Word-of-mouth referrals and flyers were once the primary methods by which plumbing companies acquired new customers. But things have changed, and digital marketing is now very important for plumbers to get leads and develop their businesses. Not all marketing initiatives work the same way, even if they are all important.
As a business owner, it’s essential to closely monitor the effectiveness of your marketing efforts to avoid wasting time and money. A lot of plumbers hire marketing services without really knowing if their work is working. So, how do you know if a digital marketing company is doing a good job for your plumbing business? This post will clearly demonstrate how to use tried-and-true measures, easy-to-use tools, and a focus on results to judge success.
This guide will help you confidently analyze and evaluate marketing effectiveness, whether you’re engaging a digital agency for the first time or analyzing the work of an existing partner. This will make sure that your investment leads to real growth.
Define Clear Goals Before Measuring
It’s important to be clear about what you want to accomplish before you start tracking anything, which is something that many plumbing companies forget to do. We always question, “What is the goal?” first. Some plumbers want to get more phone calls, some want to get more people to visit their websites, while yet others want to move up in Google’s search results.
Marketing might lose focus and fail if there isn’t a defined goal. Some of the most common targets we see are to get 30% more booked appointments in six months, 40% more traffic to the local website, a top three ranking for searches like “emergency plumber near me,” or 20 fresh Google reviews in a quarter.
Your digital marketing approach should be based on clear, defined targets that you can use to track your progress. If a plumber digital marketing company doesn’t ask about your goals, that’s a red flag. They should make sure their campaigns fit with your business goals for the best outcomes.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to Track
Once goals are set, we shift to measuring actual performance using KPIs. These indicators help track how well the plumber marketing company is doing.
Website Traffic & Behavior
We look closely at your plumbing website’s traffic. It reveals how many people visit and how they interact.
Key metrics:
- Total website visits – Is traffic increasing month over month?
- Bounce rate – Are people staying on your site or leaving right away?
- Pages per session – Are users checking multiple service pages?
- Time on site – Are they spending enough time to potentially call?
Moreover, checking where traffic comes from matters:
- Organic – Google search results
- Paid – Google Ads or Facebook Ads
- Direct – Users typing your URL
- Referral – Links from directories or blogs
These insights tell us whether the digital efforts drive the right audience to your website.
Local SEO Performance
For plumbers, local visibility means everything. Most customers search with phrases like “plumber near me” or “24/7 plumbing in [city].” That’s why we monitor local SEO carefully.
Track these local SEO indicators:
- Google Business Profile (GBP) views
- Actions taken on GBP (calls, directions, website clicks)
- Appearances in the Local 3-Pack
- Number and quality of reviews
If your business doesn’t show up in local searches, you miss real customers. With that said, tracking rankings for service-related keywords is just as important.
Lead Generation Metrics
At the end of the day, plumbers care most about leads. You want phones ringing, contact forms filled, and jobs booked.
Digital marketing companies must show how they generate leads.
Look at:
- Contact form submissions
- Click-to-call actions from mobile users
- Live chat interactions (if installed)
- Call tracking data – Source of each call
Call tracking is powerful. It tells us which marketing source (Google Ads, SEO, or Facebook) led to the phone ringing.
Furthermore, we recommend reviewing recorded calls monthly to assess quality. Are they actual plumbing customers or just spam? This matters when evaluating campaign success.
Search Engine Rankings
Another way to evaluate a plumber marketing company is by keyword rankings. These help us see how visible your site is to people searching for plumbing services.
Focus on:
- Rankings for primary services (e.g., “drain cleaning in [city]”)
- Long-tail keywords (e.g., “fix leaking pipe at night”)
- Position shifts (Are you moving from page 3 to page 1?)
- Keyword growth over time
It’s not only about hitting #1. Consistent upward movement signals a healthy SEO campaign.
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Campaign Metrics
If your digital company runs Google Ads, they must track these campaign metrics closely:
- Click-through rate (CTR) – Are ads catching attention?
- Cost per click (CPC) – Are you paying too much?
- Conversion rate – How many clicks result in a lead?
- Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) – Do your profits exceed ad costs?
When PPC is done well, it generates fast results. But it must be measured tightly. Otherwise, your budget disappears without return.
Social Media & Reputation
Social platforms like Facebook and Instagram play a support role. While they don’t always generate direct leads, they do affect credibility and trust.
Track:
- Engagement rates – Likes, comments, shares on posts
- Follower growth – Are locals paying attention?
- Reviews and responses – Especially on Google and Facebook
- Messaging response times – Are leads followed up quickly?
Positive online presence makes it easier for prospects to choose your plumbing company.
Tools to Measure Digital Marketing Results
To keep everything transparent, we use specific tools that simplify reporting. These tools reveal what’s working and what’s not.
Here are a few we recommend for plumbers:
- Google Analytics 4 – Tracks website users, sessions, traffic sources, and conversions
- Google Search Console – Shows search queries, impressions, clicks, and technical issues
- Google Business Profile Insights – Offers local views, clicks, and search breakdowns
- CallRail or WhatConverts – Tracks phone calls and ties them to ad campaigns
- Ahrefs, SEMrush, or BrightLocal – Tracks keyword rankings and local visibility
- CRM tools like Jobber or ServiceTitan – Connects leads to actual jobs
Following this information, your digital marketing company should give you regular access to these tools, or provide transparent reports from them.
Monthly Reporting and Communication
A good plumber marketing business stands out by how simply and openly they report on their progress. We suggest that you set up monthly performance reviews to keep up to date. A full report should include a description of successes and failures, trends in website traffic, changes in keyword rankings, the total number of leads generated via calls, forms, and chats, and the performance of any pay-per-click (PPC) advertising that are running.
The report should also provide a clear ROI snapshot that shows how much money was made compared to how much was spent on marketing. The government needs to explain these outcomes in understandable language instead than merely showing the raw data.
If you often ask yourself, “What does this mean?” it means that there is a problem with communication. Lastly, make sure your marketing staff can easily and quickly ask questions and get clear answers. This will promote openness and teamwork throughout the partnership.
Red Flags to Watch For
When it comes to marketing for plumbers, not all digital agencies keep their promises. Be on the lookout for signals that an agency might not be giving you actual value. It’s a bad sign if they only look at vanity metrics like likes, impressions, or clicks and don’t keep track of real leads. If an agency doesn’t keep track of calls or form submissions, they won’t have important information about your potential clients.
If they don’t want to share full monthly data, be careful; honesty is really important. Also, be careful of people that promise quick results or “guaranteed” rankings, because these claims are typically not true. A reputable firm will take the time to learn about your business goals before formulating a plan.
Because your money is important, plumbing businesses should be able to talk to you clearly and honestly. You have a right to know exactly how your marketing money is helping your firm grow, so ask your agency for clear information and results that can be measured.
When to Reevaluate Your Plumbing Marketing Partner?
It’s time to look at how well a digital marketing business is doing if you’ve been working with them for three to six months or more and haven’t noticed a clear increase in leads or visibility. Think about whether your leads have gone up or down, whether more people are coming to your website from your area, and whether your Google reviews are getting more.
Also, think about if you get clear, complete monthly reports and whether the outcomes are properly linked to your actual revenue. If the majority of the responses are negative, it suggests that your marketing partner is not fulfilling their commitments.
If the team is hard to get in touch with, doesn’t explain their ideas clearly, or alters them without your involvement, it might be time to find a marketing partner that is more reliable and communicative and who shares your aims. Your firm needs clear, useful help that leads to real growth.
Conclusion
Plumbers can’t afford to guess whether their digital marketing is effective, you deserve clear, measurable results. When partnering with a digital agency, you should see real growth in leads, calls, traffic, and revenue. To ensure success, set specific goals with your marketing team and consistently track website traffic, local SEO performance, and actual leads generated.
Carefully measure PPC campaigns and use call tracking alongside CRM tools to monitor conversions. Request straightforward monthly reports and remain attentive to any warning signs, such as poor communication. If progress stalls after 3 to 6 months, it’s time to reassess your strategy.
If your current digital marketing company isn’t delivering measurable growth, consider switching to one that does. We specialize in helping plumbing businesses drive genuine leads through honest tracking and transparent reporting. Ready to stop guessing and start growing? Book your free consultation today, and let’s create a results-driven plan tailored to your goals.