The three numbers every business owner should track
These three numbers answer the question that matters: is this investment generating more customers at an acceptable cost? Everything else is operational detail the agency needs to track, not necessarily you.
How to interpret what's happening
The campaign is optimizing well. If lead quality is also good, consider increasing the budget.
A sign that competition has increased or the season is more expensive. Ask the agency for an auction analysis.
Needs immediate attention. Could be a targeting, site, competition, or seasonality issue. Ask for a diagnostic.
What to ask at your next meeting
With this data in hand, the right questions for your agency are:
- How many leads came in this month compared to last?
- Is the CPL within what was projected at the start?
- What was optimized to get this result?
- What's coming next month?
An agency that answers these clearly, with data, is doing the job right. Talk to IKOEH and see what that transparency looks like in practice.
Frequently asked questions
Should I check the Google Ads dashboard myself or just wait for the report?
Both. Having dashboard access lets you check in real time whether campaigns are active and spending. But the agency's monthly report is what translates the data into conclusions and next steps.
Does Google Ads show how many sales came from the ads?
If conversion tracking is set up correctly, yes. For businesses that close by phone or in person, you need call tracking and form tracking installed. Without that, conversion data is incomplete.
How long until results stabilize?
Generally 60 to 90 days. The first few weeks are the algorithm learning. Results from the first 30 days are indicative, not final. The trend over months 2 and 3 is what really shows whether the campaign is on track.