Digital Marketing for Home Services: A Guide to Know If Your Marketing Is Actually Working

You didn’t start your business to become a marketer, but here you are, running ads and hoping they turn into paying customers.

If you’ve ever asked, “Are these ads even working?”, this guide is for you. And spoiler alert, you're not alone.

Digital marketing for home services doesn’t have to be confusing.

You just need to track a few key numbers and know what to look out for especially if you’re working with a marketing agency or freelancer.

Let’s break it all down in plain English.

Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): Are You Getting Paid Back?

ROAS = Job Revenue from ads ÷ Cost of ads

Real example:
If you run a plumbing company and spend $1,200 on Google Ads in March, and book $6,000 in jobs from those leads, your ROAS is 5x.

That’s solid—you’re making $5 for every $1 you spend.

But if you spend $1,200 and only get $1,100 in booked work? That’s 0.91x—you’re losing money. Better put, for every dollar you invest you're getting $0.91 back.

Yikes!

Bottom line: Your ROAS should at the VERY least be above 1 to start, and ideally closer to 3–5x depending on your overall profit margins when you account for payroll, parts, and operational overhead.

Every business is different and if you have recurring customers regularly than you may be willing to take less ROAS upfront to get a customer for the year or decade.

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): What Does It Cost to Get a New Customer?

CAC = Ad spend ÷ Number of new customers in that given time period

Real example:
Let’s say an HVAC company is spending $10,000 per month on a mix of Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and Local Service Ads. From that spend, they bring in 40 new customers.

Their CAC is:
$10,000 ad spend ÷ 40 customer = $250 per customer

If their average install or service call brings in $2,000–$8,000, depending on the job, a $250 acquisition cost is reasonable—and profitable. But if they’re spending that same $250 to bring in a low-value maintenance call worth only $300, they’ll need to upsell or bundle services to make it work.

Why this matters:
Knowing your CAC helps you set realistic goals, understand your margins, and make smarter marketing decisions. It also helps you push back on agencies or ad platforms that aren’t performing for your business objectives.

How to Track Lead Sources (Without Being a Marketing Nerd)

Understanding where your leads are coming from is the foundation of smart digital marketing for home services.

You might be running marketing via:

• Google Local Services
• Google Search Ads
• Facebook Ads
• Yelp
• Email or text campaigns
• Door hangars
• Direct Mailers
• Yard Signs

You name it...

How to track which campaign brought in the lead:

• Use UTM links in all your digital ads (these are simple tags added to URLs to track traffic sources). Use this UTM generator for easy management.
• Use call tracking numbers (a unique phone number per platform).
• Create separate website landing pages for each service and campaigns if possible.
• Connect it all to your CRM, where each lead is tagged with the marketing source. We recommend Housecall Pro or consulting a pro.

Example:
A landscaping company uses a different phone number for Facebook Ads than they do on their Google Business Profile. When leads call the call tracking records the source of the call and reroutes it to your main phone number instantly, they know exactly where that lead came from—no guessing.

At Wilbur Marketing, we help bring all these channels into one centralized dashboard so you can actually see what’s working and what isn't.

Track What People Actually Do: Not Just Clicks, but Actions

Clicks don’t pay the bills. Calls and booked jobs do.

Track these types of lead actions:

• Phone calls (still the #1 converter for trades)
• Form fills (from “Request a Quote” or “Contact Us” pages)
• Live chat or AI-to-text conversations
• Online scheduling/booking tools
• Facebook or Google messages

Example:
A roofing company notices most of their form leads are just shopping around, but phone call leads convert at a rate of 4x comparitevly. So, they shift their strategy to drive more phone calls instead of forms.

We had customer reduce their Cost Per Lead by 25% just by the addition of our Ai Chat to Text tool included in all of our marketing plans.

Red Flags When Working with a Marketing Agency

A good marketing partner should be helping you grow, not just send over charts with pretty colors. Here are some signs you might want to ask tougher questions:

They only report on impressions, clicks, or likes.
Clicks don’t pay for payroll. If they can’t tie marketing to booked jobs, that’s a problem.

They never talk about ROAS or CAC.
If they aren’t talking dollars in vs. dollars out, what are they even measuring?
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They don’t ask for access to your CRM or booking software.
If they can’t match leads to actual revenue, they’re flying blind—and so are you.

They can’t tell you where your best leads are coming from.
If everything is a “win,” then nothing is. You deserve clarity.

Example:
An electrical company realized their old agency was only tracking Facebook leads but not the jobs from those leads. Once they switched to a team that integrated with their CRM, they discovered 70% of their best customers were coming from Google Local Services, not Facebook. Game changer.

Take Control of Your Performance Marketing (Without Losing Your Mind)

Digital marketing for home services doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does have to be measured.

Knowing your ROAS, CAC, and lead sources puts you in control for growth.

You can spend more confidently, cut what isn’t working, and double down on what is.

And if you’re tired of spreadsheets and guesswork, that’s what we help with at Wilbur. We give you the tools to track every lead, every dollar, and every booked job in one place, without the fluff.

Because your marketing should work as hard as you do.