When Should I Stop Using Lead Sites?
Stop when the work costs more than it earns you, and you have something ready to take its place. The order you do it in matters as much as the decision.
The short answer
When the work they bring costs more than it earns you, and you have something ready to replace it.
Stop using a lead site when, after a fair test, your cost per job won is consistently higher than the profit those jobs leave, or when you have enough work from cheaper sources that the leads are no longer needed. Both conditions rely on tracking, so the first step is knowing your numbers.
The second half matters as much as the first. Cutting a lead source before anything replaces it can leave a gap in your diary that takes months to fill. The sensible exit is gradual: build the alternatives, move work across, then drop the source that performs worst.
The signs
Signals it may be time
The maths doesn't work
Your cost per job won is higher than the margin on those jobs, month after month. See true cost per job won.
You only win at the bottom
The jobs you convert are the ones where you were cheapest, and they barely pay.
You can't answer them
You're paying for enquiries you don't have time to respond to properly, so they go cold.
You're busy anyway
Referrals and repeat customers already fill most of your diary.
The admin outweighs the work
Evenings go on quotes that rarely convert, and your paid work suffers for it.
It brings the wrong jobs
The enquiries lean toward work you'd rather not do, in areas you'd rather not travel to.
Keep or stop
Reasons to keep a lead source, and reasons to drop it
Worth keeping
- Cost per job won sits comfortably below your margin
- It fills quiet periods reliably
- It brings the work you want
- You respond quickly and convert well
Worth dropping
- It costs more per job than the job earns
- You rarely win without being cheapest
- You can't respond to what you pay for
- Other channels already cover your capacity
Timing
Choose when you step back, not just whether
Most lead sources have a rhythm. Roofing enquiries, for example, often rise after spells of bad weather, and many trades see quieter periods around the turn of the year. A source that looks poor in a slow month may carry you through the next busy one, and a source that looks strong at a peak may not justify its cost across a full year. That's why tracking over a longer period matters more than any single invoice.
Timing also affects the exit itself. Stepping back from a lead source just before your busiest season, with nothing else in place, is the riskiest moment to do it. Stepping back after a strong season, with referrals and repeat customers building, is the safest. If you're on a fixed-fee membership, note the renewal date well in advance so the decision is made on your terms rather than the calendar's.
Exiting sensibly
How to step back without leaving a gap
Track before you decide
Record enquiries, quotes and wins by source for long enough to cover busy and quiet spells. Decisions made in a slow month are often regretted.
Build the replacement first
Referrals, repeat customers and your own Google Business Profile take time. Start them while paid leads still cover the gap. Lead sites vs your own website weighs up that choice.
Check the terms
Read the notice period, renewal date and any minimum term before you act. Pricing and terms change; check the platform's current terms.
Drop the weakest first
If you use more than one source, cut the worst performer and watch what happens before cutting the next.
Keep a fallback plan
Know what you'd do if work dries up. No work coming in: what now? is a useful plan to have ready.
One of the alternatives
Work without a lead bill
A contractor network is one of the routes contractors move to. Mortaro Group generates the work itself and appoints one contractor from its network to each enquiry. There's no membership, subscription or per-lead charge. You price at trade rate, our fee is added on top in the customer's quotation, and you're paid your rate in full. No upfront lead fees, explained sets out how that works.
We won't promise volume, so it isn't a like-for-like swap on day one. How much work comes through depends on your area, trade and track record; how much work can you provide? gives the honest answer. For the wider set of options, see how do I stop paying for leads?
Straight answers
Stopping questions
Should I stop all lead sites at once?
Usually not. Stopping gradually, worst performer first, keeps your diary steady while other channels grow.
What if my leads are fine but I'm too busy?
Then pause rather than cancel, if the terms allow, and review again when things quieten. Being fully booked is a good reason to stop paying for work you can't take.
For contractors
Tell us about your business
Your trade, the areas you cover and the size of work you take on. A person reads every enquiry, and if it looks like a fit we will send you the full application.