “compare the two garage campaigns” get real answers drawn from the same data, including context a chart cannot carry, like what the leads have been saying in conversations.
Attribution, honestly
Home-service attribution is messy: a homeowner sees your ad, searches your name a week later, and fills out your website form. Ares attributes what is genuinely knowable (a lead from an instant form is unambiguous) and refuses to invent precision beyond that. When a number is an estimate, chat will say so.Reading the funnel
Three checks, in order, diagnose almost any performance question:- Leads coming in? If not, the issue is upstream: campaign, budget, or creative fatigue. See Creative.
- Leads answering? If leads arrive but conversations die, the issue is lead quality or follow-up fit. Ares sees both sides and will have a view.
- Conversations booking? If leads engage but do not book, the sticking points show up in the transcripts: pricing resistance, scheduling friction, territory mismatch. Ask Ares what leads are saying.
A weekly rhythm that works
Five minutes, once a week, beats daily dashboard staring:- Check booked estimates against the prior week
- Skim cost per lead per campaign for drift
- Read the one or two things Ares flagged
- Give one instruction if anything needs to change