How can I tell if advertising is actually delivering results, rather than just looking at click counts?

The key is conversion tracking. Embed a tracking code on your website and clearly define what "conversion" means—for example, submitting an inquiry form, adding items to a cart, downloading a catalog, or making a phone call as concrete actions. With this tracking in place, the advertising platform can "know" which keywords, which ad copy, and which regions actually drive business activity, giving you a foundation for future optimization. If you only look at click counts or impressions, you risk misjudging ad effectiveness. An electrical cable customer's example illustrates this: by analyzing tracking data, they discovered different preferences for different product lines in different countries, and then adjusted the featured products for each market, making their business layout more targeted.