Common Questions

Answers to frequently asked questions.

Setup & Getting Started

How do I get, give, or troubleshoot access to my data?

Dashboard access is granted per email address. If you have not already been granted access, reach out to your point of contact to have your email address added with the appropriate permissions — and follow the same process for adding any additional team members.

Once your email has been added, sign up at the SearchLight app with exactly that email address, either with "Continue with Google" (works for any Google-hosted mailbox, not only gmail.com) or with an email and password.

If you're having trouble signing in:

• Use the email that was granted access. The most common issue is signing in with a different address (for example a personal Google account) than the one that was added.
• Use the sign-in method you signed up with. If you signed up with "Continue with Google", there is no password on the account — use the Google button rather than "forgot password".
• Type verification codes rather than pasting them. A pasted code often carries a hidden trailing space and reads as invalid. If you've requested several codes, wait a moment and use the newest one.

Still not working? Reach out to your point of contact or contact support.

How far back can we backfill our data?

On launch of your account, we backfill data through the 1st of the previous month. We backfill call tracking data, and spend data via API for channels like Google Ads, Google LSA, Facebook, and Bing Ads, and certain tools like Schedule Engine.

We are not able to backfill some data, such as form leads and tools that send data via webhook: these require our Photon tag on your website or a real-time connection, which typically isn't in place until an account is onboarded. We are also limited by each source system's data retention policies — historical limits and level of detail; for example, Google LSA wipes personally identifiable information from data older than 12 months.

What is Photon and why do we need it?

Photon is our JavaScript library and tracking pixel used to collect form engagement, form fills, and call tracking information to assist with data quality monitoring and revenue attribution.

If you see photon-form as a conversion source, this is Photon monitoring and attributing form submissions from your website.

Analyzing Your Data

How is this data different than what is in our CRM?

SearchLight measures the customer journey from the lead source conversion through the estimate, sold, and closed records in your CRM. Depending on the dates selected, a customer may appear in any of the four funnel stages (Lead, Estimate, Sold, or Closed) based on where they were during that time frame.

Attribution works on a first-touch basis within a 90-day window: the customer's first lead in the window gets credit for the CRM activity that follows it. We deliberately do not depend on the marketing source a CSR manually assigns in the CRM, because manual classification is often inaccurate — SearchLight rebuilds the association from the tracked lead data instead. See Understanding Lead Attribution for how that works.

Lead sources include a variety of tools — website forms, appointment schedulers, chat platforms, call tracking — and SearchLight attributes each lead to the marketing source that drove it. These are often not properly attributed in other dashboards or revenue analytics tools.

Revenue is counted on the date it enters your CRM or moves to Sold or Closed — not on the date the lead originated. This shows revenue as it's captured, while still crediting the original lead even when that lead falls outside the selected time frame. Note also that revenue means contracted value sold or closed in your CRM, not cash collected — reconciling against collections will show expected timing differences.

For a fuller walkthrough of why the two systems differ — attribution logic, revenue stages, timing, new vs existing customers, and why some campaigns or business units don't appear — see SearchLight vs Your CRM.

What are the key metrics for a high level takeaway?

Which metrics matter most depends on your business, but generally, we recommend selecting three metrics to focus on:

First, select an effectiveness metric. Effectiveness metrics are the raw counts of upper-funnel activity — Unique Leads and Conversions. Focusing on one of these ensures you're keeping an eye on filling your pipeline.

Next, select an efficiency metric. Efficiency metrics are ratios that quantify how well your business converts demand, such as Match Rate, Book Rate, or Paying Customer Rate. One thing to know: these divide by all trackable contacts in the period — including spam and unbookable calls — so SearchLight's Book Rate deliberately reads lower than the "qualified" book rate your call center may track internally. It's a raw marketing-efficiency measure, and it's most useful as a trend.

Finally, select a revenue metric. Revenue metrics ensure the captured demand is meeting the revenue level your business needs to sustain or grow. Consider Revenue Potential or Closed Revenue.

Together these can tell you directionally where to invest resources — further analysis, spend, or the other levers available. For full definitions, see the metrics reference.

Why is a metric showing abnormal performance?

Before diving into strategy adjustments, first make sure the tracking setup is complete: Dynamic Number Insertion (DNI) measuring all sources — most importantly PPC/Google Ads — call extensions, and the Photon JavaScript snippet on any landing pages in use.

If the setup is confirmed, you can begin separating demand effects from performance issues.

We recommend Google Search Trends as a first pass: see whether heating, A/C, plumbing, and other related terms are trending up or down, for a sense of how external factors might be affecting your business.

Next, determine which conversion tools are seeing a degradation or a low Match Rate. Are those conversions being captured and handled properly — both technically and in terms of customer service? Consider manually reviewing a set of leads to judge lead quality.

Finally, with that information, discuss with your advertising provider what can be improved: adjusting campaigns or targeted keywords, adding negative keywords, assessing landing page continuity and user experience, adjusting bidding strategy, or changing the mix of ad networks and budget allocation.