Most contractors know what they spend. Fewer know what a lead costs, and that is the number that tells you whether a lead source is working. You need two numbers for the same month and the same source: what you spent and how many leads it brought in. A lead is a call, form or message from a possible customer, before you qualify it.
1. What you spent
- Google search ads: in Google Ads, open Campaigns, set the date to last month and read the Cost column.
- Google Guaranteed (Local Services Ads): in the LSA dashboard, open Reports and read Total charged for the month. Disputed leads that got credited aren't counted.
- Angi, HomeAdvisor, Thumbtack: add up the lead charges on the monthly invoice or billing page, minus any credits.
- Storm-lead sellers: invoices, or your card or bank statement.
- Leave out agency fees and software. Track those separately.
2. How many leads it brought in
- Google search ads: the Conversions column, but only if calls and forms are tracked. If it shows clicks only, count calls from your phone log or call tracking.
- Google Guaranteed (Local Services Ads): the Leads tab lists every charged call and message.
- Angi and Thumbtack: the number of leads on the invoice.
- Your CRM or job software (JobNimbus, ServiceTitan, AccuLynx, Jobber): filter new leads by lead source for last month.
3. Do the math
Cost per lead = spend ÷ leads. Then cost per signed job = spend ÷ jobs you signed from those leads.
Example: $3,000 on Google Guaranteed ads, 25 leads and 5 signed jobs is $120 a lead and $600 a signed job.
Still no idea?
Start with what you do know: spend and jobs. That gives you cost per signed job, which is the number that matters most. Our 2-minute comparison has a "No idea" path that works it out for you. Those rough answers are labeled as rough and never used in our published numbers. Then set up call tracking or a lead-source field in your CRM, and next month you'll have the real thing.
Sources checked on the dates shown. We don't make up numbers; gaps are marked.