Why ads come last, and what to track first

Ads are the fastest way to get attention. They're also the fastest way to waste money, if the foundation isn't ready.

Think of it as a bucket. Ads pour water in. Your offer, website, email, listings, Google profile and reviews decide whether the bucket holds it. Pour into a leaky bucket and you pay for every drop that runs out: the visitor who couldn't tap your number, the searcher who found an old listing, the shopper who picked the business with forty recent reviews.

Ready for ads? Check these first

• Your one-sentence offer is at the top of your website
• Your phone number is tap-to-call and your main button is obvious
• Your name, address and phone match everywhere
• Your Google profile is verified and complete
• You get new reviews every month
• You can tell where your leads come from (see below)

If you can't check most of those, fix them first. Every ad dollar works harder once they're done.

Track four numbers, once a month

You don't need dashboards. A notebook or a spreadsheet with four lines is enough:

1. Calls from new customers
2. Form or booking requests
3. New reviews
4. How new customers found you. Just ask: "How did you hear about us?"

After three months you'll know what's working. That's the moment ads start to make sense, because you'll be able to tell whether they paid off.

Do this today

• Go through the ready-for-ads checklist above
• Start your four-line monthly scorecard
• Ask your next new customer how they found you

Questions? Email mike@profitlinkpro.io, or reply to any course email. It comes straight to me. Mike