05/13/2026
Five years ago, a marketing report could win a client
over with traffic numbers, click-through rates, and
impression growth.
That client doesn't exist anymore.
The pet retail owners I work with right now ask me one
question on every reporting call:
"How many calls did we get?"
That's it. That's the whole conversation.
Not "what's our CTR." Not "where are we ranking for
[keyword]." Not "how is our impression share doing."
Calls. Form submissions. Booked appointments. Closed
sales. The actual revenue-producing events.
Owners have been burned too many times by reports that
made everything look great while the phone sat silent.
They've stopped trusting vanity metrics — and they're
right to.
If you're a marketer or agency owner reading this —
the smart play is to get ahead of where reporting is
actually going. Stop leading with traffic stories.
Lead with the funnel from impression to booked
appointment, with every step measured and every drop-off
named.
If you're a business owner reading this — when your
agency talks about traffic, ranking, or impressions,
ask one question: "How many of those turned into a
phone call?" If they can't tell you, you don't have an
agency. You have a vendor producing reports.
The whole industry is moving toward revenue-tied
reporting. The agencies still leading with vanity
metrics are about to be left behind.
What's your phone done this week?
