Look, I’ll be straight with you. Most small business owners in Brisbane are flying blind.
They spend a fortune on Google Ads or Facebook posts, see a bit of traffic hit their site, and then… nothing. Or maybe the phone rings once or twice, but they’ve got no clue why those specific people called while a hundred others just left.
If you don’t know exactly what your customers are doing from the second they see your name to the moment they hand over their credit card, you’re basically throwing cash off the Story Bridge.
You’ve probably heard some nerd call this "customer journey analytics." Forget that. It’s just a fancy way of saying: "What the hell are people doing on my website, and why aren't they buying?"
Here’s the reality of how you actually make more money by paying attention to the right things.
The "Path to Purchase" Isn't a Straight Line
In a perfect world, someone searches for a plumber in Paddington, clicks your ad, calls you, and books a job. Done.
But that’s not how people work. They’re busy. They’re distracted. They click your ad while waiting for a coffee, get interrupted by a phone call, look at your site again later on their laptop, check your reviews, and maybe—just maybe—they send an enquiry three days later.
If you only look at the final click, you’re missing the whole story. You might think your Facebook ads aren't working because they don't lead to an immediate sale, but what if every single one of your big-ticket clients saw a Facebook post first? If you turn those ads off, your phone stops ringing next week.
That’s why you need to track every sale back to where it actually started. Without that, you’re just guessing.
Where You’re Losing Money Right Now
I’ve looked at hundreds of local business accounts. Most people have "leaks" in their bucket.
Imagine you’re paying $5 a click to get people to your site. 100 people visit. 95 of them leave within ten seconds. That’s $475 gone.
Why did they leave? - Maybe your site takes ten years to load on a phone. - Maybe they wanted a price and you hid it behind a "request a quote" button that doesn't work. - Maybe your phone number isn't clickable, and they couldn't be bothered typing it in.
You need to see these roadblocks. When we help our clients, we don't care about "page views." We care about where people drop off. If 80% of people hit your "Services" page but nobody clicks "Book Now," your Services page is the problem. It’s not your ads; it’s your message.
Quick Wins: How to Fix the Leaks
You don't need a degree in data science to do this. You just need to look at a few specific things that actually result in more money in your pocket.
1. Watch the "First Contact" to "Final Sale"
Stop looking at vanity metrics. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: you need to stop chasing likes and start looking at the numbers that pay your mortgage.Ask yourself: How many people who visited my site actually called me? If it’s less than 5%, something is broken. It could be your offer, your site speed, or you’re just driving the wrong people to the site.
2. Check Your Mobile Experience (For Real)
Open your website on your phone right now. Try to book a job or send an enquiry with one hand while walking. Is it hard? Is the text too small? Do you have to zoom in to click a button?If it’s annoying for you, it’s a dealbreaker for your customers. Most Brisbane locals are searching for you while they’re on the go. If your site doesn't work perfectly on a phone, you’re gifting leads to your competitors.
3. Identify the "Money Pages"
Every site has one or two pages that do the heavy lifting. Usually, it’s your pricing page or your gallery of past work.Use your data to see which pages people visit right before they call you. Once you know which website changes make money, you stop wasting time tweaking your "About Us" section and start making your pricing page the best it can be.
The Honest Truth About Costs
Setting this up properly isn't free, but it's cheaper than wasting $1,000 a month on bad ads.
You can try to DIY this with free tools like Google Analytics 4. It’s powerful, but honestly? It’s a headache to set up. It’ll take you a few weekends of watching YouTube tutorials to get it right.
If you hire an agency like us to sort it out, you’re looking at an upfront cost to get the tracking right. But once it’s done, you’ll know exactly which marketing is a waste of time and which is a goldmine. Most of our clients see the benefit within the first 30 to 60 days because we stop the bleeding on their ad spend immediately.
What You Should Do First
Don't try to track everything at once. You'll go mental.
Start here: 1. Set up conversion tracking. This just means making sure you know when someone clicks your phone number or submits a form. 2. Look at your 'Bounce Rate' on your main landing pages. If people are leaving instantly, your ad doesn't match your page. Fix the words on the page first. 3. Track the source. Use a simple tool to see if your leads are coming from Google Search, Maps, or Facebook.
My Honest Take
Most business owners ignore this because it feels "too techy." They’d rather just buy more ads.
But buying more ads when your website isn't converting is like pouring more water into a sieve. It’s stupid.
Spend the time (or the money) to understand how your customers move from "just looking" to "shut up and take my money." Once you have that map, growing your business becomes a lot less stressful and a lot more predictable.
If you’re sick of guessing where your sales are coming from and want someone to just tell you what’s working, let’s have a chat.
Get in touch with us at Local Marketing Group and we’ll help you figure out where your money is actually going.