What is pay-per-call? A plain-English guide for home services

The short definition

Pay-per-call is a performance marketing model where a business pays for qualified inbound phone calls rather than for ad clicks, impressions or form submissions. The call is tracked with a unique phone number, screened against agreed rules, and connected in real time to the business.

The three parties

• Advertiser or buyer — the contractor or home-service brand that wants calls and pays for qualified ones.
• Network — the company in the middle (like us) that tracks, screens and routes calls, enforces quality and handles billing.
• Publisher — the marketer who creates demand through search ads, content sites, directories or other approved channels and earns per qualified call.

How a call flows

1. A homeowner searches or browses and sees an honest offer to call for help.
2. They dial a tracking number assigned to that source.
3. The routing platform identifies the source, checks rules (location, service, hours, caps, duplicates) and may use a short IVR prompt.
4. The caller is connected to one buyer. The call is recorded and logged.
5. If it meets the qualification rules, the buyer is billed and the publisher is paid.

What makes a call “qualified”

Every campaign defines this before launch. Common rules include:

• A minimum connected duration (for example, 60–120 seconds depending on vertical)
• Caller located inside the buyer's service area
• Request matches services the buyer provides
• Call arrives during the buyer's hours
• Not a repeat caller within the dedupe window

Clear rules are the single biggest factor in a healthy buyer–network relationship. Vague rules lead to disputes.

How pricing works

Prices vary widely by trade, market competition and the strictness of qualification rules. High-ticket and urgent trades — roofing, water damage — cost more per call than lower-ticket service calls. Most campaigns use a fixed price per qualified call; some use duration tiers. See our pricing models page for the full picture.

Common pitfalls (and how to avoid them)

• Not answering live. Missed calls are wasted money. Only buy hours you can staff.
• Unclear billing rules. Get dedupe windows, durations and dispute windows in writing.
• Opaque traffic. Ask where calls come from. A reputable network can describe its sources.
• Bot and AI-generated calls. Make sure your network contractually treats them as invalid.