Glossary of Lead Gen Terms for Home Services

Plain-English definitions for CPL, LSA, GBP, local pack, speed-to-lead, and 20+ terms home service owners hear from marketers — with links to actionable guides.

6 min read

Quick reference while you read the guides. Every term links to a page where you can do something with it.

At a Glance

  • Use when: A marketer, agency, or platform throws jargon at you
  • Core trio: GBP (free visibility) · LSA (paid leads) · Cost per booked job (what actually matters)
  • Go deeper: Metrics · Ultimate Guide · Scorecard

Metrics and Money

  • CPL (Cost Per Lead): Ad spend ÷ leads. Typical LSA range $15–$80 by trade. See Metrics.
  • Cost per booked job: Ad spend ÷ scheduled jobs — the KPI that matters. Target varies by trade; see trade baselines on Metrics.
  • Close rate: Booked jobs ÷ leads, by source. Low close rate often means slow response or weak qualify, not bad ads.
  • ROI (Return on Investment): (Revenue from booked jobs − spend) ÷ spend. Model channels in ROI calculators.
  • Revenue per lead: Total job revenue ÷ leads — shows whether you are attracting high-ticket or tire-kicker inquiries.
  • GBP (Google Business Profile): Formerly Google My Business. Powers Maps and the local pack. GBP Mastery.
  • GBP setup prep: Business info, photos, hours, services, and access decisions before setup. Setup Prep guide.
  • GBP post: Short Update, Offer, or Event on your profile. GBP Posts.
  • GBP Insights: Queries, views, calls, and direction requests in the profile dashboard.
  • Local pack: Map + three businesses at the top of many “near me” searches.
  • Profile Q&A: Q&A section on GBP — seed FAQs as the business. GBP Mastery Q&A section.
  • Review link: Shareable URL from Ask for reviews in GBP. Reviews & Referrals.
  • Service-area business: Mobile trade with no customer-facing storefront — lists cities/ZIPs served instead of a shop address.
  • Citation: Online mention of business name, address, phone (NAP) on directories — part of Local SEO.
  • LSA (Local Services Ads): Google pay-per-lead ads with trust badge. LSA guide.
  • Google Guaranteed: Badge on LSA — Google may refund disputed leads that meet policy.
  • Search Ads: Google pay-per-click ads to your website. Google Ads guide.
  • Meta ads: Facebook/Instagram lead or traffic ads — strong for visual trades. Social ads.

Operations and Conversion

  • Speed-to-lead: Time from inquiry to first human or trusted auto-touch. Target <5 minutes. Speed-to-Lead.
  • Missed-call text-back: Auto-SMS when you miss a call — send within 60 seconds. Templates.
  • Lead source: Where the inquiry originated (LSA, GBP, website, referral, etc.) — tag in CRM for weekly metrics.
  • Tracking number: Dedicated phone line for measuring calls by channel. Tracking setup.

GBP Access and Accounts

  • Manager role: Day-to-day GBP access — posts, photos, reviews, hours. Cannot transfer ownership. User Access.
  • Owner role: Can add/remove users and delete listing. Below Primary Owner in hierarchy.
  • Management access: Shorthand for Manager-level agency or staff access.
  • Primary Owner: Main account holder — only one per profile. Verify before agency handoffs.
  • Ownership transfer: Moving Primary Owner to a new Google account — distinct from inviting a Manager. Transfer guide.
  • Organization account: Central account for many listings via location groups. Organization guide.
  • Location group: Bundle of listings inside an Organization account for teams or partners.

Put these numbers to work — run your Metrics dashboard and ROI calculators.